Excess Contemporary started with a question every painter has asked at some point: if I could put together my ideal group show, who would I invite? For Manhattan oil painter Emily Sabree, the answer became a gallery. Excess Contemporary now presents women artists exploring material culture through realism and maximalism, with a program built on technical mastery and work that speaks to the moment.

Emily Sabree, founder of Excess Contemporary, in her Manhattan studio

Excess Contemporary Emily Sabree in Manhattan studio

#### An Ideal Group Show

Emily founded Excess Contemporary Studios in 2026 as a curatorial project. "Rather than working within someone else's curatorial vision, I wanted to create a platform where I could develop exhibitions on my own terms," she says.

She made a shortlist of artists whose practices she admired and reached out. "Much to my delight, they said yes." The inaugural invitational brought that group together, and what began as "an ambitious curatorial exercise quickly evolved into something more: a collaborative vision for a different kind of gallery." The exhibition catalogue lives on the gallery's Cohart link in bio.

#### A Coalition, Not a Roster

Excess Contemporary works as a coalition gallery. Artists keep their individual autonomy and come together for select, aligned projects. The aim, Emily explains, is "to cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships between artists and the gallery, while connecting collectors with compelling work that is as technically accomplished as it is culturally relevant."

As a curator, her inspiration comes from the women she works alongside. "Their individual perspectives, commitment to their practices, and creative ambition continually challenge and encourage me to bring my best to the work."

#### Shiny, Disposable, Seemingly Endless

In her own studio, Emily is drawn to sustainability, capitalism and our complicated relationship with consumer culture. "I have a particular fascination with plastic, synthetic materials, and the seductive appeal of things that are shiny, disposable, and seemingly endless." In her paintings, mylar balloons are rendered in layers of oil.

NOPE by Emily Sabree, mylar alphabet balloons painted realistically in oil

Excess Contemporary Emily Sabree NOPE

#### riot

The painting she is proudest of is *riot* (oil on canvas, 2026), "perhaps the most personally meaningful painting I have made to date." It belongs to her ongoing *Fragile Dissent* series, which looks at the gap between online expressions of political and social conviction and the harder, tangible work of making change in everyday life.

*riot* holds a tension between the ferocity of its subject and the disposability of the materials and culture it addresses. "For me, the painting is both a critique and a reflection on the ways we perform resistance, consume dissent, and negotiate our own complicity."

riot by Emily Sabree, an oil painting of mylar balloons spelling the word riot

Excess Contemporary Emily Sabree riot

Emily Sabree standing with her painting riot at a group show in Brooklyn

Excess Contemporary Emily Sabree with riot at Brooklyn show

From *Fragile Dissent*: Emily Sabree's *riot* and *NO*.

#### What's Next

Excess Contemporary is preparing its first annual holiday sale, with a diverse selection that includes smaller, more accessible pieces that make distinctive gifts for new and established collectors alike.

In the new year, the gallery will present a series of solo exhibitions by coalition artists, available exclusively through Cohart, and plans another open call for a group exhibition in the spring. Emily is always keen to hear from artists whose practices resonate with that vision, and the gallery's podcast shares conversations with the artists behind the work.

**Discover Excess Contemporary on [Cohart](https://www.cohart.com/excesscontemporary/profile) and at [excesscontemporary.com](https://www.excesscontemporary.com), listen to the podcast on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2LqZbOfKxT0cFvpQpPcNhP) or read along on [Substack](https://substack.com/@excesscontemporary), watch on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@ExcessContemporary), and follow on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/excesscontemporary) and [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@excesscontemporary).**

Excess Contemporary: A coalition of women realists, over Emily Sabree's painting riot

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How painter Emily Sabree built Excess Contemporary, a coalition gallery for women artists working in realism and maximalism.

Excess Contemporary: A Coalition Gallery for Women Realists

Emily Sabree in her Manhattan studio

Emily Sabree, NOPE, oil on canvas, from the Fragile Dissent series

Emily Sabree, riot, oil on canvas, 2026, from the Fragile Dissent series

Emily Sabree with riot at a show in Brooklyn

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