New Englanders not only know their roots, but live, breath, and honor them. From a young age, children are taught to revere our pioneering ancestors who settled here, in this harsh region identified by bitter Winters and scalding Summers, blazing Autumns and Springs full of rebirth. It follows that New England artwork is often inspired by the region’s dynamic landscape, as well as by the pride that New Englanders have in their hearty adaptation and brave survival skills. Much like art, New England’s beauty is an honest and generous visual feast. Surprisingly, this selection of contemporary New England artwork demonstrates little traditional regional inspiration. Instead, we have a show of work that is incredibly diverse in material, full of hilarious quirks and fine nuances, carefully considered decisions, as well as respectful nods to other artists. In one word, this selection of work is liberated, which is perhaps the most New England trait of all.

Gallery 263 extends our sincere thanks Trevor Smith for expertly selecting the work included in New New England. As the Curator of the Present Tense at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, USA, Smith leads a cross-departmental team, working with artists to explore how creativity and cultural change emerge at the intersections of cultures, disciplines, or technologies. Smith studied at the University of British Columbia and has held curatorial positions at museums in Canada, Australia and the United States. Known for collaborating closely with artists, Smith has produced exhibitions and commissions at PEM with Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Candice Breitz, Nick Cave, Peter Hutton, Michael Lin, Susan Philipsz, Jo Ractliffe, Charles Sandison. Previous projects include Singapore Biennale 2011: Open House, Martin Creed: Feelings (CCS Bard), Andrea Zittel: Critical Space (New Museum and Contemporary Art Museum Houston) and The Divine Comedy: Francisco Goya, Buster Keaton, and William Kentridge (Art Gallery of Western Australia). A national tour of Strandbeest: the Dream Machines of Theo Jansen will open at PEM this September.

New New England features work by the following artists:

Fafnir Adamites / Elizabeth Albert / Craig Becker / Carmela Cattuti / Margaret Chiarelli / Ruth Daniels / Gerardo Garduño / Conny Goelz-Schmitt / Daniel Gonzalez / Ethan Hamby / Richard Haskins / Paul Hitchen / Crystal A. Johnson / Cassandra Klos / Heather La Force / Andree Leduc / Jennifer Levatino / Sarah Lubin / Colin McNamee / Vanessa Michalak / Annie Narrigan / Julieanne Palmer / Loretta Park / Bill Porter / A. Reid / Dina Shaposhnikova / Patrick Tierney / Haley Vessey / Allison White / Carleen Zimbalatti