NEW YORK, Site, "Crashing Chelsea", May 30 - 31, 2008

Presents “Crashing Chelsea” on Friday, May 30th.

Artists/real estate professionals Caridad Sola and Mary Mihelic have obtained more vacant space in NYC for emerging artist shows. This time in Chelsea at Orley Shabahang, a gallery which has relocated and is in-between tenants. 

Ethan Orley explains, “We recently moved our Persian carpet gallery from 23rd street in Chelsea to a new 58th street location on the Upper East Side. It occurred to us that this soon to be filed, empty space provides a great opportunity for young up-and-coming artists. After hearing about the Site show in Soho, we connected with Mary Mihelic and Caridad Sola and are working with them to transform the empty space into a two-day art exhibit. The show will run from May 30th through the 31st and will house roughly 12 artists.”

Mihelic and Sola have been working outside the system and building on the history of alternative space to provide artists with a new venue; one that plays off the art communities sometimes inspirational, sometimes frustrating relationship with real estate. The result is Site, a series of one-night art events throughout Manhattan.

Sola adds, “Since the space is donated, we never know when or where the next one will be. Part of the excitement is waiting for the phone call from a colleague willing to offer us vacant space. (and the phone keeps ringing). It also asks the artists to meet spur-of-the-moment deadlines, which challenges both them and us in a thrilling way.”

Over 500 people attended the first Site show in Soho earlier this month. “People kept talking about how much fun they had. In hindsight, we really wanted to create an art event that brought a sense of fun back to NYC and removed some of the art-world pressure. Maybe it’s the fact that we get the use of this space for free that changes the vibe. Nobody is in it to make money. We try not to take ourselves too seriously. Everyone involved is willing to take risks and put together a great night. It’s contagious,” says Mihelic.

Site: Crashing Chelsea is scheduled for Friday - May 30^th from 7 to 11pm, at  520 W 23^rd St. Gallery hours will also be held on Saturday May 31^st from 12 to 4pm. 

List of Artists:

Ethan Orley Crystal Horton  Jim Plunkett

Staci Offutt  Diary of a Guerrilla Artist  Kate Lucas-Falk

Jessica Stoller Livio Antonio Guerrero  Michelle Hinebrook

Caridad Sola  Rostislav Roznoshchik  Mary Mihelic  

Links: 

Site #1 Event Press: http://ny.therealdeal.com/articles/broker-architect-launch-soho-art-series

Site #1 Event Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/siteartists/SITE1NightArtEvent

www.orleyshabahang.com

www.caridadsola.com

www.marymihelicartist.com

ABOUT ORLEY & SHABAHANG

Geoffrey Orley and Bahram Shabahang have spent three decades sharing knowledge and passion for Persian carpets that set an unmatched world standard. His new collection of contemporary rugs and carpets is the culmination of a lifetime immersed in the 400-year old family vocation. 

Persian carpets have been treasured and valued as woven masterpieces for centuries. They have been handed down from generation to generation, as has the artistry and techniques that make them so special. Now a new gallery at 241 E. 58^th Street, Orley & Shabahang is bringing "the best of the best" to New York audiences with amazing antique carpets and entirely original top of the top contemporary carpets of their own design.  For thirty years, Geoffrey Orley and Bahram Shabahang have collaborated as partners and friends to share their intense passion for the finest examples of Persian carpet artistry. Their clients include museum curators and collecting connoisseurs from coast to coast, "people who recognize the finest the world has to offer," Orley says. Geoffrey Orley's enthusiasm for Persian carpet masterworks knows no bounds and he tirelessly exhibits at the most prestigious antique shows and art fairs. Now he has brought his dynamism to New York, opening the partners' first gallery here after expanding to Palm Beach from the original Whitefish Bay, WI and Bloomfield Hills, MI galleries seven years ago.