DAILY SERVING » New York State

Su-en Wong

Rebekah Drysdale — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000

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 power and vulnerability, the artist’s work speaks to the awkward stages of life where emotions and rationality run together. Wong was born in Singapore. She attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and is a M.F.A. graduate of the School of the Art Institute Chicago. She is a recipient of both an artist grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation and from the New York Foundation of the Arts. Last year, the artist exhibited with Danese Gallery in New York and Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Santa Monica.

Francis Upritchard

Seth Curcio — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000

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 images and objects from the archived collections of the Pitt River Museum and the Wellcome Collection. Using dark and haunting metaphors, the artist is able to transform her make shift objects that often contain faux-clay pots, medical instruments and animal heads into relics of natural history or odd tourist shop memorabilia. Upritchard was born in New Zealand and now lives and works in London. Recent exhibitions included works with the Andrea Rosen Gallery and Salon 94, both in New York. The artist has also completed an artist in residence with the Camden Arts Centre in London and has exhibited in New Zealand with the Ivan Anthony Gallery and Artspace in Auckland.

David Jon Kassan

Seth Curcio — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000

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 artist attended the Arts Students League of New York, the British Institute of Florence in Italy and is a B.F.A. graduate of Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts. This year, Kassan is exhibiting in the “Converging Passions” exhibition with Andreeva Gallery in Sante Fe and “The Los Angeles Art Show” at the Barker Hangar in the Santa Monica Airport in Los Angeles.

Jim Gaylord

Seth Curcio — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000

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 and architectural structures. The process works as a visual filter, allowing Gaylord the opportunity to shift the story of the film, still offering even greater narrative possibilities and meaning. Gaylord received his degree in film from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his MFA from the University of California at Berkeley. He has received both a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant and the Eisner Award in Art Practice from UC Berkeley. Recent solo and two person exhibitions include “I Thought You Were Waving at Me” with the Gregory Lind Gallery in San Francisco and “Jim Gaylord & Eric Hongisto” at the PS 122 Gallery in New York.

Elliott Hundley

Seth Curcio — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000

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 of information united by the artist’s laborious creative process. The density of each sculpture leads to the constant discovery of new images that offer endless possibilities of narrative and meaning. Last year, Hundley exhibited with the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and was also included in “LAXed: Paintings from the Other Side” at the Peres Projects in Berlin. Additional group exhibitions include, “Desired Constellations” with the Daniel Reich Gallery and “Curvaceous” at the Andrea Rosen Gallery, both in New York City.

Melanie Pullen

Seth Curcio — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000

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 the LAPD crime-scene archives and was able to secure a wealth of photos and information about real crimes. The artist has infused the photos with high-fashion to distract the viewer from the gruesome scenes, while also commenting on the glamorization of violence and crime. Her sets often employ up to 60 individuals, and the cloths in many of her photographs come from prominent fashion houses. Melanie Pullen is currently represented by Ace Gallery in Los Angeles and has been featured in many prominent magazines, including Flaunt, Vogue and ArtWeek.