Force Against Force: Eric LoPresti

Force Against Force: Eric LoPresti
May 16th – June 8th 2008
Opening Reception Friday May 16th 6:30-10:00pm

Like The Spice is proud to present Force Against Force featuring Eric LoPresti’s eloquent diptychs composed of photorealistic renderings and airbrushed gradients. Each binary pairing, executed in either graphite or oil and acrylic, alludes to uncontrollable forces and the universality of conflict and catastrophic loss. The precisely realized images of destruction, danger and chaos on one panel are set against the contemplative psychological space of color field painting, thereby combining two schools of painting historically seen as antagonistic to each other.

Based on dramatic and sometimes harrowing photographs of contemporary battlegrounds in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as sites of danger and turmoil --- shark infested waters, melting icebergs and refugee camps --- these paintings and drawings express the inadequacy of human perception to grasp the vast, shapeless complexities of powerful forces.

Opposing each landscape is an abstract gradient, where multiple colors or tones fade into one another in atmospheric, emotionally charged fields. With no indication of scale and lacking any solid form, the gradients provide open space into which the viewer can project their reactions and emotions.

About the diptychs, “I think of them as visual equations, where the resulting experience is very different than the sum of the parts. Each side transforms the other by its proximity,” says Eric.

Born in 1971, Eric LoPresti grew up in the remote desert of southeastern Washington State. He received his BA in Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester in 1993, and his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2002. His work has been exhibited internationally, including solo shows at Jan Larson Fine Art and Miami University. He is the recipient of the Louis J. Kuriansky Foundation Award and the 2005 Miami Young Painters, William and Dorothy Yeck Purchase Award. This will be his first solo show at Like the Spice.

Two Weeks Is The New "Retro"

Maybe the title of the show, Flip, refers to the artists’ opposite approaches, or their embrace of the decorative, but it certainly doesn’t refer to their attitude towards their work. Then again maybe Herting and Beach demonstrate two varied solutions to the harnessing of design in the interest of art, which, as they say, can be two sides of the same coin.

-Hrag Vartanian

Sometimes it's hard to let go. Our last show, Flip, was so nice that we still smile wistfully when it crosses our mind. But while it was on the walls, we got a visit from the incomparable Hrag Vartanian, who put his review up at The Brooklyn Rail. We're always happy when he stops in!

Also, just because the show's over doesn't mean it's all gone. Stop by and check out our secret basement space and enjoy the semi-permanent collection, including work by Flip artists Nora Herting and Rachel Beach!

Yeah, But Our Housing Market Is A Growth Industry

Website phillips ART expert has chosen to pay a little attention to Ross Racine and Peter Feigenbaum with a short review of our current show, There There. We're very happy they liked it as much as we do!

Artist Meets Artist

Our good friend Nora Herting got together with our good friend Ross Racine and a marvelous interview was the result.

Nora Herting: I am fascinated by your process and how you came to work this way. What attracted you to the computer?

Ross Racine: Until ‘85 I worked on the computer as a designer/programmer. I knew the possibilities. I had a longing for images that were non-material like dream images. I got Photoshop 3 and never looked back.

Head over to Nora's blog Proof of Concept to read the whole thing.

Trainset Ghetto Action Shots!

We all had a blast last night at the opening for There There: Ross Racine and Peter Feigenbaum. Peter took this amazing video of his model and posted it on YouTube. Check it out!

Joyful Tidings And Good Cheer

Inspired by our then-current show Flip, we welcomed The PIMA Group to our gallery for some serious cheer. And, man, did we have a BLAST!



Our visitors raised team spirit by performing to the music of Xanadu and electronic artist Yelle, giving us the strength we needed to keep going through the Bridge Art Fair.



Our thanks to The PIMA Group for joining us, we can't wait to have them back again as soon as possible. Wonder if they can dance architecturally?



Owner Marisa Sage with PIMA's Melissa Putz and artist Nora Herting. Ok!

Visiting Like the Spice may cause euphoria, lightheadedness, rapid heartbeat and confusion

Check out James Kalm's tour of the Bridge Art Fair... which includes our ever-so-clever intern Allison Moore explaining the dreaded Stendhal Syndrome, which can occur when you see too much art. Other highlights include several Williamsburg Galleries, like The Hogar Collection and Front Room. It's an easy way to see what was going on, and short enough that nobody gets sick!