No, it is not only our fate but our business to lose innocence, and once we have lost that, it is futile to attempt a picnic in Eden. -- Elizabeth Bowen

A Picnic in Eden was a two-person collaboration by Abel Baker Gutierrez and Bettina Hubby. Bettina’s accessories are worn by the subjects of Abel’s new photographs. Round ‘jewelry’ boxes house her accessories with Abel’s photographs mounted onto each box; the objects were displayed as part of an eden-like installation within The Company’s project space. It was because Abel’s work is rooted in the tensions of understanding identity and aspects of youth, as well as his mastery of mood that Bettina approached him to collaborate on this project. Both artists chose subjects who exude a quality of agelessness, gender-neutral beauty, and a momentary glimpse on the edge of losing their innocence. Eden served as the undercurrent for the works being created.

The accessories Bettina created for this show can be categorized as men’s or women’s, and are made from labels, silk flowers, beads and magnets, making new functions/contexts for each. The accessories were modeled live at the grand opening on persons who embody the spirit of these images and objects.

*Anna Bruce helped to make the accessories. Piper Olf fabricated the circular boxes onto which the photos are mounted. Tyler Hubby’s film loop was projected as part of the installation.

Painter/Photographer, Abel Baker Gutierrez's works explore a world of post-teen angst, development of sexual identity, and representations of masculinity in adolescence. Taking inspiration from rock music's aesthetic trends, internet subcultures, and old masters paintings, Gutierrez experiments with art materials and photography to create portraits and installations that reflect societal obsession with youth culture and issues of “growing up.” Abel Baker Gutierrez lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. For more info on Abel, please visit: www.abelgutierrez.com