Martin Steele

180 Lithia Way, Downtown Ashland

Temporary Installation Dates: Friday, April 1 - Monday, July 1

Martin Steele has always loved the term ‘snapshot’ because it perfectly captures the idea of what happens in photographs whether it be frozen instants or the shards of time that are captured by cameras. Sourcing imagery from his prodigious and idiosyncratic archive that contains thousands of images that he has shot himself or lifted from books, magazines, television, the internet, art catalogs, and the curious discards of consumer culture, Martin works in a characteristic palette of saturated hues and chromatic aberrations to invite his viewers into a composition of visual rubble and a unique version of history.

Martin Steele’s aesthetic development first began in his studios in Venice and Santa Monica during the late 1960s and early 1970s with photography, drawing, sculpture, and painting. In 1978, he moved to Downtown Los Angeles, establishing a studio and a framing factory among the city’s pioneering artists, galleries, museums, and alternative art spaces. In the 1980s, Martin swapped his brush and canvas for a dot matrix printer and computer. Since then, he has continued to discover endless possibilities while pushing the boundaries of mixed media electronic work.

To learn more, please visit www.martinsteele.com.