On Wednesday, February 2 at 7:00 pm the Rotunda Gallery will present a panel discussion exploring the revolutionary effect digital technology has had on contemporary artists' ways of making, seeing and thinking. The discussion will feature Brooklyn-based artists David Brody, Marsha Cottrell, Carl Fudge, and Bruce Pearson and will be moderated by curator Yasufumi Nakamori. Admission is free, and reservations are required. Call 718-875-4047 x11. The event is presented in conjunction with the Gallery's current exhibition decipher: hand-painted digital, which is on view through March 5, 2005.

In his drawings and videos, David Brody explores the concept of isometrics, a mathematical method of constructing a 3-dimensional object without using perspective. Artist Marsha Cottrell generates multi-layered abstractions perhaps best compared to Futurist paintings on speed. Digitally altering and abstracting marks like commas, colons, slashes and parentheses she turns text into hair thin lines and calligraphic gestures. Fascinated by the culture of copy and the replica within a rubric of hand-made, Carl Fudge makes kaleidoscope-like prints and paintings by obsessively scanning and tweaking his representational sources. Bruce Pearson's abstract paintings are made of intensely hand-carved and psychedelically colored Styrofoam. Words (often taken from poems and encyclopedias) and photographic images are interwoven and layered to build a labyrinthine optical wonder.

decipher: hand-painted digital is part of the Rotunda Gallery's Curatorial Initiative Program, which supports new and emerging curators and provides opportunities for them to realize their vision in a professional gallery setting. The program is supported by the Lori Ledis Memorial Fund, named for the respected member of the New York arts community and long-time supporter of the Rotunda Gallery.

The ROTUNDA GALLERY, housed in an award-winning space designed by Smith-Miller + Hawkinson, showcases the work of Brooklyn artists. The ROTUNDA GALLERY’s educational programs reach 7,000 students each year with gallery visits and in-school art making projects. The ROTUNDA GALLERY is a project of the not-for-profit BRIC/Brooklyn Information & Culture, Inc..