Human-Nature
February 16 – March 24, 2019
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 16, 6-9pm
Curated by Erika Ranee
Visage (miscreant), 2018 | marker graphite on watercolor paper | 24 x 22 inches
Artists:
City Nature: Derrick Adams, Ala Dehghan, Omari Douglin, Scott Grodesky, Kyung Me, Nick Naber and Ezra Wube.
Country Nature: LaKela Brown, Sedrick Chisom, Damien Davis, Nick Payne, Christian Rogers, Kiki Smith and Adrienne Elise Tarver.
Tiger Strikes Asteroid is pleased to present Human-Nature, curated by Erika Ranee.
The seemingly divergent worlds of country and city often converge in the ways these artists examine their environments. Nature is present in several iterations: as unnatural and industrialized, yet possessing a strange beauty; as lush framework for sinister or exuberant moments, or as rich source material for careful observation. The hyphen in the exhibition title ties together two elements as one, creating another type of nature—one that is inventive. Each artist in this show utilizes human-nature in some way. They are adaptable and intrepid and are capable of creating unique moments and visions from natural and manufactured surroundings.
Fourteen artists were selected in an even split for comparison and contemplation: seven representing work influenced by flora, fauna and other organisms in varying degrees of luxuriance or stasis; and seven artists inspired by the city and the myriad treasures revealed within an urban existence. Finding the beauty and the grotesque in either environment requires steady, consummate focus and imagination. We anticipate gritty congested images of the city, but a serene watery street scene emerges through a timeline of communication and sets a different tone. We anticipate sweet bucolic renditions of natural wilderness settings, but the stillness of a fawn might be the gravitas at its core. Expect the unexpected and relish the work for what it tells us.