REBUS / Barry McGee and Josh Lazcano January 7 - 31, 2004 Gallery Paule Anglim is pleased to announce its first exhibition of the New Year, REBUS, with works by artists Leo Bersamina, Carter, Ala Ebtekar, John de Fazio, Leah Modigliani, Eamon Ore-Giron, RIGO '04, Michelle Rollman and J.otto Siebold. The nine artists in the show all practice some form of figuration. They create images which represent human and animal figures, taking them another step further into their true subject matter: issues of identity, culture, politics and fantasy. In his mixed media paintings, Leo Bersamina employs chopped, woven and painted photographs of himself and friends surfing in an Pacific Oceanic setting. The result is a formalized rendering of his ethnicity and pastimes, a new take on identity issues. Carter creates drawings, photographs with permutations of male stereotypes: altered heads from advertisements and pop culture that empower form and style through beards, hairstyles and poses. Ala Ebtekar's works are drawn and painted on sheets of Farsi and Arabic text. The chosen sheets instruct the reader in prayer. Ebtekar's illustrations both illuminate and provide ironic contrast with the texts' purpose and meaning. Image (right): Ala Ebtekar, 2002, Embrace of a Lover (detail), Acrylic, watercolor, ink and pencil on book pages, 34.5" x 14" The ceramic sculptures and drawings of John de Fazio play within harsh mock-adult fantasies dreamed up from cartoon and erotic figures. The figures of Leah Modigliani's works are alter ego portraits or even alternative authors. She subverts expectations of reality; is she the artist or subject or neither? Eamon Ore-Giron's paintings have roots in Surrealism, but they flourish in a Post-Pop world that professes an easy understanding of all cultures and conventions. In Ore-Giron's imagery seemingly comfortable people, objects and settings do not match. RIGO '04, known for murals and signs that remind us of basic realities underlying the systems of advertising media, will exhibit needlepoint versions of his own artwork. His serial images have been sewn by his mother in Portugal. Michelle Rollman is known for her animal drawings and sculpture which invite the animal kingdom into the world of human psychology. Her drawings in sedate oval frames update well-know fables. J.otto Seibold will install drawings and printed imagery as a wall collage of cartoon creatures and architecture. Barry McGee and Josh Lazcano Gallery Paule Anglim is pleased to present an installation of new work by Barry McGee in collaboration with Josh Lazcano. The worlds of High and Low art meet in their celebration of artist Barry McGee. Acclaimed for his work in the street as a graffiti artist and for his painted installations in galleries, museums and art festivals around the world, McGee crafts a visual language that makes itself understood. It is public, addressing politicized worries of urban life,and very private, elaborating a unique personal style that focuses on humanity, one painstakingly detailed, fine brush-painted head at a time. With fellow artist Josh Lazcano, with whom he has collaborated on video installations and 'zine production, he will combine drawings, photography, video monitors in a sculptural installation in Gallery II. Image (left): Barry McGee, 2004 Untitled #9 mixed media on wood panel 41.5" x 25.5"