Jackson Martin and Michael Sandstrom

industrials

May 26th—June 16th
Opening Reception Saturday, May 26th 6pm-9pm

Randall Scott Gallery
1326 14th Street NW
Washington,D.C. 20005
202-332-0806 (tel) 202-332-0807 (fax)

Jackson Martin

Jackson Martin uses steel, glass, and burlap to represent the human propensity toward order and control and its relationship between the natural and the cultural. He alternately uses ephemeral materials, such as trees, soil, water and light that represent uncertainty and the unpredictablity of the world around him. His enclosures, acting as cultural elements attempt to hold and embrace the natural, while still being of industry. It the antithesis of good and evil, the uneasy if not forced alliance of man/man made vs natural, and of nature.

Michael Sandstrom

Michael Sandstrom alternately, explores how camouflaged political controls filter our understanding of history and relinquish our ability to accurately observe and respond to current socio-political events.
Fundamental to his formal concerns is his use of petroleum-based plastics and resins. Thought, the true currency of our time, access to petroleum is one of the most decisive factors in determining the wealth and power of a nation. The lustrous surface of resin appeals to our penchant for "beauty" seducing the viewer to draw near. It acts as a barrier, restricting the viewer's access to embedded objects. Resin, becomes a metaphor for government, protecting the viewer from the "harmful truths" beneath the surface.

Both Jackson Martin and Michael Sandstrom are recent graduates of MICA and both live in Baltimore, MD. Michael Sandstrom,  recently won a Fulbright Scholarship to Berlin.