Opening Reception: Saturday, March 4th | 5-8pm

Bass & Reiner is pleased to present Divided Attention, featuring works by Trevor Goosen and Charlie Leese.

The first encounter between a person and an object contains within it a moment of focused attention, in which the viewer subconsciously asks the question, “What do I do with this?” Entire disciplines of design are devoted to this moment and determining ways by which objects are made legible through their visible form. Artists also benefit from this subconscious activity for its capacity to provoke imaginative consideration and generate new meaning out of familiar forms. Trevor Goosen and Charlie Leese produce sculptures that are reliant on the visual language of industrial tools and methods, their works begging for an interaction while simultaneously withholding their essential function. At the periphery of the viewers' attention is a vague operational quality which never quite resolves: these are objects you could use, if only you could figure out their purpose.

Trevor Goosen (b. California, 1986) holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He uses high-tech materials and machinery to arrive at simply composed, low-relief sculptures whose wall mounted display echoes paintings. Goosen’s work has been exhibited throughout the US including at One Grand Gallery, Portland, OR; Soil Gallery, Seattle, WA; Elastic Arts, Chicago IL; and The Luminarts Foundation Chicago, IL. 

Charlie Leese (b. Nebraska, 1985) holds a BFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. His sculptures employ enduring materials (cast bronze, welded steel, carved stone, etc.) to build forms that recall landscape and architectural models, allowing the viewer to consider shifts in scale relative to themselves. Leese has exhibited featured in numerous exhibitions including at Ratio 3, San Francisco; Alter Space, San Francisco; The Battery, San Francisco; and The Wurks, Providence, RI.