Brute Force at THIRTY8EAST in New York Examines Ambition, and Artistic Drive

At a moment when the art world has rightly expanded its focus toward long-overdue narratives of inclusion, “Brute Force” arrives with a different kind of urgency. Presented by THIRTY8EAST, the private Upper East Side salon founded by curator and advisor Ashlee Harrison, the exhibition does not seek to re-center the male artist as heroic figure. Instead, it isolates and examines a specific historical force—competitive, obsessive, and often volatile—that has propelled much of modern and contemporary art forward.

Curated by Harrison, “Brute Force” is anchored by the work of Sebastian Errázuriz, whose rigorously disciplined, idea-driven practice provides a contemporary lens through which to consider artistic ambition. Errázuriz’s work operates across sculpture, design, architecture, and technology, pushing concepts to their breaking point. In doing so, it exposes the tension between control and collapse—between precision and risk—that sits at the heart of the exhibition.

Masculinity Under the Microscope

Rather than functioning as a retrospective or historical survey, “Brute Force” stages a dialogue across generations. Works by Maurizio Cattelan, Richard Prince, René Magritte, and Andy Warhol appear alongside Errázuriz’s practice, tracing a lineage of artists who understood competition not as a byproduct of art, but as one of its primary engines. For these figures, artistic progress emerged less through harmony than through collision—through rivalry, provocation, and a relentless drive to outpace one another.

The exhibition expands further to include works by Fernando Campana and Humberto Campana, Rick Owens, Matthew Day Jackson, B. G. Robinson, Philippe Hiquily, Alighiero Boetti, Adam McEwen, Harry Nuriev, and Ross Bleckner. Together, they reflect distinct but related approaches to ego, discipline, and risk—each revealing how ambition can be both generative and corrosive.

Reframing Power at THIRTY8EAST

Importantly, “Brute Force” does not romanticize this masculine lineage, nor does it attempt to cancel or condemn it from a distance. Harrison’s curatorial approach is more forensic than celebratory. By isolating the mechanics of competitive drive, the exhibition asks what is revealed when ambition is examined on its own terms—particularly at a moment when the cultural conversation has shifted elsewhere. What remains useful? What becomes cautionary? And what myths continue to shape how artistic value is produced and understood?

The setting of THIRTY8EAST plays a crucial role in this inquiry. Located within a historic Upper East Side brownstone, the invitation-only salon departs from the traditional white-cube gallery model. Works are presented in a lived-in, domestic environment where historic and contemporary pieces coexist, mirroring the way collections are actually inhabited. This intimacy encourages a slower, more reflective engagement—one that resists spectacle in favor of sustained looking.

In this context, “Brute Force” reads less as a thesis than as an open-ended proposition. It acknowledges that rivalry, obsession, and ambition have shaped art history in profound ways, even as the field continues to evolve toward broader definitions of authorship and value. By dissecting rather than defending the unruly masculine force at its core, the exhibition creates space for a more nuanced understanding of how power, creativity, and competition intersect—past, present, and future.

What to Know about “Brute Force”

Curated by Ashlee Harrison
On view 2025–2026
Upper East Side, New York (private location)
By invitation only
Featuring works by Sebastian Errázuriz, Maurizio Cattelan, Richard Prince, René Magritte, Andy Warhol, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Rick Owens, Matthew Day Jackson, Alighiero Boetti, Adam McEwen, Harry Nuriev, Ross Bleckner, and others.

About THIRTY8EAST
Opened in early 2025 by curator and advisor Ashlee Harrison, THIRTY8EAST is a private, invitation-only salon where art, design, and objects are curated in continual dialogue. Located within a historic Upper East Side brownstone, the space departs from the traditional white-box gallery model, offering a layered and personal experience for collectors, clients, and the broader art and design community. Historic and contemporary works are presented side by side, reflecting the way collections are lived with and inviting meaningful connections between objects, their histories, and the people who encounter them.

About Ashlee Harrison
Ashlee Harrison is a New York–based curator, advisor, and dealer recognized for her expertise in collectible contemporary design and functional art. She helped shape the field over the past decade—launching the U.S. operations of Carpenters Workshop Gallery and later serving as Curatorial Director for Design Miami.LA, overseeing the fair’s inaugural 2024 edition. Working closely with leading collectors, artists, and institutions, Harrison focuses on building thoughtful, future-minded collections and supporting both emerging and established artists. In 2025, she opened THIRTY8EAST, a private Upper East Side salon that reflects her belief in intimate, lived-in engagement with art, where historic and contemporary works are presented in conversation.