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"I've been painting for 10 years and right now I feel like I'm starting all over again with a whole new set of materials, problems, and challenges," says Casey Baugh. "I feel like this is what I should have been doing from the beginning."
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| Casey Baugh Illumination 12 X 16 in. |
"Static," a new solo exhibition from the talented Casey Baugh, opens today at Arcadia Contemporary in SoHo. Though Baugh is young, he is well-known, having emerged on the art scene as a teen more than a decade ago. This show, however, his first with Arcadia, is a departure for the young artist, as he explores his subjects with a new and personal, visual vocabulary.
After recently moving to New York City, Baugh decided to do some soul-searching, and began to re-evaluate the work he was doing. He looked back upon another of his childhood dreams, that of becoming an electrical engineer, to find new inspiration. In a combination of his fascination with the accouterments of that profession - the wires, lights, chords, video displays, etc. - and society's obsession with technology and media, Baugh was able to find a motif that was both challenging and topical.
"I want these paintings to say something, comment on the world we are living in," says Baugh. "It's easy to get trapped and engulfed in all of this (the obsession with technology and social media). Sometimes it is bad, sometimes good . . . sometimes it enlightens us while other times it bogs us down."¹
This show, more than any thus far held at the gallery since its re-opening as Arcadia Contemporary, seems to exemplify the new direction owner Steve Diamant sees his artists heading; producing paintings which display the technical virtuosity of a century ago, while, in terms of ideas and images, still remain firmly planted in the modern world.
"Static" debuts today, November 21st, with an open reception from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. The show runs through December 6th.
Arcadia Contemporary is located at 51 Greene Street, between Grand and Broome Streets. It is open from 10am to 6pm Monday through Friday, and from 11am until 6pm weekends. For more information, please visit Arcadia's website.
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| Displacement 12 X 18 in. |
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| Wrapped 12 X 9 in. |
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| Cold 18 X 12 in. |
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| Remnants 24 X 16 in. |
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| Ammonoid 24 X 24 in. |
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| Study for Ammonoid 11 X 11 in. (?) |
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| Tubes 12 X 9 in. |
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| Assimilation 16 X 12 |
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| Wired 12 X 9 in. |
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| Study for Proselytization 18 X 12 in. |
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| Proselytization 18 X 12 in. |
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| Static 30 X 46 in. |
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| Control 21 X 44 in. |
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| Videodrone 48 X 54 in. |
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| Lost in Light 44 X 34 in. |
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| Engulfed 12 X 12 in. |
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| Glow 24 X 24 in. |