lay_of_the_land_ publication_2012
TRANSCRIPT
Curated by Flavia S. Zúñiga-West
Deborah Bein, Rachel Caldwell, Nelson Díaz, Irina Dorofeeva, Bonnie Ferguson Butler, Nina Fosdick, Darren Hepburn, Scott Hovind,Virginia Lee, Megan Levacy, Susannah Martin, Joni McClain, Pedro Pacheco, Lynnda Pardoe, Einat Shteckler, Vicky Stromee, Alan Thexton, Mars Toyko,Manuela Wenger, and Caitlin Williams
Lay of the Land:The Terrain of the 21st CenturyJanuary 15, 2012 - March 1, 2012
here is an inherent human need to
depict the natural world around us. From
Paleolithic cave paintings to Ansel Adams,
we have attempted to capture the space
around us to reflect our relationship with it
and within us.
Now is a distinctive time in the history of
art to depict the natural world with our
understanding of the earth and our impact
on land, water, and wildlife. Finding
untouched forests, clean bodies of water,
and abundant ecosystems is a rarity in the
21st century. Our environment and the
world are in constant flux with climate
change, pollution, and natural disasters.
Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the
calls to action for land and wildlife
preservation and ultimately sustainability
have altered our landscapes. Humanity has
turned a desert to a metropolis, raised
islands out of the sea, and even changed the
hue of the sky at dusk.
The artist’s role in documenting our
environment today is crucial in evaluating
and reflecting on the lay of the land locally
and globally. Lay of the Land focuses on
the vital role land and terrain play in the
biodiversity of an ecosystem. It approaches
the landscape of the natural world as a
platform to document the current
environmental crises facing us, nationally
and internationally.
T
2nd PlaceEinat Shteckler, Disaster 2Photography
The 20 artists in this exhibition
have provided us a unique
opportunity to literally see our
natural and urban world through an
international lens. From Costa Rica,
Germany, The United States, Israel,
Canada, and Australia, we view the
spectrum of our world, from the
beauty we deeply value to the
devastation we are responsible for
causing. They challenge, mourn,
and reveal humanity’s role in the
reshaping of the natural world all
while celebrating and reveling in the
beauty of what remains. Their
pieces are a needed reminder of
what we may yet lose and what we
can save.
The three prize winners of the this
exhibition, through various
mediums-- performance,
installation, photography and
painting--chronicle the crises and
devolution of the planet. Lay of the
Land is proud to celebrate the work
of Best in Show winner: Nelson
Díaz; 2nd place winner: Einat
Shteckler; and 3rd Place winner:
Mars Toyko.
3rd Place Mars Tokyo, Sendai, JapanGouache, India Ink
Award Winners
Best in Show
Nelson DíazFotosíntesisAcrylic paint on body, digital photography
The work of Nelson Díaz is provocative. His subjects radiate a primordial reverence to the natural landscapes of Costa Rica. Luring his viewer into saturated monochromatic compositions, Diaz tugs on our connection and evolutionary beginnings in nature. Fotosíntesis plays on our environmental knowledge and instinctual bond with the natural world. His subject, naked and green, is subsumed into the natural world without barriers; nature and humanity are one. Costa Rica's lush forests are often paraded in order to draw tourists, but Diaz's work does not shy from the subtext of the illegal deforestation so prevalent in his home country.
2nd Place
Einat ShtecklerDisaster 2Photograph
Capturing his environmental installations with photography, Shteckler’s work reminds us of our individual responsibilities to pick up a piece of trash and the impact of our rampant consumption. Creating ecological statements regarding the damage and disposal of plastic waste, Shteckler activates the natural environment by inserting plastic bottles into unpolluted areas, often using his city of Eilat in Israel as a location. Disaster 2 is a startling and powerful message for the times. Through his subject matter and composition, Shteckler demands his viewer to see humanity’s intrusion into the natural world.
3rd PlaceMars Tokyo
Sendai, JapanGouache, India Ink
Mars Tokyo's work is ornate and beautiful with archival value. Her bold color and intricately designed compositions document fragile coastal areas around the world. Charting global warming with gouache and india ink, her work is based in observing and creating works about our ever changing lay of the land. By using a warm palette, she deftly creates a sense of urgency to capture the destruction of coast lines as a result of global warming. Her work is striking, meticulously constructed, and timely.
Additionally, Infinity Art Gallery honors two
artists with the awards and reflections from
our Founder, Charly Swing, and our
Director, Julie Weismann. Lay of the Land
is pleased to announce the Founder’s Choice
award winner: Deborah Bein; and Director’s
Choice award winner: Virgina Lee.
Flavia S. Zúñiga-WestLos Angeles , 2012
“The quilt historically represents the 'fabric' of our communities. Women gathered together to sew, created their own pieces and worked together to fabricate the finished products - talking, laughing, singing, story telling and bonding their communities together as they worked their active hands and bound the pieces into quilts that were given to relatives, babies, elders, soldiers, the cold, the weary.....
Deborah Bein's Oh Say Can You Cell poetically uses the quilt to tell a modern story about the fabric of our communities and how we are grasping for connectivity in a time when we do not sit together and talk while our hands are busy working toward a unified goal. Rather, there is loss, disconnection, fragmentation, and a landscape littered with the evidence of our desires.”
- Charly Swing Founder, Infinity Art Gallery
“ Virginia Lee is a master of layering stories. Each and every time I view this piece, I see another piece of the puzzle—another story of our past—another dream for our future. As the SunDial shows the ticks of time, so this piece expresses the moments in our lives—an entire movie in one frame.”
- Julie Weismann Director, Infinity Art Gallery
Director’s Choice AwardVirginia Lee, SunDialAcrylic on Canvas
Founder’s Choice AwardDeborah Bein, Oh Say Can You Cell, Mixed Media on Fiber
Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank Julie Weismann and Charly Swing for their support of international artists and independent curators. Special thanks to John West and Daniel Ruiz for their editorial eyes.
COVER: Nelson Díaz, FotosíntesisAcrylic paint on body, digital photography
http://www.infinityartgallery.com