Dec.4-29 at 440 Gallery 440 6th Avenue Brooklyn NY, 11215
Title: Dim Sum Suffering "Death"
Year: 2019
Medium: Cotton Fiber, Water Soluble Glue, Bamboo Steamer
"There were over 900 entries, from over 250 artists," said curator and art advisor John Gagné, who juried the exhibition. Entries were submitted from New York as well as other states including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and more. Submitted artwork had to measure 12 inches or smaller in all directions (including the frame) to be considered for the show, explained Amy Williams, Director of 440 Gallery.
Gagné's approach to selecting the diminutive works of art was based "purely on aesthetics," he said, reviewing the photos sent in rather than referring to the artists' credentials. "With over 900 pieces to consider, I intentionally did not look at artists' CVs, statements, or bios," he wrote in a message sent to all of the participants. He added that he responds to "the singularity of an artist's voice," which includes an artist's "intention," the materials and tools used, and his/her "personal journey, with all the mystery and mayhem and beauty revealed."
He said that initially narrowing down the hundreds of submissions down to 100 was fairly simple, but then having to further omit pieces to reach the 74 that the gallery can accommodate proved more difficult. "That was tough because there was terrific work in there that I'd wanted to show," he noted.
