Fake Estate is proud to present Silver Foot In Mouth, an installation by Victoria Calabro. Calabro, who split her childhood between Texas and Saudi Arabia, channels the topography of her youth by conceiving a theatrical desert tableau. The sculptural installation presents a field of limp cacti. While the cacti appear to be malleable, they are, in fact, cast in glass and thus, confined to their wilted poses. Rendering the cacti impotent, Calabro pokes fun at the romantic stoicism typically associated with barren desert landscapes and the masculinity of the Western. Hidden among the cacti is a lone silver foot. The foot provides a contrast both visually and conceptually; incongruous, yet oddly at home. Taking queues from surrealism, minimalism, post minimalism and pop, the desert simulacrum merges a formal graphic composition with a healthy dose of humor.

Victoria Calabro lives and works in Brooklyn. She studied sculpture and art history at Indiana University and received an MFA from New York University. Her work has been exhibited in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

Fake Estate is a timely new venture launched by independent curator, Julia Trotta. The unusually small space, a former utility closet located in the West Chelsea Arts Building, will house and produce a series of focused, experimental projects. While some of these programs will call for intimate inspection, others will restrict viewers from entering the space. Fake Estate serves as an alternative to the traditional art venue, challenging both the artist and the viewer to think within the very small box. Upcoming shows will include Caroline Achaintre and Sarah Chuldenko.