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“There is an universal tendency among mankind to conceive all beings like themselves, and to transfer to every object, those qualities, with which they are familiarly acquainted, and of which they are intimately conscious. We find human faces in the moon, armies in the clouds; and by a natural propensity, if not corrected by experience and reflection, ascribe malice or good- will to every thing, that hurts or pleases us.”
–David Hume
With my work I explore the psychological phenomenon of pareidolia, a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something clear and distinct, with the use of abstract extractionism as means to visualize the subconscious. My work utilizes the Cavazos method of recognizing an idea, image, scene, or further point of Abstraction within the Abstract. I believe that the images our subconscious reflects onto the naturalistic world is ingrained into us as humans. Our brain is wired to find meaning, and to identify structure and order around us. Pareidolia can unlock the true essence of societies and cultures. My work often represents a duality between the naturalistic world and the subconscious; narrative as it relates to a narrative framework, and chaos versus order. Each of us has a very unique and random set of stimulus determined by the people we meet, the choices we make, our beliefs, memories, etc. I use Pareidolia to allow myself and the viewer access to visual representation of a random set of stimuli in order to make sense of the images being perceived as it relates to a greater whole.
Justin Leitner was born in 1990 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is currently a senior at Appalachian State University working towards a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in painting and drawing. After high school, Leitner completed an internship at Artspace in Raleigh, NC where he learned to paint from professional artists Luana Winner and Judy Crane. During his three years at Artspace, his work was primarily focused on portraiture and landscape, with his only visual outlet being to outline human and animalistic characters he saw within the negative spaces of his work. His current practice involves combining these two visual techniques into one cohesive idea.
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We are also hosting a live performance of Son of Laughter
http://www.son-of-laughter.com
opening reception | live performance | 7 – 10p
117 S. West Street | Raleigh, NC 27601
City Gallery 