Ballpoint

Ballpoint brought together twelve artists who all believe their best drawings are made with the humble ballpoint pen, a tool that allows no erasing and no second guesses. Curated by Guno Park, the show filled Sugarlift's Bushwick gallery with work by Dina Brodsky, Ian Healy, Danica Lundy, Shane McAdams, John O'Reilly, Mu Pan, Park himself, Kristofer Porter, Matt Rota, Nicolas V. Sanchez, Raphael Sassi and Wade Schuman.

The range was wide: tiny trees from Brodsky's Secret Life of Trees series, Lundy's drawings on envelopes, Park's red skeletons, Sanchez's small, exacting animals and pastures, McAdams's ballpoint and resin panels and Schuman's studies for The Virtues. As Sanchez put it, "There is no preliminary pencil drawing. I start with pen and just keep drawing."

The opening on January 15, 2016 doubled as the launch of Matt Rota's book The Art of Ballpoint (Murdoch Books), a history of the pen as an art medium. Braven Brewing Company poured beer for a packed room, and Nico Schinco photographed the night. The show ran through February 8.