Memento of Americana

Works by Steven Bleicher

Exhibition: November 10 – December 7

Gallery Reception: November 15, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Artist Statement:

My body of work has an underlying theme of Americana. Currently, I’m using the subject matter of great old highways such as Route 66 and the Dixie Highway as a point of departure. So much of American life has been and continues to revolve around our mobility, highways, and their effect on our lives. These themes are essential to my work.

The central images in these works are a continuation from earlier work. They are a combination of graphite and digital elements, starting with photographs or sketches from the selected landscape or site. I then couple these images with maps and souvenirs or mementos from the local area. While many of the items have a kitsch quality to them, they are not meant to have a condescending tone, but are really celebrations of our uniquely American zeal for collecting, bringing back souvenirs from our travels and vacations. These items directly relate to the imagery and maps adding additional components or layers of meaning to the work. The souvenir elements augment the images giving a more complete sense of place. In addition, they provide an editorial or narrative component to the work and are also another means for viewers to be able to engage the work. The pieces are displayed in shadowbox frames that are large enough to hold both the two and three-dimensional elements in a confined and unified space.

My work is about remembrance and recollection. It’s about our human need to capture a space in time, a fleeting moment and preserve it.

Gallery of Works:

Click on photo to enlarge
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