Joshua Abelow

Untitled, 2014

Pencil on paper

30h x 22w in

JAb001

Eloy Arribas

Untitled, 2018

Acrylics and polymer pumice dispersion

30h x 24w in

EAr012

Heather Benjamin

Moon Rider, 2018

Gouache and acrylic on paper

24h x 22w in

HBe001

Heather Benjamin

Woman Gives Life, 2018

Gouache and acrylic on paper

24h x 22w in

HBe002

Bradley Biancardi

The Martini, the Crown, the Montauket, 2017

Woodblock print

24h x 15w in

3 of 15

BBi003

Bradley Biancardi

We Don't Need Therapists Now, 2017

Mixed paint media on canvas

31h x 30w in

BBi002

Bradley Biancardi

Pride is a Question, 2017

Mixed paint media on canvas

31h x 30w in

BBi001

Michael Bilsborough

Heart of Glass
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 2007

Ink on paper

38h x 50w in

MBi001

Ion Birch

Untitled, 2017

Graphite on paper

10.25h x 14.13w in

00ib001

Ross Bleckner

Untitled, 2017

Oil on linen

18h x 18w in

RBl001

Archie Rand Bob Holman

A Photo of Opportunity Tacked Over Your Bed, 2017

acrylic and enamel on canvas

32h x 16w in

BHAR048

Chris Bors

No Redeeming Social Value, 2013

Acrylic on canvas

43.50h x 34w in

00cb001

Louise Bourgeois

The Feeding (Courtesy Cheim & Read), 2007

Gouache on paper

14.61h x 10.98w in

00lb001

Katherine Bradford

Summer Fun for F&V (Courtesy CANADA), 2018

Acrylic on canvas

13h x 16w in

KB010

Paul Brainard

Jewel Throne, 2018

Pencil on paper

39.50h x 26.25w in

PB013

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge

World Famous Bob (w/glitch)
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 2003

Polaroid

4h x 4w in

Framed: 16.75h x 14.75w x 1.50d in

00bp001

Becky Brown

I Want To Squeeze You, 2017

Acrylic on paper

11h x 15w in

a001

Deborah Brown

Green Dogs, 2018

Oil on Canvas

24h x 24w in

b001

Melissa Brown

Man With Pencil, 2017

Flashe, oil, acrylic on aluminum panel

23.50h x 17.50w in

MB002

Nathan Maxwell Cann

Reverie in the Garden, 2018

Collage on Wallpaper with Seaweed & Found Frame

12h x 10w in

NMC001

Miriam Carothers

Do What You Love, 2017

Prismacolor Pencil on Paper

12.25h x 9.50w in

Framed: 22.50h x 20.50w in

000mc001

Nelson Castro

Autorretrato Pensando, 2003

Burin and etching

6h x 12w in

00np003

Maureen Cavanaugh

Surfer Sunset, 2017

Paper collage

22h x 28w in

MC004

Jennifer Coates

Visitation, 2018

acrylic on canvas

30h x 40w in

JC084

Orly Cogan

Children of Eden, 2005

Hand stitched embroidery and paint on vintage bed linen

89h x 68w in

OC001

Orly Cogan

Tangled Up In You, 2006

Hand stitched embroidery, crochet and paint on vintage table linen

40h x 37w in

OC002

Natalie Collette Wood

Ghosted, 2018

Acrylic, Gouache, Ink, and Mixed Media on Canvas

9h x 12w in

NCW002

Andy Cross

Camp Eden, 2016-17

Oil and resin on panel

24h x 18w in

00ac001

Andy Cross

Sunkissed, 2017

Oil on canvas

28h x 22w in

00ac002

Nicholas Cueva

Sprite, 2017

Acrylic on fabric

24h x 24w in

00nc002

Nicholas Cueva

Yellow, 2018

Acrylic on fabric

24h x 24w in

00nc001

Amie Cunat

Calistoga, 2018

Polyvinyl acrylic and gouache on canvas

18h x 24w in

CUN001

Phrogz David Humphrey + Jennifer Coates

Suitor, 2017

Acrylic on paper

33h x 25w in

00p001

Vaginal Davis

I love you!
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 2015

Watercolor pencil on letterhead

11h x 8.50w in

00vd002

Vaginal Davis

I hate you!
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 2015

Watercolor pen on letterhead

11h x 8.50w in

00vd001

Jules de Balincourt

Early Childhood Development Center, 2004

Oil and spray paint on panel

12.75h x 17.75w in

00jb001

Miles Debas

The Old Country, 2018

Ink, oil paint and flashe on muslin

20h x 30w in

md_00016

Jared Deery

Love Under Many Moons, 2018

Oil on Canvas

14h x 11w in

JDe002

Erik den Breejen

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds #3 (Stereo Mix), 2018

Acrylic on linen

20h x 34w in

EDB031

Don Doe

Engine Trouble Sunset, 2017

Ink on paper

30h x 22w in

DDoe001

Don Doe

The Sea is a Jealous Garden, 2015

Ink, watercolor

30h x 22w in

DDoe002

James Esber

Run (Courtesy Pierogi Gallery), 2013

Acrylic on Paper

Framed: 27h x 19.50w in

00je001

J. Fiber

Fuzzy Math (Courtesy Pierogi Gallery), 2007

Acrylic, ink, and colored pencil on paper

30h x 22w in

00jf001

Jane Fine

Vacation Sex (Courtesy Pierogi Gallery), 2018

Acrylic on Wood

11h x 14w in

00fj001

Karen Finley

Go Fuck Yourself, 2018

Acrylic on glass

16h x 12w in

KFi006

Karen Finley

Garden Fucking, 2018

Acrylic on glass

13h x 11w in

KFi005

Karen Finley

Fuck you Lily, 2018

Acrylic on glass

20h x 16w in

KFi002

Karen Finley

Fuck You, 2018

Acrylic on glass

16h x 13w in

KFi001

Karen Finley

Fuck up, 2018

Acrylic on glass

13h x 11w in

KFi004

Bel Fullana

Honey Moon With Nobody, 2018

Oil and wax crayons

32h x 28w in

BF018

Paul Gagner

Back Scratch Fever, 2015

oil on canvas

40h x 36w in

PGa001

Hope Gangloff

Untitled (from Sweet Action) (Courtesy Susan Inglett Gallery), 2004

Ink on paper

9h x 11.75w in

oohg001

Alex Gingrow

You Used to Smile In Pictures..., 2017

Watercolor, graphite and gesso on paper

7.25h x 8.50w in

Framed: 9.50h x 11w in

00ag002

Alex Gingrow

Barbie Wrecked the Fucking Convertible, 2017

Watercolor, graphite and gesso on paper

7.25h x 8.50w in

Framed: 9.50h x 11w in

00ag001

Rebecca Goyette

Magic Wand, 2018

Colored pencil on paper

16h x 22w in

RG067

Jenna Gribbon

Me Looking At Her Looking At Me, 2018

Oil on Linen

10h x 8w in

00jg001

Leah Guadagnoli

Wink, 2018

acrylic, upholstery, fiber paste, pumice stone, and canvas on insulation board

20h x 20w x 3d in

LGu001

Anthony Haden-Guest

For Rent, 2018

Pen and Ink on Paper

5h x 5w in

00ah001

Ivy Haldeman

Reading, Finger on Cheek, 2016

watercolor on paper

22h x 15w in

IHa002

Ivy Haldeman

Heel Standing, 2017

Acrylic on linen

24h x 16.50w in

IHa001

Bendix Harms

Golden Ghost (Courtesy Anton Kern Gallery), 2009

Color pencil on paper

25.50h x 19.75w in

Framed: 28.31h x 22.44w in

BHa002

Bendix Harms

Herzlitis (Courtesy Anton Kern Gallery), 2009

Color pencil on paper

33h x 23.38w in

Framed: 35.81h x 26.13w in

BHa003

Bendix Harms

Hex und Hax (Courtesy Anton Kern Gallery), 2010

Color pencil on paper

27.50h x 19.75w in

Framed: 30.31h x 22.44w in

BHa001

Karen Heagle

Fox and Blossom, 2018

Acrylic, ink, collage on panel

18h x 18w in

00kh001

Robert Hodge

Temptation, 2017

mixed media on reclaimed paper

28.50h x 28.50w in

Framed: plus frame

RH030

Elizabeth Huey

Summer's End, 2018

Acrylic and oil on wood

48h x 36w in

EH004

Elizabeth Huey

A Glimmering Flame, 2018

Acrylic and oil on wood panel

20h x 24w in

EH005

David Humphrey

At the Window (Courtesy Fredericks and Freiser), 2017

Acrylic on canvas

22h x 30w in

DHu002

Peter Hutchinson

Amaryllis Mon Amour, 2015

Photos and drawing on paper board with text

24h x 28w in

PH015

James Hyde

Coming Around, 2017

acrylic dispersion on archival inkjet print sealed with urethane and uv varnish on board

21h x 20w in

JH035

Annie Hémond Hotte

Face Off (the narcissist), 2017

Oil paint, oil sticks and vinyl colours on canvas

31h x 24w in

AHH001

Samuel Jablon

Love, 2018

Oil and acrylic on canvas

14h x 11w in

SJ096

George Jenne

Just Before the Dawn, 2018

Color HD Video With Sound, 8 min - blu ray disk with chapbook and video file on SD card

edition of 5

GJ021

Aaron Johnson

Dance Me to the End (Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery), 2016

Acrylic on paper

Framed: 19h x 24w in

AJ009

Ezra Johnson (2003-2017)

Mother, 2017

Oil on linen

44h x 25w in

EJ067

Robin Kang

Radial Star, 2018

Hand Jacquard Woven Cotton, Hand Dyed Wool, Metallic Yarn, Mohair, and Recycled Plastic

17h x 21w in

00rk001

Benjamin King

Affliction of Separation, 2018

Acrylic on canvas

36h x 30w in

BK015

David Kramer

Beach Van, 2018

Oil, and enamel on gessoed canvas

52h x 48w in

DK006

Maria Kreyn

3, 2015

Oil on gold plexiglas

12h x 12w in

MKr001

Emily Noelle Lambert

Kissing Park (Courtesy Denny Gallery), 2017

Watercolor on paper

12.50h x 9.50w in

ENL003

Judith Larsen

Evidence X, 2016

Archival Print on Rag Photographique

11h x 14w in

2 of 5

JLa001

Judith Larsen

SFM, 2008

Archival Print on Rag Photographique

18h x 23w in

7 of 15

JLa002

Peik Larsen

Walking Roller, 2016

woodcut print

6h x 12w in

edition of 7

PL008

Nick Lawrence

Soap Opera, 1987

Oilstick, acrylic on arches paper

29h x 23w in

NLx013

Nick Lawrence

Flower Power, 1987

Oilstick, acrylic on arches paper

23h x 29w in

NLx014

Cary Leibowitz

Suck Dick Now
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 1988

Watercolor on matte board

9.25h x 6.75w in

00cl005

Cary Leibowitz

Your Dick Here
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 1988

Watercolor on matte board

8h x 10.50w in

00cl004

Cary Leibowitz

Penis Heaven
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 1988

Ink on matte board

4.76h x 6.25w in

00cl002

Cary Leibowitz

Respect for the United States Constitution is a Turn-On!
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 2018

Latex paint on wood panel

18 inch diameter

00cl001

Cary Leibowitz

Cock Sucker
(Courtesy Invisible-Exports), 1988

Watercolor on matte board

8.75h x 11.75w in

00cl003

Meg Lipke

Wants/Needs/Desires, 2018

acrylic and ink on paper

10h x 8w in

Framed: 12h x 10w in

ML033

Lauren Luloff

Dive, Desert or Lush, 2018

Acrylic on raw canvas

19h x 16w in

000ll001

JJ Manford

Lunging on the Grass, 2013

Acrylic on Canvas

Framed: 26h x 21w in

JJM025

Lucas Michael

Give No. 5 (Clear Red), 2017

Neon

9h x 10w in

LMi001

Rebecca Morgan

Maid in Flowers, 2016

Ink and watercolor on paper

4h x 3.50w in

RMo001

Rebecca Morgan

Mountain Man Ass, 2016

Watercolor on paper

4.50h x 3.50w in

RMo002

Rebecca Morgan

Untitled (Courtesy Asya Geisberg Gallery), 2016

Ink and watercolor on paper

5.50h x 3.50w in

RMo003

Loren Munk

Colliding Timelines, Rauschenberg, Johns, Castelli, 2015

Oil on linen

60h x 48w in

LM003

Rob Nadeau

Untitled, 2015

acrylic and oil on canvas and printed fabric

RN002

Joe Nanashe

Double Fantasy, 2012

Mixed media

18h x 18w x 9d in

edition of 3 + 2 APs

00jn001

Lauren Nickou

Rose Colored Glasses, 2018

Oil on canvas

9h x 12w in

LNi002

Lauren Nickou

Study for Foursome 4, 2018

Oil on paper

12h x 18w in

LNi004

Lauren Nickou

Study for Foursome 3, 2018

Oil on paper

12h x 18w in

LNi003

Lauren Nickou

Ancient Erotica, 2017

Oil and glitter on canvas

24h x 18w in

LNi001

Emilia Olsen

The Bathers, 2018

Oil and R+F sticks on canvas

24h x 18w in

EO002

Mike Paré

Ocean Rider, 2018

Graphite on paper

10.50h x 13.50w in

MPa001

Mike Paré

Shell pipe, 2017

Ink on paper

11.50h x 15w in

MPa002

Mike Paré

See Ya Later, 2018

Ink on paper

7.25h x 10w in

MPa003

Philip Pearlstein

Female Model with Deck Chair, Male Model on Rug (Courtesy Betty Cunningham), 1976

Watercolor on paper

29.50h x 41w in

00pp001

Rachel Portesi

Branches, 2017

wet plate collodion tintype

14h x 14w in

RP003

Rachel Portesi

Flower Crown, 2017

wet plate collodion tintype

14h x 14w in

RP002

Jamie Powell

Tough Puff, 2016-18

Acrylic and spray paint on dyed torn canvas

44h x 30w x 5d in

00jp001

Erika Ranee

My Main Man, 2018

Acrylic, shellac, spray paint, gouache and paper collage on canvas

40h x 30w in

ERa001

Erika Ranee

It's Not Me, It's You, 2018

Acrylic, enamel paint and paper collage on canvas

24h x 24w in

ERa002

Lance Rautzhan

A Pair of Star Cross'd Lovers Take Their Life, 2016

clear acrylic enamel, acrylic enamel, latex, ink, spray enamel and paint marker on raw canvas

32h x 32w in

LR008

Max Razdow

The Knives of Nature, 2009

Pen, ink, xerox transfer on paper,

15h x 22w in

MR002

Walter Robinson

Love Doctor, 2018

Acrylic on Canvas

36h x 24w in

00rw001

Römer Römer

Schaumkanone auf dem Fusion Festival, 2014

Colored pencil, ink and felt-tip on paper

15.75h x 23.62w in

RRo001

Tom Sanford

Main Beach, East Hampton, 2015

Oil on canvas

40h x 50w in

TS016

Vanessa Santiago

Bathers, 2013

Graphite on paper

9h x 12w in

00vs001

Vanessa Santiago

Compassionate Moment, 2013

Graphite on paper

9h x 12w in

00vs002

Peter Saul

YAIL

Graphite on paper

8.50h x 12.50w in

Framed: 13.50h x 17w in

PSaul001

Peter Schenck

Ready to Go, 2018

Acrylic on canvas

24h x 24w in

PS045

Kristen Schiele

A Big Kick, 2018

Acrylic on canvas

26h x 23w in

KSc036

Rachel Schmidhofer

Eyes like Twins, 2017

Oil on panel

48h x 40w in

RSc002

Ryan Schneider

Birth of a Serpent, 2015

Oil on linen

56h x 56w in

00rs001

Mira Schor

Semi-colon in flesh (Courtesy Lyles & King), 1993

Oil on linen

12h x 16w in

00ms001

Mira Schor

Comma in a Slit of Flesh (Courtesy Lyles & King), 1993

Oil on linen

12h x 16w in

00ms002

Michael Scoggins

Heart of Gold, 2018

Paint pen, colored pencil on paper

62h x 51w in

MSc049

Zach Seeger

Man, Woman, Moon Bathroom, Hallway, 2018

Acrylic on canvas

24h x 24w in

c002

Alex Sewell

Hail Satan, 2018

acrylic and oil on canvas

12h x 12w in

ASe001

Elisa Soliven

Gathering, Standing, 2018

Glazed ceramic and aluminum leaf

15h x 15w x 3d in

ESo002

RJ Supa

32 years and still laughing!, 2018

Found photograph, acrylic and gouache on paper

Framed: 15h x 18w in

00rjs001

Ulrike Theusner

No. 26, 2017

Ink on paper

15.70h x 11.60w in

UT009

Ulrike Theusner

No. 14, 2017

Ink on paper

15.70h x 11.60w in

UT013

Ulrike Theusner

No. 22, 2017

Ink on paper

15.70h x 11.60w in

UT010

Ulrike Theusner

No. 21, 2017

Ink on paper

15.70h x 11.60w in

UT012

Ulrike Theusner

No. 13, 2017

Ink on paper

15.70h x 11.60w in

UT008

Ulrike Theusner

No. 10, 2017

Ink on paper

9.80h x 9.80w in

UT006

Joe Wardwell

This is Nowhere, 2014

Oil and acrylic on linen

22h x 30w in

00jw001

Summer Wheat

Grooming, 2016

Acrylic paint on aluminum mesh

19h x 24w in

SW002

Wendy White

Kelly Slater with Rain Clouds, 2016

Inkjet print, cut vinyl, artist's frame

17.25h x 21.25w in

WeWh016

Barnaby Whitfield

All the things I never did are done, 2018

Oil on paper

30h x 22.50w in

00bw001

Wallace Whitney

Rugged Red, 2018

Oil on canvas

20h x 18.25w in

WWh001

Kelli Williams

Clockwork 3, 2015

Ink on paper

18h x 21w in

KWi001

Kelly Worman

the inductor kind of person, 2017

Acrylic, gouache, colored pencil, graphite on watercolor paper

39h x 27.50w in

KW002

Jessica Wynne

Ella, Truro Vineyard, 2018

Digital C Print

20h x 30w in

edition of 10

00jw2001

Aaron Zulpo

She Is Always The First One In (Courtesy 1969 Gallery), 2018

Oil on canvas stretched over board

30h x 28w in

00az001

SUMMER OF LOVE

Group Show

July 20 – September 5, 2018

Freight+Volume

Eloy Arribas, Bradley Biancardi, Ion Birch, Ross Bleckner, Louise Bourgeois, Chris Bors, Katherine Bradford, Becky Brown, Deborah Brown, Melissa Brown, Maureen Cavanaugh, Jennifer Coates, Orly Cogan, Andy Cross, Nicholas Cueva, Amie Cunat, Miles Debas, Erik den Breejen, James Esber, J. Fiber (James Esber & Jane Fine), Jane Fine, Karen Finley, Bel Fullana, Paul Gagner, Hope Gangloff, Alex Gingrow, Rebecca Goyette, Jenna Gribbon, Anthony Haden-Guest, Ivy Haldeman, Bendix Harms, Robert Hodge, Elizabeth Huey, David Humphrey, James Hyde, Samuel Jablon, Aaron Johnson, Ezra Johnson, Robin Kang, David Kramer, Maria Kreyn, Emily Noelle Lambert, Cary Liebowitz, Rebecca Morgan, Loren Munk, Joe Nanashe, Mike Paré, Philip Pearlstein, Phrogz (David Humphrey & Jennifer Coates), Jamie Powell, Archie Rand & Bob Holman, Erika Ranee, Walter Robinson, Tom Sanford, Peter Schenck, Kristen Schiele, Lola Schnabel, Ryan Schneider, Mira Schor, Michael Scoggins, Zach Seeger, Ulrike Theusner, Summer Wheat, Wendy White, Natalie Collette Wood, Kelly Worman and Aaron Zulpo

 

Arts+Leisure:

Joshua Abelow, Heather Benjamin, Michael Bilsborough, Paul Brainard, Nathan Maxwell Cann, Miriam Carothers, Nelson Castro, Mira Dancy, Vaginal Davis, Jules de Balincourt, Jared Deery, Donald Doe, Leah Guadagnoli, Karen Heagle, Annie Hémond Hotte, Peter Hutchinson, George Jenne, Benjamin King, Judith Larsen, Peik Larsen, Nick Lawrence, Meg Lipke, Lauren Luloff, JJ Manford, Lucas Michael, Rob Nadeau, Lauren Nickou, Emilia Olsen, Nelson, Plaza, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Rachel Portesi, Lance Rautzhan, Max Razdow, Römer + Römer, Peter Saul, Vanessa Santiago, Rachel Schmidhofer, Alex Sewell, Elisa Soliven, RJ Supa, Joe Wardwell, Kelli Williams, Barnaby Whitfield, Wallace Whitney and Jessica Wynne

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Summer of Love

July 20th - September 5th, 2018

Closing reception and Book Release:

Wednesday, September 5th, 7-10pm

 

 

 

Freight+Volume is pleased to announce Summer of Love, a large group exhibition curated by Nick Lawrence which presents the engagements of a diverse body of 111 artists with themes of love and romance, the quandaries of relationships, and sympathetic resonances in the natural world. Spread between the gallery’s downtown (F+V) and uptown (Arts+Leisure) locations, the exhibition traverses generations and methodologies, commingling practices grounded in figuration (including Katherine Bradford, Walter Robinson, Hope Gangloff, Melissa Brown, Rebecca Morgan, Barnaby Whitfield, Lola Schnabel, Tom Sanford, Elizabeth Huey), text (including Michael Scoggins, Alex Gingrow, Cary Liebowitz, Erik den Breejen, Samuel Jablon, Becky Brown, Loren Munk), text and figuration (including David Kramer, Robert Hodge, Miriam Carothers, Karen Finley, Archie Rand & Bob Holman, Bradley Biancardi) abstraction (including Jennifer Coates, James Hyde, Kristen Schiele, Amie Cunat, Robin Kang, Erika Ranee, Lauren Luloff and Kelly Worman) and video/photography (George Jenne, Jessica Wynne, Peter Hutchinson, Rachel Portesi, RJ Supa) among many other approaches. Framed with a nod to 1960’s utopianism (with undertones of dystopia), the works on display offer a counterpoint to our fraught age of political corruption and social tension, suggesting the palliative, redemptive power of romance and human connection.

 

Philip Pearlstein’s typically visceral, pastel 70s era nudes are a welcome contribution to Summer of Love. His portrayal of a melancholy, serious couple sitting in repose in lawn chairs, possibly before or after sex, fills the viewer with the ennui often accompanying carnal love. In a similar vein, Jenna Gribbon paints a nude woman with pen and paper in hand from the perspective of her lover, though their entangled limbs imply intimacy and connection rather than alienation. Bendix Harms’ playful and funny, mythologically attuned drawings of heart-shaped birds and enrapt lovers celebrate love and innocence. Orly Cogan offers delicate and beautiful subversive embroidered stories that depict relationships that combine fairy tale with contemporary power struggles.

Bel Fullana depicts a childlike couple engaged in doggy-style outdoor sex complete with a banana, cherries and a rainbow. There’s (possibly) not a shred of irony in her exuberant and joyful depiction. Karen Finley’s irreverent still-lifes of bouquets in elaborate gilded frames branded with variations of “Fuck You”, turn a usual Hallmark epigraph upside down - true romance gone awry. The same is true for Joshua Abelow’s text/image drawing True Romance - sinister undertones of goblins and predators lurk behind the artist’s simple graphite rendering of love’s quest.

 

In Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds #3 (Stereo Mix), Erik den Breejen forges a direct link with the counterculture and hippy movements of the 1960’s, transmuting the lyrics of the iconic Beatles song into a richly hued, textual mosaic. Amidst gracefully modulating color harmonies and variations in scale, the words take on a hypnotic, mantra-like quality, projecting a sense of catharsis and tranquility grounded in the lyrics’ utopian imagery. Becky Brown zeros in on the power of repetition in I want to squeeze you, amplifying the urgency and intention of the namesake phrase with each recapitulation, resulting in a monad-like singularity of meaning within the composition that parallels the often overwhelming nature of desire. In contrast, Samuel Jablon’s Love hinges on the rarefied expressive potential of a single word (referencing Robert Indiana’s seminal LOVE sculpture with a reverse E), creating a mirror of sorts for the viewer to confront their own understanding of love.

 

Other artists emphasize the slippery character of language, visible in the sly humor that underscores Alex Gingrow’s and David Kramer’s work. In Barbie Wrecked the Fucking Convertible and I Used to Shave My Legs, Gingrow superimposes short, clipped proclamations over faint backgrounds, uncomplicating the words’ deadpan directness. Juxtaposing pop-culture cues with glimpses into private dramas, the works call attention to the simultaneous division and overlap of the personal and mass culture, and exalt the seemingly inconsequential sparks and friction of interpersonal dynamics. David Kramer evokes the mythos of surfer and beach culture in Beach Van, pairing their essential signifiers with text reminiscent of advertising copy. Interweaving consumerism and sexual desire (along with suggestive, innuendo-laden text), Beach Van presents sexuality as leisure, a diversion from the “real world” and source of pleasure like any other product or subcultural trend. 

With its similar exaggeration of 60’s cultural tropes, Walter Robinson’s Love Doctor also seems to descend from some pop culture ID. The artist has long used source materials such as magazine advertisements and the cover illustrations of romance novels, and drawing from the latter, Love Doctor channels a dramatic, storybook vision of love. Shifting between emotional intensity and a sort of parody of the format, Robinson complicates the viewer’s reading of the image and its connotations. Hope Gangloff and Aaron Johnson veer into the domestic realm, depicting the daily ups-and-downs of relationships and cohabitation. Gangloff’s Untitled is a highly relatable image of a couple watching television, and in its portrayal of shared simple pleasures, reminds us of the solace and pure comfort of love.

 

In a darker, more narrative vein, the legendary Louise Bourgeois presents two giant, red vampirish breasts, at once either dominating or being suckled for blood, rather than milk, by a prone male figure: a variation of vagina dentata, depicting the more morbid side of co-dependent relationships. Likewise for David Humphrey’s surreal rendering of a young couple engaging in a naked standing “quickie”, perhaps between classes or outside the high school prom. A sense of secrecy and shallow desperation permeates the scene: casual sex on the sly. The sexual decadence and excess of Lauren Nickou’s paintings of orgies reflect similar deviant tendencies, though they are somewhat obfuscated by fleeting glimpses of tenderness. Tom Sanford's bucolic 2015 beach painting of Louis C.K., Scarlett Johansson, Russell Simmons and Jennifer Lopez, based loosely on a Picasso composition, has a radically altered meaning in light of recent events, allegations, admissions and crimes. 

 

Contributions by Michael Scoggins, Cary Leibowitz, and Rebecca Goyette pivot around the notion of abjection (literally meaning the “state of being cast off”), expressing psychological repression, vulnerability, and raw emotional honesty. Taking the shape of a torn journal entry, Scoggin’s Heart of Gold uses the diaristic format to blur the edges of art and autobiography, while Leibowitz’s crude, profanity-laced watercolors exploit our knee-jerk reactions to explicit sexuality. Goyette also deals with the imaging of sexuality, and her recurring “lobsterwoman” character references aspects of fantasy and fetishism.

 

Another painting, small but replete with social commentary is Early Childhood Development Center by Jules de Balincourt. Unlike his usual sweeping Utopic scenes of millenials gathered at Burning Man, Coachella, or Caribbean surf settings which we might expect for this show, this tiny vista is tight, repressed, and vaguely ominous. A sense of isolation, melancholy, and dread fills the frame. Love has been replaced by loss, as well as a kind of bitter irony. Elizabeth Huey’s environments manifest quite a different set of qualities; open ended, unpredictable, and charged with dynamism and possibility, they are spaces where individuals are free to explore mental states beyond conformity and social norms.

 

Atmospheric environments and landscape imagery are central in a variety of other works in the exhibition, such as the luminous paintings of Katherine Bradford, Deborah Brown, Jennifer Coates and JJ Manford. In Summer Fun at F+V, Bradford’s figures seem to hover in an area suggestive of both water and endless space, their simplified forms blending with their surroundings in a physical analogy of the dissolution of ego native to love and deep human connection. As with many of the works in Summer of Love, Bradford evades linear meaning, instead inviting the viewer to interpret her forms in light of their own perspective and experience. In Green Dogs, Deborah Brown’s sprightly description of human and animal forms insinuates their internal energy, evoking a feeling of harmony and rhythm that links the reclining female figure with the dogs and landscape elements. 

 

Heavily informed by early Modernist painters such as Matisse, Kandinsky, and Klee (particularly their integration of the teachings of mystic writers), Coates’ work offers a visionary take on the natural world, investigating its resonances with perception and the human experience. In Visitation, trees and branches are stylized into kaleidoscopic motifs, which, paired with an otherworldly palette, convey the sense of a transcendental phenomenon. Ryan Schneider’s work conflates human, animal, and abstract signifiers, connoting a psychedelic experience wherein the natural world exerts a profound psychological impact.

 

The biomorphic imagery of Aime Cunat’s Calistoga channels correspondences between the architecture of Calistoga, CA, and organic forms, synthesizing the two in a surreal paradise that questions the solidity of reality. Like Coates, Cunat’s use of modern and iridescent pigments further complicates the balance of the organic and inorganic in her work, and reveals ways in which technological and chemical advances can enhance our perception of nature. 

 

Robin Kang further traces technological avenues in her abstract tapestries, fusing hand embroidery and computer processing to create compositions that recall microchips, motherboards, and other ephemera of the digital age. Radial Star treads the line between the traditions of Southwestern weaving and our contemporary digital paradigm, suggesting a “third path” that is neither Luddite or dismissive of the past. Jamie Powell also prioritizes object and process in her piece Tough Puff, reimagining dress-like material in a framework that gives room for the allusive qualities of their feminine forms to develop. Lastly, Peter Hutchinson gives us Amaryllis Mon Amour, a simple declaration of one man's love affair with nature. At the end of the day, Summer of Love, through all its various approaches and permutations, delivers a heartfelt, reassuring message in the face of challenging times.

 

Special thanks to Eva Weinberg, unflappable assistant director who steered an unruly project successfully to completion, along with the hardworking crew of Cat Zhou, Madison Smart and Ashley Dillman at F+V. Another thanks to Anthony Haden-Guest for the beautiful Summer of Love t-shirt artwork. And particularly Benjamin Tischer and Risa Needleman of INVISIBLE-EXPORTS, who lent a big helping hand with curatorial suggestions and their gallery artists, as well as Anton Kern Gallery, Betty Cunningham Gallery,  CANADA, Cheim & Read, TOTAH, Pierogi Gallery, Susan Inglett Gallery, 1969 Gallery, Halsey McKay, Denny Gallery, LaMontagne Gallery, Lyles & King, Fredericks and Freiser, Asya Geisberg Gallery and Morgan Lehman Gallery for all their generous contributions, and of course the 100+ artists who gave us such amazing work for this ambitious survey, in many cases at the last minute, without whom...

 

Summer of Love t-shirts ($20, $25 signed) designed by Eva Weinberg with artwork by Anthony Haden-Guest, will be available for purchase at the reception and on our website.

For further information, please contact Nick Lawrence (nick@freightandvolume.com) or Eva Weinberg (eva@ freightandvolume.com) or call 212-691-7700.