highlight: “AURAL” MAKES NOISE AT WICK MONET

by D.J. Lazzini

When arriving at Wick Monet, one of Shadyside’s newest and liveliest art galleries, you are first met by an imposingly steep staircase. Adorned next to the steps is a sprawling mural recently completed by Neeta Khanuja that seems to snake and envelop around you as you make the pilgrimage up to the hum and bass of the main floor. Once you are at the top, you become re-energized by a palpable air of creativity and friendliness. In no less than five minutes, you will be warmly greeted by Wick Monet’s founder, Neil Martin. Neil’s natural charm and Rogerian (Carl or Fred) disposition will make you feel like a regular in Pittsburgh’s art world, or, at the very least, like an old friend. He explains to you that tonight’s show is titled “Aural,” which explores the process of creating art through music and sound.

Hopefully, you brought your headphones because next to each artwork is a QR code of a short Spotify playlist, created by the corresponding artist. The songs are the exact songs that the artist listened to while crafting their work. The sum of the collected music spans every conceivable genre – from Kentucky bluegrass to mid-century jazz to Limp Bizkit’s infamous 2000 hit “Break Stuff.”

The art is also diverse: landscape paintings of the American West reside next to abstract collage, video art, readymade sculptures, and graphite-sketched snapshots of everyday life. There is genuinely something here for everyone, whether that’d be for the pretentious, the lighthearted, the well-versed, or the beginner. The show does not feel mismatched or jumbled, however. Neil and the rest of the Wick Monet team have actually done an excellent job at curating this show to match the guiding ethos of the gallery: that art’s power lies in its ability to bring people to a place where nothing else matters except the experience.

Even if art is not your passion or strong suit, there are multiple couches, tables, and even an AstroTurfed balcony for conversation. All aspects of the space, from the mossy wall to the shelves of collected knick-knacks, come together for a warm and comfortable feel for the guest. Wick Monet is Pittsburgh art at its most welcoming and its most authentic.

Katie Larrimer, a curator and marketer for Wick Monet (who is also responsible for the concept of the show), said that the show has caused her to “never see art again without asking what was listened to to make this” and that “it’s now a necessary part of art to me.”

“I’ve enjoyed being able to see the other side of artists, things that I’ve never thought of before,” explained Kiyomi Knox, a participating artist in the show. Other local artists featured in the show are Alyssa Waldron, Laura Johnson, Jessicapixie, Kasey Neiderlander, Lauren Rotante, Mallory Sherman, Taylor Rate, Natalya Brackus, Katherine Breedlove, and DÏ. Wick Monet is located at 5404 Walnut Street, Pittsburgh PA 15232 and the show is open until October 20^th.

For any inquiries into Wick Monet’s events or hours, their website is http://www.wickmo.net and their Instagram handle is @wick_monet.

D.J. Lazzini, or simply “DÏ”, is an artist based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Part of Lazzini’s mission statement, since the beginning, has been to create art that heals the divide between the “art world” and everyday people.