Remnants of an Optimistic Era

Kristine Schomaker
12 minutes ago
2 min read

By Lorraine Heitzman

Erik Otsea's show, Clever Animals & Static at Alto Beta is a menagerie of a different sort. His tabletop ceramic sculptures are quirky but solemn hand-built industrial shapes that suggest machine parts found in abandoned factories or as models for obscure patent applications. They conjure Soviet-style brutalist architecture and futuristic inventions, all simple geometric forms that hint at a bygone time when we believed that life could be improved through industry. So very twentieth century.

The purpose of these sculptures may be unknowable but the effect is not. The subtle matte surfaces, either glazed, unglazed, or painted with Flashe, provide a softness to their otherwise hard-edged qualities. Their chalky texture highlights the way one form is carefully delineated or transitions from one plane to another and calls attention to each deliberate choice. Awash in soft blacks and whites with pastel details, the palette gives delicate vibes in stark contrast to the solidity of the elements. The installation provokes a feeling that you are within a museum, such is the coolness and didactic nature of the work, but that is the strength of these sculptures. We are being asked to carefully consider the precision and oddity of each piece and appreciate their form without knowing their history. We can only guess at their purpose and live with the mystery.

In addition to the recent work, twenty-five small black and white painted panels are displayed against the back wall and are assembled in a tight grid. Made thirty-five years ago, they provide insight into Otsea's longstanding concerns while serving as a literal backdrop to the sculptures. Each panel features a single graphic image that looks derived from an unknown alphabet. In this installation they operate as cuneiforms to his current sculptures. Whatever the intent, tying the two-dimensional images with the three-dimensional is clarifying. They both articulate shapes, and as the minimal sculptures are stripped of the extraneous, their silhouettes are as significant as their mass. They relate to many artists' work, from the more flamboyant sculptures by Arlene Shechet to the minimalist forms of Joel Shapiro. But Otsea's work is uniquely his own and adds to the fundamental conversation that all sculptors have about materials and form.

Clever Animals & Static is but one of Alto Beta's excellent shows that Brad Eberhard has mounted in his new location since his original gallery was lost to the Altadena fire last year. Go see Erik Otsea's exhibit and also catch the intricate cut-paper work by Nancy Jackson in the Project Area.

Erik Otsea: Clever Animals & Static April 19–May 17, 2026

Alto Beta Gallery 2359 Lincoln Avenue Altadena, CA 91001 Open Sundays 12–5 and by appointment altobeta.com