exhibitions

for immediate release

“Reality Check”
SUE COE
ROBBIE CONAL
SHEPARD FAIREY
SANDRA LOW
JOHN OUTTERBRIDGE
WALTER ROBINSON
TRAVIS SOMERVILLE
JEFFREY VALLANCE


November 1 – December 13, 2008

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 1, 2008; 7-10PM



“Reality Check” is an exhibition that responds to a time when the whole World seems to be standing on a precipice, holding our collective breath and counting days until the 2008 Presidential Election, or, as it has been dubbed, “The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetime.” 

More than ever before, it seems obvious that the world as we know it and as we have created it, needs to change.  And while we wait to make that leap with a vote, we are all facing some painful truths: that racism still blinds some of our communities, that a woman’s right to choose is still threatened, that violence is too often our response to differences, that a right to marry is not extended to everyone, that greed all too frequently trumps humanity, that we have gotten so out of hand with our consumption of natural resources that we are threatening our own home with extinction.  And let us not forget the 700 billion dollar sign that capitalism might not working quite as well as we thought. 

Artists in the exhibition “Reality Check” challenge us to open discussions on difficult issues, look at all our “-isms” and what it might truly take for us to create change.  The art in this exhibition ranges from a response to the time in history when there were people in the United States who were denied their right to vote based on their skin color, to the moment of Now when Americans will for the first time have the choice of casting their ballot for an African-American candidate.  

The great Carribbean-American poet and activist, Audre Lorde, infamous for both her words and actions, is quoted as saying: “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I’m afraid.”  Lorde’s words are worth remembering during this time when we are given a new reason to fear on daily basis.  Art has always had a way of cracking fear open to see what is really inside—and in the spirit of being less afraid and more inspired, we invite you to spend November 1st at Overtones gallery, taking a look behind the curtain and, hopefully, walking away moved to take your vision for a better world into the voting booth on November 4th and, even more importantly, making that vision an intricate part of the fabric of your life.


OVERTONES is a contemporary Los Angeles art gallery with an exhibition programme that strives to intertwine beauty and social action, and reach out beyond the confines of established art-world structures in an effort to engage a wide range of audiences.

+ For additional information and images please contact Elizabeta Betinski at word@overtonesgallery.com or 310.915.0346

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