Surreal Salon 18 Returns to Baton Rouge Gallery
Surreal Salon, the annual international exhibition celebrating the Pop-surrealism/Lowbrow movement, is making its way back to Baton Rouge Gallery – center for contemporary art (BRG) for its 18th year. In collaboration with Louisiana State University (LSU)’s School of Art, the show will be open to the public at no cost from January 2 to 25, 2026, in Louisiana’s capital city.
This year’s multimedia showcase features over 60 artists from the U.S. and around the world, with pieces carefully selected by the show’s Special Guest Juror, Swoon, from a pool of nearly 800 submissions through a blind jurying process.
Each year, Surreal Salon honors the ever-evolving Pop-surrealist/Lowbrow art movement by inviting artists globally to submit their works for consideration. The resulting collection always includes paintings, photography, ceramics, textiles, mixed media works, and more.
Throughout the years, Surreal Salon has welcomed internationally acclaimed artists like Ron English, Camille Rose Garcia, Marco Mazzoni, Beth Cavener, Greg “Craola” Simkins, and more to serve as jurors, curating engaging and dynamic collections of work for the exhibition. This tradition continues in 2026 with Swoon (a.k.a. Caledonia Curry) taking on this role.
Curry, a street artist based in Brooklyn, merges realistic and fantastical elements in her immersive installations, wheatpaste portraits, and community-based social justice projects spanning two decades. Her art has graced the walls of prestigious institutions like New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and Tate Modern, as well as adorning built environments worldwide.
Swoon will deliver a talk on Monday, January 26, hosted by LSU’s School of Art in conjunction with Surreal Salon 18. The talk, free and open to all, will delve into her career, artwork, and her experience curating the art for this exhibition.
Prior to the show’s conclusion, BRG will invite numerous guests to embody their own pop-surrealist visions through elaborate costumes at The Surreal Salon Soiree on Saturday, January 24. The evening will celebrate the exhibition with live music from the band Bon Bon Vivant, two DJ sets, food trucks, and surprises. Tickets are currently on sale, starting at just $40.
For more information and to preview the works featured in this year’s exhibition, visit batonrougegallery.org.
