Highlights from (e)merge: the gallery platform

(e)merge kicked off with a preview and poolside party on Thursday evening. Featuring two platforms, one for galleries and the other for unrepresented artists, the fair occupies the first three floors of the Capitol Skyline Hotel as well as the lower level parking garage. I took a look around the gallery platform on Friday -- just about 40 exhibitors -- and will be checking out the artist platform on Saturday. My report on the galleries, with lots of images, after the jump. - Matthew Smith, DC Contributor

Bathroom installation by Andy Moon Wilson, at Curator's Office

Curator’s Office brought a couple of faces that are familiar to the blog -- Atlanta-based husband-and-wife Andy Moon Wilson (NAP #45) and Jiha Moon (NAP #63, #70, #82). Some of Moon Wilson’s work comes from his last show at Curator’s, which he discussed with us earlier this year. And Jiha Moon presents her characteristic technicolor works on canvas and paper -- we got a peak inside her studio this past January.

Work by Jiha Moon, at Curator's Office

Chicago-based gallery monique meloche is featuring the work of a pair of artists, including a couple of eye-catching pieces by Kendell Carter. One of them is from the artist’s “drip paintings” and the other from his “painting constructs.” Carter’s sculptural use of materials in two-dimensional works was surprisingly unusual at (e)merge, but no doubt a welcome addition.

Work by Kendell Carter, at monique meloche

Some galleries were more adventurous and have turned their spaces over to individual artist projects. Heiner Contemporary, whom we spoke with last summer, focuses on Avery Lawrence. And Solas Nua, a D.C.-based non-profit that promotes Irish artists working in the U.S., features the work of Dublin native and current MICA MFA candidate Bart O’Reilly, whose installation is as rugged as Avery’s is fanciful.

Installation and performance by Avery Lawrence, at Heiner Contemporary

Installation by Bart O'Reilly, at Solas Nua

White Columns packs a punch in their no-frills setup. Several small paintings by Daniel Rios Rodriguez made their way south to D.C., as did drawings by Brooklyn-based painter Ella Kruglyanskaya. Works on paper by Nina Bovasso also make an appearance via Richmond’s Ada Gallery, as does an entertaining toy shrine by Jimmy Trotter. And hosts Conner Contemporary Art feature excerpts from they’re exhibition Is Realism Relevant?.

Works by Daniel Rios Rodriguez, at White Columns

Works by Nina Bovasso, at Ada Gallery

The artist platform is next! I’ll be reporting my findings in the next day or two. Stay tuned! The (e)merge art fair runs through Sunday September 25. For more information, take a look at our interview with the co-founders here.