Chelsea gallery tags street art as fi ne art
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
On March 23, the new
exhibit “Blended”
opened at the Amsterdam
Whitney Gallery
in Chelsea.
The exhibit is a collection
of street and pop artists’
works that have been
reimagined. Pieces that,
in their original form, are
the size of an entire building
wall have been redone
to fi t a small canvas. By
miniaturizing these larger
than-life paintings, curator
Denise Cummings
is making a powerful
statement: Street art is
fi ne art.
“Opinions are changed
by what the artist chooses
to say about the defi nition
of their work,” Cummings
said.
“Blended” is Cummings’s
curatorial debut and signals a
seminal moment for the Amsterdam
Whitney Gallery.
But there is still a long way to go before
the world stops viewing street as
mere vandalism. And, in order to do
that, according to Cummings, more
street artists need to be given spaces in
high-end galleries and museums where
their style and intent can be better explained
to the masses.
Most of the artists featured in “Blended”
are relatively unknown outside of
the street and pop art scene. But some,
like the artist Hektad, who has several
murals in the area around the World
Trade Center, are more recognizable.
Other artists in the show include Robert
Mars, Biaggio, RiiisaBoogie, Pitch
Black, SFGrajales, Rezones, Wilfredo
Feliciano and Michele Allgood.
There is even a piece by the curator
herself in the exhibit.
The energy at the opening of “Blended”
“Black
S w a n , ”
by Biaggio.
was the opposite of what one might
expect at a gallery. Graffi tied trucker
hat-wearing viewers laughed with
friends as they drank out of champagne
fl utes. Family members of a gallery
worker took selfi es in front of collages
of Marilyn Monroe. An artist gestured
wildly as she explained her piece — a
cup of ramen with tentacles and eyes
coming out of it.
“I feel like street art is the new voice,”
said Sanger Russell, a Dumbo resident
who was taking in the opening. “It’s a
really cool voice, and I just feel like it’s
kind of the future.”
“Blended” will be on view until May
1 at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, at
531 W. 25th St., Tuesday through Saturday,
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment.
For more information,
visit www.
a m s t e r d amwhitneygallery.
com.
“Make It Your Own,”
by riiisaBoogie.
A piece by Pitch Black.
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