SOLO EXHIBITION
at Woods Gallery, San Francisco, CA
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Solo Exhibition of Mixed Media Works by Stephen C. Wagner at Woods Gallery, 1821 Balboa Street, San Francisco Opening Reception on Friday, January 14th, 5-9PM Exhibition: January 14 - February 24, 2022 |
LAMENTATIONS OF THE GUARDIANS
The guardians of humankind have given up on us as we have gone past the brink in damaging our environment and have turned our backs on our fellow man. They lament our actions as they watch over the planet. In this series, the Earth is depicted in it's twilight hours to reflect the twilight of man's reign over the planet. Circle motifs are used throughout these collages to symbolize the circle of life. Practice shooting targets are often featured, as we have become the target of the dysfunctional world that we have created ourselves. These collages are mounted in thrift shop frames reminiscent of church windows and altars where angels and guardians are often incorporated.
SYNESTHESIA - HAPPY
The modern world is a challenging place. But we go on about our daily lives, basically pretending that all is well in order to survive with some semblance of normalcy. These pieces explore the ideological power of juxtaposing images to create social and political commentaries, with hidden thoughts and collective beliefs exposed through the use of found elements and appropriated images. The jagged edges of the papers in these series represent how the fabric of our society and civilization has been torn apart.
SYNESTHESIA - HORROR
This series was created in response to the 2016 presidential election, featuring movie stills of women screaming from B-Movie Horror Films with overlays of documents dealing with death, homicide, mass murder, and war.
IDENTITY CRISIS
The “Identity Crisis” series consists of portraits configured of imagery from our challenging world. These “persons” exhibit intense facial expressions of fear, anger, shock, amazement, frustration, consternation, disbelief, weariness, caution, or numbness. Many are screaming and yelling in reaction to the surrounding world. Many are wearing gas masks, goggles, visors, or helmets, and peering through television screens or port-holes, symbolizing the separation and isolation they must create to protect themselves and endure this bombardment of the world out-of-control.
