Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Opening reception, Saturday March 20th at Co-Lab


Beauty is not Benign : Anthony Sonnenberg

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 20, 7-11PM

Closing Reception: Saturday, March 27, 7-11PM

Open Hours: By Appointment Only March 21-27


Time is not Linear


Everything in existence is moving in a cyclical pattern. Growth and decay, life and death, boom and bust. This circular force is something that no one or no thing could ever hope to over come. Never the less we humans cannot stop ourselves from trying. We insist that if we cannot stop the cycle we can at least slow it down or disguise it, anything to make it easier to ignore. We create beautiful replicas and preservations of life’s most fleeting things and surround ourselves with them so eventually they are all we can see. But no matter how beautiful these screens may be they can never stop our journey through the cycle of life and death.


This phenomenon of mass unconscious self-delusion is the focus of my recent work. I often compare this work to the Dutch still life painting of the 17th and 18th century. At first glance these enticing paintings seem almost to be flashy advertisements for indulgence. When in actuality their crisp detail and luscious colors are subtle warning signs meant to be a reminder that as beautiful as life adornments may be they are equally as evanescent. However do not think me a depressing fatalist. Although my work in many ways serves as a reminder that all things must fade it also is a reminder that spring is always around the corner.



613 Allen Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 300-8217

No comments:

Post a Comment