My Pet Ram is pleased to present Party For One, a new group show commemorating the gallery’s first birthday. As a nod to the festivities we’ve all been missing, Party for One brings together everything one would expect at a decadent fête - excess in all forms, loose bodies enjoying themselves, and the chaos that ensues from a truly pleasurable night.
The exhibition features work by Jon Duff, Paul Gagner, Eric Hibit, Maria Yolanda Liebana, Michael McGregor, Christina Nicodema, Tom Sanford, and Mark Sengbusch. Visually, each artist’s work tackles various thematic elements from the simple act of gathering. Whether it be Christina Nicodema’s thickly layered cake paintings to Michael McGregor’s energetically rendered Fauvist tablescapes, each piece speaks to the human nature for a good time, a joyous connection, and a chance to let loose.
Materiality is essential in reinforcing the tangibility of gathering with friends, and the physicality that is so central in social events. Mark Sengbusch’s hanging wood sculpture is reminiscent of paper link streamers, something you might find at a children’s party. Maria Yolanda Liebana’s sexual dream scene of two Rubenesque femme figures is comprised of mixed media, but the clouds on which they sit are distinctly frosting-esq, as if the medium was piped with a pastry bag. Sumptuous and abundant, the exhibition not only looks like a party but feels like one as well.
A little winky, a little naughty, Party for One celebrates all things debaucherous. Swimming in lavish color palettes and maximalist compositions, the exhibition not only commemorates the 1st year of My Pet Ram but also pays homage to some of mankind’s earliest tendencies, fun! From the depraved Roman orgies depicted on vases to the roaring turn-of-the-century parties at the Moulin Rouge captured by the always-inebriated Toulouse Lautrec, artists have always been fascinated by human behavior when impropriety is left at the door.
With that in mind, My Pet Ram invites you to join us on Friday, June 10th from 6-9 pm for the opening reception of Party for One. Beer, wine, specialty rum cocktails from Ten To One Rum, as well as treats will be served. No reservations are needed and some artists will be in attendance. We hope to see you there in your best party wears!
Party For One will be on view beginning Friday, June 10, 2022 through Sunday, July 3, 2022. The gallery is located at 48 Hester Street in the Lower East Side. Gallery hours are Wed-Sun from 12-7pm and by appointment. For inquiries and more information about this exhibition, please email info@mypetram.com.
Mark Sengbusch, AV Colors, 2020, Acrylic on Wood, 54 x 10 x 7.5 inches
Eric Hibit, Pink Eclipse, 2021, Acrylic on canvas over panel, 48 x 40 inches
Jon Duff, I Slip For Your Sins, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
Michael McGregor, After The Party, 2022, Acrylic, gesso, oil, soft pastel, oil stick on canvas, 48 x 32 inches
Maria Yolanda Liebana, Besties, 2022, Mixed media collage on wood panel, 30 x 26 inches
Christina Nicodema, Freakshake Mountain, Green, Magenta, and Orange, 2022, Oil and archival ink on canvas, 48 x 42 inches
Tom Sanford, White Girl, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 inches
Paul Gagner, Yes Please, 2022, Wood, wax, pleather, epoxy clay, latex rubber, metal, 57.5 x 48 inches
Jess Willa Wheaton, Staging Page, 2016, original found printed paper from 4 disparate sources, acid-free adhesive, work size: 15 x 10.5 inches, frame size: 20 x 15.75 x 1.5 inches (with UV museum glass)