AT THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
JULY 19, 2008 - AUGUST 16, 2008

CURATED BY:
MICHAEL DODGE

ARTISTS:
MICHAEL DODGE
KAREN LOFGREN
JUSTIN MICHELL
MOLLY MILLAR

DESCRIPTION:
To exist at the middle of nowhere brings solace to some and distress to others. Each artist in this exhibition bends, stretches, and portrays relationships to familiar surroundings in unique ways, either transferring the viewer to a space of ease and contentment or leaving them with no footing at all.

Michael Dodge's sculptures examine how space itself is controlled and manipulated. Using simply constructed wooden modules with a repeating color palette, the sculptures are turned "inside out". This device pulls back the facade and allows one to walk around and through a stage or a Hollywood set. His work exists between frontal refinement and behind-the-scenes utilitarianism, allowing viewers to experience the divergent realities of construction and presentation.

In Karen Lofgren's installation, Dawn, two melting floor sculptures project magenta and blue light across paint-dripping pigeons on a wire. The work physically immerses viewers, placing them on an unfamiliar level with recognizable objects and reminding them of the unknown metaphysical realities of material and space.

In Justin Michell's collages, paper and magazines morph into architectural structures that form spatial conundrums. The repetitive nature of this technique and abundance of his source material transform spaces into abject, futuristic and maze-like shadows of their former utilitarian selves.

Molly Millar's paintings, reconstructions of personal mental snapshots—moments in everyday life, refer to the familiar while concealing specific naturalistic forms. Her work simultaneously memorializes and obscures distinctive experiences, pushing and pulling them into atmospheric landscapes.

DOCUMENTATION: Michael Dodge