SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Where do I begin and you end? What constitutes the space between us? Artist Annie Buckley is most interested in what we don’t know — and how we seek to understand the indescribable experience of being.

“Annie Buckley: Into the Deep” will be on display at RAFFMA, the CSUSB art museum, May 17-July 31, 2012. A reception will be held on June 15 from 6-9 p.m. at the museum.

Buckley’s exhibit includes digital photographic collages and mixed media pieces spanning nearly a decade. Her work is informed by her practice in meditation and exploration of the intersections between ancient Indian and contemporary postmodern philosophies, specifically regarding the meaning and dimensions of consciousness.

As a visual artist and writer, Buckley works on one project or body of work at a time. “Hybrids” (2007-2008), is comprised of eight large-scale photographic collages of women morphing into trees, two of which are included in this exhibition. These imaginary portraits suggest characters for contemporary mythology and provoke questions about subject and object, figure and ground, prompting viewers to reconsider their relationship to the natural world.

“Mutations” (2003-2006), three photographic collages of iconic mythical females, are constructed of hundreds of photographs of the artist’s own body. The results resemble stained glass or psychedelia more than a human form, reflecting an experiential view of the body and continuity between integration and disintegration.

Also included in this exhibition will be selected works from Buckley’s most recently completed project, “Love Stories.” This work includes poems made from letters cut out of photographs of the sky. The artist uses all the possible endings to the phrase, “They met, fell in love…” creating whole love stories in as few words as possible.

The exhibition is accompanied by an essay by Phung Huynh, artist, curator and Assistant Professor of Art at Los Angeles Valley College. An artist talk will be held on Wednesday, May 30, from 5- 7p.m. in RAFFMA’s Main Gallery.

About the Artist
Annie Buckley is an assistant professor of visual studies in the art department at CSUSB. Her work has been included in solo exhibitions at Carl Berg Gallery and Jancar Gallery and was the focus of a large exhibition at Los Angeles International Airport, sponsored by the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs, from 2010-2011.

Buckley has published numerous art reviews for international publications and is the author of two books of fiction, “Navigating Ghosts” and “Psychic Outlaws,” both of which explore similar themes and questions as her visual art. She received a B.A. with academic honors from U.C. Berkeley and an M.F.A. from Otis College of Art and Design.

About RAFFMA
The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art is a nationally recognized museum accredited by the American Association of Museums. It is the only accredited art museum in San Bernardino; RAFFMA has accumulated a permanent collection of nearly 1,200 objects focusing on Egyptian antiquities, ceramics and contemporary art. Located at Cal State San Bernardino, RAFFMA houses the largest permanent and public display of Egyptian art in Southern California.

General admission to the museum is free. Suggested donation is $3. Parking at Cal State San Bernardino is $5 per vehicle.

The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and is closed Friday and Sunday. For more information, call (909) 537-7373 or visit the RAFFMA website at http://raffma.csusb.edu.