Lilliput: Tiny Art for Big People

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lilliput: Tiny Art for Big People
June 8th – July 23rd 2009
Sneak Preview: Sunday June 7th 11 – 4:30pm
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 11th 5 – 9pm
_______

“Lilliput” a group exhibition curated by Asha Ganpat and Jeanne Brasile will be on view at The Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University from June 8 through July 23, 2009. “Lilliput” includes artwork in all media that is no larger than 1.5 inches in any direction. Visitors to the gallery will be provided with a magnifying glass to view details of the artwork that would be otherwise invisible to the naked eye. The show promotes active looking and presents the artistic niche of “micro-art.” Artists working in this genre enlist the aid of such tools as microscopes, lenses and magnifying glasses (among other tools) during the creative process producing detailed imagery, which in turn, requires the use of magnifying aids to view it.

When asked how they arrived at the concept for the exhibition, Ganpat and Brasile remarked that when curating it the first time around in 2007 at Newark’s Red Saw Art, they noticed that “during that time, the art market predicted the current economic downturn and in anticipation began producing a plethora of small works shows to meet the dwindling finances of art collectors. We responded to the trend by creating a show of absurdly small art and in the process discovered the genre of micro-art. It’s a fascinating phenomenon.”

Over 40 artists are participating in the show, confirming the popularity of artists working in small formats. A full-color catalogue will be available at the gallery. The Walsh Gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday 10:30am to 4:30pm.