The Diesel Lounge on Upper State Street is launching a series of monthly pop-up exhibitions that will be showcasing works from “The Other Side.”
However, seance-seekers and Madame Blavatsky aficionados, despair in advance. For there will likely be no spirits, ghosts, or zombies mingling among the lounge lizards.
Allan Appel Photo
Diesel Lounge.
Even though the curator of “The Other Side” is Gordon Skinner, an artist whose most recent appearance on the New Haven art scene was his in-your-face “cop pig” sculpture from last year’s City Wide Open Studios, there appears to be nothing in-your-face or apocalyptic about this “Other Side.”
For the first time in his career, Skinner is donning a curator’s hat so that he can bring attention to area artists who earn their living from other pursuits and may not get the attention — or enough of the attention — they deserve for their art.
That’s the other side Skinner wants to show at the new monthly feature at the Diesel Lounge, debuting this Friday, Aug. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the 944 State St. watering hole.
The work on display at this inaugural pop up will be that of Dooley‑O, Jahmane Artz, and Murph.
Like many artists today and throughout the centuries, all three have other gigs to keep bread on the table and paint on the canvas.
Dooley‑O is a well-known graffiti artist and muralist in New Haven whose work includes facades at the Edgewood Park Pavilion, the I‑91 Underpass at Humphrey Street, and a number of public school buildings. He and Artz also work as DJs, and at even other, well, more traditional trades.
Dooley‑O is known to a lot of folks not only as a graffiti artist but also as a barber in Westville. Artz designs skateboards and, more recently, a line of clothing.
“Murph” turns out to be aka the bartender at Diesel Lounge whom Skinner described as also a fine artist. His portraits will be on display as well.
“I was inspired by artists who have other things they do outside of art,” Skinner said.
Skinner in fact comes to the gig as curator because among his jobs on the other side is as a maker/organizer/choreographer of successful events. Those include a series of day parties in town as well as, back in March, a birthday party that Skinner did at the Diesel Lounge.
He impressed the lounge’s owner, Martin Riggione, who hired Skinner to curate shows that bring in more and new customers. The bar plans to share some of the proceeds of sales with the nearby East Street Arts/Marrakech, Inc, which provides services for kids and adults with disabilities.
Skinner said he didn’t want to provide images of the specific works that Dooley‑O, Artz, and Murph will show because he wants the event to be as complete a surprise as possible.
He did give a few hints: Expect pieces on canvas both in oil and spray paint from Artz and Dooley‑O, and fairly traditional portraits from Murph, who works in oil, not spray paint, and whose subjects are people in his life — though not necessarily the folks he meets on the other side of the bar.
“When you come in, there will be a pop up shop, a rack with clothing, skateboard decks, and paintings,” Skinner said referring to the range of work that Artz will be offering. Artz calls the clothing line Kultjah Dezigns. “He screen prints the clothing himself,” Skinner added.
“It’s functional, but it’s all still art. I want to open up the general public to a broader perception of art than a painting on a wall,” Skinner said.
Skinner is not including any of his own work in the show; yet he sees the new vocation as part of his own creative process. “I just felt the need to pay more attention artists I like and respect. I don’t view it as a minus to curate. I’m inspired by these artists,” he added.
