The Show Me State — October 2015

"The Show-Me State," Installation View
"Security Blankets" by David Howe and Anita Cruz-Eberhard, dye sublimation printed polyester superfleece
"YAY WOW YAY WOW" by Chris Verene/The Self-Esteem Salon, 2011, The Self-Preservation Series with Jessica Grable, chromogenic print
"Reflective Call to Action," by Oasa DuVerney, 2015, mirrored plexiglass and mylar
"Dove Bottles," by David Baskin, 2008, cast urethane resin
"Sweaty Palms" by Emily Roz, 2013, graphite on paper
"Red Room Study (Jo "Boobs" Wheldon)" by Rachel Rampleman, 2013, HD video
eyeglasses and iphone cover prototypes by EXOVault, designed by Jonathan Schipper
original jewelry and stand by Jessica Hargreaves

“The Show Me State”
Featuring works by David Baskin, Oasa DuVerney, Jessica Hargreaves, David Howe and Anita Cruz-Eberhard, Rachel Rampleman, Emily Roz, EXOvault/Jonathan Schipper, and Chris Verene/Self-Esteem Salon™.

Auxiliary Projects is thrilled to present “The Show Me State,” the first group show we have curated after three years of solo exhibitions. “The Show Me State” is on view from November 14 through December 13, 2015. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, November 14, from 6-8pm. The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1-6pm and by appointment.

Can an exhibition be exhibitionist? The artists in this show are not, in fact, from Missouri (the more famous “show me state”) but their work puts on the razzle-dazzle it takes to win us over. From the full frontal exhibitionism of Emily Roz’s drawings to the burlesque videos of Rachel Rampleman and from the incendiary yet sparkly statements of Oasa DuVerney’s sculptures to the sheer joy of photographs by Chris Verene and The Self-Esteem Salon™, the projects on view nakedly reveal their desire to be desired.

“The Show Me State” also presents art that speaks fluent consumer desire. David Baskin’s cast resin “Dove Bottles” replicate the familiar form of a liquid soap bottle in a stunning array of hues, converting the useful to the aesthetic. David Howe and Anita Cruz-Eberhard present their “Security Blankets” in which images of screen violence are printed on warm fluffy blankets, daring us to wrap ourselves in fear.

Further pushing the idea of the art gallery as a consumerist destination and artwork as merch, the exhibition also includes artist-made objects that traffic as commodities. The over-the-top animal-themed jewelry created by painter Jessica Hargreaves and the blingy sunglasses and heavy metal iPhone cases designed by sculptor Jonathan Schipper for EXOvault have crossed over from the false purity of fine art to the perhaps more honest realm where things don’t pretend they’re not for sale. Viewed in the context of an art exhibition, these objects ask us to consider exactly what kind of consumerist urge a really good product engenders, when does want devolve into need, and what kind of needs do aesthetic objects meet anyway?

Auxiliary Projects is dedicated to the idea that high quality contemporary art should be available for the middle class to enjoy in their homes. We consistently (but not exclusively) offer original art for $300 or less.