Now: 3rd — All Street Gallery

NEW YORK, NY – How can America pride itself on freedom while refusing small, relatively inconsequential liberties to half its population? In her solo exhibition TOPL3$$ AMERICA, artist Paula Romeu Garcia investigates internalized shame around the boundaries of nudity in public spaces. Photographing mundane scenes – riding the subway, taking the dog for a walk, working out– her subjects are topless, putting on display the gendered double standards around exposure. Her photographs both agitate existing discomfort around women’s self-assured nudity, and propose a speculative future where this stigma no longer exists.

In 1992, it became legal for women to be topless in public places in New York state. In fact, toplessness is legal regardless of gender in most states. However, the cultural stigmatization and sexualization of exposed breasts remains. In America overall, the fascination with breasts has been reported to be disproportionate to other countries. Legality of exposure, in this case, is less of an obstacle than social stigma, the consequences of which could range from judgmental gazes to acts of violence.

At this current social and political moment, Romeu Garcia’s series feels timely. In the simple act of asking friends and acquaintances to pose topless in public, the social and political nuances of personal and legal liberties are put on display, especially when it comes to women’s bodies. She reflects, despite these complexities, “Why do so many people do anything to build their dreams here? Because America is also the best place to push boundaries, be yourself and express your voice as an artist.” Although there may be an air of disillusionment surrounding American attitudes towards gender, sexuality, parenthood, bodily autonomy , among other civil rights issues, Romeu Garcia’s images offer a path to resistance or simply an outlet for self-examination.

In TOPL3$$ AMERICA, the images are contradictory: glamorized yet mundane, confident yet self-conscious, real yet slightly suspended from the social realities of public space that we have come to know as Americans. Perhaps the images are so contradictory because they reflect our attitudes about women’s bodies and their sexuality. Polished and displayed in square format, the images reference social media’s censorship of women’s bodies despite the proliferation of pornographic images in online spaces. Exposure and sexuality are permitted so long as it is private or so long as it is commodified.

In her Body Parts series, Romeu Garcia deals with this commodification head-on. In a series of self-portraits where her body parts are segmented and priced accordingly, collectors can buy individual images of her breasts, vulva, legs, and feet separately or acquire the series in its entirety. The only missing piece is the artist’s face, which is represented instead by a mirror. In this substitution, there is an implication of humorous absurdity, as well as cheeky criticism. The viewer is unable to direct their gaze toward her body without also confronting themselves, their body, how it is similar to or different from hers, and how this informs their personal choices around public presentation.

During a time when conversations around personal choice and bodily autonomy are so high stakes, Romeu Garcia invites us to pause and sit with our assumptions, judgments, and reactions. What is so threatening, sexual, silly, violating, shameful, or freeing about women exposing their breasts in a public space? Why does it affect us so deeply to see other people’s nakedness? Through her lens, Romeu Garcia not only exposes the double standards around nudity but also asks us to imagine a world where such exposure feels neither radical nor remarkable.

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About the Artist:
Paula Romeu Garcia is a New York-based artist, content creator and writer known for her vivid, poetic approach to exploring human connection and identity. Her work combines a cinematic eye with influences from poetry and cinema, creating narratives that are as layered as they are visually striking. Romeu Garcia’s exhibition at All Street Gallery is her debut solo show in New York City, and she is currently working on a memoir. Across mediums, her art is a celebration of resilience, culture, and the shared threads that connect us all.

Instagram: @paularomeugarcia
Website: www.paularomeu.com

About All Street Gallery:
Founded in 2018, All Street NYC presents works by emerging and underrepresented artists whose works demonstrate social engagement and community empowerment. First established as an artist collective and grassroots protest organization by born and raised New Yorkers, All Street NYC is a space that is both created by and for artists. Having deep roots in New York City, the gallery and collective share a background in public art and activations as a means of creative protest and resistance. Such socially engaged work has carried into their gallery space as they opened their doors on 77 East Third Street, and as they now open their second location at 119 Hester Street.

For press and sales inquiries, please contact:

Eden Chinn
All Street Gallery
gallery@allstnyc.com

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