She Sells Seashells By The Seashore

Eric Firestone Gallery is pleased to announce She Sells Seashells By The Seashore, a group exhibition that brings the beach to the gallery. The Hamptons has long served as a meeting ground for bohemian spirits and the well-heeled, alike. It is a natural respite, as well as a chic outpost of the nearby city. What draws us to this coastal stretch year after year is the beach. On our shared sands, the Hamptons is not just a destination: it is a community bound together by a state of mind. Something in the ocean breeze rids us of our winter pretenses and clothing. An energy is absorbed from the sun and stars, pools and popsicles, seafood and S’mores. Summer strips us down to our bare essentials and brings us back to the basics.

Through various means, each artist in the exhibition emphasizes symbols of Summer. FriendsWithYou’s sculpture, Raisin Bran Sun, depicts Kellogg’s familiar mascot, Sunny, an icon of the brand introduced in 1966. Since then, Sunny has undergone major cosmetic alterations. Today, Kellogg’s still portrays the smiling sun scooping mounds of raisins into every box. For She Sells…, the Los Angeles-based collective re-imagines the American icon away from commodification and towards the original subject: a smiling sun. James Ulmer too, shows pared down symbols of Summer, using punchy primary colors to depict scenes at a beach. In Ulmer’s painting, his cartoon-like characters coexist on a flattened plane, mirroring the experience of going to the beach on a crowded day.

Moreover, the exhibition presents the convergence of technology and nature. Eric Yahnker approach- es this with humor in Selfie Preservation, commenting on a generation’s obsession with smart tech- nology. An outstretched hand, reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, emerges from rough waves, clutching an iPhone, tilted at the perfect angle for a selfie. She Sells… is about enjoying aes- thetics and appreciating artists’ intentions–yet, it is not about taking oneself seriously. So, succumb to that inner child who builds sandcastles at the beach and watches them as they wash away with the tide. We’ll cushion the floor with sand, and you won’t need a beach pass to enjoy the view.