Opening Reception: March 9th |  6–8pm

Altman Siegel is pleased to present Crooner, Alex Olson’s first solo exhibition with the gallery.

The stars croon, the papers croon, the sites croon, the tealeaves croon, the pearls croon, the waves croon, the chances croon, the facts croon, the memories croon, the signs croon.

This show is a meditation on searching, comprised of oil paintings and works on paper. The paintings consider the juggling act between the eye and the brain to parse out evidence and desires, sources and analysis, past and present in order to find direction. There’s a nautical lens, given that this process is about “being at sea” and endeavoring to get “back on course.” Some of this searching takes place within the mind and some across external surfaces. Viewers can navigate through perception and designation, taking cues within and between works. Certain signposts become physical, others suggest new shapes, and still others remain adrift. All have the potential to act as Sirens, crooning in your direction and luring you to follow.

Accompanying the paintings is a selection of works on paper, completed during the making of the show. These works are like the travelogue of the paintings; they helped in the painting process by serving as sites to record ideas and to play without expectation, which is essential for discovering new solutions.

Alex Olson lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. She received her BA from Harvard University in 2001 and her MFA from California Institute of the Arts in 2008. Solo exhibitions include Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; Laura Bartlett Gallery, London and Lisa Cooley, New York. Group exhibitions include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Hammer Museum (in collaboration with LAXART), Los Angeles; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Swiss Institute, New York; Leo Koenig Inc. Projekte, New York; China Art Objects, Los Angeles; Redling Fine Art, Los Angeles; Public Fiction, Los Angeles; Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles; Wallspace, New York; Michael Benevento, Los Angeles and Rental Gallery, New York. Olson’s work has been reviewed in numerous publications including Artforum, Frieze, Art Review, Modern Painters, Art News, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Mousse, Kaleidoscope, Interview and Artcritical.

For more information please contact info@altmansiegel.com or (415) 576-9300