The Curators Room is proud to announce Needles in the Hay, a group show curated by Sasha Bogojev. One of the things we!ve become more aware of in the past two years of the global pandemic is the unforgiving power of odds. No matter how small and insignificant a certain probability might be, recent times taught us that its mere existence is predestined to make an impact on the elements connected to it. And it!s this concept of chances and the related idea of risk and hope, as well as the general sense of liability, that prompted Sasha Bogojev to put together an exhibition where numbers work to our advantage.

As much as social media, namely Instagram, might have contributed to the democratization of the art world and have provided a historically unseen platform to creatives to introduce their work, the abundance of content makes this experience increasingly harder. With the growing interference and influence of both genuine and wannabe art advisors, collectors, curators, galleries, foundations, or institutions, the haystack we!re working through is becoming exponentially more convoluted and deceiving. And while this situation can be difficult for art aficionados and collectors, it can certainly turn frustrating for the artists themselves.

Overlooked by the almighty tastemakers or generally misrepresented, they are still out there, in the shadow of the mesmerizing spotlight of art trends, making the work that deserves more attention than it might be currently getting. And with this show, Sasha Bogojev and Gabriel Rolt from Amsterdam!s The Curators Room are doing their part to make the difference, find these gems hidden in plain sight and present their works in a large two-floor, multi-room space in the historic center of Amsterdam.

With an extensive overview of numerous studio practices and the positioning of people working there, Juxtapoz magazine!s contributing editor eye-picked a selection of international artists whose works deserve their own time in the spotlight. Whether looking at the general concepts of their practice, the particularities of their process, or their ways of handling and utilizing the chosen techniques or mediums, Needles in the Hay are having an important role in the ongoing development and conversation about figurative art, and especially painting. Frequently focusing on the atmosphere suggested by chosen colors and the sense of dynamics or movement conveyed through the often fluid yet determined paint manipulation, the work is having its footing in historic timeline with references to Surrealism, Cubism, Fauvism, Surrealism, as well as outsiders art, illustration, and abstraction. Hailing from all over the world, from New Zealand, over Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, to the USA, and across Europe and the UK, the exhibition is meant to provide a focused digest of exciting practices taking place at (mostly painters!) studios at the present time.

The exhibition will be including a selection of works by Grgur Akrap, Zac Yeates, Anna Jung Seo, Chiaki Kadota, Donglai Meng, Joseph Noderer, Joseba Eskubi, Erkut Terliksiz, Stijn Bastianen, Harry Rothel, Adam Štech, Andrea Medjesi-Jones, Yonel Watene, and Frank Jimin Hopp.