Culver City (April 1, 2014): On Saturday, April 19, 2014, CHG Circa presents Ray Caesar’s, "A Tainted Virtue", including 5 new pieces that will show for the first time in North America. The ethereal feminine figures that feature prominently in Caesar’s work are actually drawn from seeds of memory. Whether these experiences are wonderful or foul, Caesar develops his subjects into beautiful remnant spirits that appear quickly like a sweet sensation on the tongue, yet slightly sour in its aftertaste. Layers of color and light envelop these tangible icons of the artists Id, keeping them just out of the audience’s reach. This piece of land that Caesar’s imagination inhabits, whether its a fairy-tale like forest or seemingly hidden room in a far off estate, borders the fine line between dream and nightmare, where the danger and intrigue is in the detail. “A tainted virtue is just a few words that describe the nature of me and my work,” explains Caesar. “I have virtues, morality and kindness but my past was in part a mixture of amazing, wonderful experiences tainted with demoralizing pain and cruelty. I have a disorder called dissociative identity disorder, and although this can be quite challenging, I also see my ability to dissociate as a skill and as a benefit in life. It’s why I communicate in pictures. I live partly in another world of my own creation. This other world is a Paracosm, and my work is a series of windows into the world I have created in my own mind over a lifetime. Trying to live in two worlds is a challenge. Pictures and images allow me to work with that tainted virtue in such a way to turn a kind of ugliness into something beautiful.”

The opening reception for Ray Caesar will be hosted Saturday, April 19, 2014, from 7-10pm at CHG Circa. The reception is open to the public, and the exhibition is on view through May 10, 2014.

RAY CAESAR

Ray Caesar was born in 1958 in London. At an early age, his family moved to Toronto, Canada, where he currently resides. From 1977—80 he attended Ontario College of Art, followed by 17 years from 1980—96 working in the art & photography department of the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto, documenting disturbing cases of child abuse, surgical reconstruction, psychology, and animal research. Coupled with inspiration from surrealists Kahlo and Dali, Caesar’s experiences at the hospital continue to influence his artwork. His haunting imagery is created digitally using 3D modeling software called Maya, mastered while working in digital animation for television and film industries from 1998—2001. In 1999, Caesar received a Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Special Effects in a series.