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Join us this Thursday for your last chance to see the Middle Class Aspirations exhibit in person. But this isn’t just any ol’ exhibit finale – it’s our last in this space! We will open our doors beginning at 2pm for viewing, then at 6pm we will shift gears into celebration and kick off the finale party. Around 8pm we will pass the mic to some friends of Gamut to toast to the good times, then Carnage The Executioner will bring it home with his signature vocal stylings.
Minneapolis – Thursday, June 11, 2015, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. – opening for the group exhibition Middle Class Aspirations. A collection of all-new work by Wundr, Biafra Inc., and Urban Camper, this collaborative street art show explores the experiences and people of Middle Class America and those struggling to achieve middle class status. Through prints, photography and paintings, the three artists merge their media and political activism for an exhibition that shines a prudent spotlight on class division, exposes inequality and celebrates those who are attempting to rise above the hardships and better themselves.
Acknowledging both the pride and despair of being at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, Wundr’s paintings depict scenes with his distinctive characters from middle and lower class living. Some of the characters are striving to make their lives better, while some have simply accepted their status at the bottom. One of the most prolific and recognizable local street artists, Wundr has developed a way to bring his art into a gallery atmosphere without losing the street elements and city-feel. In 2013, Wundr debuted a widely received solo show, Almost Yesterday, at Gamut Gallery that highlighted his signature style of artistic reclaiming.
Biafra Inc.’s pieces examine home décor of the middle and lower classes. Subverting kitschy catch phrases ubiquitously found in cheap home decoration stores, he creates new dystopian home décor. An aesthetic critique of capitalism, his new works inspire dialogue that addresses the “American Dream.” Biafra Inc. is known for the use of stickers, stencils, spray paint and posters to proliferate imagery here in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Urban Camper’s photographs vividly and intimately document the acts of local graffiti writers. His work exposes scenes from what is generally considered a lowbrow culture and invites a visual excavation of the alleyways and underground environments that transform outdoor cityscapes into canvas. His work migrates towards shooting stationary objects and streets scenes. His long-held passion and appreciation for graffiti is the catalyst for his photography.
Wundr, Biafra Inc., and Urban Camper consider themselves blue collar artists, creating a name and a history in a subculture with no promise of financial gain or reward. Immersed in this culture for the past decade, these three artists are not simply contemporary commentators on the plight of the middle class, but are operating within its system and attempting to break free from its perimeters.
Minneapolis – Saturday July 26, 2014, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. – Grand finale of Gamut Gallery’s “Post Mo’ Bills.” This event brings to close a one-month exhibition of prolific local street and poster artists. “Post Mo’ Bills” will be on view at Gamut Gallery every Thursday and Saturday from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. through July 26th.
Please join us on July 26 for an evening of music, interactive art and live screen printing, beginning at 7:00 pm. Jackson Kenny of The Abstracted will be conducting live screen printing demonstrations throughout the night. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase a T-shirt featuring a commemorative print for ten dollars, or for five dollars, they may bring in any cotton garment to be printed on (even the shirts off their backs). Visitors to the gallery are also encouraged to post their own bills on the community collab wall, while The DJ Bob Marino delivers a 90’s musical history lesson with a decidedly urban tone. Marino’s signature mix of hip-hop and house will keep our community of artists and art lovers feeling upbeat.
Gamut Gallery was transformed into a graphic communications hub through the display of editioned screen prints and wheat paste installations. The exhibit has issued a challenge to civil authorities’ warnings to “post no bills” – the criminalization of regular citizens posting messages or handbills in public space. Curators Erik Farseth and Jade Patrick ask: How is someone supposed to find their lost cat? How should political activists communicate their messages supporting social change? Where is the place for artists’ expression in the public space? Right now the answer is at Gamut Gallery.
Featured Artists & Organizations: Burlesque of North America, TOOTH, Ruthann Godollei, Chuck U, WUNDR, Andrew Gramm, Biafra Inc., Boxy Mouse, Emily Janning, Erik Farseth, Gilpin Matthews, Heather Wayne, Jonas Criscoe, Lauren Schuppe, Maura K. Williams, Pseudo Manitou, Lizardman, The Abstracted
Sponsored by: Pabst Blue Ribbon
Gamut Gallery opened in 2012 with an official Northern Spark Festival location event that drew more than 500 people. Since then, Gamut has exhibited a diverse array of regional and international artists, for which it has received local and national press coverage, including a 2013 nomination for “Best Art Gallery” and several A-listings in the Minneapolis City Pages.
Minneapolis – Friday June 20, 2014, 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. – opening night reception for Gamut Gallery’s “Post Mo’ Bills;” the exhibition runs through July 16. Gamut Gallery will be transformed into a graphic communications hub through the display of editioned screen prints by many of the Twin Cities’ finest poster designers.
Sometimes the easiest way to advertise a garage sale or a concert is to staple flyers to telephone poles. But in many U.S. cities, it is illegal to post handbills on public or private property. These local ordinances are similar to anti-graffiti laws. Wheat pasting posters is considered vandalism. Property owners complain that flyers look “messy.” And yet, our visual landscape is already cluttered with corporate advertisements on billboards and bus shelters. If grassroots flyering is forbidden by law, how is someone supposed to find their lost cat? How should political activists communicate their messages supporting social change? Where is the place for artists’ expression in the public space?
From the psychedelic animal art of Chuck U, to the politically-charged prints of alternative arts veteran Ruthann Godollei, “Post Mo’ Bills” is a feast for the eyes. The interior of the gallery will feel urban, with a wall designed to resemble the multiple layers of overlapping handbills and postcards found on outdoor notice boards. Visitors to the gallery are encouraged to add their own messages to the existing flyers on the bulletin board. This will be a participatory exhibit, one that challenges civil authorities warnings to “post no bills.”
Artists Featured: Burlesque of North America, TOOTH, Ruthann Godollei, Chuck U, WUNDR, Andrew Gramm, Biafra Inc., Boxy Mouse, Emily Janning, Erik Farseth, Gilpin Matthews, Heather Wayne, Jonas Criscoe, Lauren Schuppe, Maura K. Williams, Pseudo Manitou, Jon Reese, Lizardman, The Abstracted
