Jana Brike
There is a world of hidden meaning in classic children’s literature that dates back centuries. Tales like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland explore dark and sometimes violent themes, in counterpart to the friendlier The Cat in the Hat and Winnie-the-Pooh. These stories provide the inspiration of Modern Eden Gallery’s upcoming group show “Storybook: An Art Journey Through Childhood” opening on April 25th. Curated by the Warholian’s Michael Cuffe, the exhibition features over 65 artists including Jasmine Becket-Griffith, Ciou, Jana Brike, Leilani Bustamante, Steve Chmilar, Aunia Kahn, Edith Lebeau, Calvin Ma, David Natale, Lori Nelson, Richard James Oliver, Peca, Michael Ramstead, Isabel Samaras, Erika Sanada, Hannah Yata, just to name a few. Remaining faithful to the core themes of their subjects, their images range from the innocent to horrific. Jana Brike’s interpretation of Beauty and the Beast, is both. Her portrait of a child-like beauty is coupled with a nightmarish black figure that foreshadows her fate in the story. Michael Ramstead portrays the main protagonists of Charlotte’s Web in profile, rather than engaged with eachother. In the book, both characters act in self-interest; Wilbur has a persistent concern for his own life, while Fern grows up and eventually stops visiting the barn. Take a look at these and other works in the show in our preview below.
Michael Ramstead
Richard J Oliver
Steve Chmilar
Peca
Lori Nelson
Jasmine Becket Smith
Erika Sanada
Edith Lebeau
"Exquisite Corpse" is a term for a collaborative art game created by the Surrealists of the early 20th century. Seattle-based artist 
Numbers of women artists still rank low in gallery rosters, less than 50 percent, across the world. With the exception of a few like Yayoi Kusama and Yoko Ono, women in the Japanese contemporary art world have yet to earn equal recognition. This is largely due to the historical conception that women were not suited to become professional artists. A new exhibition at Jiro Miura Gallery in Tokyo is bringing awareness to 19 emerging international women artists. "Ephemeral: Territory of Girls", which opened on July 25th, showcases new works by Jana Brike, Amy Crehore, Virginia Mori, Ania Tomicka, Emi Adachi, Fuco Ueda, Kaori Ogawa, Miki Kato, Kimi Kuruhara, Kozue Kuroki, Satomi Kuwahara, Atsuko Goto, Yuka Sakuma, Minae Takada, Tsubaki Torii, Yumi Nakai, Yuko Nagami, Yuki Nagayoshi, Mao Hamaguchi, Miho Hirano, Shiori Matsumoto, Eri Mizuno, and Yuko Murai.