Dvora Pop-Up Gallery: Scot J. Wittman Solo Exhibition

December 3, 5pm-8pm

Years ago I developed a love of maps. To me maps are more than information; they provide a language of thought that hovers over the land, even away from the land. History and projection reveal cartography to be more about people and possibility rather than place and province. -Scot Wittman

In his Collage Portraits Series, Wittman recreates massive images of ancient rulers and deities, wrapping map-space to form the features and planes of their faces. Stand close enough to King Corvinus and Queen Bea, 15th Century Rulers of Hungary, and you can read the maps of the territories they ruled. Stand back, and the roads and landscape coalesce into the likeness of the royal couple. The Gods and Goddesses Series, Neptune, Juno, Venus and Mars use a NYC urban planning base map (that includes Jersey City!). Having the feel of marble, the map promotes the notions of power, politics and the economics of progress. The Roman deities reflect these titanic themes. Images of Lewis and Clark, whose expedition and mapping of the American West opened up possibilities for trade and expansion bring those concepts up to our current time.

In contrast to the wall-sized portraits, Wittman’s small Silhouette Series images are full of color and drama. These maps, many of which the artist collected from his European travels, now became locations of nostalgia and gothic romance. “We have all had moments of balance and imbalance in our lives; these “one frame theater moments” reference times of indecision or conviction, '' says Wittman. A ballerina with an axe, a kissing couple beside a cello, a man with a monkey on his tophat, a ‘surfer bride’ are among the many ‘actors’ in his scenes.

Dvora Pop-Up Gallery will be presenting continual solo exhibitions of Jersey City area artists! The newly finished storefront space is located in the ground floor of the Oakman building and is fully wheelchair accessible. Parking is available directly in front of the entrance. Drawing Rooms' Director and Curator are working in collaboration with Shuster Management as part of The Art Project to create exhibition opportunities for artists in Jersey City.

160 1st St.

Jersey City, NJ