Erika Rothenber: Vital Signs
Charlie James Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition by Erika Rothenberg, her second at the gallery. Vital Signs presents a new series of works on the main floor and a selection of early works in the lower gallery. The opening is February 18 with a reception for the artist from 6-9 PM.
On the main floor, Rothenberg has created a new body of work that pairs provocative statistics with painted images, exploring the rampant use of data to legitimize one's own objectives, nefarious or not. Rothenberg says, "I decided to collect a bunch of statistics and create a poetic, satirical portrait of America. The stats I use are 'real'. Juxtaposing unrelated statistics with semi-related images turned out to be fascinating: Aliens and Comfort Objects, Tornadoes and Billionaires, The 1st Amendment and Snakes, etc.
Also included in the exhibition are works about our Divided Country, new lyrics for the Star-Spangled Banner, and in the downstairs gallery, a selection of works from 1982-2005. The issues Rothenberg has explored throughout her career are the same challenges we still face today.
Erika Rothenberg was born in New York and lives in Los Angeles. Her work has been exhibited at major art institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Hirshhorn Museum, DC; Documenta IX, Kassel, Germany. Rothenberg is also recognized for her public art installations, including Freedom of Expression National Monument, commissioned by Creative Time, and The Road to Hollywood in Los Angeles. She is a founding member of the Guerrilla Girls collective. She attended the University of Chicago until she was kicked out for participating in a student protest. Before becoming a full-time artist, she was the first woman art director at McCann-Erickson ad agency in New York, working on award-winning campaigns for Coca-Cola and the New York Times, among other clients.