Three artists merge works in Plus Gallery's anniversary show

By Susan Froyd Thu., Jul. 26 2012 at 6:52 AM

Categories: Art

"Merge" opens Friday at Plus Gallery.

Plus Gallery's Ivar Zeile was all ready to take a break in August, but instead, chance brought together a special end-of-summer show at Plus. Merge is something of an anomaly for the gallery: an exhibition of small, affordable works by three very different emerging artists -- New Zealander Shannon Novak and Denver artists Matt O'Neill and Eric Shumake.

Eric Shumake, "Charnival: The Price of Admission."

"Each had a massive output of small works in a particular series. That was it," Zeile says. "And it all merged together well." He means that literally -- originally conceived as a salon-style show with each artist's work displayed on a single wall, Merge ended up as more of a melange of pieces intermingled on the walls. "Now they really do merge together -- I hung them in a way that lines even intersect," he explains.

Matt O'Neill, "South America Series No. 6."

Because the opening -- tomorrow night from 7 to 10 p.m. -- happens to fall on the gallery's eleventh anniversary date, Zeile decided to also celebrate Plus's longevity, so it's going to be a full weekend: On Saturday, musicians Janet Feder and Susan Alcorn will perform at 8 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m., Zeile will be part of a "Tastemakers On Taste" panel as part of the Denver Film Society's Colorado Cinema Salon series (visit the DFS online for details).

Merge continues at Plus Gallery through August 17; go to the Plus Gallery website for information.

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