GR Gallery is pleased to present Purgatory, a group exhibition featuring works by Jordan Sullivan, Robert Martin, Jacob Rochester, and RUMINZ. The exhibition brings together 16 paintings influenced by outsider art, rural aesthetics, and Americana, creating a cross-cultural dialogue that bridges diverse styles and backgrounds. Collectively, the works unfold as a contemporary grand tour, placing themes of self-discovery and revelation at their core. Purgatory focuses on raw, unfiltered depictions of suburban and everyday life, rendered with a crude yet deliberate realism. Through an unabashed visual language, the exhibition confronts current social realities, offering an honest and direct reflection on the tensions and complexities of contemporary society.
The opening reception will take place on Friday, February 20, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (Exhibition Dates: February 20 – March 21). Press members may contact GR gallery for a private viewing and/or interviews with the artists before the exhibition officially starts. Visitors who wish to attend the opening reception may RSVP by contacting the gallery. Artists will participate at the opening reception.
GR gallery, 116 Chambers Street (between W. Broadway & Church) New York, NY, 10007 | info@gr-gallery.com | tel: +1 646 449 9439 | Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Purgatory highlights specific subcultural and civic aspects of American society through a timely examination of unsettling narratives—stories that have long remained unwritten, obscured, or deliberately softened. Set within a contemporary context where social tensions are exposed and hypocrisy laid bare, the exhibition also connects to a broader Western tradition in which artists have historically served as vital voices for marginalized and outcast cultures.
Despite their distinct visual approaches—Sullivan’s raw and narrative-driven scenes, Martin’s detailed and pragmatic compositions, Rochester’s subtle, contemporary sensibility, and RUMINZ’s stylized, textured works—the four artists share a strong conceptual foundation. Their practices converge around themes of nostalgia, on-the-road iconography, suburban environments, social critique, and visual reportage, balancing emptiness and hope while giving visibility to minorities and renegades.
Purgatory invites visitors into a suspended atmosphere shaped by the intensity of unfiltered reality and the absurdity of the depicted scenes. It reflects on the struggle to be heard, the fragility of change, and the persistent desire for redemption—offering a sober yet quietly hopeful perspective on the possibility of a more humane future.
