NEW ORLEANS, LA.- Octavia Art Gallery is presenting Pierre Bergian and Christian Hootsell: Liner Interplay, an exhibition of oil paintings by Pierre Bergian and metal sculptures by Christian Hootsell.

Pierre Bergian and Christian Hootsell: Linear Interplay concentrates on line as a distinct medium, which can transcend the limitations of two-dimensional forms. Bergian’s lines form the architectural structure of Neoclassic interiors by using graphite markings to enhance adorned details such as Corinthian columns, Greek keys, and carved ornamental moulding. Hootsell’s lines are created out of metal, forming identifiable compositions and paths through space. As they lead the viewer’s eye around the object, they also communicate the character of the form.

Bergian’s paintings look at the interior architecture of rooms and spaces that are almost empty, bar a small selection of furnishings and objects that he explores in detail with graphite lines and mark making. Some of the works in this exhibition explore empty, spacious interiors by using simplistic lines to frame the architectural structure as seen in The Abstract Painting and The Blue Bench. In works such as L’atelier and Purple Room with Screen the lines become more organic and are used to highlight and bring attention to objects in the room such as paintings and ornamental details in moulding and doors.

While touring museums early in life, Hootsell became fascinated with metal sculpture and inspired by the works of David Smith, Mark di Suvero, Alexander Calder, and Anthony Caro. As a self-taught artist, he would study their works to gain an understanding of form and function, continuously applying that understanding to his own body of work. The works in this exhibition range from linear abstractions that allow the viewer to have their own visual experience, as in Abstract IV and Abstract XIV, to works with a more recognizable character, such as Eagle’s Nest.

Pierre Bergian is a Belgium based artist who studied Art History and Architecture at the University of Ghent and has published writings on the topics of design and architecture. He has had solo exhibitions at Purdy Hicks, London; Gallery Laurent de Puybaudet, Paris; Galerie Josine Bokhoven, Amsterdam, among others, and his work in included in the permanent collection at the British Museum in London.

Christian Hootsell, was born in Mississippi and resides in Dallas, TX. He is represented by Rebecca Low Gallery, TX, and exhibits throughout the region. Hootsell is currently producing works for a fifty-acre sculpture garden at the Fairfield Plantation in Natchez, MS.