The White Room Gallery Presents a Summer of Icons

The White Room Gallery, Bridgehampton’s award-winning art gallery headed by Andrea McCafferty and Kat O’Neill, hosts provocative exhibitions all year round, but the stars of this summer’s shows are especially iconic. Here, McCafferty and O’Neill discuss their upcoming exhibitions, events and more.

The White Room Gallery – Summer Shows

A Flight of Fine Art Featuring Markus Klinko (on view through June 5) is quite an exciting show to kick off the summer! What do you feel sets Klinko apart from his contemporaries, and how is that quality on full display in his works on view in this show?

Markus is as relevant now as when he helped shape the popular culture landscapes of the 2000s with his iconic portraits. His campaign for Keep a Child Alive featuring Kim Kardashian in a coffin raised over $1 million for children with AIDS in just three days.

When he was a world-renowned classical harp soloist, it was Ravel and Debussy who captured his imagination, and as a photographer, he too is like a French impressionist composer creating a dreamy, stylized narrative while elevating his subjects into gods and goddesses as part of a social commentary begging the question is the deifying warranted. Bowie. Lady Gaga. Beyonce. Dita. All posed to perfection.

Tell our readers about Forever Young Featuring Russell Young (June 8–26) and why this exhibition is a perfect addition to your summer 2022 lineup.

Forever Young brings together mug shots and glam shots embodying Russell’s glamorized and souring vision of the American Dream. Icons captured in their youth are by definition “forever young.” There is beauty and sorrow in that capture. Most of the icons in this exhibit died young after achieving the American Dream. Looking at these works with Russell’s signature paints and diamond dust iridescent under the lights, one could see beauty or one could see the price of a dream achieved. It is a perfect addition to our lineup because our summer theme is “symbols.” Symbols of fame, power, defiance and joy — all with provocative interpretations. And as an artist who is constantly reinventing the creative arena, Russell is Forever Young.

Flash Featuring Greg Lotus (June 29–July 24) includes many wonderful images ranging from luxury Americana to fantastical avant-garde. What inspired the art selection for this show, and would you say it encapsulates Lotus’ full artistic range?

We wanted Flash to work not only literally but thematically with images that were high-end fashion with a flash of ingenuity. Italian Vogue photographer Greg Lotus creates female-centric photos that are graphic and sexy, celebrating women with personality, vintage style and oftentimes humor. Lotus’ lens is much broader including beautiful portfolios of male subjects and celebrities, but as two female gallerists we liked the idea of a myriad of scenarios with women playing all the leads.

The White Room Gallery in Florida

After The White Room Gallery recently made a splash into the Southern Florida art scene, presenting a show of Palm Beach favorite Nelson De La Nuez is a brilliant choice. What is it about the images in Beach Life Is the Sweet Life (July 27–August 28)that appeal to art lovers in these two markets and across the country?

Nelson is one of those artists who makes it look easy because he is so prolific, but few work harder. One of Nelson’s favorite quotes is, “creativity never sleeps,” and he is the embodiment of that. Beach Life Is the Sweet Life is one of Nelson’s thought bubbles, and we thought the perfect title for his Hamptons solo. Nelson’s ability to paint scenes that we can all relate or aspire to is his inimitable gift. “Oh … pool boy,” “Wake me for Champagne,” “Wine first,” “But I’m a first class girl … I can’t fly coach,” “Swimming back for cocktail hour on the yacht,” “Happiness is expensive,” “Live a f— yes life” — add to that Nelson’s homage to various vintage pop styles, and the universal appeal is apparent, as in “What’s not to love?”

The White Room Gallery – Art Fairs

What is The White Room Gallery planning for this year’s Art Market Hamptons event (August 11–14)?

Beyond our great roster of artists that we will be showing, who encompass all mediums, we are hosting a VIP preview party with Art Market Hamptons at the gallery on opening day with valet service, eliminating the need for that five-minute walk to the fair. Perhaps it’s VIP beach life that is the sweet life?

What aspect of summer 2022 are you most looking forward to?

Hard not to relish the bumper-to-bumper traffic, but second to that is the return of the glass-half-full point of view. Optimism is in the air. And we couldn’t be happier. People ask us all the time if we think it’s going to be a great summer and our answer is always: “Absolutely.” We are introducing some wonderful international artists to the summer scene, including South African artist FRINGE, French artist Stephane Gubert and Canadian artist Barbara Cole.

The White Room Gallery is located at 2415 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton. Call 631-237-1481 or visit thewhiteroom.gallery for more information.