Nestled on the third and fourth floors of an old building on Great Jones Street in Lower Manhattan, an extensive gallery exhibition pays homage to the 1970s. That 70s show is a refreshing and free alternative to the astronomically priced art fairs of this weekend. It includes presentations from 21 galleries, all featuring works from the decade of the shag rug.
Both upper-level loft spaces are part of the Eric Firestone Gallery, which has its main storefront a few blocks down the same street. All three spaces are in Soho, the bohemian hub of 1970s New York. Now the neighborhood is filled with tech-boom-era startups (have you ever heard of Face Gym, a facial massage parlor and a skincare store outfitted as a workout space?), other adjacent luxury storefronts and global fashion chains. Once off the main street, visitors pass through a low doorway, zoom to the Eric Firestone Gallery, and up a creaky wooden staircase before arriving in the first of two white galleries. The paint job is so bright — and the loft windows so large — that the spaces feel a bit like a dream.
“The project came together spontaneously and quickly, it was completely organized in the last month,” said Eric Firestone Gallery Director Jen Samet. (Samet is a Hyperallergic contributor.) Eric Firestone asked a handful of New York galleries to loan works. Once participants submitted their selections, each gallery was assigned a section of the white wall.
Chelsea’s Michael Rosenfeld Gallery contributed part of a series by Benny Andrews titled Sexism (1973), comprising one long oil painting and nine ink drawings. The series is the fourth of five series of works created by Andrews in response to the upcoming bicentennial of the American Revolution. A federally appointed commission was tasked with creating a nationwide celebration of the war, but Andrews noted that the only recognition of blacks will relate to slavery. This fourth series is inspired by Andrews’ relationships with feminist groups of the time.
The monumental painting “Sexism” (1973) is inspired by the caricatural and fantastic imagery of the “Garden of Earthly Delights(1490-1500) to visualize resistance and hyperbolize how American society views women. Phallic symbols abound, and women (in breast-shaped vessels) seem to lead seemingly incompetent men to their demise under flesh-colored tarpaulin. A natural landscape awaits beyond the pile. Colorful flowers and trees grow on the side of the cliff, perhaps a reference to the Garden of Eden.
A few other works in the exhibition also draw heavily on the cultural events of the 1970s. Most of the works in the exhibition, however, comment on something deeper, ultimately revealing how little has changed over the years. of the last 50 years.
Three 1978 photographs by Sandy Skoglund, presented by the Ryan Lee Gallery, all feature decidedly ’70s motifs – and food, though the decade isn’t exactly known for its foodie offerings. The whole work miraculously reflects this. It’s a surprisingly self-aware series that identifies the 1970s aesthetic that has endured in our collective memory. The first work, ‘Two Boxes’ (1978), questions consumer culture, according to the accompanying Ryan Lee Gallery wall tag. The second two photographs consider the standardization of processed foods.
It was during this decade that America began shift away from the molded Jell-O monstrosities and started moving towards “farm-to-table” meals. “Peas and Carrots on a Plate” (1978) and “Two Plates of Corn” (1978) both depict bite-sized vegetables, appearing quite unseasoned and blanched, in vibrant hues. Carrots, peas and corn look less like food than the colorful floral patterns behind them.
Other works in the exhibition are less timestamped. “Plants and Fish” (1973) by Jane Freilicher is a welcoming and warm still life. “M Street – Rosetta Williams” by Sylvia Snowden (c. 1978) is a towering abstract expressionist painting that reveals layers of paint up close and a monstrous figure from afar.
Eric Firestone Gallery has also added pieces to the exhibition – a brightly painted, distorted canvas and an installation with a painter’s coat hanging from a peg. Joe Overstreet’s ‘Untitled’ (1970) is attached to both the ceiling and the floor, giving the work a striking impression of being both weightless and incredibly heavy. The second of Eric Firestone’s works – “The Wall” (1973) – is by Charles DuBack, an artist best known for his one-dimensional works. Throughout his decades-long career, DuBack reflected broader trends in the art world, moving from clean-lined abstraction to figure painting and landscapes. Here, DuBack seems to pay homage to the position of the artist. In the entrance of a house, DuBack painted a cable knit sweater, galoshes and a pair of boots. A real painter’s smock and a pair of leather boots hang on a peg.
When I visited That 70s show Wednesday, May 18, the show was mounted, but not yet open to the public. QR codes, wall tags and checklists will guide visitors this weekend, and some groupings of artwork will have a gallery representative nearby. The exhibition is visible until Sunday, May 21 and everyone is welcome.
