Juxtapoz Projects is proud to present Photos of the Met, a group exhibition of photography from emerging artists based in New York City and New Jersey. Curated by local artist and DJ, Guy Weltchek, the exhibition is an exploration into the DIY underground music scene in the New York Metropolitan area from 2008 - 2019. Organized as a loose retrospective of the past ten years, these photos capture a variety of performances and parties ranging from Jersey club warehouse nights - to hardcore punk gigs in Bushwick - to the intimate homes and studios of artists and musicians. Each work encapsulates a shared spirit of innovation and intention to create a community outside of the normal economic and stylistic parameters of traditional New York City nightlife and art. The show's title, Photos of The Met, references The Metropolitan, a loft venue space, and gallery in downtown Newark. The space is featured in some of the photos and stands as a representative example for any of the artist-run spaces that form the backdrop to many of the works in the show and the lives of those depicted.
The show documents a multifaceted underground culture which includes musicians, dancers, designers, DJs, bands, illustrators, graffiti writers and painters. The artist in the show tap into a uniquely New York City tradition, stretching back at least to the 1970’s Hip Hop and Punk movements, in which individual artists are not defined by a single medium or style, but instead act as dynamic parts of a sprawling network of creative individuals working to forming a culture that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Photos of the Met acts as a window into a dynamic world that is constantly moving, changing and pushing forward every aspect of street culture in New York and far beyond. We invite visitors to enjoy the work on display and perhaps envision how they themselves can further participate in this forward-thinking cultural movement.
Participating artists include Richard Ross, Ben Trogdon, Nancy Musinguzi, Alik Stalley, Abib Ascencio, King Sheep, Adrian Miles, Ngu Asongwed, Henny Harmon, Jahnia Holterhoff, Pre459 and Wave Gotti.
About the Curator:
Guy Weltchek is an artist and curator based in New York City and has been organizing art shows, events and parties in the DIY scene in New York and New Jersey for more than a decade. He has presented programming and shown work at MoMA P.S.1, Newark Museum, Clocktower Gallery and La Mama Experimental Theater as well as many other independent gallery spaces and clubs. Between 2011-2013 he founded and ran The Metropolitan gallery and venue space out of a warehouse loft in downtown Newark, NJ. As a curator, he strives to create inclusive spaces for artists from a variety of disciplines to present their work.
