This weekend, East Williamsburg’s SIGNAL Gallery presents something that might help assuage your winter blues: A fully functional sauna is one of the features of the show opening there this Saturday.
In addition to enjoying works by artists John Dante Bianchi, Alexandra Drewchin, Hayden Dunham, Elizabeth Jaeger, Anna K.E., Florian Meisenberg and the Perfect Nothing Catalog, art- and sauna-lovers are invited to bring along a bathing suit on their visit to the gallery so that they can take a quick schvitz before heading back out into the cold.
The sauna is free of charge, and towels and flip flops will be on hand for participants to dry off with after their experience.
The show is entitled “Watermark,” and gallery director Kyle Jacques tells artnet News that “the sauna was conceived after talks of creating an experience that responded to the cold weather.”
Jacques tells Bushwick Daily: “The sauna is constructed of a metal, tent like frame, and draped with felt and cotton blankets for structure and insulation. There will be an arched metal entrance in the front with a facade of cinderblocks. Wisteria branches with cover the structure and spill over the sides. It will be a sand covered floor. This work is by The Perfect Nothing Catalog, who had a project for two summers in Signals back yard that functioned as a junk shop.”
Capacity for the sauna is limited—only six people are able to use it at at time—but the sauna and the rest of the show will be at Signal through March 27th, so if you’re not sure about waiting in line on Saturday, you can make plans to swing by at a later date.
Jacques add that “the title of the show is based on the 1988 Enya record. Started as a joke, given the vibe, but took on new meanings. The “high watermark” of what we see out there and who we work with. As well as the classic watermark in paper versus the way digital images are watermarked with logos.”
Happy sauna-ing!
SIGNAL Gallery is located at 260 Johnson Ave between White St and Bushwick Pl off of the Montrose stop on the L train. The opening reception for Watermark takes place this Saturday, February 27th, from 1pm 6pm; attendees can RSVP on Facebook. SIGNAL’s regular hours of operation are Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm-6pm; the telephone number is 347 746 8457, its website is ssiiggnnaall.com, and SIGNAL is on Facebook and Instagram.