May 2008

May 8th :

organum auditus, 2006-7, fabric, hand embroidery, cotton stuffing + pencil on canvas, 30"h x 35"w x 5"d

Pink Elephant Projects is pleased to present the first solo exhibition in New York City by the emerging artist Megan Canning, entitled "Inside There is Everything." A full color exhibition catalogue with an essay by Maggie Wright is available through the gallery.

The exhibition will feature a series of hand-embroidered canvases depicting the five senses, a group of cut + sewn drawings that merge anatomical diagrams with phrases from contemporary poetry, canvases that combine refined hand-embroidery with sculptural appendages, and related drawings.

In Maggie Wright's essay for the exhibition catalogue, she writes: "Concerned with the ways in which our unseen, internal bodies determine the poetry of our senses, Megan Canning exposes the mechanics behind our sensations, but gilds the evidence with personal narrative... Excerpts of poetry stand in for scientific explanation, pointing to crevices; the words are murmurs of sensuality among the detritus of cells... In this way, she buffers the clinical nature of her imagery with the promised warmth of memory. Her work offers the universality of our internal experience with the intimacy of our individual souls."

the voice fell back, 2007, hand embroidery, pencil + dry transfer letters on paper, 13 1/2" square with frame

Megan Canning was born in 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She moved to New York City in 1999 to pursue her MFA in Painting from Hunter College, which she received in 2003. She was included in the 2004 "Art on Paper" exhibition at the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2006, her work was selected for the first issue of Art World Digest, a curated exhibition-in-print.

Megan Canning, Inside There Is Everything also marks the gallery's 10th show and one year anniversary.

In celebration of our anniversary and Inside There Is Everything the gallery will be participating in the 2008 SONYA Studio Stroll on May 17th & 18th, 12-6 pm. Additionally, PEP is proud to have the ladies from the new renegade bakery project, Sweet Tooth of the Tiger, on hand the night of the opening selling their baked goodies.

For further information, please contact the gallery at info@pepgallery.com.

INSIDE THERE IS EVERYTHING
May 16 - June 21
Opening reception Friday, May 16th, 7- 9pm

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Fridays and Saturdays 1-5pm

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

March 2008

March 28th :

"I Think I've Come To See Myself At Last," acrylic on canvas, 8"X10", 2008

Jordan Awan
It's Not That I Want To Live, It's That I Don't Want To Die
April 4- May 10
Opening reception Friday, April 4th, 8- 10pm

"Let the Morningtime Drop All Its Petals On Me," acrylic on canvas, 10"X12", 2008

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Saturdays and Sundays 1-5pm

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

February 2008

February 11th :

PEP is proud to present Emily L. Eibel's, Remote, featuring new stitched works and drawings. The stitched portraits Ms. Eibel presents in her new show are dreamlike in their narrative. Part folklore in their presentation and part personal documentation, Emily Eibel's, Ohio homestead greatly influences her imagery. Her technique originates from the Midwestern appreciation of crafts and quilting. Don't think Ms. Eibel falls prey to saccharine ideologies, her works often conjure up the dark side of dreamland.

"Pem with her eyes closed", stitched fabric, 2008

"Remote is about television having replaced the oral storytelling tradition in our culture. Television shows and cartoons from our childhood have become a common reference point, replacing moralizing folktales. This is the jumping off point I used to create the work for this show." - E.L.E.

"1928", stitched fabric, 2008

Ms. Eibel was born in Canton,Ohio in 1982. In 2004 she received a BFA in Communication Designs from Pratt Institute. Since then, her work has been seen in galleries throughout the US and abroad as well as many fine publications. Although she dreams of one day having a cabin in the woods, Emily currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. This is her first solo exhibition.

REMOTE
February 15 - March 22
Opening reception Friday, February 15th, 8- 10pm

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Saturdays and Sundays 1-5pm

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

January 2008

January 1st :

PEP Gallery is pleased to announce Kevin Cyr's first solo-exhibition in Brooklyn. "Look Both Ways" refers not just to the obvious looking out for traffic, but also to the idea of looking both East and West for cultural and artist influences. Cyr merges Asian vehicles with popular brand iconography of the West. Indian rickshaws are branded with American junk food logos while an Asian tricycle is equipped with a camper top-ready for a trip across the United States - or to explore Inner Mongolia. Cyr's work is impeccably produced with highly rendered detail in both his paintings and drawings.

For the past couple of years, Cyr's work has mainly focused on vehicles he has encountered on the streets of his neighborhood as well as places he has traveled within the U.S. and abroad. While the car remains an iconic status symbol in contemporary culture, Cyr finds beauty in derelict and unkempt vehicles including the varying types of locomotion found abroad.

Kevin Cyr was born in 1976 in Edmunston, New Brunswick, Canada and studied at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

LOOK BOTH WAYS
January 4 - February 9
Opening reception Friday, January 4th, 8- 10pm

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Saturdays and Sundays 1-5pm

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

Proud sponsor

December 2007

December 1st :

Is it better to give or receive? This holiday season PEP is transforming itself into the hippest, trendiest, most original boutique in Brooklyn. With ARTMART, PEP will be offering limited editions, multiples, and wearable art from some of our favorite artists. With tons of great pieces and prices starting at ten dollars you can do both!

Featuring: Luke Allen Jashar Awan Jordan Awan Martin Bland Megan Canning Marina Cipriani Andrew Degraff Anne Dijkstra Emily Eibel Marcellus Hall Matt Hollister Aijung Kim Ilana Kohn Charles Lutz Sara Antoinette Martin Kent Rogowski Kim Scafuro Evan Schwartz George Spencer Mark Todd Tomby Esther Pearl Watson and many more!
	Ilana Kohn, Swing, digital print on rag paper, 2007, edition of 100

Smell Tote by Megan Canning Silk-screen on recycled cotton with embroidery limited edition	Whale by Luke Allen

Also at PEP, The Backroom will be hosting a show of small, original works for under $800.

Featuring work by: Jashar Awan Jordan Awan Megan Canning Emily Eibel Morgan Elliott Esther Pearl Watson

"Untitled," Emily Eibel, fabric and thread, 2007

 

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

Proud sponsor of ARTMART

 

October 2007

October 7th:

PEP says kudos to Jashar Awan for his phenomenal job well done curating Downright featuring 40 illustrators (and 78 pieces of art!). Check out these pics from the show and opening.

 

September 2007

September 28th:

PEP is excited to present Downright, an illustration show, curated by our own Jashar Awan. In anticipation of the December release of Taschen's Illustration Now 2, in which Awan is featured, we asked Jashar, an artist whose work has been seen in many galleries and in popular publications such as The New York Times, Vibe, and The New Yorker, to put together a show of his favorite comtemporary illustrators. The outcome is a gathering of 40 artists pulled together in one spot, PEP. From highly renowned artists to rising stars, the show is not to be missed.

DOWNRIGHT
curated by Jashar Awan
October 5 - November 17
Opening reception Friday, October 5th, 8- 10pm

Featuring artwork by: Luke Allen Jashar Awan Jordan Awan George Bates Ernest Bell Laura Bellmont Maximilian Bode Calef Brown Nick Cacciola Josh Cochran Andrew Degraff Emily Eibel Morgan Elliott Patrick Elliott Kiersten Essenpreis Evah Fan Gary Fogelson Sam Friedman Ghostshrimp Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch Jordin Isip James Jean Ilana Kohn Phil Lubliner Charles Lutz Sara Antoinette Martin Taylor McKimens Christopher Silas Neal Phillip Fivel Nessen Chang Park Lynn Pauley Edel Rodriguez Kim Scarfuro Frank Stockton Mark Todd Tomby Sam Weber Esther Pearl Watson Gordon Wiebe Courtney Wotherspoon

"Untitled," Luke Allen, 2006

"The illustrators that I chose for this show are friends, family, mentors and people whose work I've admired from afar. Despite the large number of artists in this show, no one is stepping on the visual toes of any other participant. The common element between these 40 artists is the honesty that I see in their work. They are all making art that truly comes from them. They have fully absorbed their influences and their art is not swayed by trends. The work is unforced, candid and sincere - in a word, downright."
- Jashar Awan

Tomby, digital, 2007	"Fuschia," Sam Weber, ink on paper

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

"No Waxing Need," Esther Watson, acrylic on wood, 2007

 

September 19th:

If you missed the opening of George Spencer's new show, you missed quite the night! It sold out in just two hours!!! So ... for those of you that missed the opening of The Boxing Series, and the opportunity to buy these works on paper by George Spencer for just $50, PEP will be hosting a BBQ to celebrate the release of 16 new works on paper from the series on Saturday, September 29 from 12- 4pm. So stop your crying and stop by an ATM before you join us for free grilled meat as well as more scandalously well priced art.

PEP would like to welcome Megan Canning whose embroidered pieces are on view here. We are so excited to have a solo show scheduled for the Spring! Seriously, you won't want to miss this.

September 5th :

This summer he curated a show at Chelsea's Frederieke Taylor Gallery and then went on to install his work in Manhattan's Lincoln Center, but now George Spencer is back home in Brooklyn and kicking off the Fall season with a show of his newest work from the Boxing Series at PEP.

PEP is proud to show the latest installation of Spencer's Boxing Series. The Boxing Series by George Spencer reflects our universal feelings of determination, pain, hope and defeat. Using an expressive approach to paintings of individual portraits, we can all see our struggles and ourselves in their bloody and bruised faces, and admire the mix of emotion and technique that Spencer has brought to his work.

Spencer's latest works in the series are quick paintings on paper that will not only wow you with the immediacy of the image, but kick you with the price as well. These limited pieces are being offered at prices too low to put in print*. Be sure to visit on opening night, as these works won't last. We cannot wait to see you there.

George Spencer is a born and bred New Yorker who attended SVA from 1984 to 1986. For the past ten years Spencer has been working on The Boxing Series as well as other public art projects. His work has been shown extensively throughout the US including local favorites such as Pierogi, Rotunda Gallery, and most recently Lincoln Center. Mr. Spencer has curated numerous shows and is a founding member of REPOhistory; He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

* We can not contain our excitement any longer, these new works on paper will be priced at the mind-blowingly low price of $20 just for the opening, after Friday the price will go up so make sure to visit PEP on Friday! There is a limited quantity of works on paper and they won't last, we promise. Seriously, $20!

Opening reception Friday, September 7th, 8- 10pm

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

August 2007

August 8th:

PEP will be closed for the month of August. Feel free to contact us if you're desperate for some art. Otherwise, we'll be back on September 7th with new works from George Spencer. Until then, stay cool!

July 2007

July 22nd:

The NY Times catches up with PEP artist Charles Lutz in an article dated July 17th, covering the deeply corruptive process at work by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board. PEP kicked off the Spring with Lutz's Warhol-inspired "Denial & Acceptance" in May 2007. Of course you already knew that...

A few pieces are still avaliable from Mr. Lutz. Ready to go, they've been sent to (and rejected by) the Warhol Foundation so you don't have to!

July 9th:

The opening of Brooklyn's Finest was yet again a fine success for PEP. Be sure to stop by on Saturdays from 12-4pm to see new works from all of PEP's peeps!

PEP is full of superstars and they are headed for Chelsea! Our very own George Spencer has curated a photo and video show at Frederieke Taylor Gallery entitled "Mystery" that includes works from 12 artists including PEP's Evan Schwartz. If you missed Mr. Schwartz's last show at PEP you can see selections of it in this dynamic group show. As for Mr. Spencer, while he isn't hard at work as a curator, he is busy preparing for a solo show at PEP in September. "Mystery" opens this Thursday July 12 from 6-8pm at Frederieke Taylor Gallery.

June 2007

June 26th:

We are now open Saturdays 12- 4pm. All other times by appointment.

June 20th:

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us at this years Affordable Art Fair in NYC. It was a huge success for PEP and we would not have been able to do it without you!

Keep the momentum going and be sure to join us at our next opening on July 6th for Brooklyn's Finest, a dynamic group show featuring new works from:

Jashar Awan
Jordan Awan
Emily Eibel
John Gara
Charles Lutz
Francesca Maresco
Evan Schwartz
George Spencer

Opening reception Friday, July 6th, 8- 10pm

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

June 14th :

 

Fox News' Vanessa Alfano finds affordable art and it looks familiar. Check out her reporting from "a gallery in Brooklyn- right here in New York."

May 2007

May 30th:

Whitehot Magazine just published this great interview of our very own Joe Weiner and Evan Schwartz. Be sure to check out Whitehot Magazine in the future for more articles and interviews by Joe.

May 25th:

Pink Elephant Projects (PEP) is excited to present Women et Homme, a new photographic body of work by Evan Schwartz. This is Mr. Schwartz's first show of new work in two years and the follow-up to his critically acclaimed body of work, Reclaiming Puberty.

In his new work, Women et Homme, Schwartz turns his camera outward in his search for truth in identity. The idea of self is layered in personal and societal constructions of gender. The women in Schwartz's photographs have found expressions of their individual selves within these outward constructions of gender to define their personal experiences.

Schwartz writes, "from dinners within the confines of this small Midtown garden apartment to events in restaurants and excursions to their favorite tavern, the seemingly average lifestyle of these women is what most interests me. What the general public fails to recognize is that a cross-dresser does not necessarily dress for entertainment or shock value: they dress to live as another gender for a series of moments. These women's stories are littered with wives and partners, children and professions. Some come from supportive backgrounds and some remain secretive. One can only honestly document what they understand; this series is the continuation of my responsibility as an artist: the pursuit of truth."

The photographs capture the women in all their vibrancy. The intimacy of a shared laugh in the company of friends, the gesture of applying lipstick or fixing an earring - all distinctively personal, feminine gestures captured by Schwartz in an engaging immediacy is Women et Homme.

Evan Schwartz was born in Lake Forest, IL in 1982. After a brief stay in Israel, Mr. Schwartz attended Pratt Institute where he received a BFA in photography. While still a student, Schwartz was given his first solo show, Reclaiming Puberty, at Schroeder Romero in Williamsburg in 2005. It was for this work that he received a review in the New York Times by Holland Cotter who, "look[ed] forward to more intense and startling work in the future," from Mr. Schwartz. "Reclaiming Puberty" traveled to Italy earlier this year to be included in "Other Families" curated by Peter Weiermair. Works by Mr. Schwartz can also be seen in L.A. Ruocco's Xero and in the permanent collection of Yeshiva University. Evan currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Crossdressers International (CDI) is a nonprofit, non-sexual group based in New York City whose focus is primarily on closeted male-to-female cross-dressers, offering a safe, informative, and welcoming means for CDs to overcome their fears of being discovered and to happily and constructively express their transgendered selves. Our experience suggests that a CD's female side is born inside each individual, and therefore cannot be denied. For those who want to escape the closet, CDI can help.

Opening reception Friday, June 1st, 8- 10pm

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

"Barbara and Ashley" (2007) by Evan Schwartz

May 5th:
PEP is heating up with the weather:

"Denial & Acceptance", the new body of work from Charles Lutz, had an incredible opening yesterday (May 4th). Not only were the crowds out of control but we set record sales for PEP. There are still a few pieces left, get them while you can.

Mark your calendars for June 1st...making their PEP premiere are new photos from Evan Schwartz. The series, entilted "Women et homme" will open Friday June 1st (8 - 10 pm) and then move on to Chelsea for a show at Frederieke Taylor Gallery in July.

PEP would like to congratulate Jordan Awan on his blissful marriage to Morgan Elliott. Many years of happiness, wealth, and health to them both!

And in one final, shameless plug check out this article from Brooklyn Paper about everyone's favorite new Brooklyn gallery!

April 2007

April 24rd:
PEP is proud to present "Denial and Acceptance," a new body of work by Charles Lutz. This will be PEP's first show in its new home of 64 Washington Avenue in Wallabout Brooklyn.

To this day, Andy Warhol's work continues to capture record prices in the contemporary art market as well as inspire generations of artists. In "Denial and Acceptance," Charles Lutz creates a creates a collection of Warhol's most iconic works, including the Flower paintings, Self Portraits and Brillo Boxes. In time with the Christie's sale of a Warhol green Car Crash from the disaster series, Lutz will also create a disaster canvas. These flawlessly executed works with their saturated colors and glossy surfaces have been presented to the Andy Warhol Art Authenication Board for review. Issues of authorship and validation are raised in Mr. Lutz's new work: faithfully produced to factory standards. Lutz's original works now bear the Warhol Foundation stamp- the stamp of denail. Lutz pushes his project further by creating a replica of the stamp himself to mark each one of his works, taking on the function of authenticator himself and imposing the role of validation- acceptance or denial- on his audience.

Charles Lutz was born in Greenburg, PA, in 1982. Upon completing his BFA at Pratt Institute in 2004, Lutz was swiftly employed as a painter by Jeff Koons. In 2005, Lutz was commissioned by Yoko Devereaux to create a line of limited edition, luxury suitcases. Since then he has exhibited hi work in many shows, most notably the infamous Terminal 5 show at JFK. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Opening reception Friday, May 4th, 8- 10pm

PEP
64 Washington Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Directions: G train to Clinton- Washington, exit via NE Washington stairs, walk north 4 blocks to 64 Washington Ave.

"Warhol Self Portrait Denied" (2007) by Charles Lutz

March 2007

March 23rd:
PEP is excited to announce that it will don its party dress this June at the Affordable Art Fair. This is PEPs first art fair since its birth a year ago. We are excited to further promote the work of our artists in NYC, meet new people and spread the PEP gospel.
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For the first time ever PEP will host a show outside of its tiny Brooklyn apartment. In conjunction with babyDIA, a gallery space in the Wallabout section of Brooklyn, PEP will host a show of new works from Charles Lutz on May 4th 2007. Mark your calendars; this will be the event to attend this season. Mr. Lutz has been hard at work on some very exciting work and it will be priced to move. We are not just talking this up because we own the place but because people will be talking about this and you’ll be sorry you
missed it!
____________________________________________

Two years after his NY premier, while he was still a student, Evan Schwartz has proudly given us a peek into his new work. The hot photographer, that not even Holland Cotter can keep his hands off of, has been strenuously at work on a new series of photographs entitled Women et Homme. For his new series of work, Mr. Schwartz spent countless hours with a group of crossdressers chronicling their every activity creating images that are not only true to Mr. Schwartz’s style but a great insight into an extraordinary population of people. PEP will host a show of Women et Homme in June.

January 2007

January 15th:
With a New Year comes many things...new resolutions, new jobs, new diets, new loves but most importantly a new year of horrific art displayed in Chelsea. But before they kick off the year with more mediocrity, we here at PEP like to show people how to do it right with a sneak peak of new work from Fran Maresco.
Once again, Ms. Maresco delights us with work that is tactile and visceral, combining altered life castings with decorative elements. We look forward to her show this Spring.

Fran Maresco. Odd and Evan.

December 2006

December 4th:
PEP is pleased to announce that Evan Schwartz's critically acclaimed, autobiographical photo series, "Reclaiming Puberty" is on display at Palazzo Cavour in Torino, Italy in "Other Families". The series tells the story of Mr. Schwartz's transformation from one gender to another as he relives his youth in a new body and documents his new life in what The New York Times' Holland Cotter called "intense and startling work".  "Other Families" will be on display until January 7th.

November 2006

November 20th:
PEP is pleased to announce the opening of its Flat Files with new work on paper by acclaimed illustrator Jashar Awan.

Mr. Awan’s new works conjure a personal and intimate look into his daily life with overlapping images of his close friends and family, including his younger brother and fellow illustrator Jordan Awan. Incorporating many of the same qualities of his in-demand illustrations, Awan has stripped down the formal elements of his work to playful yet powerful lines that project the viewer into this dizzying, and at times surreal, world.

Since graduating from Pratt Institute in 2004, Awan’s work can be seen in numerous publications including The New Yorker and The New York Times; he has also exhibited at the Society of Illustrators and the American Illustration website. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
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In other news, Vanity Fair published its special art issue this month with one gross oversight…not one mention of PEP.
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PEP is excited to announce that our very own Charles Lutz has once again been commissioned by Brooklyn-based designer Yoko Devereaux to design a series of limited edition t-shirts. Mr. Lutz and Yoko Devereaux first collaborated back in the spring of ‘05; producing a line of high-end, limited edition suitcases that were later exhibited in the infamous Terminal 5 show at JFK. Start saving your pennies kids, these shirts are sure to be a hit.

Stay tuned for an image from Chuck’s studio showing off his newest paintings slated for exhibition in March 2007 here at PEP.