Monday, March 28, 2011

Single Fare

This weekend ended the Single Fare 2 show on the Lower East Side, an exhibit of some 1,300 artworks all presented on Metrocards.



The show started last year in a Brooklyn studio and has since expanded. Says the Single Fare blog, "Inspired by the notion that the city’s subways and buses allow for a kind of creative interchange unmatched in human history, 'Single Fare' sought to create a unique art event where art and artists could come together to form a monumental event made from a tiny, innocuous piece of plastic: The MetroCard!"



It's gimmicky, sure, but the sheer diversity of art here is impressive, and it's wonderful to be able to take in so much art in a single dose. If you don't like something, move over an inch or two. You're bound to find something.

And many of the works are incredibly painterly, in a time when we just don't see painterly paintings anymore.



It's also a startlingly democratic show--every entry they received was exhibited--and each tiny 2 x 3-inch work of art was priced at $100. Pretty affordable when it comes to art collecting.



If you missed the show, there will be another next year--hopefully. And if you're an artist and want to submit, click here and stay tuned.

4 comments:

Melanie said...

Looks really good.

kateoverseas said...

This reminds me a lot of Artist Trading Cards...they're even almost the same size. Of course, these are sold, not traded, which is a big part of ATCs, but I still wish I could have been there, even if only for inspiration!

Anonymous said...

This show looks fascinating! Will they publish a catalog or book showing the various works? Hope so!

Please give this show more coverage.

Marty Wombacher said...

I'm sorry I missed this, I hope there's one next year, I'll definitely go. I love miniature art.