Park Slope's 440 Gallery unveiled its 15th Annual Small Works Show on Wednesday, December 4, featuring 74 works from artists across the country in a variety of media. "The most valuable work of art in a grand collection, may very well be the smallest piece," notes the show's press release.
Clockwise from top left: Adam Hardy, Reykjavik Winter, 2019; Tricia Townes, Selfie 1, 2019; Alan Gaynor, RIP, 2012; Ruth Kalla Ungerer, Femme Fatale, 2017
Rich Garr, Stacked Craft, 2012
Hongyi Jiang, Tank Fireworks Made At Anytime After 4th June, 1989 (2019)
Jim Ebersole, Prospect Park, 2019
Daqian Zhang, Rose, 2019
Ward Yoshimoto, 3 Strikes, 2018
"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.
Clockwise from top left: Regina Quinn, Winter Morning, 2019; Ken Nelson, Early Spring Field, 2019; Richard Babusci, This is what final feels like, 2019
Jim Richards, Driving: Farm House, 2018
Aomi Kikuchi, Dim-sum Death, 2019
L-R: Roxi Marsen, Booby Trap, 2018; Andrea Packard, Elizabeth, 2019
Brian Tan, Smile, 2018
L-R: Ronald Butler, Talaria Deserta, 2018; Robert Frankel, Nature Meets Technology, 2019; Gregg Rosen, Structural Landscape #37, 2018
Julia Soehngen-Roos, A yearned embrace, 2019 (top left); Robin Roi, Cut Once, 2019 (center); Yuri Tayshete, Yellow Bubble Glass, 2019 (top right); Julie Tesser, Roots, 2019 (bottom left)
"Every year the quality of the artwork is better and better, and this year is no exception," Williams said of the 15th edition of the Small Works Show. "I asked John to curate the exhibition because he has a fantastic eye for contemporary art." She explained in an email that she and Gagné had previously collaborated on several projects—including Gowanus Open Studios—when she was the Deputy Director of Arts Gowanus from 2015 to 2018. "I knew he would pull together a powerful, colorful, vibrant exhibition and would bring in many new artists," she added.
When asked for his overall thoughts on the art included in this year's Small Works Show, Gagné said he was impressed by the "fantastic range" and added, "it was amazing to see the various practices, the finesse and the raw creativity." Gagné also curated The Constructions: A Complete Fabrication exhibit on view at Ground Floor Gallery through Sunday, December 8. Read about that exhibit here.
"I was floored by many of the small works when they arrived. It’s so wonderful to finally see things in person after spending so much time with digital images," Williams said. "There are several absolutely exquisite little pieces that I know will find new homes before the show closes. In fact, we had several sales before the show even opened!"
"I’m super excited for this year’s show because it kicks off 440 Gallery’s celebration of 15 years in Park Slope," Williams noted. "We’ll be hosting a group exhibition of current 440 Gallery artists in February and other special events throughout the year." Stay tuned for more from 440 Gallery and stop by to check out the small works on view. Priced from $50 to $2,000, you might find some holiday gifts at this eclectic group show or perhaps a small treasure for your own collection.
15th Annual Small Works Show
440 Gallery, 440 6th Avenue, Park Slope
On view December 4 through December 29
Artists' Reception on Saturday, December 7, 5pm to 8pm
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