Exhibition: Sleepless - New Sculptures By Chris Beards

What are we afraid of? What keeps us up at night? That's what this show touches upon. Basic human fears, my fears. Those familiar concerns about mortality, money, health, safety, love, and loss. Our anxieties run free in the late hours of insomniac nights, when fear shines its brightest.

I'm laying in bed, not asleep of course – but not fully awake either. Occupying that gauzy in-between state when a haze of unreality imperceptibly slides in. My mind spins and ruminates, and things distort into unreal monsters. At that late hour it all feels so plausible and reasonable, yet terrible and insurmountable. I pursue resolution and consolation, but these remain just out of reach, in the middle of my sleepless night.

SLEEPLESS includes eighteen new works, mostly sculpture, featuring a variety of media and techniques. Each work is beautiful and finely crafted, with attention paid to every detail. Chris has shown his art professionally for over 25 years. His previous work has focused on themes such as memory and loss; the passage of time; patterns, repetition, and multiples; and the blending of the mechanical and organic. SLEEPLESS is his fourth solo exhibition at Paul Mahder Gallery. Chris lives with his wife in downtown Santa Rosa.