SANTA MONICA, CA.- Andrew Weiss Gallery presents Historical Fiction, an exhibition of new works by Los Angeles-based photographer Tyler Shields. Historical Fiction was photographed in locations across the United States over a period of twelve months through early 2015. These large-scale color-saturated and black and white photographs are the artist’s powerful interpretations of iconic moments and individual reactions to 1960s American political and pop culture history including the first men on the moon, the disbanding of The Beatles, the Golden Age of air travel, racial violence, and the deaths of James Dean, John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Marilyn Monroe. The series also includes a four-minute video installation featuring Nathan Fillion and Christa B. Allen called Man on the Moon. Historical Fiction reflects on the complicated, controversial, and emotional times of one of the most influential eras in modern history in ways that have never been seen before. The series is on view at Andrew Weiss Gallery until June 27, 2015.

About Historical Fiction Tyler Shields says, “No matter what age you are and no matter where you were, tragic moments in history such as 9/11, JFK, and Martin Luther King, Jr. impact us. Other moments may influence us in a different way and can have a lasting effect, like first time you travel in an airplane, are inspired by art, see a magic trick, or fall in love.” Shields continues, “With Historical Fiction, I have tried to create a narrative of history frozen in time, as if each image were part of a book where the first and last 100 pages have been torn out, and the story is for you to decipher. What happened before and what happened after is only up to the imagination of the viewer, and it's that viewer that can envision themselves in many of these moments.”

A second phase of the exhibition, a series within the series of works inspired by Marilyn Monroe, will open just after the anniversary of her birthday on Saturday, June 6, 2015.

Tyler Shields is an American photographer known for his provocative and sometimes controversial work. Shields was born in 1982 in Jacksonville, Florida. He began his photography career there in 2003 and published his first book just two years later. Tyler Shields has had over twenty solo exhibitions worldwide including Imitate Modern, London, England; Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; Samuel Lynne Gallery, Dallas, TX; Guy Hepner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; and Andrew Weiss Gallery, Santa Monica, CA. Shields has published three books and has a fourth on the way for 2016. Tyler Shields lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.