Lordy Rodriguez Surface Depth
June 6, 2009 - November 8, 2009
Feature Gallery North
Lordy Rodriguez uses a kaleidoscopic range of colors to render natural landforms typically associated with geologic and topographic maps. Rodriguez, who was born in the Philippines and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, carefully crafts his drawings of desert lakes, drifting silt dunes, volcanic island chains, and underwater trenches in the tradition of early cartographers, using ordinary tools such as rulers and felt-tip marking pens. Unlike his predecessors, however, Rodriguez emphasizes repetitive stylized patterns and intense high-keyed colors rather than specific sites, territories, or boundary lines. This approach encourages viewers to reconsider the history of mapmaking, as well as our tendency to accept maps as wholly truthful and accurate representations of the land we all share.
This exhibition is presented as part of the Art + Environment series, an initiative of the Nevada Museum of Art that brings together community, artists and scholars to explore the interaction between people and their environments.
