“COLLECTIVE EXPEDITIONS”: An exhibition/installation of works by, clockwise from top left,  Elisa Pritzker, Olivia Baldwin, Kyle Cottier, and Greg Slick is on view February 20 through March 14 at BSB Gallery, 143 East State Street, Trenton. An opening reception is Saturday, February 22, 5 to 7 p.m.

“Collective Expeditions,” on view February 20 through March 14 at BSB Gallery in Trenton, is the second exhibition/installation by the council members of The International Society of Antiquaries [ISA] — Olivia Baldwin, Kyle Cottier, Elisa Pritzker, and Greg Slick. This exhibit features painting, sculpture, and installation.

An opening reception will be held on Saturday, February 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

The ISA is a learned and multidisciplinary society established in 2018. The council of artists have diverse practices. However, their work fits together in complex and interesting ways that speak to the importance of understanding our past — sometimes as far back as prehistory — in order to comprehend who we are as a species.

“Individually and collectively, our work references tribal, shamanic, ancestral, as well as contemporary art; esotericism; anthropology; and archaeology in various direct and indirect ways. Our goal, thus, is to look back in order to look forward,” say the artists.

Olivia Baldwin’s paintings elude clear trajectories; they embrace disruption and surprise. “I think of them as containers for thoughts, places, and conversations,” she says. Her sculptural work arrives through the language of painting.

Kyle Cottier’s sculptural practice is rooted in the metaphysical study of underlying patterns and principles that give rise to the convalescence of the natural world. Utilization of reclaimed wood is fundamental to his practice — to bring new life and wholeness to discarded scrap.

Elisa Pritzker has been studying the Selknam, one of the original people from Tierra del Fuego (The Land of Fire) in Patagonia, for the last 14 years. Her art is inspired by her research about the spiritual richness, cosmology, body art painting, and daily life of the Selknam, and it is a visual homage to an old society whose values are relevant today.

Greg Slick’s work investigates the crossroads of art, archaeology, and anthropology, plus the influence of ancient cultures on contemporary art. Prehistoric structures, Informalism, the Earth Art movement, and the study of shamanism are some of the key influences on his practice.

BSB Gallery is located at 143 East State Street, Trenton. For more information, visit www.bsbgallery.com.