Exhibitions

Special Special presents Mackenzie Younger's Jackets.

Inspired by NASCAR racing jackets and the streetwear fashion of Younger’s youth, the Jackets are both sensational and critical, addressing ideas around mimicry, recognition, the art world, and commodification.

The exhibition at Special Special presents the Jackets in the context of a gallery concept store and will feature a new edition of 100 satin green and black Jackets; the eight original unique Jackets, which hang over paintings; all within a site-specific installation involving garden plants native to New York and live butterflies hatched onsite.

Younger’s custom garments, emblazoned with iconic art world logos, is made available for collection and presented outside of a performance. Throughout 2017, the Jackets have appeared and participated in happenings at The Armory Show in New York and at Art Basel Hong Kong, among other venues.

Mackenzie Younger (b. 1990 NYC) received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2012. Younger exhibited with A+E Studios in NYC, 2015, and the Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA, 2016, and contributed to auctions at the Emily Harvey Foundation and Paddle8. Professionally, Younger runs the company Native NY Gardens, which specializes in insect and native plant ecology.

Ripple Scribble is a reflection on the moment when a stone is thrown into water. A small action can cause unexpectedly large effects—as an old Chinese saying goes, “one stone can create thousands of waves.” For this exhibition at Special Special, we present ephemeral landscapes of ceramic tableware.

Each piece begins with a slab of clay that is hand-shaped by the artist. The glaze is poured onto each piece and shifted around in uneven layers, creating varying densities of color on the surface. This process renders each piece consistently unique. Every piece is coated with food-safe glaze and fired at 2232°F.

Michele Xiaoyun Fan is a ceramic artist based in New York. Inspired by the history of the medium that dates back thousands of years, she explores the infinite possibilities of ceramic through color and form. In 2015, she started her ceramic studio Atelier F.

Fan obtained her Master’s degree in Western Modern Art History from Christie’s Education in New York and studied photography at Syracuse University. She has worked at major art organizations, such as Cai Guo-Qiang’s studio and Christie’s Auction House.

Special Special presents John Belknap’s first solo exhibition, Bathroom Interiors. Bathroom Interiors is a harmonious dialogue between the architectural interior of Special Special and Belknap's playful and contemplative re-imagining of intimate spaces. This show presents unique collages, GIFs, and exclusively produced editions of shower curtains and postcard.

John Belknap (b. 1993 in Detroit, Michigan) is an interdisciplinary artist and designer based in New York. His work explores ideas of space, identity, displacement, and longing, through pen drawings, photography, collage, and animated GIFs. John graduated from NYU's Gallatin School where he concentrated in queer theory, art history and criticism.

Press: Art F City: See This Tonight: John Belknap’s Bathroom Interiors

Special Special commissioned artist Chandra Bocci to create an original diorama for Chinese New Year. In honor of the year of rooster, Bocci creates a miniature world at Special Special in the artist's imaginative sensibilities and interpretations, with ready-mades.

Special Special hosts our friends E for Effort on their launch of Twist Tie rings, featuring miniature dioramas by Chandra Bocci, as backdrop for posing with ringed fingers. 

A Special Special Edition Twist Tie Ring was subsequently produced in the color blue. 

E for Effort is a New York based design brand started by Beka Goedde and Rachel Ostrow. Inspired by Annie Albers and Bauhaus design, puns, paper, and packing materials, E for Effort’s products transformed the everyday into wearable fashion.