Regina Rex - 221 Madison St. New York, NY 10002

REGINA REX is pleased to present a two-person exhibition that brings together small-scale paintings by John Dilg and videos by Karsten Krejcarek. Combined, the works reflect an attention to landscape, the collective unconscious, exploration of place, and mystical storytelling. While their work varies widely in medium and formal style, both artists are interested in what Krejcarek characterizes as "symbiotic relationships between nature and the unconscious." With this in mind, the exhibition can be seen as an exploration of how our interactions with and memories of place inform mental constructs through a combination of private and shared realities.

This paragraph was written by Terri C. Smith. A full essay will accompany the exhibition. Terri C. Smith is a curator and writer and currently the Creative Director of Franklin Street Works in Stamford, CT.

John Dilg is a painter who has had a long-time interest in the romantic, gothic imagery of the 19th century. His interests have also led to the soulful power found in the earnest, visual art of the amateur and self-trained artists. Dilg collects a wide range of images and he is especially interested in the ability of the "primitive" to be "elegant" --- where intimacy and poignancy take precedence over any agreed upon version of "beauty." His favorite geographies include the Columbia River Highway of the Pacific Northwest and the Upper Mississippi River. Dilg is based in Iowa City, IA, where he is on the faculty of the University of Iowa. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, with a double focus in painting and filmmaking, and has exhibited extensively in the Midwest and New York.

New York-based artist Karsten Krejcarek is a video maker, sculptor and photographer. Karsten's work is concentrated on esoteric narrative, mystical symbolism and natural landscape. In recent years, Karsten has been exploring magical rituals and cultural traditions in the jungles of the Amazon and highlands of the Andes. During these investigations, he has expanded upon ideas of multiplicity, telepathy, and symbiotic relationships between nature and the unconscious, concepts that have largely influenced his practice and informed the narrative structure of his current work. Karsten recently returned from Bolivia, where he filmed a seven chapter, romantic tragedy that explores an allegoric love triangle between a man, woman, and a jaguar. Karsten received a MFA from Columbia University in 2000, is an adjunct faculty member of New York University, and has regularly exhibited his work over the last fourteen years. Currently, Karsten is (once again) fueled by a fiery determination and is in the process of deploying a reengineered life-on-earth plan.