Brad Benedict's Sideshow Moods for Moderns A group exhibition curated by Brad Benedict April 5- 26, 2008 Gallery C2 Opening Reception: Saturday, April 5, 2008 6:30 - 8:30 pm Featuring works of art by: Van Arno Attaboy Anthony Ausgang Bill Barminski David Brinley Lou Brooks David Buckingham Chris Buzelli Dave Calver Colin Christian Sas Christian Chris Crites Daniel Davidson Britt Ehringer Ron English Lori Field Andrew Foster Sam Gambino Gregg Gibbs Colin Johnson Nancy Kintisch Laurie Lipton Everett Peck Chris Peters Judy Ragagli Billy Reynolds Joe Rocco Cassandra Szekely Brian Taylor Bob & Val Tillery Mark Dean Veca Eric White Barnaby Whitfield Nate Williams Robert Williams Brian Zick Featured in Juxtapoz Magazine View Article Sponsored by
ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY presents BRAD BENEDICT’S SIDESHOW: MOODS FOR MODERNS Curated by Brad Benedict Sideshow includes works of over 30 diverse artists who share a common attitude, the genesis of which was the "New Pop" of the mid 1980s. That attitude -- over the years described by various names such as Pop Surrealism, Lowbrow, New Brow, Underground -- has been the hallmark of a generation seeking to stimulate, to grab attention, and occasionally to shock. These artists, now as well as then, are eclectic in their techniques, media, styles, influences and ideas. Yet they are linked by their shared faith in the power of highly personal images in an increasingly faceless society. They don't smooth over the rough corners of their subjects, these creators express their unconventional and iconoclastic visions through irony, through turning familiar dimensions of the American Dream inside out or upside down, through brash colors, through exaggeration, and very often through humor. The humor is essential. It keeps self-righteousness and pretentiousness at a minimum, while highlighting the absurdity of so much of what passes as real life. Writing for Juxtapoz Magazine, CR Stecyk III observed, "The Sideshow is Brad's unique extravaganza, with previous incarnations launching aesthetic revolutions. Sentient beings chart those original exhibitions as being ground zero for much of what is accepted as le culture moderne. Benedict's Sideshow is treatise on the old and true augmenting the forces of the new and bold." Brad Benedict is founder of the influential Paper Moon Graphics and creator of the retail store, Heaven: The Supermarket of Pop Culture (with a retro luncheonette that offered Robert Rauschenburgers and Claes Oldenburgers on the menu). As Juxtapoz founder Robert Williams put it, "Brad was one of the seminal alternative artists from the 1970's through the1990's. Now is the time to pay proper respect to the man." Sideshow will be on view at ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY from April 5th – 26th, 2008. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 6pm. Opening reception will take place Saturday, April 5th from 6:30-8:30pm. View the exhibition in its entirety on FLICKR Selected Works:
Chris Crites, Untitled (Korean P.O.W) Acrylic on paper bag, 10 x 9.25 inches	Daniel Davidson, The Election (After W. Hogarth), 2008, Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 inches Detail
Lori Field, Fantastic Voyage, Color pencil drawing on rice paper, thread, encaustic, beeswax on panel, 12 x 12 inches	Lori Field, Blissful Ignorance, Color pencil drawing on rice paper, thread, encaustic, beeswax on panel, 16 x 12 inches
Laurie Lipton, Death and the Maiden, Pencil on paper, 17 x 13.5 inches	Laurie Lipton, Facelift, Pencil on paper, 21 x 15 3/5 inches
Chris Peters, Life Everlasting, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 inches	Left: Judy Ragagli, Garden Party, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 30 inches Right: Judy Ragagli, Evening Splendour, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 30 inches
Val & Bob Tillery, Smoking Monkey, Mixed media, 5.25 x 7.5 inches	Van Arno, Cormorants With Fish Sustain the fasting Hermit, 2008, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches
Val & Bob Tillery, Round About #1, Mixed media, 6.25 x 4 inches	Mark Dean Veca, UNH!, 2007, Acrylic on panel, 24 x 18 inches
Eric White, Divorce Island, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches	Attaboy
Anthony Ausgang, The Mobius Strip Teas, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 47 inches	David Brinley, Hugh Stout, acrylic on cradled birch panel, 36 x 24 inches
Lou Brooks, Well, I NEVER!, Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches	Dave Calver, Pecker Problem 2, Colored pencil and acrylic, 7 x 5 inches
Lou Brooks, Stop, You’re Killin’ Me!, Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches	Dave Calver, Tubby Torture, Colored pencil and acrylic on board, 5 x 5 inches
Sam Gambino, The Potentate (Lurch), enamel and 23ct gold leaf on canvas, 18 x 14 inches	Sam Gambino, The Eye for Style, enamel on canvas, 16 x 12 inches
Nancy Kintisch, The Picnic, Ink on paper, 30 x 22 inches	Nancy Kintisch, L'impegno, Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches
Billy Reynolds, Me and My Intestines, Oil on linen, 30 x 24 inches	Everett Peck, Crabcake Redux, Gouache on wood, 11 x 14 inches
Andrew Foster, Snowcaps, Oil on canvas over panel, 10 x 8 inches	Andrew Foster, Candy Ass, Oil on panel, 8 x 8 inches
Colin Johnson, The Great Divide, 2008, Mixed media on wood, 13.75 x 9.5 inches	Colin Johnson, Spore Addict, 2007, Mixed media on canvas, 10 x 8 inches
Joe Rocco, Cosanostradamus, Paint on wood, 19 x 17.75 inches	Brian Zick, ooh, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
Barnaby Whitfield, Ode to D-I-V-O-R-C-E, 2006, Pastel on paper, 30 x 22 inches	Gregg Gibbs, Hey Baby, Oil on panel in frame, 11 x 9 inches