"Big Picture" catches a glimpse of a generation of artists

"Big Picture" at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art offers unique viewpoints and historical references from a contemporary generation of New York City artists. Although the paintings are not similar in style, they read as one cohesive collection with many personal experiences. I caught a number of hints to popular artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. The show was curated by two artists, Tom Sanford and Ryan Schneider, who also have works on display. As a group, what struck me most was the use of color, and lots of it.

Tom Sanford's "Wall Street," noting the 2008 financial meltdown enters with a bang. Sanford presents a man on a steaming bull percolating through a mass of economic sludge. Kamrooz Aram's, blue "Untitled" is reminiscent of Ross Bleckner's whimsical chandelier paintings. It seems to picture a wind blown woman walking through the stars, possibly to the near future. Jeremy Willis' dreamlike "Curtains" melts with a shiny rainbow of body parts, sampling Salvador Dalí and other Surrealists. "Defeater" by Eddie Martinez, takes a Philip Guston cartoon-like tone as a man lies under the weight of his words. Wes Lang's tryptich, "Dare Me to Jump and I Will," screams Jean-Michele Basquiat, sculls and all. Although Lang's lines, images and messages seem less jagged and more sexy than Basquiat's ever did.

Daniel Hiedkamp's simple, but deadly, "Cold Coordinate" burned a place in my memory, just as the exhibit press release promised the works would. This painting depicts inside the cockpit of a plane that is about to hit the World Trade Center. Emily Noelle Lambert's "Fuel," is a layered dreamscape, with delectable nooks and crannies. And Ryan Schneider's "When I go Missing," sneaks a peek at a woman relaxing in her tub. The woman dares the viewer not to join in her peaceful solitude as she enjoys a bath.

The "Big Picture" runs until August 6 and then returns from September 7 - 11 at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art, 547 West 27th Street.