New work by emerging American artists Seth Adelsberger (Baltimore, MD) and Christopher Sims (Durham, NC)

February 13 - March 14, 2009

OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, February 13, 2009
7pm to 9pm


SETH ADELSBERGER: Semi-Final Frontiers

In his first solo exhibition with Civilian, Seth Adelsberger exhibits new paintings and a site-specific mural. Combining visual ingredients inspired by everyday occurrences and memory, Adelsberger creates complex, unconventional paintings of wild, exotic color. In the words of the artist, the new work "is where geometric architecture builds psychological masks and futuristic spaces. Elementary shapes and electric colors vibrate in a structured game of optical pinball." His work recreates the language of landscape inspired painting and takes it to another level, repeating symbols and shapes much like those found in the multi-colored vector graphics of 1980's video games. This personal glossary combines graffiti and nostalgic images to create a visual hypnotic language.

Guantánamo Bay: Photographs by CHRISTOPHER SIMS
Curated by Amanda Maddox & Jayme McLellan



Civilian presents photographs by Christopher Sims depicting everyday life at the naval base and joint detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It took Sims nearly three years to gain access to the base, which can be visited by civilians determined and patient enough to find the right channels to gain entry. A condition of his visit was that he was only permitted to shoot digital images, not negative film. Upon leaving the base, his work was inspected by military personnel and, with the exception of a few images, was deemed acceptable.

Shot in 2006, the images will be on view in the United States for the first time in this exhibition at Civilian. Unpopulated and lacking an overt political message, this work reveals a much-talked-about (but rarely seen) landscape as an outpost of the American commonplace: fast food restaurants and parking lots, prison cells, playgrounds, and cul-de-sacs. The subtle strength and candor of this work provides a counterpoint to passionate rhetoric about this infamous military base, yet adds its voice to the on-going debate about American values in a time of war and transition.

Civilian Art Projects
406 7th Street NW, Third Floor
Washington DC
(202) 347-0022