New Wave

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHEN: Sept 6 – Oct 4, 2008

RECEPTION: Sat, Sept 6, 6-9 p.m.

HOURS: Tues-Sat, 11-6 or by Appointment



Carl Berg Gallery is pleased present “New Wave” a group exhibition in an ongoing series of shows that feature artists new to the gallery including the works of Claire Baker, Darcy Bartoletti, Michelle Blade, Susan Choi and Francis Ireifej. The exhibition will also feature four artists, Erin Dunn, Kristi Kent, Jessica Minckley and Julie Rofman who have previously exhibited at the gallery but are exploring new territory in their own artistic endeavor.

Claire Baker, a recent MFA graduate from UCLA, will feature plein air paintings that she created on a recent trip to Mexico. Baker unlike many of the contemporaries explores nature through a direct intrusion, not using any contemporary sources such as the Internet.

Darcy Bartoletti, a recent graduate from the San Francisco Art Institute will feature an installation of drawings that resonate somewhere between the abstract and figurative. These austere yet deliberate works reveal a wonderful loose yet formal quality.

Michelle Blade, a recent MFA from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, will feature large paintings on velum. Blade's work investigates the transformative roll of public gatherings where social hierarchy dissolves and abrupt moments of collective completion occur.

Susan Choi will feature a large-scale work on paper featuring a provocative investigation into gender relations. Choi who has used her own (self-portrait) image in many of her works continues to question women’s role in today’s society.

Erin Dunn, will be featured in her third show at the gallery and present a new body of work she completed at a recent residency in The Netherlands. In her first exploration using oil paints, Dunn has created powerful works that depict painterly flowers that were inspired by the great 17th century Dutch floral artists she investigated at a number Holland’s museums.

Francis Ireifej, a current student at UCLA’s architecture school, will feature new works that are culled from both his art and architecture background. Francis explores images from art history transforming them into laser-cut puzzle-like collages.

Kristi Kent, in her third exhibition at the gallery, will present a new series of large-scale charcoal drawings that depict architectural spaces floating in a dream-like imaged world. Kent who has explored media sources for many years continues this search with these new works but abstracts giving them a much more fantastical quality.

Jessica Minckley, also in her third exhibition at the gallery, continues her exploration of the cultural myth, in a new series of paintings. Minckley often presents a variety of media in her exhibition but with this exhibition she focuses her efforts in a single piece that encompasses a complete narrative.

Julie Rofman, in her third exhibition at the gallery, will feature a new large-scale painting that continues her exploration of architectural space. In previous works Rofman has depicted images of imagined spaces residing in imagined volatile apocalyptic events. In this new painting titled “Under the Surface" Rofman changes course, depicting architectural spaces culled from actual sources.

In an effort to bring new artistic ideas to the public, Carl Berg Gallery presents group exhibitions that feature the works of artists that are new to the gallery and also artists who are exploring new territory in their our artistic investigation. “New Wave” presents nine artists with diverse interpretations but all with a fresh new perspective.

For more information contact: Carl Berg: Tel: 323-931-6060.