Evan Tyler: 'Systemic Glitch'

From the gallery:
This exhibition is first and foremost about color derived from nature and how they interact with each other.

This series of works started with my desire to weave a “black” square in response to the black squares that infamously flooded Instagram accounts on June 2, 2020. The day became known as Blackout Tuesday and was a public response to the murders of multiple black Americans committed by police amidst the global coronavirus outbreak. These weavings are a meditation, a reaction to, and commentary on performative activism. Seeing millions of people post black squares left me internally asking:

Why were people posting this black square? Did people really believe this black square would bring about foundational change, stop police brutality, and end systemic racism? Does the activism stop there? What’s next?

These pieces were very therapeutic to create, they became a way for me to process and work through melancholy thoughts. This exhibition also draws inspiration from the rapidly changing digital world we exist in today where artists and creatives are losing their jobs and slowly being replaced by artificial intelligence. I playfully think of these as physical NFTs and really enjoy the juxtaposition of taking an ancient craft and attempting to make it look digital and erred.

About the artist:
Evan Tyler is an interdisciplinary artist born in Los Angeles, California, currently based in San Diego. His work is inspired by ancient things, mythology, architectures of the old world, and enduring traditional crafts, all of which allow him to harken back to another time and discover the practices of his ancestors.

Visiting information:
On view Oct. 9 to Nov. 18, 2023.
Opening Reception: 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14.

Gallery hours:
2-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday or by appointment HERE.