"Spectators" by Caleb Hahne, Michael Reeder and Molly Bounds
Athen B. Gallery is proud to announce, “Spectators”, a group exhibition featuring the new works of Caleb Hahne, Michael Reeder, and Molly Bounds.
Each artist's narrative is unique and individual but a common theme is expressed - the elements that define human nature. The idea of one being a Spectator is translated in the paintings by encompassed identity, perspective and experiences that are all key factors in how we define ourselves as people.
The exhibition will take place at Athen B. Gallery located at 1525 Webster St in Downtown Oakland.
Learn more about each participating artists:
Caleb Hahne
Artist Statement | How do we react to disparate images and objects when put into synchrony with one another in the form of a painting or drawing? Hahne’s works explore this by creating a legend through a blending of different classical forms onto one surface, to present possible outcomes for a story. Expanding on previous work, these images give the viewer hints of phantoms and moments, allowing the information to create a collection of meaning. In Spectators, Hahne explores the potential of symbolism in narrative as a reference of thought and the self, through the figure and mark making.
Bio | Caleb Hahne (b. 1993) graduated from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2014 and currently lives and works in Colorado. He was an artist in residence at ShowPen in Denver from September 2013 to August 2014. His art has been included in multiple solo and group exhibitions in Denver, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Montreal, Berlin, and the United Kingdom and most recently at MCA Denver as well as the New Museum NY in collaboration with Adidas. Hahne has been featured in Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, and Booooooom.com. Denver Westword named Hahne one of the 100 Colorado Creatives of 2014 and one of the Top 10 Artists to watch in 2015. He is also listed as one of the top 10 contemporary artists under 40 by Wide Walls
Michael Reeder
Artist Statement | Centered on portraiture, my current body of work seeks to make a direct connection with the audience. This connection encourages viewers to bring their own perceptions, imagination, and vision to light alongside mine. I avoid narrowing my conceptual focus in order to allow content to be found and seen for the first time. Although I am technically orchestrating the process, I do my best to remain removed just enough to let the work veer off-course and locate its own destiny. Throughout my work, realism is mixed with flat graphic space, and themes or motifs of identity, the mask, and ego are loosely implied. The convergence of infinite space and the figure highlights the realm of contemplation located between the conscious and the subconscious mind. In my most recent series of works I am utilizing a more dimensional method of pushing the collage-esque look and feel of my imagery. In doing so I hope to place emphasis on how ones identity is merely a blend of different elements, backgrounds and experiences. These elements ultimately come together in harmony to create the individualized self.
Bio | Michael Reeder is best known for his striking figurative paintings composed of flat patterns, bold poppy colors and realism, all intertwined within an ominous undertone. His paintings have been exhibited both nationally and internationally as well as published in numerous publications including New American Paintings , Juxtapoz Magazine, and Graffiti Art Magazine. He recently participated in the newly founded residency program at the Red Bull House Of Art in Detroit, MI in 2016. Michael received his BFA in painting from the School Of Visual Arts in NYC in 2007, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
Molly Bounds
Artist Statement | Molly Bounds’ current work meditates on the correlation between self worth and otherness. Mostly through portraiture, scenes from girlhood gestural murals, and a lexicon of personal symbols her work explores how power, authority, and the structural training of doubt can undermine those lacking agency in determining their futures.
Have I Already Told You The is Story is a series reflecting on shared experience and the complexities of internal dialogue surrounding the notion of watching and doing. Highly influenced by narrative sequencing within alternative comics, Bounds visually maps the psychological confinement of understanding one’s own capabilities. Stills from a sedentary life reveal contemplation, urgency, and fleeting opportunity while providing glimpses into the embodiment of liberation and the height of human potential. With each passing moment, we are reminded; confidence and hesitance are the shifting variables in this formula, but there is only one constant: possibility.
Bio | Molly Bounds is a print maker and painter living in Denver. She graduated from Metropolitan State University with her BFA in printmaking in 2014. She has shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, and is currently an artist in residence at Redline Contemporary Art Center.
