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Spanish artist Gonzalo Puch is a native of Sevilla and currently lives and works in Madrid, Spain. The auto-photography, video and performance of the artist are rooted in academics such as math, science, music, biology, physics and environmental studies. Puch demands the environment to be valued in order to ensure the survival of art as a whole. The artist stages and develops a series of videos and photographs related to survival and the human life cycle. In what would seem an exaggerated way to approach photography and artmaking, Puch's work comes in direct conflict with the landscape and with nature itself. Through this process, the artist is able to express the idea that man's destruction of nature will lead to or cause the death of art, showing that art can't exist without nature. The artist currently teaches at the University in Cuenca and is represented by Julie Saul Gallery in New York City. Puch has been reviewed in The New York Times and has more videos posted on youtube.com. | |||
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 The large-scale photographs of Brian Ulrich embody a distanced awareness to usually familiar environments. Encouraged by the response to the Bush Administration's call to citizens to strengthen the economy through shopping in 2001, Ulrich created the ongoing "Copia" series that offers an acute look at life in commercial settings. "Copia" not only explores the everyday activities of shopping, but also the economic, cultural, social and political implications of commercialism and the roles played in self-destruction and over-consumption, as well as those played by marketing and advertising. His imagery is made of personal moments in public spaces that are essentially enclosed virtual worlds, such as big-box retailers and thrift stores. The artist received a photography degree from the University of Akron and a photography Master's from Columbia College in Chicago. He teaches photography, Web design and visual literacy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College. Ulrich is also a frequent contributor to Adbusters Magazine. The artist is represented by Rhona Hoffman Gallery in Chicago, Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco and Julie Saul Gallery in New York. | |||
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 Los Angeles-based artist Amir H. Fallah will be exhibiting in this year's Rogue Wave '07 exhibition at L.A. Louver Gallery, which opens with an artist reception this evening. This will be the third exhibition in the Rogue Wave series, which examines work currently being made by artists in Los Angeles through the media of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video, installation and conceptual art. For the exhibition, Fallah will present three new large-scale paintings, six photographs and a large two-tiered Terrarium Fort in the gallery. The artist, who is also the founder and creative director of art and culture magazine Beautiful/Decay, will be offering limited-edition 'zines at the opening that accompany his other work in the exhibition. Fallah will be exhibiting alongside other Los Angeles-based artists such as sculptor Joshua Callaghan and new media artist Osman Khan, who will present an interactive piece investigating identity and communication. Fallah has exhibited internationally, including a recent exhibition with the Third Line Gallery in Dubai. Later this year, the artist will present a solo exhibition with RHYS Gallery in Boston. | |||
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 The work of Spanish artist Jaime Pitarch uses photography, video, sculpture, drawing and installation. The artist often focuses his attention on the altercation of everyday objects such as guitars, tables, glasses and hardware, which render the original function of the object useless. Pitarch's work is steeped in parody and humor and challenges the viewer's perception of items that are constantly used, though rarely considered. Pitarch's works are humble, yet are consistently presented with fierce craftsmanship and wit. The artist currently lives and works in Barcelona. He received his degree from Chelsea College of Art and his Master's from the Royal College of Art in London. Pitarch has exhibited internationally with shows at Spencer Brownstone Gallery in New York City, Mjellby Konstmuseum in Halmstad, Sweden, and Galeria Fucares in Madrid. Last year, Pitarch had a solo exhibition curated by Maria de Corral at the ARCO fair in Madrid. | |||
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 Boats in the night, capsized and drifting are typical scenes painted by Los Angeles-based artist Whitney Bedford. With the horizon being swallowed completely by the sea, Bedford's paintings seem to act as a metaphor for the contemporary squall of the turbulently political and social world that we live in today. The artist is said to have stated that "it is the paint itself that sinks the images," rather than the ocean or storm that occupies the work. These paintings can be seen as contemporary renditions of the romanticized works by nineteenth century painter J.M.W. Turner, offering a more aggressive view of the sublime. The turbulence contained in the work can also be seen as a struggle between abstraction and representation that dominates the picture plane in each of her paintings. Bedford has exhibited internationally with recent shows, including works with infamous Wrong Gallery in New York, the Fulbright-Kommission in Berlin, Germany, and Art:Concept in Paris, France. Notable group exhibitions for the artist include "Wunderkammer 2" at Nina Menocal in Mexico City and "Rogue Wave" with L.A. Louver in Los Angeles. | |||
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 Since the mid-90s, artist Jeff Carter has traveled extensively throughout India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and China. These travels have caused the artist to focus much of his attention on the idea of tourism and the implications of meaning that time and distance have on objects of travel, such as souvenirs and snapshots. Often, the artist will work directly from memory, recreating objects to investigate how experience is determined by the memory of the act. Carter's work negotiates space as a first-time viewer and as an intimately connected local. A sense of nostalgia and longing from the absence of a particular place is found in the artist's work, underscoring the physical and emotional effects of traveling. Carter received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1998) and his BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. The artist has received many awards, including a fellowship award for visual arts from the Illinois Arts Council in Chicago and an ArtCouncil Grant in San Francisco. Recent exhibitions include "The Surface" at Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago and a self-titled exhibition at the Spencer Brownstone Gallery in New York. | |||
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 Artist Jill Greenberg inspired much controversy for her body of work "End Times," featuring stylized, hyper-real portraits of toddlers. The artist created a variety of joylessly contorted facial expressions by offering the children candy and suddenly taking it away from them. The pieces were constructed to reflect Greenberg's frustration with the Bush administration and Christian fundamentalism in the United States (wikipedia.org). Greenberg was born in Montreal, Canada, and grew up in Detroit, Mich., before moving to New York City and, later, to Los Angeles. The artist has made memorable images of hundreds of the world's most recognizable celebrities and has created a series of work titled "Animal Tales" and a book titled "Monkey Portraits." Greenberg graduated in 1989 from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in photography. She's represented by Paul Kopeikin Gallery and has been featured in Harper's and The New Yorker. Greenberg also has a podcast on America Photo. | |||
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 Cris Bruch is an artist who resists being categorized as a particular type of creator. Bruch moves effortlessly among the mediums of paper, steel, wood, glass, clay, sound and light, only maintaining the consistency of quality and craftsmanship. The artist's work does not develop in a linear way, allowing him to leave a particular path, which can emerge in later works. Opening yesterday, the Lawrimore Projects in Seattle is currently celebrating 20 years of the artist's work with the exhibition "How Did I Get Here." Among newly constructed pieces such as "Sketchbook," viewers will find a surprising mix of other prominent works within the exhibition. Bruch's process-oriented pieces remain conceptual in nature, as the artist investigates the repetitive actions that consume our lives and help to identify us as individuals. The final presentation of each piece is a testimony to the laborious acts employed for creation. Bruch received his degree from the University of Kansas (1980) and his MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1986). The artist has been exhibited nationally, including recent exhibitions "Duty Cycle" at the Boise Art Museum in Idaho and "Dreaming, Doing, Craving" at the Salt Lake Art Center in Utah. The artist has been a design consultant for the Seattle Metro Monorail and has received awards and residencies from the Behnke Foundation in Seattle and the Djerassi Foundation in Woodside, Calif. | |||
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 The paintings and drawings of Stanford University graduate Shaun O'Dell are rooted in autobiographical and historical narratives. The artist employs a complex iconography to investigate ideas of imperialism and nationalism as well as racism and environmental blunders that are often associated with America's governing parties and social elite. Some of the visual icons found in the work are buffalos, bald eagles, liberty bells and skulls, all contained within flat, abstractly rendered landscapes. In the artist's current exhibition with the James Harris Gallery in Seattle, O'Dell has created several ink and gouache drawings that contain a similar symbolic language as found in previous works. However, in this recent body of work, the artist has further developed the fictional narratives that attempt to recreate a new American story, casting greater light on societal conditions and their inherent consequences. O'Dell's work has recently been acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and has been featured in "How to Build A Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later," a group show at the Watts Institute in San Francisco. In 2005, O'Dell became a recipient of the SECA Art Award from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and, in 2006, the artist exhibited with the Jack Hanley Gallery in Los Angeles. | |||
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 Sean Landers' work is known for its risky experimentation that allows the artist to expose his process of creation. Although the work avoids consistency in a particular medium or style, Landers' work acts as a self-portrait that relies on influences of contemporary culture that's often revealed through text. His most recent exhibition with the Andrea Rosen Gallery consists of only text-based paintings that build up texture across the picture plane, creating a delicate, beautiful surface with biting personal content. Often, the images have an easy-to-follow dialogue, but many of them also become abstracted in image and concept. Landers received his degree from Philadelphia College of Art in 1984 and his MFA from Yale University in 1986. In the past few years, he has had shows with Taka Ishii Gallery in Tokyo, greengrassi in London and Sister in Los Angeles. In addition, Landers has been involved in the fourth Berlin Biennial and other group shows with P.S.1 in New York and the Serpentine Gallery in London. | |||
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 Artist Susan Dory creates formalist paintings that often investigate memory, private life and the notion of sentimentality through the application of color. Her paintings are characteristically minimal, employing elements of repetition and restraint. The artist is interested in how color evokes certain emotions and how colors can be manipulated to elicit certain psychological responses. This year, Dory exhibited "New Paintings" with Winston Wachter Fine Art in New York City and was featured in the 8th NW Biennial at the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington State. The artist has received several awards, including a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2001), the Neddy Award from the Behnke Foundation Artist Fellowship (2003) and the King County Office of Cultural Affairs Purchase Award (2002). Dory has been featured in numerous publications, including a review in Art in America for her 2000 exhibition at Howard House in Seattle. | |||
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 Breaking all the rules in fashion and design, Bernhard Willhelm, a German native residing in Belgium, uses colors, volumes and themes that challenge labeling. In 1999, Willhelm started with womenswear, an assemblage that premiered at fashion shows in Paris. The designer fashioned his first collection of menswear in 2000, which he didn't allow the public to view until 2003's Menswear Fashion Week. Other accomplishments include a showing of his work organized in 2003 by the Ursula Blickle Art Foundation in Germany, coupled with the publishing of his book in 2004 by Lukas & Sternberg. In 2005, the orphans' aid association Misericordia asked him to design the school's uniforms. In addition, he has launched his first shoe line and created the "White Wild Bunch," a clothing line only available online at YOOX. Willhelm attended Royal Academy of Antwerp in Belgium and worked alongside Walter Van Beirendonck, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Dirk Bikkembergs. | |||
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 Emerging artist J. Bennett Fitts began his cultural development as a skateboarder and photographer of that world. His concentrated focus is set on a place where undemanding materials go from being simple objects to necessities of life. The binding elements in Fitts' photographs are created by taking substances produced for one purpose and making them into something entirely different. In his most recent series, "No Lifeguard on Duty," Fitts traveled more than 20,000 miles from Arkansas to California in search of motel pools. By paying respect to the land, sky and man's pointless manipulation of the natural world, the artist is able to highlight the effects of development and how it has created a decaying America. Fitts graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. The artist has been featured in Art in America, The New York Times and Photo District News (PDN). Fitts is represented by Paul Kopeikin Gallery in Los Angeles, Julie Saul Gallery in New York City and QPCA in Portland, Oregon. | |||
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 Chinese painter and photographer Wang Qingsong was born in Heilongjiang Province, China, and now lives in Beijing. His photographs are large, elaborate, tableaux in style and tend to make witty references to the impact of globalization and modernization in China. In addition, they make references to elements of art history. Qingsong describes his work as "Kitschy, but powerful... Contradictory, but critical" (Art Info). By being both humorous and condemnatory, Qingsong is able to highlight the cultural and artistic misunderstanding of a society in hurried transition. Qingsong attended Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in China, and he had his first solo show at Albion in London. Recent shows have been at ART Strelka in Moscow, Galerie Patrick Veret in France and the International Center of Photography in New York City. He's also been featured in the magazines Blind Spot and Next Level, as well as The New York Times. | |||
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 Japanese artist and fashion designer Mihara Yasuhiro challenges the boundaries of fashion and sports in both design and execution. Yasuhiro, who is also known as Miharayasuhiro, recently released a collector's book in conjunction with PUMA that showcases four Japanese artists who have all been influenced by the PUMA Mihara footwear collection. PUMA by Mihara Yasuhiro began in 2000 with the launch of a sneaker collection, bringing together a wealth of culture and original design from Japanese influences. This new and promising partnership has resulted in a fresh and vibrant collection of sneakers. PUMA by Mihara Yasuhiro was one of the first PUMA designer collaborations and became an integral part in establishing PUMA's sport and fashion revolution. In 1998, Yasuhiro opened his first store, SOSU ("prime number") in Aoyama, Japan, followed by his second store in Fukuoka, Japan in 2000, and his third store in Osaka, Japan in 2002. After becoming successful in the footwear industry, Yasuhiro expanded his creativity in design apparel for men and women and made his worldwide debut with Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy. He has also worked with Aprica, was featured in Sneaker Freaker Magazine. Yasuhiro graduated from Tama Art University in 1997. | |||
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 German-born artist Sabine Hornig re-contextualizes architectural structures by rebuilding and abstracting her materials. The artist's work has no boundaries between public and private space, as she often covers her entire piece with stucco to remove any reference from the original function and placement. In addition to large sculptures, the artist creates large-format photographs of architectural elements that are usually overlooked because of their intrinsic blandness, though they also act as a visual vocabulary for place and bring attention to the trivial. The artist studied fine arts at the UdK Berlin with David Evison and Isa Genzken and will be exhibiting this month with Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art in Lisboa, Portugal. Other recent exhibitions include "Geblide" at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York City and "Raum mit grobem Fenster" with Berlinische Galerie in Berlin. In 1999, Hornig received a PS1 grant and has appeared in numerous international publications, including an article and review in Artforum. | |||
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 New media artist Cory Arcangel creates digital-based works that investigate the relationship between technology, art and contemporary culture. Arcangel predominantly creates work through computer programming that uses traditional applications of game coding. The artist originally obtained a degree in music technology but began subversive manipulation of vintage video game systems, such as Nintendo, by hacking the game and revamping obsolete computer systems from previous decades. The artist will subtly change the graphics of games, such as in the piece "Super Mario Clouds," where Arcangel erased everything in the game except the clouds that are programmed to slowly glide across the sky. The artist's imagery is nostalgically appropriated, simultaneously challenging the future of digital manipulation and elements of a cultural past. Arcangel has exhibited work in the 2004 Biennial at The Whitney Museum of American Art as well as at LISTE, The Young Art Fair, in Basel, Switzerland. Also in 2004, the artist exhibited in The Armory Show with Team Gallery, followed by a solo exhibit at the Migros Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2005. The artist has been featured in exhibits in the Guggenheim Museum and the MoMA in New York City and gave a lecture at Columbia University about his practice within technology and arts. | |||
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 Brooklyn-based artist David Ellis creates work that is influenced by hip-hop culture and traditional elements of graffiti. The artist moved to New York to work in the music video business. However, he soon ended that career and began to develop Barnstormers, a group of some of the most prominent and well-respected graffiti, street and mural artists working in the U.S. today. Ellis has gained much notoriety for his live motion paintings that are often filmed and created to music. Music is pivotal to the artist's creative process and influences his imagery, sculptures and production. Many of the artist's works are painted directly on the gallery walls or onto buses, vans and cars. Many of his mechanical works are driven by small computers and beat-making devices that are controlled by impressions written onto vinyl records. The computers cause mallets to bang on a variety of items such as oil cans, cymbals and drums. The artist has exhibited throughout the country, including recent shows at the Red Gallery in Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, and at the Jessica Murray Projects in New York City. The artist recently appeared with a full interview in the art and contemporary culture magazine Juxtapoz. | |||
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 During the next two months, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac will present a comprehensive solo exhibition by internationally renowned artist Wolfgang Laib. Titled "Where are you going," Laib's new exhibition continues much of the artist's exploration into the materials of pollen, milk, rice, wax and marble within the forms of cones, rectangles and stairs. Laib is less concerned with innovation and new discoveries within his practice and more interested in the continuation of his methodology. It was in the late '70s that the artist first began to use these materials, because Laib has approached his work with a consistent contemplative and ephemeral aesthetic, carefully balancing the work between many dualities. Laib was born in Germany and initially studied medicine at the University of Tubingen. After becoming a doctor in 1975, Laib decided to leave medicine and work exclusively as an artist. During his time studying medicine, the artist also studied art history, philosophy, psychology and Oriental philology, learning Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil. The artist has exhibited globally, including recent exhibitions "Still Points of the Turning World" at the SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico and "Le Mouvement des Images" in the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Among many publications, Laib was featured on ARTINFO for an exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery in New Zealand. | |||
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 The massive, low-tech sculptures of New York-based artist Phoebe Washburn are composed of thousands of individual recycled units that are constructed together to create a unified, room-sized structure. The artist draws inspirations from signs of progress often found in construction sites, such as stacks of bricks and bags of concrete or sand. Of particular interest to Washburn are found elements of improvised architecture on construction sites such as a make-shift ramp or rigged-up workbench. However ambitious the attempt at construction is for the artist, the viewer is always left with clues as to how the structure is engineered. Many of the site specific works such as "True, False, and Slightly Better" weigh more than 7,000 pounds and are held together by more than 70,000 screws, supported by a mix of miscellaneous materials like two-by-fours and other scrap wood. In 2005 and 2006, Washburn filled the lobby of the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles with thousands of pieces of constructed cardboard and plywood in a piece titled "It Has No Secret Surprise." The artist received her degree from Tulane University in New Orleans and her MFA from the School of the Visual Arts in New York City. Washburn exhibited at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center and Zach Feuer (LFL) in New York and has been featured in an article in Art in America and in a recent article titled "Burgeoning Geometries" in The New York Times. | |||
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 The work of Thomas Zipp explores a wide range of cultural references that suggest playful inventions and contemporary experimentation. The artist's aesthetic underscores the potential for maliciousness within new technology while employing a playful humor that aids to offset the weight of his images. Often stemming from the subconscious landscape of the artist's dreams, the images and ideas of Zipp reinforce the illogical pursuit of technological advancement and the idea of a utopian society. Using wit and dark metaphors, the artist creates a labyrinth of images that the viewer must navigate and uncover to reveal new meaning. Zipp was born in Heppenheim, Germany, and currently lives and works in Berlin. The artist exhibited "Nuevo Tychonico" with the Galeria Heinrich Ehrhardt (2005) and has also exhibited with Alison Jacques Gallery and Baronian Francey Gallery in Brussels, Belgium. The artist studied at the Freien Kunst Stadelschule in Frankfurt, Germany, and the Slade School in London and is currently represented by Galerie Guido W. Baudach in Berlin and the Patrick Painter Gallery in California. | |||
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 The paintings of New York-based artist Lisa Sanditz explore the dynamic relationship between natural and artificial landscapes, focusing on how individuals experience these spaces. Sanditz travels throughout the U.S. documenting and reconstructing images from commercial environments such as malls, parking lots and suburbs. The artist often combines formal modernist painting techniques with new and innovative approaches to the medium, infusing realism with abstraction. Sanditz is an MFA graduate from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York (2001), and she received her degree in studio art from the Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. (1995). In winter, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City presented "Fly Over," Sanditz's first solo museum exhibition. Other recent exhibitions include "The New Frontier" in ACME Los Angeles and "Organized Living" at the CRG Gallery in New York City. The artist has been included in numerous publications, such as The New York Times' Art in Review section and on absolutearts.com. | |||
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 Canadian artist, writer and filmmaker Scott Treleaven initially became well known for his 2002 short cult film "The Salivation Army," depicting the activities of a gang of radical sub-culture youth. Since, the artist has gained much notoriety for a range of other artistic endeavors, including his college and photographic works, which have been exhibited across the U.S. Treleaven appeared in the recent issue "S" of art and design magazine Beautiful/Decay, alongside other notable contemporary artists such as Banks Violette. Treleaven's collages and photographs use the same montage quality as his films, continuing to reference punk motifs and fringe cultures through heavy symbolism in a documentary style. The graphic black and white collaged approach found in all of Treleaven's work has been influenced by his personal experience of publishing a zine titled the same as his popular short film, "The Salivation Army." Currently, the artist is represented by the Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago, John Connelly Presents in New York and Marc Selwyn Fine Art in Los Angles. This month, the three galleries are releasing a co-published, 100-plus-page catalog of the artist's work, titled "Some Boys Wander By Mistake." | |||
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 Bay-area photographer Heidi Zumbrun's work emphasizes form and scale through a lack of information in the image. Her work has many associations with no clear explanation, perplexing the viewer through texture, scale and color. Zumbrun creates mysterious scenes that explore visceral, skin-like textures, yet resemble strangely placed pods in otherworldly landscapes. Her previous work has dealt with the complexities of medical ambiguity, and this interest is carried over into her new anthropomorphic work that continues to challenge the need for a clarified meaning. Zumbrun is a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute (1994) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (1987). Her work is currently exhibited with the Stephen Wirtz Gallery in San Francisco. Zumbrun's recent solo shows include the Edward Mitterrand Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland (2004), the Ariel Meyerowitz Gallery in New York (2002) and the Fay Gold Gallery in Atlanta (2002). | |||
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 The work of artist Rachel Owens acts as a metaphor to examine contemporary societal and governmental issues within the United States and its activities abroad. Last year, for an exhibition with ZieherSmith in New York City, the artist recreated a mythical fox-hunt in sculpture, complete with dogs, a rider, trophy heads and drawings made directly on The New York Times' articles. The fox-hunt is a metaphor for current situations in the U.S., the dogs being the soldiers or victims of the "fight against terrorism." Other works include a giant squirrel crafted out of cardboard, characterized by biologists as a "scatter-hoarder," that the artist created as a metaphor for U.S. aggression and the "resilience and potential for the advancements of human conditions." Owens was born in Atlanta and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. The artist is an MFA graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received her degree from the University of Kansas after attending the Tyler School of Art program in Rome, Italy. This year, the artist will present "Ground Swell," a fellowship project with the Socrates Sculpture Park, in Long Island City, New York. Other recent exhibitions included "Empathetic," curated by Elizabeth Thomas at the Temple Gallery in Philadelphia, and "Ionesco's Friends," curated by Irina Zucca, at Francosoffiantino Artecontemporanea in Turin, Italy. | |||
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 Brooklyn-based artist Ryan Wallace is currently exhibiting in "Cascading Debris," a group exhibition, at the OK OK Gallery in Seattle. Wallace, who is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Art and Design (RISD), has gained much notoriety for his seemingly narrative paintings that are loaded with symbolism and references to contemporary culture and experience. The artist has said that his works act "autonomously and as a whole, suggesting each piece as a segment or selection lifted from a larger landscape or longer timeline," allowing for a greater possible narrative to exist outside of the information provided within the painting. In 2004, Wallace exhibited "Carpe Cras," which translates to "Seize Tomorrow," a collaborative exhibition with fellow artist Andrew Shoultz, a previous DS feature, at the Black Market Gallery in Culver City, Calif. Wallace has exhibited works at the Sara Nightingale Gallery in Watermill, New York, and has participated in group exhibitions such as "We are near" at the Allston Skirt Gallery in Boston and "A Piece Apart" at the Aidan Savoy Gallery in New York City. Wallace has also appeared in numerous publications, including Artweek and Tokion magazines. | |||
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 The paintings of French-born artist Jules de Balincourt are saturated with Americana references. The artist was raised on the West Coast and was immensely influenced by contemporary culture in America. In the "U.S. World Studies" series, de Balincourt uses the American map, dividing and re-attributing the state divisions to form a new layout of the United States. Other works reference graphics appropriated from 1940's Hollywood movies, offering new political and patriotic meaning for the graphic icons of that era and today. De Balincourt has been considered an outside or faux-naive artist, though he strongly resists that notion as was said in The New York Times article titled "Artists on the Verge of a Breakthrough," which listed 10 artists most likely to succeed from the second Greater New York exhibition at the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center. The artist received his BFA from the California College of Arts and his MFA from Hunter College in New York City, where he currently lives and works. This year, the artist will have a solo exhibition at the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in Paris, France. De Balincourt has also exhibited with Zach Feuer Gallery (LFL) in New York City and Allston Skirt Gallery in Boston. | |||
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 Dutch artist Chris Berens is currently presenting new work in an exhibition titled "The Heaven Show" at the Jaski Gallery in Amsterdam. This marks the artist's third show with the gallery since his 2005 career-launching exhibition. Berens uses a polar landscape filled with symbolic creatures that resemble the polar bear, penguin and lady bird that are all in existence to guide and protect the viewer during the transcendence into a heavenly realm. The artist uses a multitude of media and technique to achieve his imagery, including ink, acrylic, collaged paper, photograph fragments, fabric and wallpaper. Berens treats his paintings as records of personal emotion, saying, "It is rather the sum of feelings and images that merge into something greater." The artist has exhibited in the annual Realisme in Amsterdam and ArtFair in Den Bosch for the past two years. Berens has also exhibited with STOK in Diemen and in Voorportaal in Oirschot, The Netherlands. | |||
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 German artist Sebastian Gogel recently opened an exhibition titled "Welcome to the Sculpture Club" at Galerie Emmanuel Post in Leipzig, Germany. The artist has become renowned for his creative resourcefulness, successfully employing drawing, painting, sculpture and large scale installation to realize his ideas. Gogel's work is saturated in dark humor and self-critique, and his anthropomorphous, sometimes grotesque works reflect a transfiguration of self. The artist often collaborates with Paule Hammer, a fellow student from the Leipzig Academy of Visual Art (see this previous DS feature), creating works under the name "Hagel." Gogel constantly challenges the limitations and feasibility of art, which is reflected in the multitude of approaches used to execute his concepts. The artist currently lives and works in Leipzig, Germany, and has exhibited widely in the U.S. and Europe. Recent exhibitions include "FLUCH" with the Gallery Adler in New York and "Dance on the dancefloor" presented as "Hagel" at the Chung King Project in Los Angeles. Currently, the artist is exhibiting works in the Gemeente Museum in Den Haag, The Netherlands. | |||
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 With a recent investigation into the dark side of life, contemporary art and culture magazine Beautiful/Decay has appropriately chosen artist Banks Violette for an article in its current issue. Violette uses such dark material as death metal, ritual murder and teenage suicide as points of departure for his slick and ghostly sculptures and installations. His aesthetics probe into American culture and are used as a commentary on the anxiety of youth. Violette blurs the boundaries between reality and pure fiction as he recreates the landscape of the teenage mind. The artist has selected contemporary music lyrics that have instigated violence and destruction amongst youth and attributed these lyrics to sculptures and installations that visually incite a similar or opposite emotive response. The artist has used salt to cast the music equipment from rock band Sunn O and has used disassembled forms such as a coffin as a relic of past performances and as an icon of aggressive subcultures. Violette received his BFA from the School of the Visual Arts (SVA) in New York (1998) and is an MFA graduate from Columbia University (2000), also in New York. The artist has exhibited extensively in New York City, including shows with Team Gallery and Whitney Museum of American Art. European exhibitions for the artist include works with the Galerie Rodolphe Janssen in Brussels and LISTE in Basel, Switzerland. | |||
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