The latest course of paintings from Jeff Soto are on display at the Riverside Art Museum. The exhibit, “Turning in Circles” is representative of the artist’s recent effort to portray the way a child might interpret the dicey state of current world affairs.
Soto’s views and artwork changed with the birth of his daughter. His visual vocabulary has taken on a new role beyond fantasy into realities that cannot be ignored by a parent. There is concern for the future in these paintings expressed with a maelstrom of icons that inhabit an ethereal plane. The vaporous backgrounds serve as padding between each set of ideas and the corporal space occupied by the viewer.
We can expect more museum exhibitions for this new breed of artist. Contemporary art institutions are recognizing that the “death of art” never occurred. It was merely a desperate plea that has been replaced with an influx of ideas from fresh sources.
Jeff Soto
Turning in Circles
2 December 2008 – 21 February 2009
Riverside Art Museum
California
