exhibitions

for immediate release


“LONG SONGS”
February 18th, 2005 - March 19th, 2005

Works by: Alice Cisternino, Amir H. Fallah, Arturo E. Romo
opening reception: Saturday, February 19TH, 2005; 7 - 11PM

OVERTONES is pleased to present "Long Songs," a group exhibition featuring work by artists Alice Cisternino, Amir H. Fallah and Arturo E. Romo.

Alice Cisternino's large-scale paintings explore the quiet potency of objects-traces left behind people and events. The objects float about within the fleeting space of dreams and memories, inviting the viewer to construct her or his own story, imagine a new chain of events. Cisternino's paintings transcend the tangible properties of artifacts left behind to reveal the more subtle qualities and the role this object play in creating stories and memories. Alice Cisternino is currently a candidate in the MFA program in the Department of Painting and Drawing at UCLA.

Amir H. Fallah, in his new body of work, examines and bridges the gap where design meets art, love confronts sex and art history collides with pop culture. His paintings explore this elusive space by combining flat, graphic passages with expressionist swatches of paint. He merges Morrissey lyrics with detailed patterning and love notes to female painters, professing his love for their work - all stacked on top of one another; offering the viewer a chance to reexamine why we crave the better things in life, but often settle for their meaningless counterparts instead. Amir H. Fallah is in his last year of the MFA program in the Department of Painting and Drawing at UCLA, and has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally.

Arturo E. Romo's work has potency as its central theme - Romo draws from a wide variety of influences, ranging from the visual language of the mainstream art world to shops and swap meets in Los Angeles and Tijuana. In his current projects, Romo continues his exploration of the politics, essence and magic of power. Romo's work walks many thin lines: between being hoax and legitimate truth; between being allegory and a more pure and simple mimesis; between the inspired and the bland. It is in the power and the magical energy that comes from the space in between these contradictions that the artist seeks to create and loose into the world. Arturo E. Romo graduated with a BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2002 and currently resides and works in Los Angeles, his hometown.

OVERTONES is a Los Angeles art venue that supports and promotes creative endeavors in all artistic disciplines, with emphasis on the diversity of Los Angeles communities, 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.

*For further information and images please contact the Director of Exhibitions, Elizabeta Betinski, at word@overtones.org or (310) 915. 0346.

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