Tria Gallery presents State of the Union Group Exhibition Featuring Lauren Bergman Opening Reception: Thursday, October 16, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Exhibition Dates: October 16 - November 15, 2008 The political fever in America has reached a breaking point. With a historical presidential election fast approaching, a Wall St. market meltdown, and the war in Iraq festering in the background, American ideals have been tested and left to harsh questioning. With State of the Union, Tria Gallery, located in NYC's Chelsea art gallery district, hosts a group of artists who call the attention of the public and highlight the government's hypocrisy and corruption. Among this talented group, Lauren Bergman, American feminist/artist extraordinaire, displays four new works that explore, in her words, "the dislocation between our comfortable, complacent lives and the horrific reality of war to which we [Americans] have become numb." Working primarily in watercolor and acrylic, Bergman's paintings feature soft colors and images that are stylized and defined, reminiscent of American realists Norman Rockwell, John Sloan, and Edward Hopper. By referencing this genre however, Bergman challenges the American mythology. "Choosing an historic context removed from our contemporary cultural climate is meant to underscore the lack of progress or lessons learned from one war to the next," says Bergman. "Here we are once again blindly pledging the flag while young men and women return from Iraq limbless and without adequate healthcare while we contemplate what to watch on TV and what to Tivo." Come You Masters of War, You That Build the Big Bombs, 30 x 40 inches, watercolor and acrylic on paper About Lauren Bergman Lauren Bergman grew up in Washington, D.C., before relocating to Manhattan in 1987 to study painting and design at Parson's School of Design and The Art Students League in New York. Influenced strongly as a young woman by her mother, a model and activist, Bergman began her quest to explore and discover the complexities of female relationships, particularly the mother-daughter relationship between her mother and grandmother. Bergman grew up observing her mother's revolutionary disposition, reacting against cultural expectations of the times, an environment that encouraged Bergman to explore narratives and grow to become an accomplished artist. As a high school student involved in art courses at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, focusing on female relationships to each other and to society. Bergman's exceptional talents and mature narratives quickly landed her gallery exhibitions in Washington, D.C., exhibiting among renowned American realists, including Burton Silverman and Sondra Freckelton. Lauren Bergman is now regarded as a preeminent female contemporary artist emerging in the 21st Century, respected for her contributions to feminist-inspired art. Select solo exhibitions in New York City include New Works at O.K. Harris Gallery, and American Dream at Makor Gallery. Group shows include Charity By Numbers and ?The War: The Anti-War Show at Corey Helford Gallery, All About Women at Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago, and Innocence and Insight at Claire Oliver Fine Art in New York City. Bergman has been published in The New York Times, Xlr8r, Boing Boing, Fecal Face, Juxtapoz, Absolute Arts, Glasstire, and Vinyl Pulse. Bergman currently lives and works in Manhattan. For more information on the fine art of Lauren Bergman, please visit www.laurenbergman.net About Tria Gallery Tria specializes in contemporary painting and mixed media by established and emerging artists. In addition to artwork on exhibit, the gallery maintains an inventory of select works by its featured artists. Tria's three directors, Carol Suchman, Paige Bart and Latifa Metheny, are committed to presenting artists with compelling bodies of work, and ones whose stories should, in their opinion, be told. The gallery is located in the heart of Chelsea on 547 West 27th Street, 5th floor, NYC 10001, and is open to the public. For more information about Tria Gallery, please visit www.triagallery.net