Seven @ SEVEN

Ben Gocker
Bad Dreams

April 28 – May 20, 2012
Opening: Friday, May 4th, 6-9pm
The Boiler

P.P.O.W is presenting a site-specific installation by Ben Gocker entitled Bad Dreams.

When you first went to "The Boiler" you saw a male model dressed up as a werewolf. To his left, sitting on a rug, two blonde children reclined beside a blonde female model. All three of their faces were covered in dark make-up meant to resemble dirt or coal dust. The children played with a ball and chain which was attached to the blonde female model's ankle. During the photo shoot one of the children must have made a mistake in the way they were coached to pose because a woman in a polar fleece vest moved from behind the camera towards the child and said "You ruined the photograph." – Ben Gocker

DAWN CLEMENTS (PIEROGI) • DIANA COOPER (POSTMASTERS) • BEN GOCKER (P.P.O.W) • HEW LOCKE (HALES) • EMIL LUKAS (BRAVINLEE) • GIL YEFMAN (RONALD FELDMAN GALLERY) • ANDY YODER (WINKLEMAN)

Expanding its model of a collaborative platform for presenting and experiencing contemporary art, SEVEN will hold its first New York area exhibition in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at The Boiler, April 28 - May 20, 2012. Launched in 2010 by seven galleries from New York and London (BravinLee programs, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Hales Gallery, Pierogi Gallery, Postmasters Gallery, P.P.O.W, and Winkleman Gallery), SEVEN is a unique initiative committed to presenting artworks on their own terms and providing an intimate, personal way to engage the viewer. Seven @ SEVEN will present solo projects by one artist from each of the participating galleries. Featuring major installations, paintings and sculptures, the exhibition will fill The Boiler's cavernous space in a co-curated, dynamic presentation. This emphasis on cooperation rather than competition is a founding principle of SEVEN that truly puts the art viewing experience ahead of all other considerations.

Ben Gocker was born in Rochester, NY in 1979. He received an MFA in poetry from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. He currently lives in Queens, NY and works for the Brooklyn Public Library.