Past Exhibition

Chris Oatey

Animate Objects

October 14 – November 14, 2010
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 17, 5 – 7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Sunday, November 14, 4 p.m.

We were pleased to have presented the CB1 Gallery solo debut exhibition of artist Chris Oatey, Animate Objects. The exhibition was on view in our West Gallery beginning on October 14 for the downtown LA Art Walk and continued through November 14, 2010.

Animate Objects is a collection of drawings that begin as sculptures made of optically patterned paper or textiles. These forms are photographed and then rendered two- dimensional by utilizing carbon transfer paper. Using this complex and labor-intensive method, Oatey highlights the pattern’s overlaps and areas of convergence by removing shadows and three-dimensional space. Multiple viewing perspectives are needed to experience these works on paper, which appear clean and hard-edged from a distance but whose irregularities can be seen from close range. A large-scale wall hanging refers the drawings back to their sculptural origins and presents an oversized version of the two-dimensional works.

The content of these abstract masses relates equally to both the recognizable yet subjective forms that the shapes resemble and to the exploration of artistic process. The artist’s individual view of each piece becomes a subtle suggestion that the viewer is meant to contemplate. The works situate themselves as abstractions although lean toward representational subject matter.