January 12–February 9, 2008

Opening Reception 7-10 pm January 12, 2008

Monte Vista is proud to present “Circle Jerks,” an exhibition of a collaborative painting project

initiated by Max Lesser and Brett Cody Rogers. Participating artists are Kathryn Andrews, Tomory

Dodge, Bart Exposito, Hadley Holliday, Max Lesser, Katie Lewis, Jay Lizo, Allison Miller and Brett

Cody Rogers.

Lesser and Rogers came up with the idea for an experimental, “exquisite-corpse”-like painting

project as an outlet for making paintings outside the realm of their personal practices and the

highly competitive nature driven by “personal style.” Several LA-based artists were asked to

participate and “Circle Jerks” was born.

Over the last eight months, the participants each started at least one painting. These paintings

were then passed from artist to artist, with each person reacting and contributing to the move

made by the previous one. Each painting was circulated until someone declared it “finished,” with

the end-result being a collaborative exhibition free of stylistic pretext. This exhibition features an

edited selection of these paintings.

“Circle Jerks” focuses on turning the solitary and masturbatory nature of artistic style into group

activity, and is inspired by the Los Angeles-based punk band of the same name, whose ‘80’s hit

song “Group Sex” invites group sexual exploration in a low-key setting, free from embarrassment.