Curated by Flavia S. Zúñiga-West

Deborah Bein, Rachel Caldwell, Nelson Díaz, Irina Dorofeeva, Bonnie Ferguson Butler, Nina Fosdick, Darren Hepburn, Scott Hovind,Virginia Lee, Megan Levacy, Susannah Martin, Joni McClain, Pedro Pacheco, Lynnda Pardoe, Einat Shteckler, Vicky Stromee, Alan Thexton, Mars Toyko,Manuela Wenger, and Caitlin Williams

Lay of the Land:The Terrain of the 21st CenturyJanuary 15, 2012 - March 1, 2012

here is an inherent human need to

depict the natural world around us. From

Paleolithic cave paintings to Ansel Adams,

we have attempted to capture the space

around us to reflect our relationship with it

and within us.

Now is a distinctive time in the history of

art to depict the natural world with our

understanding of the earth and our impact

on land, water, and wildlife. Finding

untouched forests, clean bodies of water,

and abundant ecosystems is a rarity in the

21st century. Our environment and the

world are in constant flux with climate

change, pollution, and natural disasters.

Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the

calls to action for land and wildlife

preservation and ultimately sustainability

have altered our landscapes. Humanity has

turned a desert to a metropolis, raised

islands out of the sea, and even changed the

hue of the sky at dusk.

The artist’s role in documenting our

environment today is crucial in evaluating

and reflecting on the lay of the land locally

and globally. Lay of the Land focuses on

the vital role land and terrain play in the

biodiversity of an ecosystem. It approaches

the landscape of the natural world as a

platform to document the current

environmental crises facing us, nationally

and internationally.

T

2nd PlaceEinat Shteckler, Disaster 2Photography

The 20 artists in this exhibition

have provided us a unique

opportunity to literally see our

natural and urban world through an

international lens. From Costa Rica,

Germany, The United States, Israel,

Canada, and Australia, we view the

spectrum of our world, from the

beauty we deeply value to the

devastation we are responsible for

causing. They challenge, mourn,

and reveal humanity’s role in the

reshaping of the natural world all

while celebrating and reveling in the

beauty of what remains. Their

pieces are a needed reminder of

what we may yet lose and what we

can save.

The three prize winners of the this

exhibition, through various

mediums-- performance,

installation, photography and

painting--chronicle the crises and

devolution of the planet. Lay of the

Land is proud to celebrate the work

of Best in Show winner: Nelson

Díaz; 2nd place winner: Einat

Shteckler; and 3rd Place winner:

Mars Toyko.

3rd Place Mars Tokyo, Sendai, JapanGouache, India Ink

Award Winners

Best in Show

Nelson DíazFotosíntesisAcrylic paint on body, digital photography

The work of Nelson Díaz is provocative. His subjects radiate a primordial reverence to the natural landscapes of Costa Rica. Luring his viewer into saturated monochromatic compositions, Diaz tugs on our connection and evolutionary beginnings in nature. Fotosíntesis plays on our environmental knowledge and instinctual bond with the natural world. His subject, naked and green, is subsumed into the natural world without barriers; nature and humanity are one. Costa Rica's lush forests are often paraded in order to draw tourists, but Diaz's work does not shy from the subtext of the illegal deforestation so prevalent in his home country.

2nd Place

Einat ShtecklerDisaster 2Photograph

Capturing his environmental installations with photography, Shteckler’s work reminds us of our individual responsibilities to pick up a piece of trash and the impact of our rampant consumption. Creating ecological statements regarding the damage and disposal of plastic waste, Shteckler activates the natural environment by inserting plastic bottles into unpolluted areas, often using his city of Eilat in Israel as a location. Disaster 2 is a startling and powerful message for the times. Through his subject matter and composition, Shteckler demands his viewer to see humanity’s intrusion into the natural world.

3rd PlaceMars Tokyo

Sendai, JapanGouache, India Ink

Mars Tokyo's work is ornate and beautiful with archival value. Her bold color and intricately designed compositions document fragile coastal areas around the world. Charting global warming with gouache and india ink, her work is based in observing and creating works about our ever changing lay of the land. By using a warm palette, she deftly creates a sense of urgency to capture the destruction of coast lines as a result of global warming. Her work is striking, meticulously constructed, and timely.

Additionally, Infinity Art Gallery honors two

artists with the awards and reflections from

our Founder, Charly Swing, and our

Director, Julie Weismann. Lay of the Land

is pleased to announce the Founder’s Choice

award winner: Deborah Bein; and Director’s

Choice award winner: Virgina Lee.

Flavia S. Zúñiga-WestLos Angeles , 2012

“The quilt historically represents the 'fabric' of our communities. Women gathered together to sew, created their own pieces and worked together to fabricate the finished products - talking, laughing, singing, story telling and bonding their communities together as they worked their active hands and bound the pieces into quilts that were given to relatives, babies, elders, soldiers, the cold, the weary.....

Deborah Bein's Oh Say Can You Cell poetically uses the quilt to tell a modern story about the fabric of our communities and how we are grasping for connectivity in a time when we do not sit together and talk while our hands are busy working toward a unified goal. Rather, there is loss, disconnection, fragmentation, and a landscape littered with the evidence of our desires.”

- Charly Swing Founder, Infinity Art Gallery

“ Virginia Lee is a master of layering stories. Each and every time I view this piece, I see another piece of the puzzle—another story of our past—another dream for our future. As the SunDial shows the ticks of time, so this piece expresses the moments in our lives—an entire movie in one frame.”

- Julie Weismann Director, Infinity Art Gallery

Director’s Choice AwardVirginia Lee, SunDialAcrylic on Canvas

Founder’s Choice AwardDeborah Bein, Oh Say Can You Cell, Mixed Media on Fiber

Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank Julie Weismann and Charly Swing for their support of international artists and independent curators. Special thanks to John West and Daniel Ruiz for their editorial eyes.

COVER: Nelson Díaz, FotosíntesisAcrylic paint on body, digital photography

http://www.infinityartgallery.com