Flipside
Long View Gallery
March 25 - May 22, 2022

1234 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.longviewgallerydc.com
Hours: Thursday - Sunday 12 - 6
Phone: (202) 232-4788

Washington, DC— Long View Gallery is excited to announce Flipside, an exhibition of new works by local artist Michael Crossett. Flipside marks the gallery’s first exhibition of 2022 and a triumphant return to regular programming. The show commences with a public reception on Friday, March 25th, from 6:00-8:00pm and will be on display through May 1st.

Crossett’s layered silkscreens are influenced by urban landscapes and his existence within them. However, locked indoors during the pandemic, he had to seek alternate inspiration and turned to music and album art. Crossett’s work in Flipside was inspired by a song of the same name by one of the artist’s favorite bands, Everything But The Girl.

“And say I did forget and revert to the old days, forget this hurt. Am I better off or in reverse, untaught by experience and therefore worse?” -Flipside, Everything But The Girl

Flipside asks the same questions Crossett seeks to explore in his work. Was life better in the before-times (both in reference to one’s youth and in a pre-pandemic world)? Was everything better when we were younger, before experiences clouded our view and our favorite landmarks began to disappear? Crossett doesn’t seek to answer these questions but rather, inspire us to consider them on our own. He evaluates these questions in his work by physically positioning imagery from his past next to that of his present. Crossett captures high recognizable but often overlooked images of signage from local laundromats, wig stores, restaurants and bars and layers them over D.C. institutions like the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument. This juxtaposition elevates these nostalgic places to iconic status. Crossett creates a record of their existence and the reverence with which he treats them ensures they will “last”.

“I'm thinking of a mental free-fall, a partial total memory recall like what of the future, what of the past, what of the present will last?” -Flipside, Everything But The Girl

Crossett’s process always begins with photography. He captures the familiar sights of Washington, D.C. with a discerning and creative eye, both celebrating the city’s rich history and recording its fast-paced changes. He also collects relevant historic imagery and other iconography to add to his final compositions. It is from here that Crossett transforms from photographer to mixed media artist. Rather than relying on digital platforms such as Photoshop to edit, crop, layer and otherwise transform his imagery, he creates silk screens. One at a time, Crossett hand-pulls color through these screens, layering hundreds of images into vibrant arrangements of recognizable D.C. icons. His pieces show us Washington, D.C. through his eyes, breathing new life in to landmarks often considered stale or stoic and reminding us to always remember the past.