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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.
Isn’t it time to bring the gallery crawl back to Minneapolis? Where people can wander from one gallery to the next, view art that is professionally presented and smartly curated, and meet up with other art enthusiasts? Six galleries across the downtown arts district are working together to make this happen, and bring back this element of a ‘gallery scene’.
The Exhibitions (by Gallery):
SooVAC: Black and Yellow. Oregon artist Donald Morgan’s exhibition will combine two complimentary bodies of work. His concepts are generated from reworking narrative elements from books, a loose process of adapting and re-territorializing text into sculptures and paintings.
+ Kulture High, by Kelly O’Brien, explores a tongue-in-cheek examination of how contemporary art and pop culture compete and complement one another.
Groveland: A summer-long spotlight on local artists takes place in June with two new exhibitions at Groveland Gallery. Pictures from a Trip is a travel-themed exhibition featuring paintings, prints and drawings by 41 gallery artists. Love Letters from Artists, an invitational group show curated by St. Paul architect and artist Peter Kramer, presents over 75 letters from artists across the Twin Cities. Artists were encouraged to “paint, weave, paste, fold and print what’s in their hearts,” promising a unique exhibition that celebrates the tradition of writing and receiving letters.
Gamut: Middle Class Aspirations features Wundr, Biafra Inc., and Urban Camper in a merging of their media and political activism. Through prints, photography and paintings, the three street artists shine a prudent spotlight on class division, expose inequality and celebrate those who are attempting to rise above hardships and better themselves.
Instinct: Art On Air. Through the work of seven visual artists, this exhibition is designed to help us appreciate the ubiquitous, essential, invisible ocean of air that we live in. One could experience life in the envelope and hardly give air a second thought. This show is meant to put us consciously in touch with our atmosphere, air quality, the beauty of big skies, the essence of breathing, and the virtue of the invisible.
Burnet: In ‘sugar sugar’ Ashely Peifer’s deceptively simple, candy-colored abstracts intentionally evoke impressions of simpler times and childlike innocence. Inspired by Mary Heilmann – with suggestions of Lisa Frank, Peifer’s works are intentionally vague, reflecting the emotional nature of nostalgia to distort memory.
Circa: OMFORME + CIRCA features an eclectic mix of modern and vintage repurposed furniture and accessories, and recent contemporary abstract artwork. The exhibit is a juxtaposition of textures, palettes, inventive materials, and art and design influences.
