Sean Higgins @ Sixspace gallery, LA

Sean Higgins – Island of Relative Stability
March 3 – March 31, 2007
Reception: Saturday, March 3 from 7-9pm, check it out if you are in LA!

Very cool new digital transfer pieces by Sean Higgins.

Sean's work is a very rear case of a smooth transition from painting world
to new media - he has been developing his own language based on
transferred, tiled photo-images on plexi since 1997.
Congrats, the new pieces look great!

The text below is from the Sixspace press release:

Valhalla, 2007
Laser print transfer and acrylic on Plexiglas

In his work, Sean Higgins explores how to image or create the unknown. By depicting purposely-vague environments where location and situation is left to interpretation, Higgins creates an environment where the viewer has no place to stand and no solid sense of place. (His vague landscapes are constructed from images, either found or taken by the artist, that are transferred to the back of Plexiglas via an acrylic transfer process - the front of the Plexiglas is then hand-sanded by the artist to produce the desired hazy effect.) He attempts to deal with landscape in the contemporary world of "Google Earth" where people interact with landscapes and place in a very different way than previous generations. He is interested in constructing a place where cold technology, dreams, and maps all combine - whereby through this remote satellite visions, remembrances will seek into our subconscious and affect how we remember play and time.

Triangle, 2005
Laser print transfer and acrylic on Plexiglas
48 x 48 in.

With this interest in creating remote landscapes filtered by perception, memory, or even filtered by some form of technology, certain scientific concepts can become the catalyst for Higgins to think about an imagery place. The terms "island of relative stability" is derived from a theoretical concept in nuclear physics that refers to the science of smashing together two elements to see if they stick enough to create a new, heavier element. This concept is a mere jumping off point for this exhibition as the artist correlates this idea of a theoretical, temporary space so similar to the mythical landscapes he creates in his work. The islands and landscapes in Higgins' work are imaginary places represent a theoretical result - how does one get to and from this fictional place? How long does this place last? What rules govern it? Am I in the right place and can I make up my own rules?

Navigational Error, 2005
Laser print transfer and acrylic on Plexiglas
48 x 48 in.