Carl Kostyál is delighted to present the group exhibition ‘First Class’, co-curated by Gabriel Max Shelsky featuring works by Alex Da Corte (b. 1980, New Jersey), Callum Eaton (b. 1997, Bath), Al Freeman (b. 1981, Toronto) and Alexander Guy (b. 1962, Fife).
“Are you ready?
If you ain’t got no money, take yo’ broke ass home, you say it
“If you ain’t got no money, take yo’ broke ass home”
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S
We flyin’ the first class, up in the sky
Poppin’ champagne
Livin’ my life in the fast lane”
Uttered by Fergie in velvety alto on the 2007 hit single ‘Glamorous’, these lyrics trace a familiar rags-to-riches narrative: luxury, excess and arrival. Part of her debut studio album ‘The Duchess’, the album artwork itself, with Fergie clad in lace on satin bedsheets demurely looking into the camera’s lens, could be described as iconic. It is the kind of image Alex Da Corte would take, subvert and enter into his pantheon of CD paintings, created from 2013 – present.
In ‘First Class’, themes of fame, celebrity, consumerism, excess and pop culture at large are explored across an array of artistic milieus. From Scottish artist Alexander Guy’s “tacky realism,” which has quietly influenced an entire generation of artists working in the UK today– including hyper-realist Callum Eaton– to New York-based sculptor Al Freeman, who transforms everything from butcher knives to key rings into works of art, alongside Alex Da Corte. The exhibition, like ‘Glamorous’ itself, explores what it means to “fly high” in 2026 and the implications of that ascent.
– Gabriel Max Shelsky
Alex Da Corte, Callum Eaton, Al Freeman, Alexander Guy, ‘First Class’, Exhibition Text
Alex Da Corte (b. 1980, Camden, NJ) lives and works in Philadelphia. Da Corte has shown extensively with the gallery over its fifteen-year history. Solo exhibitions include Alex Da Corte & Darren Bader, Stockholm (2013) and ‘A Night in Hell’ (2014), Stockholm. Group exhibitions include ‘For Pete’s Sake’, Stockholm (2016); ‘Call Me’, Stockholm (2017); ‘Malmö Sessions’, Malmö (2017) and ‘For Pete’s Sake 2.0’ at MARKET ART Fair, Stockholm (2025). Da Corte has also been included in numerous Kostyál curated projects, most recently with Gullringsbo Konstsamling at Hospitalet (2025). Kostyál has facilitated donations of Da Corte’s work to several institutions including Moderna Museet (Stockholm) and Fort Worth Museum of Art (Texas). Other collections featuring Da Corte’s work include The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York); The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York); MoMA (New York) and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Denmark).
Callum Eaton (b. 1997, Bath) lives and works in London. He earned a BA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2019. Eaton presented his debut solo exhibition with Carl Kostyál in 2022 followed by his second solo exhibition ‘What a shit show.’ in 2025–26. He has shown in the gallery’s group presentation at MARKET ART Fair, Stockholm (2025) and participated in the Carl Kostyál’s Invitational Draw Jam (2025 & 2024). In 2025 with the support of Carl Kostyál, Eaton also took part in the Mack Art Foundation residency programme in New York.
Al Freeman (b. 1981, Toronto) lives and works in New York. Recent exhibitions include ‘Painting’, Carl Kostyál (2021); ‘Friends of Friends’, Schlossmuseum, Austria (2020); ‘Comparisons with Flatfix’, MoMA PS1 (2018); ‘Flat’, Carl Kostyál (2018); ‘Original Language’, CUE Art Foundation, New York (2018) and ‘Soft Focus’, Reyes Projects, Detroit (2018).
Alexander Guy (b. 1962, in St Andrews, Fife) lives and works in Glasgow. Guy had his debut solo exhibition ‘Road Trips: 1986 – 2020’ with Carl Kostyál in London in 2020 followed by ‘White Lies’ in 2022. Recent group exhibitions include ‘Love of Drawing’, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Netherlands (2024); ‘Painters of Modern Life: Part I’ curated by Katharine Kostyál, Carl Kostyál (2023); and ‘Stockholm Sessions’, Carl Kostyál, Hospitalet (2021). Collections include Glasgow Museum of Art (Glasgow), Gullringsbo Konstsamling (Stockholm), Royal College of Art (London), The Fleming Collection (London).