FIRST WEDNESDAY opening: may 4 from 6 - 9pm

ARTICULATE ARTIST TALK: SUNDAY, may 15 AT 4PM.

normal gallery hours: TUe - SUn, 12PM - 6PM

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In his latest body of work, Alex Podesta brings his childhood imagination to puzzle out some of life’s most important questions, like “What is a hero?” and some of the more commonplace, but just as important ones, such as “What is loneliness?” via his avatars and bunny-man hybrid stand ins. These scenes illustrate moments wherein his character finds themself “lost in a reverie of industriousness, paired with doppelganger or other machinations of his childish imagination.” The life size scale forces the viewer to be in the physical moment with the characters and thus engage in the moment themself.

In all my recent work I have culled the rich fantasies, daydreams, misconceptions and experiences of childhood and re-contextualized them through the filters of adulthood, experience, and education. This effort has been made in an attempt to plumb the depths of the creative and comprehensive naiveté of youth; to illustrate, in engaging and serio-comic ways, the role of fantasy, “othering” and conflict in nascent self-awareness; and, through the time-honored tradition of solipsistic navel gazing, to pick gently at the loose thread of wistful escapism inherent in a quiet, down hill slide into maturity.” - Podesta

Born in North Carolina and raised in Virginia, Podesta has rooted himself in New Orleans since moving there. In the time since, his work has been featured in exhibitions nationally and internationally, as well as in numerous print and online media outlets such as ARTnews, Oxford American, HiFructose, and The Washington Post. He is also a member of the artist run exhibition space, The Front, in New Orleans’ St. Claude Arts District.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Paul Dean, Leslie Elliottsmith, & Mary Jane Parker. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during normal gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from May 3rd - 26th.