About the Artist
After curating the gallery's successful international exhibit, "Opposition" in March, Rodney Artiles is back this month with a multifaceted exhibition of his own work, "Bird on a Wire". This show is a delightfully divergent collection of drawings and paintings from Artiles' recent and past works.

Artiles began drawing seriously at the age of 10 and began his formal artistic studies at 16. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California College of the Arts and a Masters of Fine Art in 2000 from a school in the Netherlands now known as the Frank Mohr Institute. Artiles has exhibited his works extensively in Europe and the US.

About the Exhibit
His current exhibit, "Bird on a Wire", is a dynamic contradiction of styles, influences, themes and media. The show consists of several "mini exhibits" in one. The only unifying concept of his pieces is that they are a result of his pursuit of personal creative freedom, given the need for society to place absolute meanings to art. In short, true artistic freedom is always relative. As long as a bird sits on one wire and does not brush the ground or second wire, it is safe, and to some extent, free. If it touches two wires or the ground, the bird becomes a conductor for the electricity and can electrocute or even ignite the bird causing it catch on fire - freedom at a cost. Of his work, Artiles says, "Painting, to me, is a way of understanding the world... I explore art as a tool to express this understanding. It encompasses the mundane and the metaphysical as well as the political and the satirical... As I mature, I see a growing political voice in my work."