Natalie White: Someday

ON CANAL Presents:
Natalie White: Someday
Curated by Wallplay
Opening October 4th, 2018
Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-7pm, Thursdays 12-9pm
314, 316, Canal Street, NY, NY 10013

“…Without your help this year’s vote would have been another failed attempt. Your involvement and tireless work in the process of achieving ratification [of the ERA] was remarkable and for that I’m sincerely grateful.”

• Lou Lang, Illinois Representative of the 16th District

ON CANAL is pleased to host Someday, an exhibition by artist, Natalie White curated by Wallplay. At the interior of 314 Canal, White has created her first immersive environment to date, surrounding visitors by 100% cotton American flags and piled feminist literature, in the name of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment for the United States Constitution. From October 4th through October 12th, the last day to register for the 2018 midterm elections, White will spray paint a monumental American Flag with the pledge of allegiance during operating hours, which the public can witness live.

Natalie White, the artist muse who took agency of her image, becoming a well regarded artist and political activist in her own right, has been fighting for constitutional equal rights and imbuing her artistic practice with ERA themes since 2015. Starting the walk from New York City, White led a 250 mile march to D.C., raising awareness for the Equal Rights Amendment. The day after the march ended, the artist painted a 20ft long “ERA NOW” on the U.S. Capitol in broad daylight. White was arrested a week later, pleading not guilty and represented herself at the trial that took place two days before Trump's Inauguration and three days before the Women's March in D.C. With character witnesses that included Academy Award winning actress Patricia Arquette and Award winning filmmaker, Kamala Lopez, White was found guilty but only given a $50.00 fine and six months restrained from visiting the Capitol. A special provision was given that if she was going to lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment she could enter Capitol property. The trial was ultimately a media circus appearing on top news outlets, including MSNBC, Forbes, in The Washington Post, and Vice.

In January of 2017 White became the co-director of the Equal Means Equal Organization started by Lopez. Together White and Lopez successfully achieved the ratification of Nevada and Illinois, after no state had even voted on ERA in almost 40 years, bringing the ERA just 1 state short of the 38 needed for a full Constitutional Amendment.

On October 19th 2017 White and Lopez filed the first lawsuit against the Trump Administration and Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos for their illegal order to the schools, encouraging them to violate the civil rights provisions guaranteed to women and girls under Title IX.

Someday, White’s newest exhibition, includes 20x24” Polaroids, created with original dyes and obsolete Polaroid photo paper, which the artist has become well known for working with over the last decade. Four red and white Polaroids, first displayed at WhiteBox Gallery in 2016, are displayed in conjunction with a massive cotton American Flag spray painted with thought provoking twist, not to be missed, by White.

About Natalie White
White is a provocative and progressive feminist artist best known for her self portraiture work in with large format Polaroid. Growing up in a small town in West Virginia, Natalie first gained attention internationally as a young model, featured on the covers of numerous European magazines. Never one to shy away from the risque, she was also notably the first American ever featured in French Playboy. Her creative drive and unapologetic spirit quickly led her towards more collaborative ventures with artists such as Peter Beard, George Condo, Olivier Zahm, Michael Dweck, Will Cotton, Spencer Tunick, and Sean Lennon. White has been working in large format Polaroid for years and has had her photographs included in more than seven exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad.

About ON CANAL, the District for New Ideas
ON CANAL is a district for pop-ups where brands, artists & startups can test out new ideas and engage with the public in a high traffic location at the intersection of SoHo and TriBeCa. The districts 20+ storefronts are operated by Wallplay, an experiential network that programs empty retail spaces with content from pop-up rentals & creative projects. ON CANAL’s program is curated by Wallplay & Vibes Studios, with the aim of creatively re-imagining retail. Submit your ideas, visit: www.oncanal.nyc

About Wallplay, the Operator & Curator:
Wallplay is an experiential network that operates & programs empty retail spaces. The company mission is to repurpose vacant spaces around the world and utilize them as pop-up platforms. Wallplay operates vacant spaces until landlords secure permanent tenants, enabling property owners & brands to be patrons of culture. Founded in 2013 on the Lower East Side at 118 Orchard, with art billboards and a storefront for pop-ups, Wallplay pioneered a unique 50-50 business model. The company is able to provide subsidized space for at least 50% of its annual use to creative projects, social impact startups, and curators by hosting commercial projects & pop-ups. Wallplay provides access to leading creative entrepreneurs, startups, arts organizations, storytellers, and thought leaders for experiential projects that push culture forward. Wallplay is alumni of NEW INC, the world’s first museum-led creative tech incubator founded by The New Museum.
www.wallplay.com | @wallplaynetwork