SITting - 2023

“SITting” is a collection of works by artists Shannon Greer, Charlotta Janssen, and Robin Rice that manifest three distinct approaches to creating a portrait. One thread they all share is photography. 

Greer’s approach is straightforward, focusing exclusively on the sitter. Shot on white seamless, no props, background, or shadows obscure the subject. The black and white portraits are printed large scale to powerful effect, documenting a sitter’s unitary moment in time. 

Rice’s perspective is observational. In most works the fact that the sitter appears unaware of Rice’s presence within the sitter’s environment is itself equally significant. These works chronicle several decades and depict friends, lovers, and the occasional stranger.

Janssen’s paintings reference historical events. Her sitters are painted from photographs, many of which are taken from mug shots of Bus Boycotters circa 1956 and Freedom Riders circa 1961. Her palette of blues and green teals humanize a sitter’s otherwise bleak countenance. Chairs throughout the gallery invite the viewer to sit and contemplate the works or simply take a moment’s respite.

- Doug Meyer 

Hudson, NY is all about collaboration. This collaborative spirit has been internalized behind-the-scenes. In addition to a cooperative process of curation, we also feel lucky to have Doug Meyer design and conceptualize the exhibition. 

ROBIN RICE 

Ever since getting her hands on her first camera at eleven years old, Rice’s work has spanned myriad continents, decades, and nightclubs. Originally starting out by sneaking into Pratt Institute’s darkroom to develop film with her art school friends, Rice has run the Robin Rice Gallery since 1990 in Manhattan’s West Village and has now expanded to an additional location in Hudson, NY. Rice’s work has captured everything from the vivacity and ethereal qualities of ‘80s New York’s underground disco scenes to the verdant landscapes of South America. Above all, her photos are always candid and dramatic. Rice was recently featured in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum on Studio 45, where she photographed her time dancing alongside Andy Warhol and Grace Jones. 

SHANNON GREER 

Born in the Ozarks and raised in 1970s New York, Greer started his project “Mr. Greer’s Neighborhood” during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to find human connection in a time where everyone was trapped behind masks and Plexiglas. Capturing the lives of those who stopped by the photographer’s Hudson Milliner Art Salon, Greer sought to make portraits “larger than life” that highlight the individual in the midst of the unfolding chaos. In this exhibition, he’s quoting mentor and photographer August Sander who documented the lives of early 20th century Germans—which included everyone from aristocrats to bohemians. Here, Greer looks to the locals of Hudson, NY for inspiration. 

CHARLOTTA JANSSEN 

Born in America to German immigrants, Janssen’s family moved to Iran and escaped during the 1979 revolution. Janssen attended the University of Arts in Berlin until deciding it wasn’t for her and travelled the world as a street musician and performance artist. In the ‘90s, she once again found the passion for painting and has been curating and making fine art ever since. For “Sitting”, Janssen draws from two series: “Freedom Riders & Bus Boycotters“ which portrays civil rights activists’ mug shots from the Jim Crow South and “Retro Collage” which brings a magnifying glass to male intimacy and camaraderie not otherwise on display in heterosexual settings.

DOUG MEYER 
“Sitting” concept and design by Doug Meyer. Meyer is an artist and designer based in Hudson, NY and New York City. 

HUDSON MILLINER ART SALON HOURS Friday + Saturday + Sunday + Monday 12pm-6pm
415 Warren St. Hudson, NY, 12534