Opening Reception June 11, 2021, 6-9pm 

Then open by appointment June 12, 2021 - June 30, 2021 

When we experience the past it is only through the present, never as it was. This is a very obvious thing to say, but then again we often act as though you can encounter the past as it was, with complete understanding. This is an origin of nostalgia: to re-experience is fundamentally a new experience, seductive in its feeling of safety and comfort. 

Not unrelated: the New York Times reported that last summer a lot of us were watching movies made in the ‘90s; in the 18th century wealthy people would hire a garden hermit to live on their land as an ornamental reference to an ideal of lost free time, and bears have such an incredible sense of smell that they know not only where you are, but where you have been.

Into Gentle Ruin will feature works made by Alyson Provax from 2014-2021. With this deliberate mix of new and older pieces in our moment of change and reimagining, she asks what we see of past feelings in today’s moment. 

Provax will be showing original letterpress on paper, animations, mirrors, and billboard vinyl in the open air space of 1122 Outside. As the covid-19 pandemic is ongoing, masks and social distancing will be required for everyone’s increased safety.