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Artbreak Gallery 195 Grand St. 2nd Floor Williamsburg Brooklyn 11211 Opening Celebration: June 7th, 2008

UNDERGROUND/OVERGROUND Artbreak Gallery 195 Grand St. 2nd Floor Williamsburg Brooklyn 11211 Opening Celebration: June 7th, 2008
Press Release: UNDERGROUND/OVERGROUND, a group exhibition featuring the works of CERN, Billi Kid, Elisha Cook Jr., and James and Karla Murray, represents the very essence of what was once underground is now overground.  New York City graffiti and street art, historically regarded as part of an underground subculture, have now gained acceptance and have become legitimate art movements themselves.  Even  places where graffiti and street artists typically painted or installed their work has moved from the subway trains, tunnels, and inside abandoned buildings to the streets and into galleries and museums. Graffiti art, in particular, which is often viewed by the public as an eyesore and an act of vandalism, typically does not last on the streets.  The work is exposed to the elements, simply removed or painted over by the public, and plastered over with images from competing artists.  The photograph remains the most important record of these artists’ work and in this exhibit it has now also turned into a giant “canvas” and environment for the graffiti and street artists to work on.  From the combination of these various media, an exciting and powerful collage emerges.
In the art world, boundaries are continually tested and pushed to the limits and where once a subversive and outlaw image prevailed and censorship and disapproval was the norm, renegade art forms are now part of advertisements, music videos and corporate branding.  With this exhibition, the artists and photographers hope to inspire the search for new forms of expression and bring the message that in order to go overground, you have to first be underground.

Opening JUNE 7th 2008 Artbreak Gallery 195 Grand Street Williamsburg Brooklyn