The third installment of Last Rites Gallery’s annual group exhibition Dark Pop 3.0 kicked off this weekend in New York, with a gala opening party on Saturday night. This show brings together eighteen intriguing pieces from a diverse group of artists, whose work is at least somewhat synonymous with a pop art aesthetic within their various genres. With Last Rites being known for its consistently thematically dark collections, participants were given a guideline to err on the darker end of their aesthetic, with truly remarkable results!

The Autumn Kings by Brian Despain

I always love attending shows at Last Rites because I enjoy the combination “House of Horrors” meets Fine Art vibe I get from the space, which is also a tattoo parlor owned by renowned artist, Paul Booth. It also seems that Popaganda artist Ron English – whom Geoffrey and I both adore – often shows up for opening parties. Ron was there on Saturday and it was fun to have a chance to speak with him in such an intimate setting, because Ron English is awesome. My favorite pieces in the exhibit are Brian Despain’s The Autumn Kings, Beau Stanton’s Gasp and Mark Garro’s very clever Serpentine Suppertime, which is accented with a custom frame that really sets the picture off.

Gasp by Beau Stanton

Dark Pop 3.0 Runs through February 12, 2011 at Last Rites Gallery, located at 511 West 33rd Street (West of 11th Ave) in NYC. Gallery Hours are Tues-Fri 2-9pm, Sat 2-9pm, Sun 2-6pm.

Serpentine Suppertime by Mark Garro