RIVERSEA GALLERY presents A Storied Life, a solo exhibition of provocative assemblages by Portland artist Dan Pillers, who creates conceptual works from collections of vintage furniture parts and other remnants of days gone by. The show opens on Saturday, April 10 with a socially distanced reception held during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk from 12:00 to 8:00 pm, and an opportunity to meet the artist from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. The exhibition will continue through May 4, 2021.
For many years Pillers has been fascinated by the power of using his artwork to encapsulate memories, to impart his own story along with provoking consideration of broader cultural themes. He conveys emotion, social awareness, and personal memories through considered arrangements of selected artifacts. These compositions are given a heightened sense of history and context with the addition of meaningful text, and presented within elaborate, beautifully hand-crafted vitrines and wall-mounted or freestanding assemblages.
Sparked by inspiration from vivid memories and current events, and partially guided by lucid dreams, he embarks on a painstaking process of deconstructing, reimagining and assembling until he has transformed a collection of mundane objects into a compelling and meaningful narrative.
Pillers has a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and has exhibited extensively for the past couple decades, participating in gallery shows and installations in public institutions throughout the west coast. This is his second solo show at RiverSea Gallery where he has been a represented artist since 2015. RiverSea Gallery is open daily at 1160 Commercial Street in Astoria. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5; Sunday, noon to 4. 503-325-1270, riverseagallery.com.
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