Austere, a one night exhibition curated by Shyan Rahimi and Cedric Aurelle, took place in a former accounting agency located on the 20th floor of the only office tower along Santa Monica’s Ocean Ave, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the city of Los Angeles. Alongside aerial views and unique sunsets, the vacant office provided the starting point to an exhibition that addressed a contemporary world whose reality proceeds from the economic speculation of global players and political decisions of supra-powers. With the background of a fictional reinterpretation of this reality by the media, the exhibition convoked images, texts and stories that present a critical approach to contemporary narratives of a post-capitalist world stuck between global fears and dream-industry. Artists included were William Cordova, Zoe Crosher, Lauren Elder, Sam Kenswil, Bradley Michael Kronz and more. photographs by Sara Clarken