Black Maria Gallery presents

Hidden/If You Listen Closely

Los Angeles—Black Maria Gallery announced the opening of a two person show featuring the works of Harvest Henderson and Brooks Salzwedel at 7 PM on Saturday, October 21, 2006.

Hidden/If You Listen Closely presents two distinct examinations of the ways in which industrialization and consumer culture have influenced the way we live and the way we see our world and ourselves. Brooks Salzwedel’s “Hidden” series draws attention to the increasingly blurred lines between city and country, nature and industry, beauty and blight. From his materials—toxic, chemical resins—to his subject matter—skyscrapers, factories, and oil derricks in natural settings—Salzwedel problematizes the relationship between the “natural,” “the good,” and the “beautiful.” Harvest Henderson’s installation “If You Listen Closely” explores the personal implications of the consumerist impulse. In a world driven by the need to produce and consume, we express ourselves by means of the things we buy. Bits of "self" can be telegraphed by means of candy wrappers and the ephemera of our everyday lives.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Brooks Salzwedel graduated with distinction from Art Center College of Design in 2004. Since his graduation, Brooks has shown at several galleries throughout the West Coast, such as OKOK Gallery in Seattle, and La Luz de Jesus and MOCA in Los Angeles. In addition to his flourishing art practice, Brooks is also the designer and producer of an award winning line of belt buckles, featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s 2006 Best of Issue. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Harvest Henderson studied art, writing, philosophy, theatre and women’s studies at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In 1999, Harvest headed west, alone in her pickup truck, sleeping in grocery store parking lots and apple orchards. After time spent in New Orleans and Seattle, she settled in Portland, where she now lives with her husband, several bonsai, and a ceramic gnome. She maintains an active studio practice, creating drawings, paintings and installations. Her recent installation works have included a full-sized bedroom set sewn from to-do lists and post-it notes; a fantasy landscape made of fresh sod, spray paint and pornography; and a chandelier strung together from over 300 red apples. In 2006, the Willamette Week called Harvest’s work “conceptual but not arid, thought-provoking but still satisfying visually and spatially.” “If You Listen Closely” is her first installation in Los Angeles.


“Hidden/If You Listen Closely” will remain open until November 11, 2006.


Black Maria Gallery: 3137 Glendale Blvd. LA, Ca 90039 phone: 323.660.9393 or 818.613.9090