Elephant
Reception October 7, 6-9pm
October 7-28
Open Saturdays, 12 – 4 pm and by appointment
With this body of work, Atlas wants to open space for empathy. Though the objects are slight, their visual strength helps them hold their posture. Slips of paper jut from their spines, creating a space for breath. Moment to moment, they maintain their surety.
The sculptures are wall mounted and face directly outwards. They are solid and open. Nothing is hiding, nothing is trying to trick you. They present themselves clearly and plainly, giving all they have to offer.
In the Stacks series, several pieces of paper are pierced by wood, making many bodies into one. Their interdependence creates wholeness. In the Mounds series, ribbed shapes reach off to the side. These pieces push their focus into the thin edges between blocks of color and pieces of paper. Separate elements merge with the clarity of a single body.
Josh Atlas was born in Brooklyn, New York. He studied at Carnegie Mellon University (BFA, 2005) and Mountain School of Arts (2015) and attended residencies at Wassaic Project, Vermont Studio Center, and Creative Arts Center – Woodside. His work has been shown in group exhibitions at Regards (Chicago), MAMO (Marseilles, France), Klowden Mann (Culver City) and Allegra LaViola (New York). Josh Atlas lives and works in South Pasadena, California.
