(Courtesy Canada gallery)

Summer group shows pretty much seem to exist because everyone is checked out, which is fair because it's summer and everything should be easier and, essentially, phoned-in (see this blog post--ed.). We owe that to ourselves. Usually summer group shows are sold as thoughtful "meditations" on the "interconnectivity" of "this diverse group of artists." Such descriptions must be read only when a person is in high spirits or else it is possible that damage will be done to this person's eyes from the heaviness of the eye roll that is induced by said salesmanship.

So: here's a nice bit of honesty from a press release (that's a sentence we never thought we'd write), courtesy of the good folks at Canada gallery:

Hot Time Tub Machine opens this Thursday. This group show offers work from Los Angeles, Brooklyn and the Czech Republic. The show is heavy on sculpture with some photo and painting. These are works without any connection, they come from artists we know and love, to people we have never seen or met. Other than being made up of art we like there is no reason for this show to exist. It’s basically a chance to meet people in June and celebrate another season’s end.

Sold! The genius of the title "Hot Time Tub Machine," which brings to mind the immediately pleasing image of John Cusack on hallucinogenic mushrooms (if you haven't seen the movie that has an eerily reminiscent title to this group show, you really ought to), basically goes without saying.