After six weeks of Oregon Trail-style grueling, dysentery-ridden assbustin’, I’m pleased to finally present the first all-American steampunk, post-civ, and retrotech group gallery show, opening tonight in Seattle, WA at Suite 100. Custom chocolates will be provided by Naftali.
For those of you who cannot attend the event or would like to get a head-start on the art action, we’re preselling the show online. I expect most of the items will sell out quickly due to the caliber of artists involved and all the attention the show’s had, so if there’s something you really desire, please grab it up ASAP.
I am incredibly proud of the backbreaking work that the entire artist collective and crew put into this gig. While steampunk’s popularity generally emanates from its captivating and palatable visual aesthetic, I think the true reason why it has appealed to me so relentlessly is because of the meticulous, loving labor involved in creating its artifacts and culture. This has been difficult, and as David’s shadowbox states, “This won’t go on forever”, ‘this’ being a lot of things. But the notion of impermanence, something I feel acutely, clashes with steampunk’s ability to be perpetually outside time. Thus we press on, we work hard, and we hope together for a better future filtered through the triumphs and shortcomings of an altered past.
I could not have managed this endeavor without the assistance and reassurance of the twelve other artists involved, my co-curator Molly Friedrich, and even more so, the folks who stepped up to load in, run errands, produce group meals, and soothe stressful moments out of stalwart friendship alone. This is anarchism at work. An epic thank-you to Willow Bl00 for taking time off of her day job to hang the show, delivering tequila, and being a rock. I owe you one.
Thank you to everyone, and see you at the gallery opening tonight!
