Fresh Meat 2008

This afternoon I dropped by SICA to see the 5th annual edition of their Fresh Meat exhibition- a show of art from newly minted MFA graduates from New Jersey schools. A smaller group than usual- only 10 students from Mason Gross/Rutgers and (one of my alma maters) Montclair State. I was told that the other schools had no graduates this year. In general, not the best one of these shows I've ever seen. No prints, which didn't surprise me. Mostly painting, and almost all of that abstractions and biomorphic blobs. Obviously, I'm a guy who likes some content in art. I did like the large painting by John Schiro (bottom photo), more for the color combination than the composition. My favorite exhibit was the series of photographs by Anne Percoco (top photo), which showed forgotten "junk" spaces, slightly off the beaten path locations where society's detritus gathers. This is an interest of mine as well, something I experience every time I ride the train to NYC- the tracks often rest in narrow bands of hidden space, even in the most densely built up towns. Train passengers get to see pieces of landscape (both natural and industrial) that aren't visible to the rest of the world.