There is something very appropriate in having Susan Hogan’s show “Private City” hang on the walls of Mile Square City Realty. While there is nothing realistic about her work other than the sense of space it creates, little stages upon which moods are acted out in paints and bits of glass, the architectural influence is unmistakable.
“We wanted to keep it somewhat related to what we do here,” said David Williamson, director of Mile Square City Realty. “This fits in perfectly.”
Hogan, who described her work as “theatrical,” said she was playing with moods, seasons and states of mind.
“Things that come into vision then disappear,” she said, but noted she liked the backdrop of the realty office, equating it with the real world. “It’s very related to the work. A realty office is the ideal place.”
Combining some pieces with found objects and mixed media, like glass, Hogan plays with texture and sense of perspective. In some paintings, she uses colors for a push-pull effect like Matisse, but with strict definition to her lines and shapes. Many of her works achieve a dreamlike quality that is not often found in this style of painting.
In what seemed to be a tribute to the realty and town, “Crossing our River” decorated the store’s real wall, built upon found material but with a shimmering silvery-bronze painted over it. In a way, it captures the deterioration and rebuilding of the river front in a startling three-dimensional way.
Thirty-five to forty people attended the opening on July 16, despite the distraction of the film crew shooting a Ford automobile commercial just outside. Hogan said she has a few tentative dates for future shows in the area. This show will run until August 15 and is the first in a series for Mile Square City Realty which is booked up until Christmas.
Williamson said filling up the walls with art attracts people who might not otherwise come in. He sees this and future shows as part of the local tradition. He and his wife, Louise, are both Hoboken natives whose families have lived in Hoboken for 80 years.