Lawn Fidelitys II: Eric Stevens and Gary Marecic at Ketchup City Creative
On Thursday, July 27 at 7pm, Lawn Fidelitys II opens at Ketchup City Creative, where Eric Stevens and Gary Marecic excavate the visual detritus of American suburbia with the precision of cultural anthropologists. Their co-exhibition operates across multiple formats—painting, 35mm and 110 film photography, video installation, illustrations—creating a taxonomy of overlooked moments that feel both deeply personal and universally resonant. Stevens and Marecic understand that the most profound art often emerges from the spaces between intention and accident, finding unexpected beauty in the mundane architecture of daily life. DJ set by Agave Party.
What makes Lawn Fidelitys II truly compelling is the way Stevens and Marecic transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. They approach seemingly dull or forgotten suburban motifs—such as the lawn ornament, chain‑link fence, peeling siding, or imperfect lawn stripe—and frame them as emblematic relics of contemporary life. Their combined media create a dialogue between stillness and motion: a painting freezes the viewer’s gaze in a single, poignant moment; film nudges the perception toward motion and texture; illustrations provide a more intimate, perhaps anecdotal, vantage. The video installations, in particular, invite visitors to linger, listening to the soft hum of suburban quietude or the almost imperceptible rustle of grass, repositioning the spectator in both time and space.
Beyond the sensory appeal, Lawn Fidelitys II encourages reflection on themes of belonging and memory. Whether you grew up in the suburbs or just passed through one, there’s something strangely familiar in these pieces—an echo of childhood afternoons, backyard barbecues, or the idling drone of sprinklers. It’s a show that doesn’t overtly scream nostalgia; rather, it hums it quietly between each frame and brushstroke. And as Agave Party’s DJ set weaves through the exhibition space, it underlines how seamlessly art, sound, and environment can coalesce into a unified experience. Don’t miss this tender, perceptive exploration of what often goes unnoticed just beyond the front doorstep.
See the show from July 27 through August 5 at Ketchup City Creative at 612 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA.
