Friday evening marks the opening of CAVE PAINTINGS, a seven artist exhibition that is spatially and emotionally antithetical to last month's 2000 YEARS OF SCULPTURE. It consists of large to very-large work flat to the wall, veering towards abstraction, and veering towards psychedelia. It is, however, once again designed to delight and immerse the Philadelphia public at large, to talk about the past, the present and the future. Deep breath and here is a lot of information to digest:

KATE ABERCROMBIE has been working in Philadelphia for 8 years, maintaining a diligent and intense painting practice while simultaneously collaborating and apprenticing with many visiting artists at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, among them Shahzia Sikander, Kori Newkirkand Jun Kaneko. Her work first appeared at Fleisher/Ollman in 2003 at The New Acropolis, the debut invitational exhibition of emerging Philadelphia artists. CHRIS CHURCHILL, a recent graduate of the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, will be showing his scratchy, woozy landscapes, somewhere between Arshile Gorky and Sue Williams, in his Philadelphia debut. CHARLES FAHLEN has shown broadly and consistently since his debut solo exhibition at Richard Feigen Gallery in New York in 1971, and we are delighted to present three new wall sculptures in this show, his Fleisher/Ollman debut. ISAAC LIN, a many-year member of Space 1026 around the milennium and a recently returned citizen of Philadelphia after 2 years at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, created a 3D environment for Morgellons, our 2006 winter invitational. This, his second full-scale installation at the space, follows his recent emphatic participation in Coming Up at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland and A Kiss for the Mezuzah at the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art. MARK MAHOSKY has been showing at Fleisher/Ollman Gallery since 1986, his senior year at Tyler University of Art. This exhibition unveils a 67-by-348-inch oil painting on primed newspaper that the artist has worked on in his central Pennsylvania barn studio for over a year. BRUCE POLLOCK's practice has evolved for over 25 years at Fleisher/Ollman Gallery, and his contribution to CAVE PAINTINGS marks another step, combining gooey transfer paintings on circular panels with a unique wall drawing. MARK SURFACE is both an anonymous entity and one of the best known graffiti artists in the world, and the 8-foot-square work in this show was created at great speed and in one shot.

It seems we are at full speed now in the 2007-2008 program. I'd say that right now is a good time to come visit us, for we are full of beans and have lots to say. 2000 YEARS must have broken some sort of attendance record here - the mood is bright. Thank you, as always, for your support of our gallery.