SURREAL SALON 18
opens jan. 2 featuring pop-surrealism & lowbrow art, juried by swoon
Surreal Salon - the annual international exhibition celebrating the pop-surrealist/lowbrow movement - returns to Baton Rouge Gallery (“BRG”) for its 18th year this January. The exhibition, held in partnership with the LSU School of Art, features artists from across the globe, each hand-picked by the show’s Special Guest Juror, Swoon, via a blind jurying process.
For more than a decade, Surreal Salon has featured paintings, photography, ceramics, textiles, mixed media works, and more. Now a new collection of artists and media are added to the list with the show’s 18th edition in 2026.
More than $2,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to participating artists in conjunction with the exhibition and the artist whose work is selected as Best in Show is also be profiled in an online editorial by Juxtapoz.
THE EXHIBITION
ON VIEW jan 2-25, 2026; FREE ADMISSION
The following artists were selected for inclusion by Special Guest Juror, Swoon, from 18 different U.S. states and three different countries. Artworks will be available for online viewing beginning January 2.
SWOON
SURREAL SALON 18 SPECIAL GUEST JUROR
Over the years, Surreal Salon has enlisted well-known and well-respected jurors for Surreal Salon – including internationally-renowned artists such as Ron English, Camille Rose Garcia, Marco Mazzoni, Beth Cavener, Elizabeth McGrath, Greg “Craola” Simkins, and many others - to assist in making Surreal Salon as artistically engaging as possible. That tradition is once again renewed with Swoon (Caledonia Curry) filling this role (thanks in part to a partnership with the Louisiana State University School of Art). She has personally curated the collection of works that will be included in the exhibition.
Surreal Salon 18 Special Guest Juror: Swoon
Swoon will give a free talk on Monday, January 26 at Louisiana State University’s School of Art in conjunction with Surreal Salon 18. The talk will be free and open to all, touching on her career, her work, and her experience selecting the works that would be included in this exhibition. Stay tuned for more details on this special opportunity to hear from someone BOMB Magazine once said, “has the antennae of an artist, but also the enthusiasms of an anarchist, a healer, a utopian dreamer.”
THE SURREAL SALON SOIREE
JAN. 24, 2026 - TIX ON SALE NOW
This one-of-a-kind night always expands the Surreal Salon exhibition to, in essence, include hundreds of works of art by way of the costumes YOU put together to help punctuate this unique exhibition! In addition to the over five dozen works featured in the Surreal Salon exhibition, the big night includes live performances from Bon Bon Vivant and MONOBLACK, food trucks, and a number of other surprises.
Buy your tickets in advance to save $10 off the door price. Become a member for $5 per month (or $60 all-at-once) or more, and save another $10!
Tickets include complimentary beverages. Must be 21+ with ID for adult beverages.
MORE Images from 2025’s Surreal Salon Soiree:
Photos courtesy of Julia Rose Photography