DUPLEX PRESENTS

MENAGERIE

03.16-24.2018

133 East 4th street

HOURS

Opening Reception: Friday, March 16, 6 - 8 pm

Closing Reception + Zine Readings: Saturday, March 24, 6 - 8 pm

SAT, MAR 17: 12 - 6 pm

SUN, MAR 18: 12 - 6 pm

MON, MAR 19: gallery open by appointment only

SUN, MAR 25: 12 - 6 pm

ABOUT

DUPLEX is pleased to present its sixth pop-up exhibition, Menagerie , a group show of emerging and established New York-based artists in a storefront office space in the East Village.

The exhibition is largely inspired by Dutch artist Anton Van Dalen, whose body of work chronicles a life spent living and working in the East Village from the early seventies to present day. Van Dalen's practice draws on his relationship to the neighborhood, as well as a deep engagement with the broader natural world. Since 1985, Van Dalen has maintained a pigeon coop on the roof of his brownstone on Avenue A. Van Dalen nurtures a complex bond with his birds; acknowledging that as much freedom as they are provided, they are ultimately guided by and tethered to his actions.

In Menagerie artists, including Van Dalen, himself, respond to and play with human tendencies to constrict, contain, and connect with nature. Through sculpture, photography, drawing, collage and video, artists capture and transform their environments in an effort to pursue new possibilities for self expression. On a cultural level, the show engages complex questions about self-identification and containment. How do we box in the identities, politics and sexuality of ourselves and others?

Objects from the office will remain throughout the duration of the show. While acting as means of display, the space's desks, chairs, and supplies also determine the artworks' borders. Artists include Sam Finkelstein, Ryan Michael Flores, Jackson Hallberg, Anthony Iacono, Margaret Parish, Jenny Sonenberg, Ellie Tomlinson, and Anton Van Dalen.

The closing reception will include a reading from DUPLE ZINE Vol IV.

Many thanks to El Triunfo for donating their space and for helping produce this exhibition.