Art Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass

It was a beautiful New York early summer day, not too hot with a refreshing light breeze. You know, the kind we have before it gets unbearably hot and sticky. Having finished a quick bite with a friend, we decided to take the long way from Wall Street to check out a new gallery opening in Brooklyn. Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, and then crossing another, or rather, going under it, we arrived at a gallery opening in DUMBO, located in an artisanal furniture store.

The group show at The Mark Jupiter Gallery, the eponymous new gallery space from local furniture maker Mark Jupiter, featured DUMBO artists who have long been a vital part of the neighborhood’s art scene. The exhibition comprised of five artists working across a diverse media, ranging from photographic prints on canvas to Pronto Plate lithography to acrylic painting on wood and everything in between.

Jupiter, who curates this first show, said that the gallery aimed to showcase neighborhood artists who may not find a space for their works within established NYC galleries. Besides this first show, which ran from June 6 until June 16, Mark intends to keep hosting exhibitions in the gallery in perpetuity. He noted, “I curated the selection of the pieces, and I choose the artists as the people I respected and who were a reflection of the work that I do and trusted that they would bring to space things that I love and ultimately they did.”

Craig Anthony Miller, who also goes by the moniker CAM, echoed stainless in his paintings, which bore much resemblance to the artist’s style seen in his many DUMBO murals. Jaime Walker’s collage works, ranging from the figurative to the abstract, evoked many symbols long associated with the neighborhood. One painting, in particular, featuring layered abstract brushstrokes and stenciled typography, reminded me of the work of Ed Ruscha. Speaking with the artist, Jaime noted her process involves starting with the edges of the pieces and working towards the center. Many of her works repurposed found materials in novel ways.

Regarding one, Jaime told me, “On my last trip to Costa Rica, my phone case burst in the flight. I then used the gold flakes from the phone case in the piece. I saved all the pieces in a plastic bag and used them in the piece.”

Joshua Reynolds, who had inkjet photographic prints on canvas in the show, shot iPhone images of vistas with particular significance to the artist. One series in the show that resonated with me – a triptych of Brooklyn views with aligning horizon lines and reflections that displace the viewer’s sense of grounding and space – captured beauty in the seeming banality of the everyday. Additionally, the medium made the photographs take on a painterly quality, further augmenting the source material.

Steve West’s works documented DUMBO’s physical changes through Pronto Plate lithographic prints. The show also featured Kristen Kramer, whose figurative paintings explored the multiplicity of meaning inherent within the image of the anatomical heart.

Mark intends for the gallery to showcase artists who break the mold of what is often shown in Manhattan galleries.

“It’s going to be a gallery space for local artists who I admire and we’ll see what happens. Artists need a space to explore and show their work. The rest of the city and the established galleries don’t necessarily take that kind of risk anymore.”

Based on the first exhibition, all I can say is, I look forward to future shows. I would even be happy to traverse a bridge or two to go see them.

Piotr Pillardy received a BA in Art History and History from Cornell University, lives in Manhattan, and plays live regularly with the band Bad Weird.