Immersion

Dan Attoe, Amy Bennett, Morgan Blair, Ryan Travis Christian, Hanna Hansdotter, Kajahl, Matthew Palladino, Super Future Kid, Christian Rex van Minnen, Mark Whalen, Dustin Yellin

Webster's Dictionary defines "immersion" as: "the act of immersing or the state of being immersed," such as:

a: baptism by complete submersion of the person in water;

b: absorbing involvement (such as an "immersion in politics"); and

c: instruction based on extensive exposure to surroundings or conditions that are native or pertinent to the object of study; especially: foreign language instruction in which only the language being taught is used.

The common thread connecting all of the work in this exhibition is immersion. Images depicting immersion, the complete immersion into other worlds, or that which involve the process of immersion in the creative process itself.

We will be hosting an artist talk with Mark Whalen starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 24. Whalen is an Australian-born, Los Angeles-based artist. Whalen expresses narratives that explore seemingly universal situations. In his recent series of sculptural and canvas works he uses the figure, common objects and forms to capture, cordon and compartmentalise the distinctive characteristics of his figures as they shift under the weight of societal anxieties. In their contorted forms we see playful compositions unfold as they sway through these problem solving constructions.