Philip Martin Gallery is proud to present, “Deluge,” an exhibition of new paintings and works-on-paper by Los Angeles-based artist Aaron Morse. In Aaron Morse's work, landscape is non-hierarchical; time is fluid; and imagery, both abstract and representational, whether drawn from textbooks, postcards, advertising, comic books, collage, drawings, paintings or range of lived experiences, is a multiverse containing both possibility and interpretation.
On his work, Aaron Morse writes, "Every engaged student of history understands that the individual interpretation of historians varies greatly, and so the validity of a glut of images in popular culture, photos, films, and paintings is questionable. It is normal and easy to accept the comfortable format of history found in books or documentaries and to not really meditate on the past as a distinct reality. Particularly in the United States, we have become a sedentary culture of entitlement, with little or no concept of the hardships and complexity of our forbearers. The direct influence of myriad past events continues to resonate and shape everything from the personal effects of everyday life, to overarching policies that impact the broader population. This is why I choose to focus on historical subjects as a starting point for my work. As an American, I have tended to be interested in the history of that place, which as a country is not very long, but as a continent is just as old as anywhere else. The planet is the same age everywhere. Despite the fact that the past really happened, there is no doubt that a level of abstraction remains when contemplating the lost or unknowable portions of the record. It is in these areas in particular where I try to imagine alternate images to those that have been passed down. The world is no less interesting today, nor less brutal than it once was, but in looking back I find a foundation for what is current. I continue to be occupied with paintings related to the sublime, the epic novel, history, landscape, horror, and action. I am happy if my pictures begin at these themes and then diverge."
Aaron MORSE (b. 1974, Tucson, AZ) received his BFA from the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) and his MFA from University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH). Aaron Morse’s recent and upcoming solo and group exhibitions include, “Sea and Land,” Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA); “If the Sky Were Orange: Art in the Time of Climate Change,” Blanton Museum of Art (Austin, TX); Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, CA); Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley, CA); Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Santa Barbara, CA); Contemporary Arts Museum (Houston, TX); Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (Overland Park, KS); Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (Logan, UT); Weatherspoon Art Museum (Greensboro, NC); Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery At Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY). Aaron Morse is included in the Museum Collections of Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley, CA); Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Santa Barbara, CA); Henry Art Gallery (Seattle, WA); Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, CA); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA); Hilbert Museum of California Art (Orange, CA); Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (Logan, UT); Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (Overland Park, KS); Blanton Museum of Art (Austin, TX); Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, NY); Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY); Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY); Rhode Island School of Design, (Providence, RI). Morse’s work has been reviewed in such publications as Los Angeles Times, Time Out, Flaunt, Tema Celeste, and Artweek. Aaron Morse lives and works in Los Angeles.
Aaron Morse's exhibition, “Deluge,” is online July 1 - July 15, 2026. All works can be viewed at the gallery by appointment. Philip Martin Gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday from 11-5. For additional images, or information please email info@philipmartingallery.com, or call 323-507-2037. Philip Martin Gallery is located at 3342 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065.
