Strip Malls, Superstores and the American Landscape
June 27 - August 1, 2011
- Reception: June 30, 6-8 p.m., Gallery Lounge, gallery talk by Hans Habeger at 7 p.m.
- Music by the Flexible Flyers
- Artist lecture by Robert McCann, August 2, 10 a.m.
This show includes paintings that explore the byproduct of American consumer society. Looking at the landscape that is formed in the areas around strip malls and superstores. Both artists share a different view in the paintings they construct. Habeger is an assistant professor at College of Lake County in Evanston, Illinois. He finds pause in the desolate asphalt landscapes. Doing so through his rendering of light and shadow in overlooked locations. Embedding beauty in utilitarian design and breathing new life into vacuous locations. McCann is an assistant professor at Michigan State University. Their work creates a scene of events that portrays American society. Captured through the disorienting lens of reality television and kitsch B-rated horror films. Each artist imbues a seductive quality into the paintings they construct. Habeger does so by seeing the landscape through a fresh perspective. While McCann does so through drama and chaotic action.
Image: Robert McCann, Paths Around Buildings, oil on linen, 66"x54", 2011