When viewing Kent Anderson Butler’s art, I am prompted to think the age-old question, ‘what makes us tick?’ Do people inherently process a desire test their limits, both physically and mentally? Some do: ultra marathon runners who embrace endurance and undergo rigorous athletic training, stunt performers who welcome danger and hone their daredevil skills, and monks who commit their lives to a mediation practice and find enlightenment. Reward and satisfaction seem to come from engaging in a sport, feat or ritual that can define one’s identity. It is Anderson Butler’s unique identity that goes hand in hand with his performance-based portraiture. He is a short, bald, pudgy middle-aged man, whose performances may involve dragging himself across abrasive pavement to reach a goal, swinging on playground equipment to leap into the air or holding his breath to submerge under water. At first glance these activities may seem silly or awkward, but before long, the vulnerability of the action and commitment to the task reveals an intense sincerity and a raw beauty. This exhibition includes features ‘Sacred Encounter’ a series of four video pieces that explore themes of spirituality, social ritual and art history as well as photographic self-portraits. This view into Anderson Butler’s carefully choreographed world is an invitation to pause for an introspective moment and reflect on our own strengths, limitations, beliefs and behaviors. – Dion Johnson
Kent Anderson Butler is a Los Angeles based artist working in a variety of mediums including video installation, performance and photography. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally including: The International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Venezuela, Coagula Curatorial, Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, LACE, Perform Chinatown- Los Angeles, LACDA, The Pasadena Museum of California Art, Fringe Exhibitions – Los Angeles, Orange County Museum of Art, Cave Gallery- Brooklyn, NY, Photo Miami, Track 16 Gallery- Santa Monica, Carl Berg Projects-West Hollywood, Art Center College of Design, and Hunter College, NY. His video work is also in the video art libraries at Pierogi Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, and Fringe Exhibitions.