The Aspen Art Fair at the Hotel Jerome and 74tharts presents “A Place for Us,” an expansive group preview exhibition curated by Laura Smith Sweeney of LSS Art Advisory. Opening on June 25 and running through July 25, 2024, the show features artworks by 12 artists working in a variety of media, from pulped law textbooks to blown glass.

The artists, represented by Southern Guild, Patron, Praise Shadows, and Perrotin, which will participate in the Aspen Art Fair, include Iván Argote, Jamal Cyrus, Gabriel de la Mora, Leslie Hewitt, Samuel Levi Jones, Caroline Kent, Zanele Muholi, Jean Shin, Yuri Shimojo, Stanislaw Trzebinski, Liat Yossifor, and Luyanda Zindela.

The show offers an interplay of textures, where unusual materiality creates moments of surprise. South African artist and furniture designer Stanislaw Trzebinski uses bronze to craft organic shapes. His piece “Toxic Bloom,” a functional light sculpture, grows before our eyes, showcasing his mastery of bronze to create art that feels warm and alive. In contrast, Mexican artist Gabriel de la Mora’s geometric abstractions transform butterfly wings from organic matter into a cool, minimal collage. Colombian filmmaker and artist Iván Argote’s airy aphorisms, made of sturdy bronze branches, play with the material’s strength to create deceptively delicate forms. American artists Samuel Levi Jones and Jamal Cyrus create “paintings” that reference the traditions of modernism and abstract Expressionism yet are made with repurposed pulped law textbooks and upcycled denim.

The Aspen Art Fair at the Hotel Jerome welcomes visitors to the astounding natural beauty of the Aspen landscape, and “A Place for Us” highlights artists who incorporate wilderness in their work. Zanele Muholi’s arresting self-portrait situates themself among sculptural palm fronds, while American artist Leslie Hewitt interrogates the still life through a minimal, stark photograph of chrysanthemum flowers.

We invite you to immerse yourself in this exhibition, where organic forms, texture, and materiality unveil surprises and invite deeper contemplation.

“A Place for Us” will be open to the public on June 25. Visitors can attend the opening reception on June 25 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., where Laura Smith Sweeney will introduce the exhibition.

On the same evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Aspen Art Fair and 74tharts in partnership with Aspen Film, will present the Aspen premiere screening of the newly-released arts documentary “Taking Venice” (2023) at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre. A Q&A with the film’s director Amei Wallach will follow. As the 2024 Venice Biennale is in full swing, “Taking Venice” uncovers the true story behind rumors that the U.S. government and a team of high-placed insiders rigged the 1964 Venice Biennale — the Olympics of art — so their chosen artist, Robert Rauschenberg, could win the grand prize. The timely documentary film draws attention to the vital role of art in advancing cultural exchange and building international community, and the soft diplomacy and influence of artists today in making and advocating for change. More info and tickets here: aspenfilm.org/event/taking-venice-2023.

For more information on A Place for Us, contact Laura Smith Sweeney at LSS Art Advisory, info@lssartadvisory.com, tel. 415.310.8536