Ventura County Reporter
Art & Culture
May 31, 2007
http://www.vcreporter.com/article.php?id=4701&IssueNum=126
Copyright ©2007 Southland Publishing. All rights reserved.
Mental Landscaping
Acclaimed SoCal artist Roland Reiss gives viewers a piece of their own mind in his solo exhibition at Upfront Gallery
by Marissa Landrigan
"Lost Angeles", 2006
28 x 32 inch acrylic on mylar
Copyright ©2007 Roland Reiss. All rights reserved.
Only an hour outside of Los Angeles, Ventura sits in near-isolation from the ever-stretching world of contemporary art. In a country consistently petrified by anything that looks or sounds too different, Ventura is often not atypical in its unwillingness to distinguish between art on the cutting edge and basic, milquetoast craft.
Luckily, we have the Upfront Gallery to help.
Their current exhibition, running through June 3, is no exception: a solo show of recent paintings by Roland Reiss, one of Southern California's most important contemporary artists, that seeks to open minds about new possibilities in art. Reiss' collage paintings involve positioning multilevel shapes and forms in front of and behind transparent Mylar, in order to create a physical object in space. Each piece is its own constructed reality — a virtual landscape highlighted by architectural elements and a decided playfulness. Using the most electric shades of pinks, blues, yellows and more, Reiss' work is particularly relevant to a younger generation who can relate to the virtual and the abstract with ease.
Ultimately, says Reiss, the intent is to create a landscape of the mind relevant to human existence. The use of paint makes it impossible to ascertain a background, instead suggesting an environment unto itself. Plays on positive and negative space give a meditative quality to the collage paintings, drawing the viewer deeply into a constructed world. Stunning shapes, from seismographic lines to simple waves, are carved into the paint to challenge and awaken the viewer.
The process of creating each object — largely painting on challenging materials such as Mylar and Plexiglas — demonstrates Reiss' mastery of his media. The construction of multiple layers, which are clearly acts of spontaneity, creates shadows and depth within each piece. The shapes, colors and texture are authentic, realized only as the painting is created. They are, the artist says, as much about how they are assembled as they are about what is being said.
Reiss has received four National Endowment for the Arts grants and has had major group and solo exhibitions all over the world, from the Whitney Museum of American Art to the Documenta in Kassel, Germany. It's not surprising that Reiss' work is so relevant; the only surprise is that the Upfront Gallery managed to get an artist of such caliber to exhibit in Ventura.
"We're hoping to be a library," says Paul Benavidez, co-director of the gallery, "where you can come and see the things you can't find anywhere else, and that this exhibition will bring the community to the edge, and inspire them to be more adventurous in opening their minds and enjoying art."
Truly, Reiss' work is a dare to those who view it, a sharp smack to the side of the head for anyone afraid of newness or shattering their delusion. It's not a fantasy to think the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art will have a retrospective on Roland Reiss someday.
The Roland Reiss exhibit runs through June 3, with a closing reception June 2 at 6 p.m. Upfront Gallery is located at 267 South Laurel St., Ventura. Hours are by appointment. For more information, call 340-1448 or visit www.upfrontgallery.org.
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