JARS NYC Takes Downtown NYC (To Talk About NYC)

JARS NYC certainly knows how to throw a party. Droves of Downtown NYC’s coolest kids descended on the collective’s show Foreword/Forward at Wallplay, packing the space to the brim to catch a glimpse at the artistic offerings of some seriously talented OC Fam: Rhamier Auguste, Galen Dekemper, Michael Elijah (who directed the video Sequence 12, now on display), and Joshua Michael Paulin. Their works span across all mediums and aesthetics—photography, video, painting, sculpture, you get the picture —but the overarching theme that unites these artists’ work is not only clear to the viewer, but the overall focus of Foreword/Forward itself: the give-and-take of being inspired by while also influencing the downtown New York City art scene.

This theme also spills over into the show’s corresponding pop up shop over at (blank), featuring shoppable fashions from yet another long list of familiar names: Alex Lee, Simon Chung, and James Evans. In an art world that tends to distance itself from the fashion world, JARS NYC’s pop up shop is a breath of fresh air. It’s a statement that the designers involved have just as much to say about the state of NYC’s downtown scene as those working in other mediums, and the platform created through this is certainly put to good use.

You walk away from Foreword/Forward knowing that the show was a labor of love from all involved. Says Alex Lee on the subject, “[As] far as I'm concerned this JARS NYC takeover is one massive cluster of friends supporting friends supporting friends of friends. I think that's how downtown NYC is and should be.” Friendship, support, and inclusion. The state of downtown NYC seems to be in good hands.


Watch an exclusive video directed by Michael Elijah from the Foreword/Forward show above

Foreword/Forward will be on view at Wallplay through March 14. The pop up show will be at (blank) through March 15.


Wallplay Sequence 12 directed by Michael Elijah