Press Release
The title of brb, lol points at the humor present in the works of Michelle Brandley, James Lassen and Devon Nowlin, even if we are grinning self-consciously or with discomfort. Beneath the lighthearted appearance of much of the work, these artists are delving into a darker side of psyche, perception, obsession and (often failed) communication.
In new works comprised of multiple, repeating figures, Michelle Brandley looks at trends of conformity and the perfection of personal appearances. Images combine to suggest the gulf between self-perception and how we are viewed by others, and often relate the perfection of appearances with food obsessions. Her paintings are often called slick; highly-representational and smooth glassine surfaces apply a nice gloss over problematic social issues.
James Lassen is taking a new turn with his body of work that centers around cell phones by bringing text into view with a focus on our increasing reliance on the ever-present screen. We have moved past the novelty of making a phone call while grocery shopping; we now allow our phones to occupy our vision at any given moment. Lassen adds moments of private conversation to his figurative paintings and in doing so he confounds the implied expressions of the person depicted with the digitized version of their thoughts and communications.
Devon Nowlin's figurative paintings and video work, like Brandley and Lassen's paintings, are situated between our reliance on common visual codes for frames of reference and the misunderstandings and miscommunications that inevitably result in our relationships with others. Much of Nowlin's new work has the nature of allegory with figures in landscape settings; the landscapes metaphorically enhance or obfuscate the relationship of the characters. Drawing on her previous interest in referencing time and memory, video is incorporated to explore the possibility of moving paintings.