The Dirtier, The Better at Freight + Volume

Everyone wants to see what's dirty down at F+V

Maria Kreyn, artist

Tom Sanford's depiction of Whitney Houston's last bath

Art is not for the faint of heart. Last August 16^th, Arte Fuse dared to cross the front doors of Freight + Volume with the warming sign posted “No One Under 18 Admitted”. It was a group exhibition for The Double Dirty Dozen (& Friends) where the art pushed the brown paper envelope and thwarted the prim notion of what is considered art.

Nick Lawrence, the proprietor, gathered the renegade bunch in the show to include the following: David Baskin, Chris Biddy, Jon Birch, Paul Brainard, Shiva Burgos, Richard Butler, Francesco Civetta aka DJ CASH, Andy Cross, Jules De Balincourt, Erik Den Breejen, Kent Dorn, Joel Dugan, Austin Eddy, Johnston Foster, Rebecca Goyette, Michael Anderson, Duncan Hannah, Daniel Heidkamp, David Humphrey, George Jenne / Damian  Stamer, Aaron Johnson, Ezra Johnson, Misaki Kawai, Kevin Kay, David Kramer, Maria Kreyn, Hye Rim Lee, Travis Lindquist, Noah Lyon, Panni Malekzadeh, Andrea Mary Marshall, Taylor McKimens, Greg Miller, Jazz-­‐minh Moore, Joe Heaps Nelson, Lance Rautzhan, Max Razdow, Tom Sanford, Bill Saylor, Kristen Schiele, Ryan Schneider, Andrew Smenos, Emet Sosna, Jennifer Sullivan, Ulrike Theusner, Russell Tyler, Eric White, Genevieve White, Kelli Williams and Nicole Wittenberg.

Rated XXX by Duncan Hannah

70's Porn Painting by David Kramer

Those are not salt and pepper shakers on the tray

As Above So Below by Ryan Schneider

The premise of the show alludes to the iconic 1967 war film The Dirty Dozen by Robert Aldrich with its cast of maudlin actors where the misfits are the heroes. This art show celebrates self expression with its cadre of artists who dare to cross the line in order to find salvation through creation. And boy did it celebrate with a gang bang send up of the most controversial of subjects: SEX. This is not the main “thrust” of each artist but the subject is dead on tackled without reservation. There are statements about social, political, and current events in which art becomes a commentator. It exuded either stark, self-effacing. kitschy, clever, subtle, bold in your face or downright inspired. The plethora of the fearless denizens who dare to express whatever it is they wanted is the true art.

Eric White, artist

I wonder if the artist used a model for this one?

Noah Lyon, artist

Lance Rautzhan, artist

Nick Lawrence, proprietor of Freight + Volume

The artist must be unleashed and uninhibited to create their best. It is the right of the creator to jolt our ideas and promote discourse even through the portrayal of intercourse. The collection of paintings, multi-media work, sculptures, installations, and video image adhere to this very idea without any reservation. In being the scalawags that are inherently doing the good work, the more than a dozen dirty creations wiped away our sanitized notion of this world. If they should have to get down and dirty to say their truths, then so be it. That is ART.

The Double Dirty Dozen (& Friends)

On View: August 16 –  September 22, 2012

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11 am – 6 pm

Freight + Volume. 530 West 24^th Street. New York, NY 10011

article by: Oscar A. Laluyan

event photos by: Max Noy

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