WHO: Nic Rad, Brooklyn-based artist, media addict, and social curiosity, hosts his second solo show at RARE.

WHAT: Rad will be showcasing his 18-month long project PeopleMatter, a collection of 99 painted portraits that capture a moment in the history of communication. Subjects include bloggers, journalists, and Internet “micro-celebrities,” selected using various digital tools.

Among the portraits are celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, journalism icon Edward R. Murrow, teenage fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson, New Yorker columnist Malcolm Gladwell, Tumblr creator David Karp, and art critic Jerry Saltz, as well as local bloggers and personal friends of the artist. Throughout the show portraits will be added and removed based on interactive and online debates.

On April 29, Rad will give away the 99 portraits at RARE. A free painting can be reserved by contacting the artist to request a work. Priority will be given to those visiting the show between April 3 and April 28, and posting mobile phone shots or discussion of the work on “the internets.” Portraits removed from the PeopleMatter installation will be placed on the “PayWall” for sale.

To find out more and get involved contact the artist through his website: www.nic-rad.com or stalk him in other digital ways.

Opening night kick-off at RARE: Saturday, April 3, 6p-8p

PeopleMatter events at RARE:

Fri., 4/16, 7p-9p: Authors Stephen Elliott (The Adderall Diaries) and Tao Lin (Shoplifting from American Apparel) will read from their recent works. Singer & writer Alina Simone will perform.

Thurs., 4/29, 6p-8p: The 99 portraits that make up PeopleMatter will be given away. · Thurs., 5/6, 7p-9p: Singer & songwriter Nicole Atkins will play from her upcoming album while Rad creates projected wall drawings to accompany her.

WHY: Rad created PeopleMatter in response to the shifting structure of the media industry. The subjects were selected from RSS Feeds, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and FourSquare to get a sense of their social habits and the spheres they occupy. Rad’s depictions range from faithfulness to distortion and abstraction based on each person’s media presence and perceived personality traits.

PeopleMatter is a reflection of a toppled but vibrant cultural conversation. “Free” is a featured characteristic of this moment.

In the spirit of the exhibition, RARE will encourage those purchasers of other work by Rad to participate in the ongoing gift actions of the PeopleMatter community.