On Saturday, Thinkspace Gallery celebrated the opening of “After”, a collaborative exhibition by Mary Iverson and Stephanie Buer. As a singular statement, their new work explores a certain “afterlife” of desolate urban and rural landscapes. Where Stephanie Buer (previously covered here) suggests the passing of time through colorful graffiti on crumbling walls, Mary Iverson interjects peaceful mountainscapes with exciting abstract shapes.
Stephanie Buer with her work on opening night.
Both add visual excitement to the work through the bold colors that also celebrates their respective environments. Depending on how you look at it, their narrative also tells a sad story. Iverson’s rainbow of shipping containers tumble through a variety of scenes. She seems to raise an environmental concern; that even the most remote places on Earth are eventually affected by industry. Through the absence of human life, these abandoned places persevere as the world goes on without us. In the adjacent gallery, Glenn Arthur matches their graphic aesthetic with his latest series, “Oppulent Anomalies”. He places side-show “freaks”, old time subjects of mockery, in luxurious costumes so they can be newly admired. “After” by Mary Iverson and Stephanie Buer is on view at Thinkspace Gallery through September 6th, 2014. 
Los Angeles based artist 
Connecticut based artist 
Los Angeles based artist