Practically all galleries have the same sparse set-up-monochrome walls, wood floors, lots of open space-so as not to detract from the pieces being exhibited. Current Gallery turns this concept on its head, allowing the environment to dictate the nature of its inhabitants. For C A R T, only open for a few more days, Current Gallery transformed its space into a mini-supermarket, and a fully functional one at that. Aisles, window displays, cash registers, and shopping baskets have all been erected, perhaps to say that art is as necessary a labor as the employment we undertake in order to purchase the food we consume, and that art should not be seen as separate from the average American's labor and consumption cycle; it should be an integrated and significant part of the whole. The mini-supermarket allows artists to explore the exchange of their labor for profit in a familiar, everyday setting. In honor of the exhibition's closing reception 7-10 p.m. Oct. 21, prices are being slashed left and right on pieces from local artists and those from as far as Europe and Australia. (Sarah Salovaara)
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