Flesh, Fur, and Fuselage / July 10 6pm at 323East.

Featuring Brian Stuhr, Mark Sarmel, Marc Tice & Ryan Lee

323East loves the title for its July 10 show, but the gallery is resigned to the idea that at least one protester may show up.

Flesh, Fur, and Fuselage just invites that sort of thinking - and (perhaps) a measure of misunderstanding.

But for the record, the alliterative and charming title is neither as sanguine nor as controversial as it would lead you to believe. Four artists simply had to come up with something that neatly summed up their respective interests.


"Flesh" alludes to Brian Stuhr and Mark Sarmel's mutual fascination for pulchritude - sexy women with perfect lines, ideal curves, and just the right sort of ... smiles to excite inspiration and admiration. Stuhr is adding some "life aquatic" to the proceedings (and the canvases) with a select number of squid, octopi, and whales keeping company with the ladies. Sarmel is opting for a slightly different approach inspired by 70's pop culture and (especially) the cult film The Warriors.

"Fur" brings us Marc Tice and his eye for fauna. Co-founder of the Mati Group art collective, Tice is especially qualified to give powerful nuances to natural subjects; his dual use of computer graphics and traditional pen and ink echo the perfection found in sky, forest, and jungle.


And "Fuselage" is heavy metal without the music. Say hello to Ryan Lee, the "mad thinker with a hand that is constantly doodling", who fashioned a personal cyber-menagerie of robots, cyborgs, and super-heroes in accordance with blueprints found only in his head.


See? Nothing to worry about. The flesh is fresh, but not prurient; no animals were injured in the making of these paintings; and resistance is utterly futile.

It's going to be Fantastic!