by amy davis
If you’re a street art fan, you’ve most likely heard of the artist SWOON, or have at least seen one of her images or murals on the streets, or even museums of New York. SWOON is a top female street artist, specializing in Wheat paste prints and paper cutouts that incorporate social justice causes, as well as the people she meets. Her subject matter is about people relating to their community, even in the direst of circumstances.
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SWOON has several new prints on exhibit at Brooklyn’s Ad Hoc Gallery, alongside a collection of other artists with similar styles, but varying subject matter. Each of these artists on display has donated pieces from their work to help fund SWOON’s latest endeavor, Swimming Cities of Serenissima.
The project vastly differs from SWOON’s street murals and takes on a life of its own as a moving installation comprised of art, artists and live performances. This is the third in a series of voyages SWOON has created that are comprised of a fleet of three handmade rafts built of salvaged materials and bio-fuel engines. A crew of performing artists and engineers mans these rafts. The group plans to set sail on the European waters in May on these ‘junk rafts’ and drift down the Adriatic Sea on a route that leads them to Venice.
The Ad Hoc exhibit features many relief prints and photographs from the crew, who are pioneers of the new genre referred to as, “steampunk.” From binding together trash, these artists have created a fantasy-like community unlike anything seen before. On their journeys, which have included trips down the Hudson and Mississippi Rivers, they stop at towns and pull their motorized rafts together to set a stage for waterside performances for residents that combine music, art and theatrics.
The Ad Hoc exhibit, which runs through May 3, features the work of artists including David Ellis, The Barnstormers, Martha Cooper, a distinguished documentary photographer whose images capture New York’s counter culture, Gaia, Imminent Disaster and the notable Faile Brothers.
Photographer Todd Seelie has been documenting all of SWOON’s vessels and voyages and his collage of images on display at Ad Hoc are fascinating storytelling images of the floating journey of SWOON and her crew.
Relief printer Dennis McNett’s large images of snow leopards are both captivating and intense in both their remarkable precision and the ferocity showcased by his subjects.
Artists Cannonball Press has a large wall in the gallery with their humorous and poignant prints, which is a definite must-see.
The gallery’s alcove also features the fine inked animal drawings by Elisabeth Timpone, which were a personal favorite for their juxtaposition of friend and foe imagery.
The Project Room at Ad Hoc currently features hand-drawn images from TheDirtyFabulous that brightly illustrate erotic, nostalgic and dreamlike images.
Each piece on display in this exhibit is both fascinating must be seen in person. This show is definitely worth the ride on the L train.
Ad Hoc Art
49 Bogart Street
Buzzer 22, Unit 1G
Tel: 718.366.2466
Online: info@adhocart.org
Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 1PM- 8PM
One Comment
Yeah Morgan L!