Books, art, and creativity collide in artist Todd Christensen's installation, “Observing the Withdrawn,” which runs through Jan. 4. The exhibition marks Christensen’s first solo show in Santa Fe. The installation incorporates hundreds of old, decommissioned library books and other tomes from his personal collection that he has amassed over the years from estate sales, yard sales and thrift stores. Read Pasatiempo's interview with Todd. “When they were first printed, these books contained the ideas of the writer,” Christensen says. “Now each book lives on and serves a new role as visual art, a repository of even more ideas.” Christensen’s work deals primarily with his perspective on events in his personal life and in the world at large. The exhibition explores his social observations and his own anxieties while maintaining a darkly humorous undertone. "It's intended to convey my sense of being overwhelmed and surrounded by external forces, images and ideas." he says. "In a sense, it reflects the bombardment of visual images that we all face as we go about our daily lives. The work draws from journal entries, childhood stories, and a nostalgia for a past that doesn’t exist. It incorporates charts and diagrams, family, food, education and Christensen's passion for collecting. Christensen lives and works in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He is an associate professor of art at New Mexico Highlands University, where he has taught for more than 10 years. He is also a master printmaker and teaches numerous printmaking techniques at the university. In addition to viewing the installation, viewers will be able to purchase pieces of it, allowing them to take home a small part of a larger artistic vision.
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Books, art, and creativity collide in artist Todd Christensen's installation, “Observing the Withdrawn,” which runs through Jan. 4. The exhibition marks Christensen’s first solo show in Santa Fe. The installation incorporates hundreds of old, decommissioned library books and other tomes from his personal collection that he has amassed over the years from estate sales, yard sales and thrift stores. Read Pasatiempo's interview with Todd. “When they were first printed, these books contained the ideas of the writer,” Christensen says. “Now each book lives on and serves a new role as visual art, a repository of even more ideas.” Christensen’s work deals primarily with his perspective on events in his personal life and in the world at large. The exhibition explores his social observations and his own anxieties while maintaining a darkly humorous undertone. "It's intended to convey my sense of being overwhelmed and surrounded by external forces, images and ideas." he says. "In a sense, it reflects the bombardment of visual images that we all face as we go about our daily lives. The work draws from journal entries, childhood stories, and a nostalgia for a past that doesn’t exist. It incorporates charts and diagrams, family, food, education and Christensen's passion for collecting. Christensen lives and works in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He is an associate professor of art at New Mexico Highlands University, where he has taught for more than 10 years. He is also a master printmaker and teaches numerous printmaking techniques at the university. In addition to viewing the installation, viewers will be able to purchase pieces of it, allowing them to take home a small part of a larger artistic vision.