Inspired by everyday life in Los Angeles, Erik Mark Sandberg’s work addresses issues such as globalization, gentrification, consumerism, and love in the modern day. His allegorical narratives incorporate an experimental mix of digital 3-D modeling, printmaking, photography, drawing, and collage. For Sandberg, the use of composite imagery symbolizes the disconnect that technology creates between man’s natural environment and the ersatz reality of the digital realm. Sandberg is also a prolific commercial artist and has received numerous awards for advertising and editorial illustrations. “‘Illustration’ is a malleable term,” Sandberg explains. “If an image is attached to a story, poster or CD, it has a specific context or purpose. When approaching exhibition work, the relevance comes from a historical and theoretical point. You’re making art against the burden of history. The difference is substantial, but there are times when things can walk the line.”