Opening reception: May 20, 5 - 8 pm

Octavia Art Gallery is pleased to present Adjusting the Perspective, an exhibition of paintings by Jeffrey Pitt.

In this exhibition Pitt explores the concept of perspective, whether it is the perspective in which we view or think about our environment and the world or the perspective of value that we place on currency and physical things. On the earth, it is easy for us to stand on the surface and see only what is directly in front of us.  However, when we see the world from an aerial viewpoint or with an elevated perspective, we begin to see things in an entirely different way. With this alternative perspective we can see nature’s impact on our environment and how the planet changes over time as opposed to the confined viewpoint from where we are standing. Pitt looks at our relationship with water, or in his words, “our life blood.” He reminds us that water can also be our biggest threat, depending on the perspective.

In many of Pitt’s recent aerial landscape paintings, he takes a step back, examining the world from an elevated perspective and explores topics such as coastal erosion, preservation, and perceived value.  Pitt has developed his own visual lexicon, which can be applied to current situations and arranged in paintings so that the viewer can find symbols and icons buried on top of and underneath images. Through the use of various media, Pitt creates an improvised composition as well as a context layered with symbols and ideas.
 

In Adjusting the Perspective, Pitt also makes a strong correlation between the perspectives from which we view our planet to the perception of value in which we place on objects. A handful of works within this exhibition examine currency as a way to measure value and how it directs behaviors and priorities. The value of our coasts can be perceived the same way, not in currency but in the worth we assign to our homes and lives. Value is what we perceive it to be, like the ever-changing coastline and the economic and environmental forces at play.

“Our world is constantly changing all around us. Whether it’s the ebb and flow of tides in the ocean, the storms that come and go on land and sea, or the things that we value as individuals and society, they are always in motion and constantly evolving.” – Jeffrey Pitt

Jeffrey Pitt was born in 1972 in Wichita, Kansas, and currently lives in New Orleans. He attended Tulane University and studied “Alternative Foundation” at the University College of London’s Slade School of Fine Art. His work is included in many notable private and public collections, such as the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Wichita Center for the Arts, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.