Fred Mitchell  “Photographs with Sculptural Tendencies”
April 1 - May 24, 2013
Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV

Artist reception: Thursday, April 4 from 6 - 8 PM with artist talk at 6:30 in the Pueblo Room.
Open First Fridays, April 5 and May 3 from 8 AM - 10 PM
First Friday free shuttle and parking at the Government Center

Destruction prompts construction in Fred Mitchell’s new Rotunda Gallery exhibit, “Photographs with Sculptural Tendencies.” Photos of vehicular collision sites are printed and reconstructed into three-dimensional forms.

The artist begins by sensitively photographing the residue of accidents on Las Vegas roadways after the victims and automobiles are no longer present. All that remains are the marks, skids and blemishes like accidental drawings on and along the street. By capturing only the image of the vestiges, the artist is able to still capture the compelling nature of these all-too-frequent and devastating mistakes without exploiting the persons involved or sensationalizing the crash.

The images are then manipulated digitally and physically to accentuate and/or compliment the mistakes.  Working with a metal shop specializing in automobile manufacturing, the artist warps and bends the photographs printed on metal to give depth, form, and shape to a formerly two-dimensional plane.

The ultimate result will be several large-scale objects resembling familiar wreckage from around the city, recreated and reinterpreted as deformed photographic sculptures.