LOS ANGELES—The scenes depicted in Angela Burson’s solo exhibition Travelers at Hashimoto Contemporary reveal glimpses into the lives of strangers we meet in transient spaces. Building a fuller narrative through the connections between objects in the frame—each one carrying personal and cultural histories—the Savannah-based artist creates snapshots of mysterious figures in motion and the spaces they move through, transcending a particular time or space.
Throughout this series of paintings, Burson positions the viewer as a detective who uncovers “signs of life” through the highly contextual relationship between objects and motifs. A cluster of prescription pill bottles and a cup of coffee share the living room table with crumpled Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, indicating a morning of recovery from the previous night of indulgence; a barely smoked cigarette in an ashtray next to a CRT television monitor paired with socks and shoes on the floor below might indicate an evening ritual is in session. An animal often acts as a witness to the scene’s entire chain of events, a keeper of the story that viewers can only piece together.
Burson offers cropped, incomplete glimpses of the figures themselves, like a memory from an encounter deemed unimportant until the moment of recollection. The figures move quickly through Burson’s viewfinder, only the impression of their coats, luggage, or shoes remaining: a navy pinstripe suit contrasts with the pale blue polka-dotted shirt on a woman delivering a pressing message; a pale blue suit on a slender man carrying a brown suitcase in one hand, a long cigarette with swirling smoke in the other. “The jewelry, the clothing, the purses, and backpacks give me some insight into who I imagine the person to be,” writes Burson. “They’re a window into a story about a person in passing.”
Travelers opens on Saturday, December 9th, with a reception from 6-8 pm and is on view through January 6th, 2024. The artist will be in attendance at the opening. For additional information, images, or exclusive content, please email LA@hashimotocontemporary.com.
Angela Burson, Mirror, 2023
