Flatbed Press is pleased to present SHAPESHIFTER (April 12-May 31), an exhibition of works by Ryan O’Malley. Join us for an Artist Reception the evening of April 15, from 6-8pm. Conceived as part of an ongoing project entitled The Process of Getting to Know You, SHAPESHIFTER explores the vastness of print media through non-traditional portraiture. Stencil matrices serve as the genesis point; faces of personally significant people are reduced by paper and blade to their most uniquely recognizable shapes. From there the work investigates parallels between the individual and humanity, and how concept meshes with medium and matrix.

The works in SHAPESHIFTER include laser-cut amalgams of individuals grouped to form totemic beings. The pieces removed from each edition of stencils are arranged to form abstract compositions, strangely recognizable or suggestive of elusive symbols. By transmuting between traditional and technology-driven print media, the works contrast static and dynamic properties, and navigate the spaces between precision and imperfection, between the ephemeral, fixed, and perpetual.

Flatbed hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10am-5pm and Saturday, noon-5pm.