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[…..]
German artist Kati Heck uses a unique synthesis of photorealism, illustration and painterly expression to create seemingly collaged paintings. Heck’s work is often auto-biographical and explores her personal experiences as well as elements of contemporary culture through outside references of pornography, architecture, art history and instruction manuals. The possible narratives in her work are influenced by comics, mystery novels and film and often contain people[…..]
By synthesizing ideas of modern technology and the experience of life in the information era, the artist Mark Schoening offers a social commentary about the effects of inescapable media. While the paintings are a reflection of our time, they certainly speak of the possibilities and ramifications of future technological growth. Schoening attempts to capture this atmosphere in a fixed image, allowing the viewer the opportunity[…..]
New York-based artist Benjamin Degen creates paintings that simultaneously represent multiple elements such as figures, landscapes, diagrams and still-lives. Drawing inspiration from the flattened aesthetic of Minoan paintings, Greek amphorae, Kama Sutra illustrations and Chinese landscape paintings, Degen is able to alter space to re-contextualize form and, thus, meaning. The artist strips away the specific identities of his subject matter so that the forms read[…..]
Bay Area artist Tauba Auerbach is currently exhibiting new text-based works at the Jack Hanley Gallery in San Francisco. Auerbach investigates semantic systems, playfully combining letters to create new meanings, while challenging the limitations of typography and language. Employing elements of hard-edged abstraction, the artist is able to use her experiences as a sign painter to explore the function of lettering and text in society,[…..]
Painter Adam Scott re-contextualizes the Middle American landscape by inserting surreal cartoon characters and distorted perspectives. The artist applies paint pigment in thick coats with vibrant artificial colors, which only further intensifies the imagery. Scott’s images are often derived from elements of cinema, old postcards and personal memories and experiences. By appropriating ideas and images from a collective American consciousness, Scott is able to offer[…..]
Chinese-artist Shi Xinning creates paintings that reference social realism through iconic figures from history. The artist renders the images as they are found in their original format, in sepia tone or from newspapers in black and white. Shi then alters the paintings by falsely inserting prominent Chinese cultural figures such as Mao Zedong at the table of pivotal Western leaders. This placement allows the artist[…..]
