By: Malcolm D. Anderson

The Robin Rice Gallery is happy to present the annual Summertime Salon, an exhibition of photographic works from artists both familiar with the gallery scene and those just taking their first steps. This year’s Salon is a delicate assembly of fifty-three artists -- a mosaic curated by Rice herself which creates an atmosphere of community the show has come to embody. The photographs maxing out the gallery's long walls craft a fluid narrative with each piece empowered to speak louder by the company they keep.

For the invitational image, Rice selected Surf Club by Silvia Lareo-Vazquez. The photograph is black and white and depicts an elegant woman reclining with a drink and a magazine in the shallow end of a pool, clad in a vintage bathing suit, sunglasses and a white-ruffled hat. The image catches the woman's profile, her posture barren of any urgency, her near-black drink flirting with the dead center of the frame.

Kristen Hatgi, "Blue Butterfly Lashes," Pigment Print , 2015 — Kristen Hatgi, "Blue Butterfly Lashes," Pigment Print , 2015

The entire exhibition spawns forth from this cinematic scene of nostalgia, evoking every kind of summer sentiment. In one photograph, Stewart Ferebee presents a black and white of a beautiful young woman matching the gaze of the lens, hair damp from the heat, staring through the glass of an open car door. The guileful stare of a pretty youth resonates the rugged adventure and opportunity for exploration so quietly characteristic of summer. Steve Miller contrasts the more obvious summer themes with an X-ray of a pair of stilettos posed as if on display. The dense support in the arch and heel of the shoes are strikingly white and uncomfortable, as is the unsettling number of nails holding the footwear together at the seams. Miller’s image echoes the wear and tear woven into the hustle of summer, highlighting the cost of appearance and what lies just beneath the surface.

With something for everyone, the Robin Rice Gallery will feature the Summertime Salon through September 11th, 2016. The gallery resides at 325 W. 11th Street, New York, NY and remains open from 12-7 PM, Wednesday through Sunday.

Nenad Amodaj, "Hoop and Ball," Gelatin Silver Print, 2010 — Nenad Amodaj, "Hoop and Ball," Gelatin Silver Print, 2010

Participating Artists:

Ted Adams, Thomas Alleman, Dorothee Brand, Todd Burris, Roger Camp, Lynda Churilla, Lance W Clayton, Paul Dagys, John Dolan, Richie Fahey, Chris Fan, Stewart Ferebee, Mindaugas Gabrenas, Barbara Gentile, Isabella Ginanneschi, Gladys, Victoria Goldman, Ron Hamad, Kristen Hatgi, Patricia Heal, Benjamin Heller, Melissa Incampo, H. Nazan Isik, Pete Kelly, Haik Kocharian, Tanya Malott, Everett McCourt, Patricia McDonough, Micheal McLaughlin, Steve Miller, RJ Muna, Rosanne Olson, Brian Pearson, Bill Phelps, Jose Picayo, Lauren Pisano, Amy Postle, Kim Reierson, Robin Rice, Kevin Ryan, Laurence Salzmann, Nenad Samuilo Amodaj, David Saxe, Gesi Schilling, Zack Seckler, Keith Sharp, Mark Sink, Gordon Stettinius, Kathryn Szoka, Silvia Lareo-Vasquez, Tina West, Harriet Zucker

For more information, see: http://www.robinricegallery.com/currentexhibition/index_three.shtml