Fred Stonehouse’s paintings look like they take place within the innermost crevices of a troubled mind rather than in any semblance of a real place. Unshaven, rugged, yet boyish, his characters seem to battle internal conflicts, feelings of guilt, and insecurities. Their inner demons come across as loaded visual symbols (and sometimes actual demons), which Stonehouse elucidates with text scrawled within each work.
“He Found Himself In a Situation Where He Was Constantly Being Asked to Do Things For Which He Was Not Qualified,” a painting is labeled. Below the text, a man with sweat beaded on his forehead wades into a swamp with the caption “Unknown.” Stonehouse makes his fears and vulnerabilities humorous and relatable, and it’s likely readers will see something of themselves in his works. He will debut a new series of paintings on February 5 at Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea in Milan for his two-person show with Esther Pearl Watson, “Family Lexicon.” Today we take a look at his new works as well as some pieces from the past year.
Using stills from early propaganda films or frontier paintings as a basis, the layered paintings of 
Street art has been criticized for being a boy's club, so for the few internationally-prominent female street artists out there, it has been vital to foster a sense of camaraderie across national borders. This May, 
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Born in London, Lina Iris Viktor merges hip hop and high fashion with Art Nouveau patterns to create bold artworks that scream contemporary pop expression. Many of her designs contrast soft swirls and sharp peaks, referencing motifs used to convey the mood of spiritual and technological progress of the early 20th century. Viktor however, is perhaps best known for her use of 24k gold. The artist, who has an interest in astrophysics and theater, uses the luxury material to elicit the same guttural response of awe that viewers have expressed towards uses of gold for centuries, such as in Byzantine icons.