Background
“Down by the river” is the second solo exhibition in Berlin of LA based artist Erik Mark Sandberg.
Since graduating with distinction from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 2002, Sandberg has been in over 50 group exhibitions throughout all around the world, including International Art Fairs in Cologne, Spain, Seoul, London, Helsinki, and Miami and has held solo exhibitions in New York, Barcelona, Berlin, Australia and Pasadena.
Drawing from the contemporary consumer culture and its psychological effects on those most susceptible to the relentless bombardment of mass marketing – the young – Sandberg’s paintings, and sculptures create an uncanny portrait gallery of hairy adolescents.
The grotesque hirsutism of Sandberg’s subjects serves as a metaphor for the perversion and exploitation inherent in contemporary consumer culture and the double-edged promise of overnight fame epitomised by Los Angeles.
Sandberg describes his work as beginning with “observations of daily life, whether it is a story in the news, [or] some dysfunctional family I see walking through Kmart.” His hairy adolescents were conceived of amidst alarmist news reports of tap water contaminated by prescription drugs, Raunch Culture fueled promiscuity and schoolyard addictions to Flaming Hot Cheetos.
The nostalgic pop culture icons are autobiographical references to growing up with Wrestle Mania, GI Joe, He-Man and other manifestations of eighties materialism and idolatry, while the neon palette forms an assault on the senses akin to the “constant rotting of fruit in the sun.” Yet Sandberg’s hairy children manage to be surprisingly endearing.
