Ampersand is pleased to present A Frenzied Balance, Dan Gluibizzi's third exhibition at the gallery. This new body of watercolors continues his obsessive collecting, questioning and celebration of the digital lives that we so freely post online. Whereas his previous works were often populated by the provocative poses of exhibitionists and nudists, these new paintings in large part are portrait based grids, a collection of torsos and heads gleaned from the internet. Citing the complex graphic representation of old family trees as a starting point, Gluibizzi does seem to suggest a connection between each anonymous figure, and yet these connections may only be formal and visual, meant to satiate the eye rather than provide any distinct form of familial knowledge. Indeed, each figure is identified not by his or her facial features or name, but by a particular set of vibrant colors that are defined in relation to the colors that mark adjacent figures. "We pose and are posted," says Gluibizzi, "but are these images posted online like flotsam and jetsam lost at sea? Are they the digital equivalent of the great plastic vortex that floats in the Pacific, digital scraps and bits that radiate, remain vibrant and never lose visual intensity, yet are devoid of any original contextual meaning?" But rather than present a dark critique, Gluibizzi's work always reads as vibrant, optimistic and celebratory. In this sense, perhaps it's the wavering fluidity of meaning characteristic of online imagery that is represented in his work. Noting that musical notation from the middle ages and the tremolo effect of the vibraphone were additional points of departure, Gluibizzi employs repeated variations of color and form to create a distinct visual pitch and rhythm, a singular type of overtone momentarily set above the noise of the internet.

Dan Gluibizzi received his MFA from the University of Cincinnati. His solo exhibition in 2011 at Ampersand titled Our Time was followed in summer, 2012 by a two-person exhibition and publication with New York artist Zefrey Throwell titled There is no finish line. His work has been included in group shows at Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien in Berlin, Compound Gallery in Portland and Western Exhibitions in Chicago. A solo exhibition of his work recently closed at Kopeiken Gallery in Los Angeles. Publications featuring his watercolors include the Portland Mercury, Secret Behavior and the New York Times. Gluibizzi lives & works in Portland, OR.

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Poolside, 2014
Watercolor on paper
20 x 16 in.
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