Love Thy Neighbor presents an eclectic array of responses to the solastalgia of the current moment—the existential distress brought on by the relentless beat of AI psychoses, microplastics, and antisocial media. The works selected, through their conceptual rigor and formal beauty, embody compassion, embrace empathy, and project a generosity of spirit and concern for the well-being of others and our planet. They counter cynicism through the grace of human error, painstaking workmanship, humor, and radical compassion.
Jason Gubbiotti creates intimately rendered paintings that humanize our contemporary technological landscape. Terry Haggerty and Michael Rey subvert Formalism in distinct ways to make work that embodies the joyful sensory experience of art in person and a generosity embedded in their technical skill and labor-intensive processes. Ian Whitmore creates a wry and prescient portrait of cold indifference. Artist and designer Elyse Graham creates a painterly vessel that echoes the fragility of Oregon’s wild and scenic waterways. Maggie Michael reimagines abstract expressionism with deeply emotional, lyrical, and vital paintings. Zora J Murff uses photography and collage to foreground and challenge structural racism and violence. Vesna Pavlović invites us to draw from past moments of collective persistence and solidarity to define a better future. James Huckenpahler subverts artificial intelligence to celebrate the lesser-known artists of his youth. Colin Ives poignantly explores environmental melancholia through objects and video. Trygve Faste and Jessica Swanson explore the beauty in less appreciated forms of marine life.
The artists in this exhibition are based in Eugene, OR; Washington, DC; Nashville, TN; York, PA; Los Angeles, CA; and Chantilly, France. Their work has been shown internationally at distinguished institutions including the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Phillips Collection, the Hammer Museum, MASS MoCA, LACMA, SFMOMA, Photographers’ Gallery (London), PRAx, the Wexner Center for the Arts, Neuer Kunstverein Wien, and MoMA PS1. Their work is included in many prominent private and public collections and has been reviewed widely in respected art publications.