Alexander Rohrig: Off Leash
June 27th - August 23rd
Reception: June 27th, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Working across oil painting and sculpture, Rohrig examines the layered relationships between humans, animals, and landscape. His paintings—densely composed and narratively rich—draw on spiritual, natural, and intellectual sources. Rooted in the visual and physical language of farm life, his work features recurring subjects, including horses, pigs, dogs, sheep, and the workers who tend to them. These scenes reflect what the artist describes as “chaotic, violent, noisy and full of hard work,” offering not an idealized vision of pastoral life, but something more honest. 

Also included in Off Leash is a series of sculptural dog portraits, carved from wood or stone. Each sculpture reflects Rohrig’s tactile, intuitive engagement with material and form. “Certain materials want to be something,” he writes. “And their message is transferred through touch.” Combining humor, empathy, and restraint, these works reveal the quiet dignity of animal life and our deep entanglement with it.

The exhibition’s title, Off Leash, gestures toward a broader inquiry at the heart of Rohrig’s work: a call to slow down, pay attention, and reconsider our place in the physical world. Animals—particularly dogs—serve as metaphors for connection, control, and presence. The dog sculptures act as surrogates for questions about what we are tethered to: routine, technology, social media, or distraction. Through humor and accessibility, these forms invite viewers in, while also opening the door to deeper reflection. Rohrig’s paintings and sculptures together form a kind of ecosystem—one that encourages curiosity, play, and a more mindful awareness of the environments we inhabit.

Alexander Rohrig (b. 1982) is a California-based artist whose practice spans oil painting and sculpture, with a focus on the physical and emotional intersections of human and animal life. He earned a BA in Art and Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and studied extensively under sculptor Jane Rosen in San Gregorio. Rohrig has exhibited widely, with recent solo exhibitions at The Mill in San Francisco, Good Mother Gallery in Oakland, and Gail Severn Gallery in Sun Valley, where he is currently represented. His work has also been included in group exhibitions at institutions such as Hashimoto Contemporary, the Palo Alto Art Center, and the Bolinas Museum. In addition to his studio practice, he has worked as a studio assistant to both Jane Rosen and Thomas Campbell. Rohrig’s work continues to evolve through a deeply observational approach to material, landscape, and labor.