Todd Gilens

Born in Los Angeles, CA / Works in Berkeley, CA

BIO

Todd Gilens works in a variety of media and scales from intimate drawings to large public installations. Originally from Los Angeles, he lived for twenty years in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, and now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home. His work has been shown in museums, galleries, and educational institutions in the US and abroad, and has been acknowledged through residencies, commissions, and grants, including from the Adobe, Warhol, and San Francisco Foundations, Stockholm Resilience Centre, National Forest Foundation, Pennsylvania and Nevada Arts Councils.

My work is guided by research on nature, materials, and perception, the wish to go beyond what I already know, and a compelling need to share experience with others. Using dry pigment pastels that I make myself, and fine cotton-fiber paper, I look for something unexpected which, once encountered, feels like it has always existed. My aim is that this process, in which familiarity and mystery are equally present, somehow continues long after the drawings are finished.