Castor Gallery is pleased to present “Unmeasured” a solo show by Gregory Thielker. This will be the artists second solo show with the gallery. An opening reception will be held on October 12th from 6-9pm at 254 Broome st.

In “Unmeasured”, Thielker has chosen to investigate the landscapes of the US and Mexico border over the last 18 months, traveling the nearly 2000 mile border from California to Texas. The exhibition will take place on both floors of the gallery.

“Unmeasured” is a visual portrait of the border territory between the US and Mexico. As public debate intensifies about an expanded border wall and legislative changes to affect immigration, it is important to observe the way this territory looks today. In this project, Thielker traveled to different sections of the border region, crisscrossing back and forth, interviewing local community members, and documenting the diverse terrain. The result is a series of black and white watercolor paintings ranging from small, intimate views to a large mural. The paintings show various types of border wall, from tall steel barricades, to sheet-metal fences, to historic concrete markers. Images also depict the presence of border patrol, from patrol vehicles, cameras, and tire drag gear as well as of undocumented immigrants, from backpacks, to footprints, and water bottles that often dotted the landscape. Within this terrain, no single view can capture the experience or measure the impact of the border on communities around it or in national consciousness. 'Unmeasured' refers to the inherent challenges to describe, quantify or predict how the border shapes the environment it occupies.

On the upper level of the gallery Thielker will create his most ambitious work to date - an 8x18ft photorealistic watercolor in black and white of a section he painted and photographed on his journeys. On the opposite wall a salon style display will show watercolors which recreate his experience and his trips. On the galleries lower level found objects taken from these areas will be displayed along with a video work showing the trip.

In his work, Gregory Thielker uses painting to draw attention to the overlap of history and the present, often focusing on areas of conflict. Recent projects include ‘Refuge’, a site specific installation in El Salvador, ‘(Un)governed Spaces’ a collaborative project and series of exhibitions about the Bagram region in Afghanistan, and ‘Highway’ a visual and audio chronicle of the Grand Trunk Road in India. Following the closure of the show at Castor Gallery “Unmeasured” will travel to both Clark University in Massachusetts and Brown University in Rhode Island where it will be displayed for extended lengths of time.