ALHAMBRA, CA.- Artists Michael Brown, Frieda Gosset, Andrea Offerman, and Jaime Zollars return to Gallery Nucleus with the third installment of Systema Naturae - Aeris. Combining strong narratives with naturalism, the natural world theme of Systema Naturae is visually explored further with ‘air’ as the driving inspiration.

Air is omnipresent, surrounding and interacting with us on a daily basis. As our atmosphere, air conducts the passage of light, acting as a medium that allows people to interpret the physical world in color. An indirect response to this exchange is the human perception of reality, and the creation of art to express these perceptions. Systema Naturae: Aeris takes inspiration from these naturally occuring systems, and the ideas drawn from air itself: flight, freedom, and infinite possibilities.

Michael Brown creates images through the use of animal manipulations to investigate the capacity of human intelligence, and his portraits convey these dark musings in a surreal, broody style.

Frieda Gossett, upon graduating from Art Center College of Design, began crafting beautifully ornate animal sculptures and works from leather, an ironic and interesting approach towards the relationship between animals and their surroundings.

Andrea Offermann creates a feeling of discord that often exists when science interacts with nature. Known for her delicate and intricute illustrations, Offerman creates fantasy scenarios that impose wildlife on industrialized cities and other symbols of civilization.

Jaime Zollars’ narrative illustrations recall the hope and melancholy common in fairy tales and childhood fables. Different embodiments of nature are integral to the heroines in her work. This new body of work grounds intangible feelings released into the world in the realism of scientific specimens.