March 8 - April 18, 2003                                         

Roth exhibited a group of interactive (in an analog sense) sculptural works that play off historic and contemporary container forms. The specific forms were chosen because they serve as reference to ongoing discourses addressing the ideological territory shared by identity construction, genetic engineering and posthuman issues. Augmenting the forms are their contents. Each container is supplied with a cast of relevant characters. These provide the viewer with a means to establish narrative. Their inclusion also avoids a strictly formal assignation by permitting the containers to become stage-like. Anthropomorphic, surreal and kitsch figurines clus of slate, invite participants to move into this open work and manipulate it toward their own expressive ends. ter in some containers, sit singularly in others. Specific narratives are not mandated. The shape and iconography of the forms create an environment coupled with the arrangement and configuration of characters, which point toward particular scenarios. The pointing is meant to encourage focus on certain current social and political conversations though, ultimately: characters, stage, chalk and areas

The essential conceptual thread that connects each gesture within the exhibition is an analysis of relationships, particularly their point of intersection or interaction and the extensions that move beyond crossover leading toward other junctures. An x+ is an ideal symbol or illustration for this idea having both an intersection and trailing lines moving toward/away from an encounter. Repetition, placement and material choice are used as devices to investigate hierarchical and/or categorical ordering. An important subtext of the exhibition is engagement with long debated questions about concept, context and use relative to ‘what is art?‘

Charlene Roth is an artist, curator and writer. Her work has been shown in national and international exhibitions. She co-curated the exhibition, And someone said where….. at the Municipal Art Gallery in Los Angeles. She is a contributing editor to Artweek.