Leo Saul Berk
Hedreen Gallery, Lee Center for the Arts, Seattle, WA
Leo Saul Berk
Hedreen Gallery, Lee Center for the Arts, Seattle, WA
Artist: Leo Saul Berk
Medium: Pen on paper
Run of Show: June 27 – Aug 23, 2008
Seattle - The Hedreen Gallery at the Lee Center for the Arts proudly presents “Sited,” an exhibition by Leo Saul Berk that lends insight into the histories and myths about the world beneath our feet. Berk blends topographic maps, drawing and sculpture to offer audiences a glimpse into a recently discovered Mayan cave.
Six years ago Berk was traveling in Guatemala and happened upon Naj Tunich, an ancient cave that was thought by the Mayans to be a spiritual entrance to the underworld, but due to vandalism it has become a heavily secured site under government control. Berk became fascinated by the way different civilizations understand and interact with underground spaces such as this.
The Hedreen Gallery exhibition is part of a series that examines these commonly misunderstood and culturally contested negative spaces. While cave maps are merely 2-dimensional representations of these fascinating geological spaces, “Sited” investigates a more accurate and vivid portrayal of Naj Tunich’s winding tunnels.
“Sited” consists of Berk’s 14-foot wide drawing based on a 3-dimensional computer model of Naj Tunich. Berk created the web-like drawings by following topographic contours, but his use of Gelly Roll pens, with their sparkly ink, puts a lighthearted, innocent spin on the power of darkness and the unknown associated with Mayan religious rituals held in such underground sites. Accompanying the drawing is a foam model representing the negative space the cave creates within the earth.
Berk’s work for the Hedreen gives a sense of mass and shape to a space that we might otherwise never encounter. “Sited” allows viewers to experience cave exploration from the vantage point of highly abstract models, but it is also an aesthetic journey through a mysterious place whose existence has spanned civilizations.
Leo Saul Berk’s work has been recently exhibited in Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York, and is in a number of permanent collections. He is also the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, and the subject of several articles in publications nationwide.