LOS ANGELES, CA.- Kopeikin Gallery presents artist Kerry Skarbakka’s first solo exhibition with the Gallery. "Ten Years of Falling", a significant selection of work from his long term project, “The Struggle to Right Oneself", opened in July and continues through September 7th. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

In his ongoing series, Skarbakka, with the aid of climbing gear and other rigging, photographs himself perpetually falling to an uncertain fate in a series of ambiguous narratives. Skarbakka's images portray the artist hurling himself through glass windows, leaping off train trestles, plummeting down flights of stairs and toppling off ladders. Without a concrete conclusion, these images leave one to wonder if you are the witness to a suicide, fatal accident or daring escape. These images stand as ominous messages and reminders that we are all vulnerable to losing our footing and grasp. Moreover, they convey the primal qualities of the human condition as a precarious balancing act between the struggle against our desire to survive and out fantasy to transcend our humanness.

“I continually return to questions regarding the nature of control and its effects on this perceived responsibility, since beyond the basic laws that govern and maintain our equilibrium, we live in a world that constantly tests our stability in various forms." - Kerry Skarbakka

Kerry Skarbakka is a visual artist and educator working in photography and video. He received his B.A. in 1994 from the University of Washington School of Art and in 2003 completed his MFA in Photography from Columbia College in Chicago. Including a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Skarbakka's work has been exhibited in numerous national and international exhibitions. He has received funding and support from the Creative Capital Foundation, the 1% for the Arts (City of Seattle) and the Illinois Arts Council. Publications include Afterimage, Art and America, ArtReview International and Aperture Magazine.