Description

This exhibition is a 2-person show of works by photographers Joe Reardon and digital artist Otto Laske which presents two different, but complementary, interpretations of Nature: what our eye sees more or less directly and what the mind imagines. These two interpretations are inter-related since the eye also imagines just as the mind sees. In both artists' work, the photographic or algorithmic capturing of nature produces endless varieties of fauna that turn into imaginary ones, and appear simultaneously as real and allegorical. While Reardon's shapes represent real objects, their exquisite precision instantly turns them into allegories. While Laske's shapes often have the energy of drawings, they are close enough to natural phenomena to evoke energies we sense in observing natural growth. The show uses digital technology in the broadest sense in a way adapted to each artist's predilections. It expands the notion of Nature beyond what can be seen, close by or at a distance, into what can be viscerally felt and experienced even with eyes closed. This small group show will be on view through October 18th. The RAA is open Monday – Sunday and is free to the public.