By mastering the art of “scoring,” Herber uses recycled cardboard to create intense collaged paintings.

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) will open Erratic Landscapes: New Works by Artemis Herber on April 12, 2018 in the Bullock | Hitt Gallery at MPA@ChainBridge (1446 Chain Bridge Road, McLean). The Opening Exhibition Reception will be held Thursday, April 12, 2018 from 7:00 until 9:00 pm.

Using recycled cardboard—the material used for packing and shipping that is so omnipresent in our consumer society—German-born and Baltimore-based artist Artemis Herber creates intense collaged paintings that explore the complicated interconnections between human beings and the land. In her deep and wide-ranging research, Herber gathers ideas from multiple fields, including philosophy, archeology, economics and architecture.

Of critical interest to Herber is an investigation of deep time and human impact through the lens of the Anthropocene, which refers to the relatively short period beginning when human activities first started to affect the earth’s ecosystem.

Working with a three-point framework that includes land use, time and global positioning, Herber’s large-scale land and cityscapes employ expressive and energetic drawing and painting techniques and a self-invented torn and cut collage process including both construction and disintegration.

Due to their size and dynamic nature, the works create around them an experiential atmosphere, allowing viewers to feel as well as see the ideas Herber is grappling with. While asking the big questions—what characterizes the entanglement between human beings and nature, and what impact does our presence on this earth create—Herber makes art that is equally impactful aesthetically, emotionally, and intellectually.

“Herber’s landscapes offer viewers a visceral experience, as they are scaled in such a way as to invite the viewer into the world she has created, with all its dynamic chaos and slightly frightening beauty,” said Nancy Sausser, MPA’s Exhibitions Director.

The exhibition runs through June 2, 2018. To learn more about Erratic Landscapes, or to RSVP for the April 12 Exhibition Opening, please visit mpaart.org.