Opening on November 11th, 2006, Cirrus Gallery is pleased to present Naive Set Theory, a group exhibition of new work by Los Angeles-based artists Brian Bress, Julie Lequin, Ami Tallman, and New York-based artist, Jennifer Sullivan.
As a mathematical notion, Naive Set Theory grew from an informal understanding of collections of objects in order to allow mathematicians to conceptualize infinite sets of elements. This exhibition casually draws from this idea to link the work of four emerging artists, all who construct a kind of forged innocence or blithe ambivalence through which filter mature, meticulous, and often political expressions. Exploring issues ranging from psychological states, nationalistic identity, institutional authority, allegory, myth and popular culture, these four artists fashion loose and lively visual vocabularies from which to cull conceptual meaning. Though their stylistic choices and techniques are distinct, they are not unrelated, working in a variety of media, including video, collage, photography, MP3, sculpture, performance, drawing and painting, Bress, Lequin and Sullivan use the self as a conduit for ideas. While Tallman’s practice centers solely on drawing, her text and images allow greater social and cultural discourses to emerge in subtly provoking ways.
Brian Bress, Julie Lequin, Jennifer Sullivan and Ami Tallman are all recent MFA graduates. Since completing their degrees, each has been exhibiting nationally in cultural institutions, including museums, universities, contemporary commercial galleries and other visual art spaces. For the occasion of Naive Set Theory, the gallery will present a unique, interactive work by artist Jennifer Sullivan, created specifically for the Cirrus website.