Robert Henry Contemporary of Brooklyn, New York is pleased to present Mapping the Equivocal featuring the work of Kent State University at Trumbull art professor, Phillip Buntin. The exhibit, which runs July 13-August 12, 2012, also features the works of Derek Lerner and Robert Walden.

A map is a representation of space or place or of phenomena as they exist in space. They project a three-dimensional space on a 2-D plane, usually much smaller than the actual space being mapped. The best maps are often considered to be the most accurate ones, however, the assumptions, intentions, biases and preferences of the mapmaker subjectify every map. Maps convey nonlinear and simultaneous knowledge. In a single glance a viewer can tell what’s going on over the whole map at a single moment in time, a Gestalt. The three artists in this exhibition use what could be considered “thematic maps” to explore ideas related to hermeneutics, biology, environmental degradation and ontology.

Buntin's enamel on Plexiglas aggregation of symbols taken from various biological and scientific sources are layered to the point of confusion as he analyzes what it means to understand and misunderstand at the same time. “I am interested in how we come to terms with complexity and how complex phenomena always, on some level, elude our grasp.” This work explores the experiential aspects of incompleteness that is embedded within fullness. He is particularly interested in the degree to which absence can be expressed through presence, the relationship between the two, and how they might be intertwined.

Mapping the Equivocal explores the notion of what constitutes a map, the interpretation of meaning and the concepts that compel each artist to incorporate mapping as a metaphorical tool.  A complex weaving of diverse political, cultural, social and philosophical ideas chart a rich and intriguing course and offer viewers opportunities to explore the American landscape from three distinct points of view.