A portrait of Ted Kennedy’s head split in two, a wolf with a robotic limb and Big Bird leading a police brigade can all be seen in the  current Baton Rouge Gallery exhibition Surreal Salon IV, which displays art of the pop-surrealist movement.
 Pop-surrealism is relatively new, and the artists showing in the gallery are at the forefront, said Jason Andreasen, executive director of Baton Rouge Gallery.  
In the event’s first year, it was known as the Surrealist Ball. It lasted one night and only featured Louisiana artists. Now, in its fourth consecutive year, it has expanded to its largest size yet, including 65 works of art from 54 artists across 21 states.
Despite the few local art shows aimed at the movement, the state seems to be packed with surrealist artists. Nineteen Louisiana artists have pieces in the exhibit, seven of which reside in Baton Rouge.
Andreasen said more than 350 works of art were submitted for inclusion. Southern California artist and illustrator Casey Weldon served as the juror for the exhibit and made selections by viewing digital images of each work.
The works chosen for the exhibit were created with media such as paint, sculpture, video, photographs, collages and digitally -altered art.
A painting by Steven Eckert, University painting and drawing senior, was included in the show. His 30-by-40-inch oil painting is titled “I’ll Never Leave Here,” and is a distorted image of his parents’ house.
To create the painting, Eckert said he started by capturing different photos of the house. He then drew multiple sketches of what he wanted the painting to look like. Eckert said he usually goes through about three designs before finalizing the image.
Eckert described surrealism as a “created space shown through one image that would never occur in nature or in reality, but seems like it could exist in some realm.”
Eckert said he hasn’t seen much surrealist art among his fellow classmates.
“Not everyone can take a table or a box and smoosh it into something completely new,” Eckert said.
In addition to the exhibit, Baton Rouge Gallery will host its annual Surreal Salon Soiree on Jan. 21. The evening will include live music, surrealist games, costumes and viewing of the exhibit.
But a bigger spectacle than the art itself may be the costumes donned by attendees. Andreasen said many of the costumes are home made and very inventive.
“For that one night the show gets expanded,” Andreasen said. “The audience becomes a part of the show.”
The musical act Mobley will perform at the soiree along with the local band Prom Date. Andreasen said these two groups were asked to perform because both have a visual spectacle that plays a role in their shows.
University alumnus David Fuller plays the keyboard and sings as part of the five-man group Prom Date.
“I think we’d be a perfect fit for it,” Fuller said. “We have a flare for visuals.”
Dressing in costume is part of the band’s aesthetic, and the surreal costumes of the crowd are expected to enhance the experience.
“Ideally every show would be like this,” Fuller said.
 
 
 
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