onto the next show

Pocket Utopia is pleased to present a solo exhibition of artist in residence, Libby Hartle. Since September, Libby Hartle has been transporting her materials and focusing her art-making to a small table at the back of the gallery, transporting her supplies and transforming her ideas to co-exisit with an exhibition program and a visiting public.

The result is presented here in the form of found papers (parking tickets, lottery stubs, and other detritus), picked up on her walks to the gallery and turned into, through a sorting, soaking and casting process, a brightly colored habitat. Hartle, working in the space and relating to its visitors has also expanded the floor space into a seating area, or a place to perch and drink tea or sip beer (Hartle is an expert "beeramid" builder).

A visitor can join Hartle as she “hosts” a salon of drawn and collaged structures (homes and bus-mobiles), cut and glued through a semi-architectural drawing process or what Hartle has termed “stickitecture.” The space is filled and formed for the viewer to sit and plan their escape.

There will be a salon discussion on Wednesday, April 23rd at 6:00 p.m. where the artist will be present to talk about the post-studio practice and artist residencies. Refreshments will be served. This discussion is a part of Austin Thomas’s salon series titled, “Excuse me, you have art in your teeth.”

Pocket Utopia editions a print with artist Elissa Levy

We're so excited about the next print by artist E Elissa Levy! It's the first time we issues 3 colors, 3 screens and we really built the print like a sculpture! It's a beauty, edition of 20, $200.00, reserve now!

Another weekend at Pocket Utopia

People coming into Pocket Utopia seem to be cheered on to be in the fringe of the art looking geography and it also appears there's a consensus that the "center" or Chelsea galleries and the art framed within them looks better online. Attention art viewers, you are free to travel out and beyond, so break your viewing boundaries!

At our salon, situated in Bushwick, the sand in Rubi's installation seems to be making its way back to the sea, it continues to slip off its shelf and onto the floor. Next up, this week I'm working hard on editioning a print with artist Elissa Levy.

My Recommendation is...

This is to all the artists requesting to be involved in the Pocket Utopia project:

My recommendation is that you come by and talk about what you'd like to do. Since Pocket Utopia is an extension of my art experiments, it's got a 2 year run that is pretty much planned out. Giving myself the opportunity to do all this, I've curated 2 years worth of shows essentially. But since it is a salon space and not a gallery, being open only Saturday and Sunday, I'm asking artists that have asked me if they can do something at Pocket Utopia to think a little differently.

Perhaps there's something event based, performative, discussion-oriented and presentational that you can do. So with all that said, and always being careful not to offend my fellow artists and continue in some way to offer opportunities, you might have something we can work with!

Let's talk soon.

Rain on the outside, sunny on the inside