Tanner Steslow, co-owner with Max Berman and artist Ted Collier of the CWE’s Square One Gallery, explained that Dopamine, the arresting title for the gallery’s second exhibition, was chosen to pose the question, “Can art be medicine?” By showing pieces “that are bright and fun, we’re demonstrating that art can bring instantaneous feelings of joy.”
Dopamine, which opened June 7, features works by Dan Lam, Emmanuel Moses, Ted Collier, Arnaud Vidricaire. Carrie Gillen, Shawn Kolodny, Stikki Peaches, Bill DeWitt III, Gregg Louis, Brock DeBoer, and Adam Handler.
Carrie Gillen’s Rare Bloom with Phthalo Blue, 2024, stretched fabric and acrylic paint on wood panel, 60 x 48 inches.
The St. Louis-based artist and sculptor earned her MFA at SIU-Edwardsville. According to the artist’s statement, “she uses fabric to amplify movement and tension in her work. As fabric folds and bends into a dynamic canvas, color and light are refracted in new ways.”
Arnaud Vidricaire, middle above, arrived at the opening from his hometown of Montreal–his first time in St. Louis. He’s photographed showing some of his art in the background.
According to Vidricaire’s bio: “His practice takes the form of ambitious spatial installations, through which he tells the story of his inner turmoil.”
Vidricaire’s art is created by applying uv painting on laser-cut aluminum & wood. Clockwise from top: Balade À Toronto, 2021, 53 x 65 inches, Baccalauréate, 2021, 51 x 61 inches, and 8.42, 2021, 53 x 65 inches.
Ted Collier is a “contemporary artist and painter best known for his abstract works derived from observable patterns found in nature.”
Shown above, Vicious Circle Series 6, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 72 inches.
“Though Ted has been painting since his childhood, his career as an artist began in 2008 after the financial crash and recession. Leaving behind a 15- year career in real estate and working odd jobs in construction, he returned to art by sourcing materials such as plywood and extra house paint to create his first works and pop up exhibitions.”
Texas-based Dan Lam is an internationally–recognized artist who combines playful shapes. textures, and colors with dark metaphysical themes. Lam is best known for her strange, brightly colored drippy sculptures. From her bio: “Using non-traditional inorganic materials such as polyurethane foam, acrylic paint, and epoxy resin, she creates sculptures that resemble alien organisms, genuinely extraterrestrial in their composition.”
Clockwise from top: Break Through, 2022, foam, resin, polymer & acrylic, 28 x 31 1/2 x 3 3/4 inches, Heavenly, 2022, foam, resin, polymer & acrylic, 37 x 28.5 x 4 inches. On pedestal, Inner, 2023. foam, resin, polymer & acrylic. 7 x 8 x 6 1/2 inches.
Lam’s Head to Toe, 2022, foam, resin, polymer & acrylic, 15 x 11 x 8 inches.
Shawn Kolodny, based in Miami and New York, has created large scale sculptures for cultural institutions and private residences around the world. His art represents abstractions found in nature.
On pedestal, Day Unwraps Its Thread, 2024, stainless steel with paint, 12 x 12 x 32 inches. And on wall, Clouds Jitter, Then Blink, 2024, stainless steel with paint, 26 x 26 x 20 inches. According to gallerist Steslow, Kolodny uses the same reflective paint as NASA and artist Jeff Koons. 
Panamanian artist Emmanuel Moses’ work “centers around precise geometric figures that utilize carefully considered colors to suggest movement and depth within a 2-dimensional plane.”
From left: Portal Interestelar 015, 2024, acrylic on aluminum, 44 x 35 inches, Portal Interestelar 013, 2024, acrylic on aluminum, 44 1/2 x 45 inches, Portal Interestelar 012, 2024, acrylic on aluminum, 48 x 45 1/2 inches, Portal Interestelar 011, 2024, acrylic on aluminum, 44 1/2 x 45 inches.
Also on view are paintings by Stikki Peaches, a pseudonymous street artist whose “style is rooted in the spirit of reusing and recycling, where a myriad of techniques are combined to reveal what can be thought of as beautifully controlled chaos.”
Artist Bill DeWitt III, president of STL Cardinals, “combines traditional painting techniques with digital manipulation to achieve his desired result.” Above, left, Cathedral Blue ⋅ Diamond Dust, 2024, acrylic and diamond dust on canvas, 48 x 36 inches.
Above right: Adam Handler’s Little Stinker Girls at Night Wedding, 2023, oil stick and pencil on linen, 30 x 43 inches.
Above left, DeWitt’s Skulls, (purple on red) and (cream on brown), acrylic and diamond dust on canvas, 30 x 30 inches.
Square One’s exhibition includes Gregg Louis’ Inkling No. 14, 2012, synthetic fur, foam and metal, 69 x 23 x 16 inches. Louis currently lives and works in St. Louis.
Ceramic sculptor Brock DeBoer created Lofty Floral Pay Phone, 2024, porcelain, cobalt oxide, glaze, gold luster, 17 1/2 x 5 5/8 x 6 1/2 inches.
The following photos show just a few of the guests in attendance on opening night:
Dopamine: Group Exhibition will remain on view until July 5. Next up: Rachel English’s Between Heaven & Earth opens July 12.
Square One Gallery, 4814 Washington Ave., Suite 312. Open Mon. through Fri. 9 to 6. Open Sat. & Sun. by appt., 314-252-8571.
Thank you for posting Big Band Night. Residents look forward to the evening.