Primavera Conduit

variable widths x 30 inches heigh | watercolor, tape on cut paper with custom painted wood frames | 2005

“11-1/2” MARCH 26TH - APRIL 30TH, 2005

Works By: Chris Natrop Curated By: Susan Joyce Opening Reception: Saturday, March 26th, 2005; 7-11PM

OVERTONES is pleased to present "11-1/2", an exhibition of new work by Chris Natrop.

For his debut solo exhibition in Los Angeles, Chris Natrop gives new dimensions to drawing with large-scale cut paper abstract landscapes. Inspired by the scientific theory of the eleventh dimension or superstring theory, "11-1/2", as the title of this site-specific installation indicates, goes a step beyond eleven. The superstring theory revolution began when physicists realized that the subatomic particles found in nature, such as electrons, might not be particles at all, but tiny vibrating strings.

Drawing by hand with a knife, spontaneously without lines, the contour drawings that Natrop creates are made from memory and his subconscious. The walls of the gallery are painted rich luscious colors, the images relate to nature and at the same time cross over into the supernatural. Natrop devises unexpected environments where perception is challenged; the gallery is transformed in a dramatic way creating spatial depth with silhouettes and cast shadows from suspended cutout drawings. It takes the viewer to an ulterior space, to a place that provides an altered state experience.

Chris Natrop lives and works in San Francisco and is currently an affiliate artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA. Recent projects include: SFMOMA 10th Anniversary, set design for collaborative multi media performance "Extraordinary Forest" and Spark series television program "By Hand", on KQED in San Francisco. His work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, and internationally in Berlin, Genoa, Venice, Istanbul, and Bucharest.

Susan Joyce is an independent curator, currently working with Survival Research Laboratories in addition to running Fringe Exhibitions, which she established in 1999. Since 1999, Joyce has produced numerous exhibitions for museums, galleries and universities across the United States.

OVERTONES is a Los Angeles art venue that supports and promotes creative endeavors in all artistic disciplines, with emphasis on emerging artists, international collaboration and social responsibility. OVERTONES is dedicated to searching outside the confines of established art institutions and presenting work that has the potential to engage a wide range of audiences.