NEPENTHES NEW YORK PRESENTS : "Endangered River Project", by Ben Miller and (Not)Gagosian.

Nepenthes NY is pleased to announce the launch of Endangered Rivers Project, the culmination of a multi-year effort that brings together the work of Montana-based painter Ben Miller, conceptual artist group (Not)Gagosian, and Japanese clothing brand South2 West8. The project will be on view in an exhibition opening September 16th at the Nepenthes NY flagship store, and the show will coincide with the launch of the Fall 2022 South2 West8 x Ben Miller collaborative clothing line. This will be the first time that Endangered Rivers Project will be shown publicly. Events surrounding the exhibition and launch will include an opportunity for the public to gather at Brooklyn Bridge Park and watch as Miller creates his first New York-based river painting and 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the work to benefit the Gallatin River Taskforce.

Endangered Rivers Project, a collaboration between Miller and (Not)Gagosian which has been two years in the mak- ing, is a 24-foot-long installation comprised of six digital monitors, each representing a different river in the United States. Each monitor will have a fluctuating display of brush strokes that were made on site at the actual river it represents, and a unique algorithm has been constructed for the work that will allow the image on every monitor to shift and adjust in accordance to the real-time conditions—including time of day, weather, and water conditions—of its corresponding river. By digitally manipulating the individual brush strokes to create these real-time, liv- ing documents, Endangered Rivers Project creates a unique harmony between the analog and digital worlds, while mapping ways in which the earth is a living, dynamic entity existing in an elegant harmony that human behavior has threatened to throw into disequilibrium. An interactive map will also allow viewers to explore over 100 more rivers that were part of the project, with paintings, images, and entries from Miller’s journal about each one, as well as information about their local river charities.

A new collaboration of 24 digital and physical artworks by Miller and (Not)Gagosian will also be included in the exhibition at Nepenthes, each with a unique QR code that links to additional information about the river depicted in the work. Half of Miller’s proceeds from the sales of these works will go to river charities local to every painting’s setting. While at Nepenthes, all visitors will receive their own Endangered Rivers Project NFT of Miller’s newly created East River, NY painting, which will give them access to a future limited-edition launch. On the morning of September 9th, Miller will create an East River painting from New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the public is invited to gather and watch him paint. The final work will be on view in the show, with proceeds from its sale benefiting the Gallatin River Taskforce.

Previews of the exhibition will also launch on the Artsy art platform on September 15th, with works going on sale beginning September 16th.

Event Dates

Endangered Rivers Project Opening Reception Nepenthes NY,
307 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018
Sept 16, 2022

7 to 9 pm

For more information:

Nepenthes NY
Takuya Yamamoto takuya@nepenthesny.com (212) 643-9540

Nepenthes Japan
Miho Watanabe watanabe@nepenthes.co.jp