FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“it is what it is”: BY ERIK GONZALEZ AND NEW WORKS: BY
WILL BERRY AT THE PAGE BOND GALLERY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2011

The Page Bond Gallery is pleased to present “it is what it is”: an exhibition mirrored paintings and paintings on canvas by Erik Gonzalez, in conjunction with New Works: an exhibition of recent paintings by Will Berry.

Erik Gonzalez uses painted mirrors to give his viewer a sense of anonymity while thrusting them into his work. Will Berry’s subtle yet complex patterning reference a mix of cultures inspired by his life as an American living in Mexico City.

These works will be at the Page Bond Gallery, 1625 West Main Street with an opening reception for the artists, Friday November 4, from 7 to 9 PM. The exhibition will remain on view through Saturday, November 26, 2011.

Despite titling his exhibition “it is what it is”, Erik Gonzalez considers this phrase “at the top of his list of domesticated peeves”. Gonzalez uses painted mirrors to place the viewers in the piece but allow for an ambiguous identity through a playful disguise. His work, intended to have multiple interpretations for each viewer, has a large number of words used to describe it such as solipsism, relativism, and projection. Gonzalez’ only request is that the viewer not use the phrase “it is what it is” to describe his work.

Erik Gonzalez born in Omaha Nebraska received his BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University and his MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University. He has exhibited work at the Massimo Audiello Gallery in New York City, as well as the CUE Arts Foundation. In 2010 Gonzalez received a Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant. Gonzalez currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

“Will Berry’s pictorial oeuvre engages cultural mestizaje –hybridity-; its references and background are fused with formal quests dealing with metals –graphite, aluminum, and white lead- which make light dynamic, a task that treats painting as an object and notrepresentation. Yet, Berry traps the viewer: in a first approach -given the seduction in the presence of an abstract monochrome- the gaze flees any present cultural content in its alleged absence as is the case when the vampire confronts himself before a mirror and is not reflected, he is present, but there is no evidence of it in the reflection.”

– Victor Zamudio-Taylor, Terrible Beauty/Belleza Atroz, Caja Blanca Gallery, Mexico City

Will Berry born in Nashville, Tennessee, received his MFA in Painting from Boston University. He has exhibited work internationally including Mexico City and Copenhagen, Denmark. His work is part of many public collections such as The National Print Museum of Mexico, in Mexico City and the Huntsville Museum of Art in Alabama. Berry currently lives and works in Mexico City.