Curator Brings Street Art Indoors To A Chelsea Gallery

CHELSEA, NY — A new art exhibition, dubbed "Blended," will bring a fusion of street art and pop art to a Chelsea art gallery starting Saturday.

The "Blended" exhibition at Amsterdam Whitney Gallery will hold an opening reception Saturday 3 to 5 p.m.

Denise Cummings, the curator, was inspired by the concept of fine art. Street art and pop art should be recognized in Chelsea art galleries because those works are fine art, she said.

"Street art isn't just a public works art," she said. "It belongs in the gallery. It belongs in a Chelsea gallery."

When she decided she wanted to curate a show brining street artist indoors, she asked the gallery owner, "What do you think about shaking up Chelsea with me?"

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She tapped artists including Hektad and Riiisa Boogie, who were among the artists who transformed the base 2 World Trade Center in the Financial District last summer.

Other artists include herself, Robert Mars, Biaggio, SFGrajales, Wilfredo Feliciano, Pitch Black, Rezones and Michele Allgood.

"For me, it's important for them to be recognized as not just street artists, but mainstream artists, not just pop artists, but fine artists," Cummings said.

Their works will be on display at the gallery, located at 531 West 25th St., through May 1, Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Some artists were used to their works being tens of feet tall and wide, Cummings said.

Scaling down their works to fit into a gallery proved challenging, but she hopes bringing street artists indoor gallery gives their works longevity.

Cummings' personal show "Le Dolce Vita" is also on display at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, where her works explore human sexuality and behavior through images of flowers. She'll be curating two additional shows, "Bee" June through August, and "Empower" September through November at the gallery later this year.