Sasha Koozel Reibstein | Are You Okay In The Dark?

Are You Okay In The Dark? is a selection of recent ceramic sculptures by San Diego-based artist and curator Sasha Koozel Reibstein. Transformation and the sublime are ideas central to her practice, and in this new body of work, there is a concentrated exploration into that which is unknown in the cosmos, like black holes, magnetic pulls, and portals. 

Often appearing as inhabitants or geological discoveries from yet-to-be-discovered planets and galaxies, these elusive forms strike a balance between a living being and petrified volcanic rock of the future, or perhaps what astrophysicists have recently coined as “violent energy” bursts caused by a black hole devouring a star. Drip forms of gold and platinum situate a work frozen in a single moment, though still subject to external catalysts that disrupt and transform over the passage of time.

Through working with the tension around the big questions dictating our existence, Reibstein challenges humanity’s inherent fear of the unknown, instead greeting it with her own version of alchemy and experimentation in the studio. In these new sculptures and wall pieces, Reibstein’s objects often take the form of a portal with a central opening, which feel less like a specimen to be examined and more like a window into the unknown. They encourage a guttural, emotional response from a viewer, providing narrative but also room to consider expansive possibilities both in mind and body. 

In the interest of limiting large groups, the reception for Are You Okay In The Dark? will be spread out throughout the day on Saturday, January 22. The gallery will be open from 11 AM - 5 PM and the artist will be present from 12-4 PM. We ask that all guests arrive wearing a mask. In addition, there will be an artist talk on Saturday, February 26 at 11:30 AM at the gallery.

Photo: Sasha Koozel Reibstein in the studio. Credit: Lile Kvantaliani