September 12 - November 28, 2020
A 20th anniversary exhibition from Plush Gallery.
From the gallery:
“The original version of our 20th anniversary show was scheduled to open on March 21st. Instead, the pandemic hit, the show was cancelled, and gallery owner Randall Garrett was on a plane flight to Mexico City that morning as the borders shut down. Life has been in something of a stasis for these last six months.
But, artists are creators, and we have been busy making new work during this time of enhanced solitude. With our 20th anniversary show taking place during a worldwide pandemic, we view this not as a moment for nostalgia, but rather as an opportunity to make a positive statement in the sea of negativity and difficult circumstances of this year.
Plush Gallery opened twenty years ago in a raw warehouse on South Akard Street, just south of downtown, in the area now known as The Cedars. It seems like a dream now, of a world that no longer exists. Our first show was called “New Pollution”. Plush quickly established a reputation for showcasing edgy art and performance from its Dallas headquarters, and from there moved into the art fair scene, presenting art shows and curatorial projects in Chicago, New York, Miami, Houston, and Santa Fe.
In the ensuing twenty years, we have shown emerging artists from Texas, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Puerto Rico, and now from Latin America. Many have gone on to great success in the art world, including participation in the Whitney Biennial, major museum solo shows, and placement in collections internationally. Plush has also entered into dormant periods, from 2007-9 and 2013-18, coming back stronger and with more purpose each time.
For the twentieth anniversary of the opening of Plush Gallery, we will present a group show of eight artists, featuring up and coming talents who have shown at the gallery in the last year, interspersed with work from veterans on the Texas scene, like C.J. Davis, Randall Garrett, and Brad Tucker. The show will feature contemporary work in a variety of media, including collage, painting, photography, and sculpture.
Artists include:
Jacqueline Blanco – Recent UT Dallas grad makes mixed media painting and collage pieces from a feminist perspective. Her work calls out negative and sexist portrayals of women in modern culture.
Raymond Butler – Current University of North Texas student and local scene veteran showing new constructed sculptures based on memories of his childhood growing up in South Dallas.
C.J. Davis – The title for our group show is based on C.J.’s large scale photo, “Champion”, which he first showed at Plush eight years ago. We will revisit this masterpiece, on the theme of excellence, as a way to express a positive outlook amid the pandemic.
Randall Garrett – His recent poster collage works demonstrate the arte urbano / street art aesthetic he has cultivated since relocating to Mexico City three years ago.
Norman Kary – Dallas sculptor on the scene since the late 80s will show new small scale assemblage pieces relating to social upheaval, along with recent collage paintings.
Favio Moreno – Grew up in California, Mexico, and Texas, currently based in Dallas. Favio creates murals and hard-edged constructivist style paintings with a humorous bent.
Narong Tintamusik – Dallas artist who grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. Narong makes squishy, expressionist paintings that explore themes of lost innocence, trauma, and sexuality.
Brad Tucker – The veteran Austin artist will be showing for the first time at Plush, debuting a series of new cyanotype cloud prints he has been working on during the pandemic.
+ a selection of work from historical gallery artists”
Reception: September 12, 2020 | 2–8 pm
(socially distanced event: regulated attendance + wear mask)
918 Dragon Street
Dallas, 75207 TX
469-551-3967
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