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Asya Geisberg Gallery is pleased to present Character Traits, a group exhibition curated by Matthew Craven, with Nel Aerts, Brian Scott Campbell, Austin Eddy, Austin English, Ryan Michael Ford, Dawn Frasch, Raina Hamner, Sojourner Truth Parsons, and D'Metrius Rice.

Character traits are the myriad of distinct qualities that, in tandem, define our individuality. In isolation, each trait can seem predictable or cliché, yet within the context of art, these traits transcend their fixed entities to become infinitely idiosyncratic gestures, recombined in limitless ways to determine a unique point of view. Disembodied, and allowed to interact and mutate, these characteristics can evolve into an original visual language. Each artist in this exhibition evokes a surreal world inhabited by a litany of unorthodox and bizarre characters, creating a paragon of sui generis interpretations.

Character Traits brings together nine young artists who reinvigorate the rich intersection of figurative abstraction via distinctive compositions, materials and processes. Each artist channels a unique range of influences that capture the characteristic spirit of a culture, movement, or a specific time period, while representing an aesthetic very much in the now. Motifs reminiscent of modernism, outsider assemblage, thrift store paintings, psychedelic cartoons, and zine culture permeate the work. These artists are not defined by their inspiration, but rather by the way each one has refined their influences and impulses into something entirely personal, creating fascinating languages and symbols, from the eccentric to the mundane, in order to tell their stories.