Art Times Four Hundred

Andrew NigonUpon entering Primary Projects your glance might wander right away to an approximately 12 feet high sculpture of brightly dressed rag dolls sitting atop one another, before your eyes start to take in the other over 400 other works of art on display from paintings to installations to mixed media pieces. Your eyes pass over a swing before they move to a painting resembling a waterfall of flowers next to pink cotton candy, beauty queen photographs and “Tom Water” (bottled, comes with a photo of Tom Cruise in a pool).

Salon de Notre Société is Primary Projects’ latest group show, featuring works by 46 artists. A show with such a huge amount of art by so many different artists may seem overly ambitious but Chris Oh, Typoe and Books IIII Bischof have curated an excellent show that blends these works of contemporary art into a true gem. Well, a whole treasure chest full of gems for that matter.

The exhibition presents an opportunity for many young art collectors. Salon de Notre Société contains some exceptional work by those whose names you may not know as yet but they might soon be household names in the international art world.  

"The institution that governed 'Salon de Paris' in the 1600s and 1700s was very elitist and rejected artists who later became some of the most influential of that period, including Édouard Manet," said Oh. "In retaliation, these supposed 'rejects' created their own forum called 'Salon des Refusés.' To a certain degree, we can identify because we've been marginalized in similar way by the art world for most of our lives and at various stages of our careers."

Many of the exhibit’s artists may still be labeled as emerging artists but once Primary Projects presents the work they surely should not be rejected as the gallery is known for being on the forefront of what’s next. The show is a sophisticated and complex melange of previously shown and never-before-seen works at the gallery. A nod to the historical "Salon des Refusés" of Paris, the show “pays homage to 'outsiders,' honoring raw talent and showcasing pieces one atop the other in a style reminiscent of 17th and 18th century exhibitions in France.”  artist Luis Pinto

Salon de Notre Société brings together work by artists such as Jessy Nite, Brandon Opalka, Autumn Casey, Miru Kim, Kenton Parker Luis Pinto, Johnny Robles, Magnus Sodamin, Jill Weisberg, Bask, Nick Arehart, Fernando Garcia, Lu Gold, Felice Grodon, Douglas Hoekzema, Boris Hoppek, Nick Klein, Charles Krafft, Anthony Lister, Michael Loveland, Jel Martinez, Stormie Mills and Lawrence Gipe just to name a few.

Nite, Parker and established painter Gipe all had memorable solo shows at Primary Projects this year and Miru Kim’s Art Basel performance piece was possibly the most talked about of 2012. Pinto, Robles and Opalka are all up and coming Miami artists, known and recognized, while Sodamin and Weisberg are also well on their way to making a name for themselves. Magnus Sodamin’s painting is definitely a focal point in the exhibition, as is Jessy Nite’s “Paid” chandelier. 

Jill Weisberg’s pieces were inspired by the dizzying and overwhelming advertising in quickie marts. She used scratch-off lottery tickets in their original condition to provoke viewers to consider the possibility of a winning ticket in the frame. “The viewer will never know if any of the tickets are valuable or not, unless the piece is purchased making the ticket available. I feel that from a distance, the four pieces work together to form a variety of abstracted visual patterns, while up close, they will evoke a sense of wonder and frustration from the audience that views them,” says Weisberg

Whether you are interested in snapping up a great piece for your collection or just to enjoy some great art, Salon de Notre Société is definitely an exhibit you want to check out. The show will be on view until July 2012 at Primary Projects, Suite 104, 4141 NE 2nd Avenue.

Photos by Robert Dempster