SURREAL SALON CELEBRATED SIXTEENTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION IN 2024
Surreal Salon - the annual exhibition celebrating the pop-surrealist/lowbrow movement - returned to Baton Rouge Gallery (“BRG”) for its 16th year in January 2024! The exhibition, held in partnership with the LSU School of Art, shared the work of dozens of artists from across the globe, each hand-picked by the show’s Special Guest Juror, Beth Cavener, via a blind jurying process.
For more than a decade, Surreal Salon has featured paintings, photography, ceramics, textiles, mixed media works, and more. Artists from all corners of the United States and more than a dozen different nations have been featured in previous exhibitions and with Surreal Salon 16, a new group of artists will join them.
More than $2,000 in cash prizes are awarded in conjunction with the exhibition and the artist whose work is selected as Best in Show is also be profiled in an online editorial by Juxtapoz Magazine.
Our sincere gratitude to Lynne Petit Pisto, John G. Turner & Jerry G. Fischer, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana for their continued support of Surreal Salon and Baton Rouge Gallery.
THE SURREAL SALON SOIREE
On January 27, 2024, BRG was honored to host the annual event that brings together art, music, and tons of costumed creativity for a really special night in Louisiana’s capital area!
This one-of-a-kind night expands the Surreal Salon exhibition to, in essence, include hundreds of works of art by way of the costumes YOU put together to help punctuate this unique exhibition!
In addition to the artwork featured in the Surreal Salon exhibition, the big night included a live musical performance from The Octopus Project and a number of surprises.
Stay tuned for details on 2025’s Surreal Salon Soiree to be announced later this Fall.
The FULL ROSTER OF FEATURED ARTISTS:
SURREAL SALON 16 SPECIAL GUEST JUROR: Beth Cavener
Surreal Salon 16 Special Guest Juror Beth Cavener
Over the years, Surreal Salon has had the privilege of enlisting the eyes of well-known and respected artists and individuals to curate the works featured in each iteration of Surreal Salon. Previous jurors have included Greg Escalante (co-founder of Juxtapoz), Andrew Hosner (Thinkspace), and internationally-renowned artists such as Ron English, Camille Rose Garcia, Josh “Shag” Agle, Elizabeth McGrath, Dan Quintana, Carrie Ann Baade, Marco Mazzoni, and Greg “Craola” Simkins. That tradition continued with the exhibition’s 16th year as artist Beth Cavener filled this role (thanks in part to a partnership with the Louisiana State University School of Art).
Beth Cavener's sculptural works symbolize deep anxieties, concealed thoughts, and suppressed emotions we hide from others and ourselves. These sculptures reflect both animalistic and human qualities, encouraging viewers to confront the darker aspects of humanity through the veneer of animal representation. The sculptures capture tension, depicting animals in moments of coiling, pulling, and resting in repose, alluding to the complexities of human nature.
Beth Cavener's art is renowned for the globally recognizable and often weightless movements of its figures. She uses large clay blocks, weighing hundreds of pounds, to physically engage in shaping the forms and gestures of her sculptures. Her work defies categorization due to its deeply personal and timeless nature. Cavener focuses on specific emotions like fear or anger, dedicating years to dissecting and exploring them like a scientist in a lab.
Cavener has exhibited her work across the globe at institutions including the Smithsonian Museum of American Art (Washington, D.C.), The New Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum (Taipei, Taiwan), and The Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX). Her work is also featured in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), the Chazen Museum of Art (Madison, WI), and the Honolulu Museum of Contemporary Art (Honolulu, HI), among others. She also runs a professional studio space in Helena, MT called Studio 740 that provides support and mentorship for emerging artists.
MORE Images from 2024’s Surreal Salon Soiree:
