The Erik Lauritzen Gallery, located on the third floor of the Red Mountain Building near office 321, features Desert City by Bobby Lee. Lee is a photographer and book artist interested in landscape, nature, and conceptions of place. Originally from Southern California, he loves to travel and explore deserts, mountains, and cities with equal curiosity.

“Lee’s photographic exhibition highlights the stark contrast between the urban development of Las Vegas and the desert landscape of the Mojave Desert. Two colliding worlds exist next to each other. Each has a deep connection to the water, or the lack of it, and what the future brings. Urban sites, homes, and the Las Vegas strip capitalistic desire fill Lee’s images on a linear path on the gallery wall. Also included in Lee’s show is an intricately created accordion-style book containing the same thought-provoking work on display in the gallery’s walls,” said Karrasch.

The Red Mountain Student Gallery also features Shock and Awe by Matthew Leue. Leue is a mixed-media artist currently working in photography. Leue will complete his Associate of Arts, Fine Arts degree from Truckee Meadows Community College in Fall 2023. After his military service, Leue studied painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography at TMCC. Leue’s work often incorporates dark humor, bringing attention to serious topics like the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War.

“Leue, set to graduate TMCC this fall, has produced an exhibition sure to make any viewer stop and contemplate the visual language his photographic work exudes in his first-ever solo show. The content and context contained in Leue’s work are both shocking and horrifying to see how U.S. veterans have been treated once out of their military service. Leue, himself a combat veteran, seeks to bring to light the many issues that have plagued vets, such as mental health, homelessness, and suicide,” said Karrasch.

“Having had Leue as a student myself and seeing his passion and artistic style grow into the culmination of work that is his show Shock and Awe, it is not an exhibition you want to miss seeing. There is a narrative contained in his work that is vitally important. Especially as the coming Veterans Day holiday approaches,” continued Karrasch.

All art galleries are located at 7000 Dandini Boulevard, Red Mountain Building, Reno, NV, and are open with building hours. For more information, contact Kyle Karrasch at 775-674-7681 or visit the Art Galleries website.