AL SOUZA: Koyaanisqaatsi, 2006
puzzle pieces on wood, 72 ¼ x 72 ¼ inches
AL SOUZA
Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, October 26- November 25 2006
]]>
The Charles Cowles Gallery is pleased to announce the latest exhibition of AL SOUZA’s recent works. In this exhibition the artist continues his investigations into the aesthetic and conceptual properties of die-cut jigsaw puzzles, removing individual images from an original whole and arranging them onto the surface as he sees fit. Unlike his previous works in this format, SOUZA’s latest puzzle pieces lack a distinct narrative and tend to represent, according to the artist, “stream of conciousness.”
In addition to his puzzle pieces, SOUZA’s recent work involves film and music posters as well as Braille works. With the former, the artist takes two posters, cuts them into vertical strips, and combines them on one picture plane. The works become an exploration of the nature of memory and identity stemming from the artist’s childhood experiences with movie theaters and cinema culture. With the Braille pieces, the artist explores the sensory possibilities of art that is not hinged upon the visual, but rather the tactile. SOUZA’s latest work shows an archivist’s engagement and fascination with mass-produced objects that have been filtered through personal experience and re-contextualized to highlight the fallibility inherent within.
SOUZA’s work has recently been on display in the shows, Addenda, at the Galveston Art Center in Galveston, Texas and at the Moody Gallery in Houston, Texas. SOUZA has the privilege of being named the “Texas Artist of the Year” by the Art League Houston. His work is included in major public collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu; Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla; Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. The exhibition will be on view at the Charles Cowles Gallery at 537 West 24th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues in Chelsea. Tuesday through Saturday, 10am – 6pm.
Follow us on:
