Sorta

Co-curated with Brian Wallace, Consolidated Works, Seattle. February - March 2003.

Artists: Pat Boas (Portland), Jeremy Boyle (Pittsburgh), Larry Cwik (Portland), Carl Fudge (New York), Kyla Mallett (Vancouver, BC), Jesse Paul Miller (Seattle), Sarah Morris (Seattle) Phil Roach (Seattle), Edie Tsong (Portland)

"I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light." – Isaac Newton

Sorta examines the ways contemporary artists navigate and interpret the constant flood of information that shapes our perception of the world. The exhibition brings together works in photography, installation, sculpture, painting, video, and emerging media, presenting distinct approaches to organizing, categorizing, and representing the immense and varied data of contemporary life. Each artist approaches this task differently: some create highly structured systems, others embrace playful, idiosyncratic filters, but all investigate the tension between personal perspective and collective understanding.

Jesse Paul Miller repurposes discarded electronics, drawing attention to the relationship between the object and the network it inhabits, while Carl Fudge transforms real-world objects into abstracted compositions through digital processes and hand-painted finishes, producing works dense with pattern yet resistant to straightforward decoding. Jeremy Boyle’s subtle variations in chirping circuit boards and Pat Boas’s analytical parsing of text demonstrate how minimal changes can create perceptual differentiation, while Kyla Mallet’s interviews with teens in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, reveal how ostensibly standardized data carries individual specificity and narrative. Through these projects, Sorta underscores how the means of filtering information becomes a medium in itself, inviting viewers to consider the subjective lens they bring to the chaotic, abundant world of data.