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 a humorous yet unsettling portrayal of contemporary American culture. Scott holds degrees in fine art from California State University at Long Beach and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist is currently represented by Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago and has exhibited with Galerie Schuster and Scheuermann in Berlin, Germany. In 2002, Scott completed a 12 x 12 with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago.

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 to investigate the historical dynamics of both the East and the West while underscoring cultural propaganda found in 20th-century Chinese culture. Shi was born in Liaoning Province and graduated from Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts. The artist has exhibited in several major group exhibitions, including “Chinese Contemporary Painting” at Marella Arte Contemporanea in Bologna, Italy, and “Moyemode Moyemobude” at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, China. In addition, Shi has been featured in “New Art from China” with the Saatchi Gallery in London.

Artist Chris Johanson’s brightly colored, socially saturated works offer a humorous light to current cultural and societal feelings. With the background of the artist rooted in contemporary culture rather than formal art training, Johanson is able to rely solely on his personal experiences and the collective experience of all Americans to explore absurdity and humor in contemporary life. The artist is a prolific creator and clearly prefers a steady stream of ideas to be completed over tedious long-term works. Johanson is a Bay Area artist who is often included in the “Mission School,” a group of suburban-influenced creators, including Barry Mcgee and Margaret Kilgallen. Johanson was launched into art stardom after receiving the SECA Art Award from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and being included in 2002 Whitney Biennial. The following year, the artist completed an exhibition with the Deitch Projects in New York City titled “Now is Now” and was included in an exhibition at SITE Santa Fe. This year, the artist will exhibit “Apex: Chris Johanson” at the Portland Art Museum, and, in 2008, Johanson will exhibit again with the Jack Hanley Gallery in San Francisco.

Austrian-born painter Christoph Schmidberger creates figurative works structured within the realm of realism. The artist uses both imagery and color palate to confront the viewer with beauty and interrupted modesty. These sensual works reference traditional romantic painting, while presenting images of vulnerability, beauty and youth. Schmidberger’s color palate is soft, with buttery colors, which further emphasizes the delicacy of the images. Schmidberger’s work will be featured in Art Basel in Switzerland in June, Mark Moore Gallery in Los Angeles and the Kunstverein Freiburg in Germany. The artist has also exhibited in USA today with the Saatchi Gallery, the Royal Academy in London and in Art Forum Berlin.

A new multi-media extravaganza exhibition titled “a very anxious feeling” by assume vivid astro focus (avaf) is on view with John Connelly Presents in New York City. The exhibition contains three environments within the gallery and includes 3-D wallpaper, a corridor of music, flashing neon sculptures, video and a room with a series of music-related performances. A featured installation titled “Four-letter words” is comprised of wrapped objects and text-based wallpaper with provocative words such as BUSH, HOMO, PRAY, ANAL and HOPE. The gallery also converted the store-room basement into an extension of the show that features five abstract neon sculptures. In addition, the exhibition contains a re-installed series of work from a previous exhibition titled “absorb viral attack fantasy” with Hiromi Yoshii in Tokyo. assume vivid astro focus is led by artist Eli Sudbrack and is said to contain many members who are all born anytime between the 20th and 21st centuries in various parts of the world. This year, (avaf) will exhibit assume vivid astro focus XVIII with Deitch Projects as a follow up to the widely popular exhibit in 2003. (avaf) will also be featured this year in “Destroy Athens” at Athens Biennial and “Space for The Future” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

Currently on view at Tony Wight/Body Builder & Sportsman in Chicago are new works by New York-based artist Dannielle Tegeder. “The Chicago Index of the Invisible: Incidents and Interconnections” is a project that investigates unexplained disappearances within the greater Chicago area. The artist has constructed a space in the gallery for projections of actual and fictional sites of the disappearances and murders. In addition, the artist has also created a series of poems by reconstructing published texts of the incidents and a series of two-dimensional works that act as diagrams, drawing connections and new relationships between various incidents. Tegeder is a MFA graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and attended the Amsterdam School of Fine Arts in The Netherlands. The artist has received numerous awards and grants, including an Elizabeth Foundation Studio Award (2006), Smack Mellon Residency (2005) and a Lower East Side Print Shop Fellowship Edition Award (2004). The artist is also represented by Priska Juschka Fine Art and has exhibited with Galerie Xippas in Paris (2005).

Currently on view at Found Gallery in Los Angeles are a new series of narrative paintings from Austrian-born artist Wolfgang Bauer. Titled “Spring Awakenings,” the show features several life-sized oil paintings of androgynous young people who directly confront the viewer with intense and persistent eye contact. The series, which developed from a study of German literature, philosophy and anthropology, investigates the struggles of childhood. Focusing on ideas of sexuality, negativity, gender and family structures within Western society, Bauer strives to illuminate and offer acceptance to adolescents who struggle to adhere to cultural norms. Bauer currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He studied at the Hochschule fuer Musik and Darstellende Kunst in Germany and at the Universitaet fuer Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Austria. In addition, Bauer holds a degree in fine arts, gender studies and German literature from the University of Southern California. “Spring Awakenings” will be on view from May 11 to June 12.