Art Whino

First off, let's assume that Pop-Surrealism is both semi-definable and prolific.  It is the academic title given to Low-Brow art, a genre loosely defined in 1979.  Since its inception, 30 years ago now, the production and reputation of Low Brow art has increased significantly.  At some point it adopted the new title and perhaps with it, new artists.  Whether these two titles, Pop-Surrealism and Low-Brow Art, remain synonymous is debatable.  The fact there can exist a debate about its title only further proves that this movement exists.  What's more, the movement is neither over nor fully discussed.  This is why I'm glad Art Whino's voice is as big as it is.  Lades and Gentlemen, I present to you ART WHINO.

Over two hundred artists are officially attached to this gallery.  There exist times when almost all of their work is being shown.  Though not all local, a significant amount the artists there are.  The location, the newly constructed National Harbor, is not yet a local's hang-out.  While there are residencies in the works over yonder, DCers still have to go there for a reason.  Art Whino is one such reason.

Now for tourists, the opposite is true.  Art Whino is not there point of destination, but one of the first things they look at.  The hotels over there are fully operational.  Conferences held there are bringing in droves of people.   These people are immediately introduced to an art gallery that is both showing local artists and focusing on a current movement in art.  The results?  Local DC is being publicized as a participator in a national art scene, local artists are being introduced to a larger group of patrons, and tourists are walking away remembering DC as having local galleries not just national museums. 

The location is not without its risks.  The first risk is that Art Whino will be too off the beaten path to receive attention.  Conversely if they draw too much attention to their new location, they will draw attention away from the DC center.  Expanding DC art to reach these areas should be the ideal, not replacing it.  It is for this reason that I'm glad Art Whino views themselves as more than a gallery.  They consider themselves a movement.  Their movement has been integrated into the city quite well, facilitated often times by Art Whino's own hand.  There has been collaboration between Art Whino and other DC groups Artomatic, Dekka, and Sneaker Suite.  Artists attached to the movement are not limited to the gallery itself.  In other words, Shane Pomajambo, owner of Art Whino, has already thought about the risks and taken the necessary steps to remain a DC gallery.  He's a busy man, let me tell you.

I met up with Susannah Parnin, a woman who served as Art Whino's Gallery Director until just recently.  She's still a Whino, the nickname assigned to attached members, but will be relinquishing her duties and role back to Shane so that she can focus on her own art.  Here are some parts of the conversation between she and I discussing Art Whino's role as DC's loudest voice in the pop-surrealism market.

Chris:  DC has been labeled a conservative town in terms of artwork.  Have you found the city to be so?

Susannah:  It's funny, because when Art Whino first opened its doors we were hearing the same thing.  We've found just the opposite to be true.  People have been wanting this type of art, almost as if they have been waiting for a gallery like this, with art that challenges the norm, that is relevant today.

  We have gotten a tremendous response, and that positive feedback is still growing.  Of course, there are all different types of people with their own tastes in this world, and this movement is not for everyone.  What we find is that even the clientele that doesn't necessarily buy this work, still enjoys the fresh new works we're bringing to the area.  It's been overwhelmingly well accepted.

C:  Do you find that your clientele varies or is there a small, cult-like following?  What's changed with time?

S:  Our clientele is very broad.  The most interesting variation in my opinion is that we cross all age boundaries . The work appeals to everyone.  We have virtually erased that white wall intimidation factor that comes with some other places, and because of that we are able to bring this art to a very wide audience.

C:  Do you think that your gallery has had more success being at the fairly upscale National Harbor as opposed to being say on 14th Street?

S:  We love the Harbor.  It's beautiful, it's full of people, and it's new.  These things make a perfect setting for what we're trying to do.  Art Whino is more than a gallery, we're a movement.  I think we would have this success anywhere in DC or beyond.

C:  In your opinion does the resistance to low-brow art still exist?  Why?

S:  I personally think people have a tendency to resist what they are unaware of.  Low-Brow, Urban Contemporary, Pop-Surrealism, whatever you want to call it, is really just now making its way into academia.  This type of art work is being collected worldwide -- it is in extremely high demand.  Until there is more scholarly writing about it, it's going to meet some resistance on the traditionalist front.

  These things are what make it exciting:  it's on the forefront of the art world.  It's what is happening right now.  It is truly the next big historical movement, and where right in the middle of it.

  This style and shift in aesthetic has been happening for 20 years, over on the West Coast and in New York.  [It is] relatively young for an art movement.  I find that the majority of the people who walk into the gallery are excited to see it making its way here into DC.

C:  Is Art Whino strictly a pop-surrealist gallery?

S:  For the most part we show pop-surrealist art, but we are a bit broader.  Since our artists are from all around the world, often the cultural flavor to the pieces really stand out as slightly different from the normal pop-surrealism.

  Everything certainly has that edge, that sort of attitude to it that you find in the movement, but the Whino's show anything from photography to graffiti inspired [art].  There is a pretty large rand of styles here.

C:  Who among your artists should not be thought of as pop-surrealist?

S:  We have a few artists that are a bit more abstract.  As I mentioned previously, they still have that flavor to them.  It's hard to define with such a new and fast growing movement.

C:  Do you think the genre has been completely defined?  Which direction is it moving?

S:  No, I don't think so at all.  I think the genre is just getting going.  The forefathers of Lowbrow are still young and still producing works.  The movement is absolutely growing.  It is just now infiltrating school, it is just spreading outside of the traditional art hubs, and it is still taking shape.  A lot of the artists we represent are emerging, and will really be the ones shaping where it will go.

C:  What have you seen change since your inception?  Has the artwork evolved?  Have people's impression of this type of art?

S:  Whether it has evolved, I don't really know.  It certainly has made an impression on DC.  I cannot even tell you how many people walk in and say, 'Wow, I've never seen this sort of gallery before.'  That, coupled with our location in the National Harbor, where a large number of people are visitors to the area, is really putting pop-surrealism out there for a whole new audience.  So evolving I'm not sure about; growing, absolutely.

You can see Art Whino's growth, and the National Harbor's for that matter, seven days a week.  Most days they're open late.  You can check them out online at www.artwhino.com.