Literally translating to “household of three” New Image Art’s latest exhibition “Ménage à trois” showcases the works of Steve Olson, Susanne Melanie Berry, and CR Stecyk III; three long-time comrades showing large-scale works, photographs and posters. Via underlying sexual innuendos this new show traverses the phenomenon of how the socio-cultural aspects of sex both influences and is derived from social norms, including the effects of political process and the mass media. Olson’s bold imagery, layered textures, and deconstructed materials lend a playful dynamic between art and language while simultaneously critiquing contemporary society and our relationship with it. These processes are also reflected in CR Stecyk’s showcard ad-style images which he typically installs on random telephone poles and abandoned buildings. In response to their sexual referencing Susanne Melanie Berry presents a delicate photo series of women’s under garments as still-life’s. Using a Polaroid Land Camera and pull apart film, she creates one-off photographic documents that reveal the workings of an intimate relationship between the undergarments owner and the viewer as participating voyeur.
