The new Hoboken art gallery Suckerpunch, opening next week in the southwesternmost pocket of town, isn’t your average upscale art space.
With an “e-commerce destination” – a website that allows viewers to purchase art online or make appointments to visit the gallery in person – co-owner Wayne Martin wants to “receive guests” at the 500 square-foot space on the corner of Newark and Jackson streets.
“It’s not just a storefront,” he said. “We wanted a space where guests can ask questions about the art and get answers.”
Referring to New York galleries, he said, “There aren’t $300,000 paintings and people behind the counter that won’t even look at you.”
“It’s the artistic gem of the Hudson County crown.” – Wayne Martin
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The first exhibit features two dozen pieces from five artists, some from New York and some from New Jersey. The show will feature paintings, blown glass, pottery, sculpture, and more.
The most expensive piece: a $10,500 sculpture that Martin had trouble even describing. “It’s incredible; you have to see it. It even had to be assembled here on site,” he said.
Martin said choosing which artists to show was a challenge in a “tremendously fertile artist community.”
Two local artists appear in the show: Stephen Byram of Guttenberg, a graphic designer whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine, and Jamie Miller of Ridgewood, a photographer who has worked for the Director’s Guild of America.
“They’re not brand new to the scene or working with controversial topics, so the press will actually cover them,” Martin said. “They’re amazing emerging artists with a lot of talent.”
Why Hoboken?
Although Martin said he could have opened in Manhattan, the former successful marketing representative for Columbia and Epic Records chose Hoboken because of the authentic feel.
“It’s like were in an old factory in the meat packing district before it was discovered,” he said. “I mean, our space is a working wallpaper factory with gorgeous views of the city. There are plywood walls. You take a freight elevator upstairs.”
Beside the artsy atmosphere, Martin said Hoboken is very artist-friendly.
“It’s the artistic gem of the Hudson County crown,” he said. “The supply of talented artists is endless.”
Local artists
Guttenberg resident Stephen Byram’s piece “Disrupted Birdhouse” (see photo) is one of the highlights of the exhibit.
“It’s so accessible,” Martin said. “You can really see the piece hanging in your home.”
Disrupted birdhouse will be available to more than one person. In fact, 40 pieces will be made available to the public, each one signed and numbered.
“It’s not as if you don’t see the exhibit the first day, you’ll miss it,” he said. “Some of the works are originals, but others are not.”
There are also copies for sale of Ridgewood resident Jamie Miller’s photograph called “Indigo Blue.”
There’s more to come. Martin and company have accepted works from artists all over the country and the world, like blown glass from Woodland Hills, Calif. resident Fay Miller and a silk tapestry from an unknown Cambodian artist.
The current show featuring five artists, two from Bergen and Hudson counties, will run through July 9 and is by appointment only. For more information or to make an appointment, visit www.suckerpunchgallery.com.
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com