Memebiotics

On Friday, November 17, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Cincinnati Arts Association’s Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery in the Aronoff Center for the Arts will premiere two new exhibitions: From the 20th Century: An Incomplete History, a contemplative series of works by Michael Mercil that examines the social and cultural shaping of American domestic landscapes; and Memebiotics, a new series of meticulously executed drawings, prints and animated video by Andrew Au that merges biological and mechanical systems in an imaginative exploration of the complex theory of memetics.

An ongoing fascination with the “unordinary,” the fantastic, the surreal, the supernatural, the unexpected, and the spiritual informs Andrew Au’s ( Cincinnati, OH) intricate and exquisitely detailed works. Inventing hybrid mutations of machines and organisms, Au effectively merges the real and imagined world while offering a biting underlying political and social commentary.

Memebiotics (a blend of the scientific examination of cultural ideas, behaviors or practices concerned with the functions of life) represents a new series of prints, drawings and two animated video installations by Au that continues this evolution, creating a new world of visual references.

Andrew Au earned a bachelor of fine arts from Asbury College ( Wilmore, KY) in 1994 and a master of fine arts in printmaking and drawing from the University of Cincinnati in 2000. His work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions that include: the Florence Biennale ( Florence, Italy); New Orleans Museum of Art ( New Orleans, LA); Contemporary Arts Center ( New Orleans, LA); Museum of Contemporary Art ( Washington, D.C.); Morehead State University ( Morehead, KY); Carnegie Arts Center ( Covington, KY); S.S. Nova ( Cincinnati, OH) and Miami University ( Oxford, OH). He has served as an assistant professor of art in printmaking at American University in Washington, D.C. (2004) and the University of New Orleans (2004-06). He currently serves as assistant professor of studio art at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Au lives and maintains a studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Gallery Talk Series: Tues., Dec. 5, 7 p.m.

Families Create! Education Workshop: Sat., Dec. 9, 2006