Get Out Tomorrow: Lush Life @ Roq la Rue

The premise of Roq la Rue's new group show is that it's in response to the shift in the pop surrealist art world towards street art, e.g., the sort of stuff that used to be on display at the sadly departed BLVD gallery. But Roq la Rue is pushing back with Lush Life, a show displaying the work of twenty or so uniquely talented artists whose work mixes technical precision in painting and mixed-media work with a Symbolist-inspired approach. These artists, true to the core tradition of Pop Surrealism, adopt and interpret the bric-a-brac of contemporary pop culture--the global clip art file, in other words--and warp, twist, and re-imagine the material to create stirring, beautiful, and often disturbing work. But we've said too much already--just look at the above gallery of work in Lush Life, and you'll get the idea.

"Lush Life" opens Fri., May 8, 6-9 p.m. @ Roq la Rue, 2312 Second Ave.