Let’s face it. It’s been a tough year so far and we can all use a little levity. So with that in mind, we decided to make our summer group show fun – fun for the gallery, our artists and our collectors. We’ve invited two dozen artists who have shown here in group or solo shows and asked each of them to invite 2 of their choice. It could be someone they know or not, someone they owe a favor, someone they’d like to see get a break, someone they’ve always wanted an excuse to meet. The only rules are it’s got to be work they are personally excited about and all of the work has to be 10” x 10” (small works = smaller prices = that’s where the fun for collectors part comes in).

Confirmed artists include Eric Amouyal, NaNa An, Sarah Bedford, Bengala, Erik Benson, Chris Berens, Jud Bergeron, John Bowman, Kris Chatterson, Vince Contarino, Orly Cogan, Dame Darcy, Peter Drake, Joel Dugan, Steve Ellis, Evah Fan, Chad Fay, Lori Field, Erik Foss, Lauren Gibbes, Frieda Gossett, Kady Grant, Seonna Hong, Greg Hopkins, Caroline Hwang, Jordin Isip, Jasmine Justice, Tasha Kusama, Michael L. Maes, Julia Marchand, Austin McCormick, Elizabeth McGrath, Adele Mildred, Benjamin Paul Morris, Linsday Mound, John Nickle, David O’Brien, Saejean Oh, Saelee Oh, Reba Pardieu, Marion Peck, Martha Rich, Jean-Pierre Roy, Rachel Salomon, Kristen Schiele, Brian T. Scott, Ryan Scully, Sueraya Shaheen, Jill Simonsen, Morgan Slade, Sally Sloan, Aaron Smith, Owen Smith, Nathan Spoor, Maki Tamura, The John Floyd, Mark Todd, Sarah Trigg, Hanna von Goeler, Esther Watson, Eric White, Justin White and Brad Woodfin.

And on Saturday, June 20th, from 4 to 6 pm we’ll welcome the summer season with an artist’s reception complete with lemonade, cookies and good vibes all around.

Running Concurrently with ”+ 2” we are pleased to present “Harem,” by Jonathan Viner.

With “Harem” Jonathan Viner touches on a variety of issues including the urge to possess rare specimens and organize them into collections, the intense but fleeting power of youthful beauty, and the growing appetite for material and status in a globalized world. Never one to be too heavy handed, he prompts the viewer to consider these topics with elegant subtlety.

On its surface, “Harem” is a group of ten portraits of young Russian women, each one apparently alone, nude, and listening to vintage, high fidelity headphones. Upon further consideration, the tight, close up compositions, leash-like headphone chords, and ambivalent facial expressions give us a sense that these women are perhaps unwilling captives. But their relaxed postures, soft surroundings, and vague facial expressions convey an atmosphere of calm and comfort. This contradiction is embodied by the headphones themselves, which isolate and tether these harem girls while simultaneously providing them with enriching, faithfully reproduced sounds.

Each work stands alone – a solitary, frozen specimen. But when presented together, with their uniform size and similar palette, within the confines of a small space, they convey the feeling of a coveted collection.

A native New Yorker, Jonathan Viner earned his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. This project will be his third solo exhibition in New York.