In this exhibition Al Souza continues his investigations into the aesthetic and conceptual properties of die-cut jigsaw puzzles, removing individual images from an original whole and arranging them onto the surfaces as he sees fit. The artist refers to his assemblages, composed of thousands of collaged jigsaw puzzle pieces, as “paintings.”

In explaining his reference to his works as “paintings” Souza says, “I look at them structurally the same way a painter would. I usually have fragments of puzzle spread around on my studio floor, then I get up on a ladder and make decisions. The whole room becomes my palette.” The resulting assemblages “work in the same sort of way that a painting does,” Souza says. Up close the assemblages are filled with intense detail, but from afar each work creates a rich tapestry of color and texture in coherent compositions.

In addition to the puzzle works, Souza will be exhibiting a selection of his recent art paper works. These pieces employ a variety of paper materials. Several of the paper works are an exploration of the nature of memory and identity stemming from the artist’s childhood experiences.