Dont Abandon The Ship

“Don’t Abandon The Ship” includes work by eleven artists who represent a mix of established artists and artists newer to the pursuit and/or just plain less well known. Imagination, narrative, the intrusion of highly graphic sensibilities into the realm of serious art, a playful spirit and a spirit of collage, collusion and collaboration unite these works, although it is enthusiasm for the parts as much as faith in the whole that gives this show its heart.

Eddie Martinez, who organized “The Russian Doll Show” at Green Street Gallery in 2004, and whose work is included in this show as well, moved from Boston to Brooklyn last year. He has been steadily gaining the art world’s attention for his unique drawing style and distinctive imagery; he had a one person exhibition in our back room last June, and since then, has had one person exhibitions at Loyal Gallery in Stockholm and at Bucket Rider Gallery in Chicago, and is about to have his first one person exhibition in New York, at Zieher-Smith in March.

For “Don’t Abandon The Ship,” Martinez brings together work by artists including Barry McGee (subject of a one-person show at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis in 2004), Jules de Balincourt (included in The Saatchi Gallery’s ambitious “Triumph of Painting” survey), and Diane Barcelowsky (whose drawings will be the subject of a one-person show at New York’s Monya Rowe Gallery this year). In what might be viewed as the best spirit of the artist/curator, Martinez says, “I told everyone, do whatever you want, we’ll put it together. I’m just trying to have fun. Because it IS possible to have fun in the arts.” Don’t abandon the ship.

Pressetext

Don't Abandon The Ship
Jules de Balincourt / Diane Barcelowsky / Eddie Martinez / Barry McGee