Flat Earth Society
While thinking the earth is flat may be foolish, the idea that “flat earthers” represent history repeating itself is interesting. Especially given how access to information has made the world, and time itself, seemingly flatter. We can now easily immerse ourselves in histories and experience vivid story telling of cultures far and wide, recent and ancient.
We can embrace aspects of their belief systems as our own, even though they may be outdated or un-relatable to our current cultural norms and nomenclature. Similarly, the exhibited paintings explore ideas of time, and how layers of time both inform and abstract the meanings we place in symbols, objects, and narratives.
Jennifer J. Lee’s painting of an arch comprised of old computer monitors simultaneously references both the architectural breakthrough of the arch, the rise of computing, and subsequent obsolescence of vacuum tube monitors. Similarly Matt Lifson’s painting depicts young men taking written tests in the 1960’s overlaid by young men from another culture who have collectively killed a moose for food. Both groups’ activities represent rights of passage and becoming a man, just in different times and spaces.
The artists in Flat Earth Society seem to move fluidly through time to illustrate visions of the past, present, and future.
Big Pictures Los Angeles was a project space in the mid city area of Los Angeles, founded in 2014 by artist and curator Doug Crocco. Its program was focused on emerging artists in LA, and special projects with artists from New York, Miami, and Mexico City. It was one of the first of a group that grew to include Karma International, Kristina Kite Gallery, the Underground Museum, Ochi Projects, JOAN, Michael Thibault Gallery, Chris Sharp Gallery, and HILDE — a mid-city scene Hilde Helphenstein described in artnet News as one where "the quality and output of these spaces are high, but the art is not safe or boring."
Artists: Alex Sewell, Jake Kean Mayman, Jennifer J. Lee, Matt Lifson
