Curator’s Statement: Alternative Universe

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.
-Carl Sagan

Images can confuse and stimulate; without the confluence of colors and forms we see nothing. Our imagination can propel us to the next level of consciousness by becoming engaged in a cacophony of objects.  Richard Heipp, Rebekah Bogard and Max Lehman create work that inspires visions of undiscovered worlds.

Through his art, Richard Heipp has been engaged with the intersections of technology and artistic production. He is interested in the way we "see" and the manner in which contemporary culture consumes images. Believing the 21st century has brought about an important shift between looking (the superficial way we digest most images) and seeing (a profound looking which includes an aspect of contextual understanding), Heipp created the term “photo centric” to describe his carefully crafted airbrushed paintings. He goes to great lengths to mimic a photographic, or mechanically produced looking visual language. His intent for the viewer is to initially assume that they are looking at a mechanically reproduced photographic or digitally produced image. Then, only upon close observation, is the true nature of the image and the highly crafted object revealed.  This subverts notions of craft, production and ultimately perception.  This foil produces a profound change in the relationship of the viewer to the object and in turn, alters its meaning. This tact is also evident in the work of Rebekah Bogard.

Bogard employs fictional animals in her art work to explore the personal narrative of her life. These creatures provide her with both anonymity and security in the secrets she discloses in her work. She enjoys utilizing animals because they are beautiful and mysterious creatures, vulnerable to relationships with humans.  This susceptibility provides a sense of benevolence that is often lacking in human associations.  The fictional creatures juxtaposed with non-fictional animals create a sense of the fantastical that can alter the viewer’s perception of the world. Fantasies become realities and dreams become authentic.  Rigid gender roles no longer exist as females can be more like males and males can become feminine.

Max Lehman creates figures that blur gender roles and present a world of brightly colored morphed beings.  Lehmans’ art are often an accumulation of unrelated ideas that work together to create a playful narrative. His sculptural surfaces employ bright glazes that meander over a range of techniques; wheel-thrown, hand-built pieces are combined with mold-made objects. His current obsession with the bunny form has led to a series of works reminiscent of large figurative cartoons. Lehman is not really sure why the bunny came to the forefront in his work, although he observes a lot of rodentia* being depicted in popular arts and culture these days. He believes that we can transverse through a fantasy world where we are not encumbered by reality. Disregarding the troubled world we live in, he prefers to make art that can transcend the day-to-day and allow us to dream.

Each of the artists presented in this exhibition are part of an ongoing tradition of creative people that bring animation into a sometimes colorless world. Whether through color, over-the-top surface decoration or fantastical imagery, these three talented individual provide us with an avenue to find escape from the harsh situations we unfortunately accept for granted.