Dreams On Command

American Expectations is the debut exhibition of Dreams On Command. Featuring a body of staged photographic works by photographer Marcelo Mayen that explore the emotional, psychological, and cultural pressures embedded in modern American life.

Blending cinematic lighting, surreal environments, dark humor, and occasional cultural symbols such as Batman, Barbies, and Marlboro cigarettes, Mayen explores themes of work culture, masculinity, consumerism, misogyny, parental expectations, and identity through psychologically charged photography.

Rather than relying on direct political iconography or shock value, the exhibition approaches American life through metaphor, emotional tension, and moments of absurd humor. While some of Mayen’s photographs are immediate, others reveal themselves more slowly, encouraging viewers to look beyond the surface and uncover the metaphors embedded within his art direction and constructed imagery.

Most of the work in American Expectations was photographed using a 100-megapixel medium format digital Hasselblad camera, allowing viewers to experience an overwhelming level of detail within each image. Every texture, prop, wrinkle, reflection, and fabric is rendered with striking clarity, revealing the obsessive level of construction and intentionality behind Mayen’s art direction the longer one looks. Two works within the exhibition were photographed on 35mm film, a visual language Mayen uses to confront subjects such as misogyny, violence, and his unapologetic stance against fascism.

Works from American Expectations are available in multiple sizes and edition formats, including curated small editions and select large-scale framed works. The exhibition offers accessible entry points for new collectors while also presenting museum-quality statement pieces. A full price list and collector catalog are available in-gallery.

As the inaugural exhibition of Dreams On Command, American Expectations establishes the gallery’s curatorial direction: contemporary work that challenges, questions, and reflects the human condition through bold visual storytelling.

CLOSING RECEPTION: June 6th at 6pm. Visitors are encouraged to join our mailing list for reception details, future exhibitions, and gallery announcements.

(Three works from the exhibition are below)