In August of 1914, the enthusiastic young men of Europe, steeped in 19th century patriotic pageantry, bedecked in brightly colored uniforms, and singing songs of martial glory of earlier generations, marched headlong into the mechanized war of the 20th century. Europe's manhood was systematically ground into a pulp of blood and earth by the industrial and scientific instruments of mass death: the land mine, the howitzer, the gas canister, and the machine gun. 21st century society is undergoing a less gruesome, but no less significant transformation as human action is being systematically replaced by computers. Of particular significance are the changes faced by artists, as the traditional media of creation - the canvas, the drawing board, the roll of film, and the analog tape - are supplanted by the computer. The purpose of this exhibition is to probe the extent to which the two sides - the old and the new - can interact. The paintings have been created with the aid of (and, indeed, pay homage to) the digital image. The digital photographs have been composed so as to maintain the integrity of (and, therefore, pay homage to) the traditional film photograph. Together, these images seek to map out, to some extent, the struggle between the old and the new. Are the ways of the past in their death throws or can the ancient and the modern be blended together? This remains an open question.
Bo Riley, a native of Columbus and a graduate of The Ohio State University in History and German, is a certified teacher of the social studies. Although his formal training is in the teaching of history and politics, his grounding in the visual arts is considerable, following a long line of family photographers and visual artists. His paintings were first shown in June 2001 at a solo show at the former Basso coffee house. His digital photographs were first displayed at the Teamtim inaugural event at the BLD in April 2004.
If you are interested in acquiring a print version of any of the following photographs, please email me!
All images herein, unless indicated otherwise, are copyright 1996-2005 by Bo Riley. All rights reserved.
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Macintosh über Alles!