Station Independent Projects has a new exhibition space! We went opening night to check it out and say hello to one of our favorites, founder and artist Leah Oates. It was a packed house full of art lovers and enthusiasts enjoying a new (and larger) place to congregate! Station Independent Projects “specializes in discovering new emerging and mid-career artists that are not represented by galleries and organizes shows to connect artists to broader audiences”. Leah has been at this for awhile, with over ten years of experience organizing exhibitions in the New York city area for galleries, art fairs and non-profits. Her refined eye is evident, her sense of adventure is present and her gift of finding interesting artists is obvious.
Opening night, January 16th, featured artist William Crump’s new series “Frame & Canvas”. In this collection of abstract paintings Crump “works from the idea of breaking down nature to it’s purest form and rebuilding by means of adding, taking away and adding again until a finished piece is revealed. This approach is something of a reverse for the artist. The previously imagined narrative, in which the viewer would peer into an unknown gulf separating reality and fantasy is gone. Instead, with Frame & Canvas, Crump begins from the unknown and works his way toward the edge of the known”.
I’m a collector of abstract expressionism and really enjoyed this exhibit and meeting William. His minimalist style is engaging, his use of color, layering, repetition and scraping away of the canvas draws people in for a closer look. Some paintings remain in a reduced minimal state while others are built up again and painted heavily. Upon close inspection this give and take reveals holes, tears and glimpses of the stretcher. I love Crump’s artists statement “At the core, my work has always been about a romantic version of a distinctly American question: how to cross the desert between our heroes and ourselves”.
This exhibit can be viewed from January 16th – February 8th. Station Independent is located at 138 Eldridge Street, Suite 2F. Open Thurs – Sun noon – 6pm and by appointment.
Photo is of William Crump’s “untitled no.20”, my personal fave!
Artist bio:
Born in Winston-Salem, William Crump earned his BFA from Ringling School of Art and Design before settling in Brooklyn. This is his second solo exhibition with Station Independent Projects. His work has been exhibited at Jen Bekman, Fold Gallery, Phenomena Projects, Gallery Surprise, Hal Bromm Gallery, Samson Projects, Lehman College Art Gallery, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, and Little Bird Gallery. Recent press and features include The Age of Collage, Contemporary Collage in Modern Art from Gestalten Books, Gorky’s Granddaughter, The L.A. Times, ArtSlant, ArtUS, and NYArts. William was an artist-in-residence at The Cooper Union School of Art in 2006. William was chosen to participate in The Artist Pension Trust in 2013.
~Miss Kiss~
