Philadelphia, PA - A new exhibition at Projects Gallery in Northern Liberties showcases the work of artist Caleb Weintraub.  Currently residing in Bloomington, Indiana, Weintraub lived in University City as a graduate student at Penn.  During that time, he responded to violence by children in the city.  He started a major work about Center City under attack by Uzi-toting kids and the finished work will be central to his one-person show . . . with the bathwater.  On view from Friday, September 1^st though October 29^th.

According to guest–curator Cheryl Harper, “Weintraub is mesmerized by the lack of moral compass in today’s children.   He presents a “what if” scenario that is quickly becoming an actual daily event in cities like Philadelphia.”  In a monumental painting titled, And all of the sudden the streets were filled with cherubs and uncertainty, the stars fell from the sky, the ground broke up beneath them and all of the walls complained is a prophetic kiddie crime wave that overwhelms Philadelphia’s Center City.  Bomb-toting, gun-slinging urchins overturn cars in concert with grenade throwing cherubs.

Weintraub was inspired to start this work in 2003 and only recently finished it in response to the violence in Philadelphia.  10 feet high and 14 feet wide, the painting is filled with recognizable building such as City Hall under attack.  Other works in the show exhibit Weintraub’s sense of outrageous behavior by toddler’s and teens in settings that range from biblical to suburban. Arts and crafts materials complement Candyland colored paints and Last Judgment iconography.

Weintraub’s works are not just about the shock value.  Nor are they about the materials used to depict these scenes.  They are about the underlying moral commentary of the hyper-violent next generation, the celebration of destruction, and militant children sucked into the turbulent conflicts of their elders.  He presents a “what if” scenario . . ." crafted in the colors and materials associated with youth and innocence, depicting surreal and horrific scenes enacted by children.

Projects Gallery represents some of today's finest contemporary artists.  In a variety of styles and media, Projects has a commitment to each artist's individual vision and mastery of material.  Whether internationally known or emerging, each artist has a personal language that provides an unique dialogue

…with the Bathwater will be on display at the Projects Gallery on 629 N. 2nd Street in Philadelphia.

Visit : www.projectsgallery.com