An ‘occupy’ movement has landed at a big bank in Hoboken, but it’s not what you might think. Carla Cubit, a North Bergen resident and artist, has brought her collection of multimedia art to a gallery at Sovereign Bank, 84 River St., for a solo show that runs through March 17.
The irony of an occupy-themed art show at a bank – when recent protests have been opposed to Wall Street – is not lost on Cubit. She said she originally had her doubts about putting the show in the bank for fear of stirring up too much controversy, and even considered changing the show’s name.
“I was going to use ‘Recycled Works’ as a different title,” Cubit said. “I was concerned the title could be too controversial, and I proposed using Recycled Works, but I was told the bank was okay with ‘Occupy Hoboken.’”
The Recycled Works name comes from the fact that many of Cubit’s multimedia art shows use items that are commonly recycled, such as water bottles or cans.
Cubit has closely followed the Occupy Wall Street movement, the anti-corporate uprising that started last fall in Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan and has spawned similar movements in cities throughout the world.
“I was over in New York when they had the encampment set up,” Cubit said, speaking about the original Zuccotti Park demonstration where protestors lived for months. “I believe art is a universal means of communication…I’m trying to spread the word for Occupy Wall Street through art; that’s what inspired me to call this show Occupy Hoboken.”
Cubit’s show is part of the hob’art organization, a co-operative gallery in Hoboken that works to exhibit the work of Hudson County-based artists.
“I believe art is a universal means of communication.” – Carla Cubit
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The work being used for the solo gallery is not just of photos from the Occupy Wall Street movement.
“I put together a montage of different photos,” Cubit said. “One montage is of the [Palisade] cliffs…When I walk from North Bergen to Hoboken, I have to use the [Ninth Street] elevator, so one of the photos I have is of the cliffs near there. From that spot, you can see the valley of Hoboken.”
The show will include multimedia assemblage and collages. Some of the photos used in the collages will reflect Hoboken landmarks such as the Hoboken Terminal and Pier A Park.
The solo show in Hoboken will not be the first Occupy Wall Street-themed gallery that Cubit displays.
“In the past two to three shows I’ve participated in, I try to show Occupy Wall Street art,” Cubit said. During the Hoboken Fall Arts and Music Festival, she showcased an “occupy” themed display in the City Hall lobby, she said.
“I’ve also showed [occupy] art in the Theater for the New City in New York,” she said.
Cubit said the movement hit close to home for her.
“I agree with their concepts because I am part of the 99 percent,” she said, adding that she agrees with raising taxes on the richest 1 percent.
Cubit, who describes her home art studio comically as a disaster area, works in North Bergen. Previously, she lived and worked in the East Village in Manhattan, as well as the Lower East Side.
The Occupy Hoboken show will also include wall hangings, sculptures, and even some 3D works, Cubit said.
Cubit said she hopes to continue to show her work in Hoboken, including by taking part in the 720 Creation Station program at the Monroe Center, the new home of hob’art. The new program allows local artists to use large space for a discounted rate.
While the Occupy Wall Street movement seems to be on hiatus for the winter, the documentation of the movement through history and art is just beginning, starting with Cubit’s show in Hoboken.
For more information about the “Occupy Hoboken” art show, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/151332658314852/.
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