Through in-depth self-examination artist Su-en Wong challenges issues of identity in relation to nationality, ethnicity, gender, adolescence and sexuality. Wong’s self-portraits take place in a variety of coming-to-age environments, such as schoolyards, roller rinks and swimming pools. The artist casts her characters in these stereotypical scenes to reveal the close boundaries between adolescents and adulthood for a woman. Juxtaposing ideas of fantasy and reality with[…..]
Artist Francis Upritchard’s work titled “Save Yourself” seems to be a constructed reference to b-grade movies, in which the artist has unearthed an ancient tomb below the gallery that contains a mummified figure. However scary this scenario would seem, the mummy is constructed with rags and a glass eye and vibrates, powered by an electric cord visible on the floor. Upritchard derives many of her[…..]
Brooklyn-based realist painter David Jon Kassan creates work grounded in a formalist style that captures elements of the figure and multi-layered, textured surfaces. While his subject matter varies, the artist primarily follows the philosophies of the Ashcan School of American Realists. Kassan often mixes the attention of the figure with the surrounding surfaces to create works that simultaneously reference Abstract Expressionism and traditional portraiture. The[…..]
The paintings of artist Jim Gaylord push the boundaries of identified space and the ambiguity of object relation. Referencing elements of traditional surrealism, Gaylord updates his method of creation by distilling information from film stills. Using several layers of transparent film, the artist is able to render specific elements in the found image that reduces the still down to spatial planes, shadows and general landscape[…..]
Using a variety of materials, the eclectic sculptures of artist Elliott Hundley bring painterly qualities into three dimensions. The artist employs many different elements into his collaged sculptures, including magazines, found objects and family photos, along with pieces of fabric and thread all held together with pins and twist ties. His seemingly formal considerations dissipate as the viewer becomes closer to the work, revealing layers[…..]
Los Angeles-based photographer Melanie Pullen has created a series of more than 100 photographs that describe crime scenes prior to the mid-1950s. Pullen is a self-taught artist who has come from a family of photojournalists, publishers and artists. She began the series after viewing Luc Sante’s 1992 book “Evidence” (1914-1919), which depicts crime-scene photos from the NYPD. From that point, Pullen began extensive research in[…..]
