exhibitions

for immediate release


“Crossing”
November 5th - December 18th, 2005

Works by: Natasa Prosenc
Opening reception: Saturday, November 5th, 2005; 7-11pm
Special Event: Preview screening of "Souvenir"
Prosenc' first feature film
Sunday, November 20th, 2005 8pm; limited seating
RSVP to OVERTONES required; Fee: $5

OVERTONES is pleased to present "Crossing", a video and sound installation by Slovenian born artist and filmmaker Natasa Prosenc. "Crossing" was co-curated by Ashley McLean Emenegger of McLean Fine Art and Elizabeta Betinski, Director of Exhibitions at OVERTONES.

The theme of "Crossing" is faith, belief, and the contemplation of the vision of our future as a society: Is there anything beyond the capitalistic reality of profit driven, fame-oriented existence and how can we justify a higher purpose when so much around us crumbles and decays? We are continually presented with situations in which we face choices: we stand at a crossing as we decide which path to take on our journey. A crossing also has the potential of conjuring great consternation; we stand witness to our being on the precipice, knowing that a decision has the ability to alter one's life journey without a knowable outcome. Celebrated and feared, a crossing also provides a bridge between opposites: the past and future, youth and maturity, life and death, faith and disillusionment.

Experienced as a sequence of videos synchronized with sound, Natasa Prosenc's "Crossing" carries the viewer from concrete to abstract, from body to spirit, from female to male, opposites melding in fluid interaction. Faces and bodies are vanishing through the layers of abstract matter, which is reminiscent of water and fire, but could as well be a fatal disease. "Crossing" invites the viewer to experience the passage and dissolution of images as the piece itself embodies a similar passage and transformation. That although the contradictions in our world and in our own character seem confounding, the true nature of any condition is a complex interplay of opposites, each being a necessary component of a whole.

For her solo exhibition at OVERTONES, Prosenc will also present her series of limited edition prints, inspired and evolved from her work as a video artist.

Natasa Prosenc's work constantly challenges the borderlines between installation, video art and film. A graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts, Slovenia, Prosenc's video and installation work has appeared in numerous international film and video festivals and granted her multiple awards, including a Fulbright Scholarship for her MFA at the California Institute of the Arts. Living between Los Angeles and Slovenia, her work is regularly featured in film festivals and gallery and museum exhibitions throughout the U.S., Slovenia and abroad. Prosenc represented her native Slovenia in the 48th Venice Biennale with her video installation Gladiators for which she received the Slovene national award for great achievement in art. Prosenc has directed numerous short films, documentaries and most recently a feature film, Souvenir, produced by her production company Kanalya Pictures that will be screened at OVERTONES on November 19th, 2005 and followed by a Q & A with the filmmakers.

OVERTONES is a Los Angeles art venue that supports and promotes creative endeavors in all artistic disciplines, with emphasis on emerging and mid-career 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.

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