Sidewalks

Artist: Michael Mut
Sept 5 to Oct 21, 2012
Opening Reception: Sept 13, 6 - 8:00 PM

The centerpiece of this ambitious yet utterly heartfelt show is a single monumental canvas that the artist, Michael Mut, created in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Measuring an astounding 145 feet, the canvas takes its literal dimensions from the sidewalk of the West Village block where the artist then lived (Waverly Place between 10th and Christopher Sts). On a purely physical level, SideWalks is evidence of NYCity's ability to endure. Its inspiration, however, is highly personal and cathartic. Employing a bright palette of watercolors on raw canvas (covered, later, with a clear polymer) Mut set about emblazoning the canvas, one 18-foot section at a time over the course of five months, with messages he himself needed and wanted to hear -- "Stop the Lies"/"Compassion"/"I Love Me NYC"/"No Lies" -- along with numerous spills and spatters. The piece's message is direct, appealing. At the same time, an art-going audience will recognize its reference to similar works of the FLUXUS era -- in particular Lennon and Ono's 'War is Over' billboards created during the Vietnam War in 1969. Says Mut, "I really admire John Lennon. He was often quoted as saying simple things; to me it's the simple things that make the most sense."

Mut's gallery is a scant 26' x 10' and "SideWalks" will quite literally fill it in a stunning 360-degree installation. Viewers will be encouraged to walk on and through the piece's tunnel-like configuration. On the night of September 13, visitors will be given chalk and encouraged to emblazon the sidewalk outside the gallery in an interactive graffiti piece. It's Mut's intention to make the anniversary of the 9 / 11 tragedy this year a memorable and positive experience. Writes the artist:

The apartment on Waverly Place where I lived on September 11th had windows on both sides -- it was the top floor and I could see the Twin Towers. I was in bed when the first plane hit and my friend called. She said 'you've got to get out of the City' and I said 'I'm not going anywhere.' I ran up to the roof and watched the second tower fall. My entire life after that became surreal. I felt numb and utterly isolated. At some point I went outside and started writing 'be my friend,' and 'love me' on the sidewalks. By October I started making canvases like this one. When all is said and done, I've never been an artist who's been stopped from making art [by sadness]. For me the disaster meant: start creating.

About the artist: Mut has been a practicing visual artist since 1993, making works that are (contrary to the current artmarket zeitgeist) hopeful, heartfelt, and ambitious. A largely self-taught practitioner, Mut's output resembles the best naif qualities of masters past -- Picasso and Klee in particular -- recast for our time. Mut's most well-known work is the 'Love Yourself' Project, a message-powered, concept-forward art movement whose participants now number in the thousands. (You can be one, too.). An entrepreneur and gallerist, Mut runs the Michael Mut Project Space in Manhattan's East Village where he shows the work of under-represented photographers and painters.

Michael Mut Project Space, what may well be Manhattan's coziest exhibition space, has its small dimensions well utilized as a platform for the contemplation of current events. It is located at 97 Ave C between 6th and 7th Sts in the East Village/L.E.S. and is open Wed–Fri 2–6PM, Sat noon–6PM, as well as by appointment. It can be reached via public transportation at numerous subway stations -- F,V to Second Ave; L to First Ave; 6 to Astor Place; N, R to 8th St/NYU; J, M, Z to Essex -- as well as via the M9 Bus.

Written by: Sarah Schmerler

Don't forget to love yourself!