Marc Dennis Featured at Flag Art Foundation's 5th Anniversary Group Exhibition

NEW YORK, NY - In celebration of its 5th Anniversary, the Manhattan-based Flag Art Foundation hosted a Group Exhibition on the 9th floor of their exhibition space, featuring fifteen emerging and established artists, namely Cecily Brown, Marc Dennis, Ellen Gallagher, Jane Hammond, Nir Hod, Jim Hodges, Wayne Lawrence, Josephine Meckseper, Julie Mehretu, Chris Ofili, Ged Quinn, Charles Ray, Gerhard Richter, Jeff Sonhouse and Mathew Weir. In addition, FLAG organized a number of salon events as a thank you to the foundation's supporters and to welcome new visitors.

The Flag Art Foundation, located on the 9th and 10th floors of the Chelsea Arts Towers in the heart of New York's art district, opened its doors to the public in 2008. Since then it has organized more than 30 contemporary art exhibitions, including four to six professionally curated shows per year, which showcase works by upcoming and established artist from New York and around the world. Flag has no permanent collection, but rather operates in the spirit of a Kunsthalle, putting an emphasis on artistic education, which results in an open and unintimidating atmosphere that invites viewers to linger, contemplate or ask questions. FLAG Director, Stephanie Roach, is happy to guide visitors through the two floors and provide them with background information about the artworks and their creators.

One painting that stood out at the Anniversary Group Exhibition thanks to its lifelike and at the same time larger-than-life appearance was Marc Dennis' "The Mythology of the Readymade," 2013, oil on linen, 58 x 72 inches, which depicts a humongous bouquet in yellow, orange and pink pastels, which appears to be somewhat of a sculptural wall relief, on the one side, and a black gentleman, appearing much like a museum guard, formally dressed in suit and tie, who faces away from the flowers, on the other side. The viewer is left wondering what the relationship between the two is, such as, is the floral object an artwork, does it depict an interior of a public or private space, is the man truly a guard, or perhaps a private collector? But even without overthinking the deeper meaning behind the painting, one cannot help but marvel at Dennis' technique that is so true to every little detail that the image projects a three dimensionality that one would indeed see with an actual sculptural motif.

Marc Dennis is known for his hyperrealistic paintings, a very detailed style and technique that Dennis has become famous for. The title of his previous New York City exhibition, "An Artist, A Curator and a Rabbi Walk Into A Bar" explained Dennis, is a meta joke, a joke that goes on and on, prompting our natural curiosities by opening up an endless narrative, leaving it up to the listener or in the case of an exhibition to the viewer to fill in the blanks. Dennis, who is represented by Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, works from his studio in Brooklyn. His paintings are in numerous private and public collections throughout the world. In addition to being a professional artist, he is also a full-time tenured professor at Elmira College where he teaches painting and drawing.

Marc Dennis website: http://www.marcdennis.com

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