The new exhibition opening at Sloan Fine Art this Saturday, called +2, is a summer gift of fun and value: The title for this group show is inspired by its logistics: Alix Sloan, the gallery's owner, contacted 24 of her artists and asked each one to invite two artists of their choice to participate.

Although there is no collective theme, the 70-plus pieces on view are done on 10 by 10-inch canvases, which give the show visual consistency. And it becomes even more interesting to look at once one realizes that the groupings of three include each gallery artist next to his/her choices.

Left to right: Jordin Isip: Untitled. Sueraya Shaheen: Parisrap. Saelee Oh: The Ancient Breath of Earth. Courtesy Sloan Fine Arts.

Jordin Isip, an artist in the exhibition, who has also curated numerous group shows, said in an email interview, "The artists in +2 seem to have used a variety of criteria for their selections. Some are close friends and relatives, others are artists they admire or feel visual or conceptual kinship with. It's those little stories, and the trilogy of connections, that make the show fun to see and discern."

But when it comes to fine arts, isn't bigger supposed to be better? Well, Alix Sloan herself says that she finds that "smaller works, in a tough economy and a city where space is limited, do sell more quickly. Also, casual collectors as well as art lovers are more able to afford smaller, less expensive works. So it's a nice show for the times we're in."

As an artist, I have to agree. It's not only harder to sell bigger pieces, but it's also heartbreaking to have to store them in a basement and watch them get destroyed by humidity, dust and the messiness of life. I noticed this philosophy at Sloan for the first time when I went to the opening reception for I Know What You're Thinking... back in March. In that show, I was pleasantly surprised to find some of Saelee Oh's beautiful pieces for as little as $75 - and I hope to acquire one while the prices are still good.

Even Jen Bekman, a savvy SoHo gallerist, is tightening her belt in this crunch. Her affordable art project, 20x200, through which she sells archival prints for as low as $20 and as high as $2,000, just had her second 20% discount sale this year. That's just yet another sign of how much the economy is affecting the fine arts and how dealers are making adjustments. (Full disclosure: I'm one of 20x200's artists and was included in one of her sales.)

The beauty of +2 is that there is a little bit of everything for everyone. There is art by high-profile artists like Mark Ryden, Esther Watson, Mark Todd, and Martha Rich; there are also abstract pieces by Jasmine Justice and Vince Contarino; photo realistic images by Steve Ellis, and Eric White; photographs by Reba Pardieu and Sueraya Shaheen; and even stitched pieces by Orly Cogan and Bengala. For a full list of artists in the show, please visit the website.

So if you've made it this far, buckle up, buy some art, and enjoy the ride while it lasts!

Group Exhibition: +2, opening Saturday, June 20th, 4 to 6 pm. Also on view in the Project Room: Harem, by Jonathan Viner.  Sloan Fine Art. 128 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002. The exhibition runs through July 18th. Summer hours: Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 6 pm.

New York based artist and illustrator Fernanda Cohen is a faculty member of the School of Visual Arts, Vice-president of ICON6, lecture coordinator at the Society of Illustrators of New York and adviser to 3×3 Magazine. She is currently designing T-shirts for the GAP (RED) campaign, as well as a handful of advertising and editorial illustration assignments.