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The New Contemporary Art Magazine
Russian-Canadian artist Ivan Alifan’s provocative figurative paintings are intended to inspire varying reactions from viewers. Yet, the artist says his portraits aren't supposed to "render physical characteristics but rather create a language of underlying sexual subtexts." His recent work has taken a decidedly more dessert-inspired approach, further exploring the ideas of pleasure and ecstasy.
San Francisco based artist Jeremy Mann captures the exciting air of his hometown in his dynamic oil landscapes. His "Cityscapes" series portrays the city from bustling, bird's-eye views to its more mundane and quiet street corners at night, all flickering with glitchy dabs of paint that makes his art appear digital, though it is a description he rejects. It's a common misconception that perhaps stems from his process, where he references "jumbled up" digital manipulations of his own photographs.
Berlin, Germany based artist Johannes Mundinger's murals bring the unusual beauty of Impressionist painting onto the street and other unlikely, usually degraded places. Inspired by the 19th century movement, Mundinger aims to convey feelings of atmosphere, colors and even smells from the real world subject matter that his images are based upon, describing his work as "mainly abstract, but it contains figurative elements and includes shapes that hint to existing things."
When we last caught up with Shaun Berke, he was busily preparing for his previous showing at La Luz de Jesus gallery, " Sisters of the Inquisition." Berke returns to La Luz on November 7th with an inspired take on Impressionism and 17th century Dutch painting, in "Sacrosanct". His new pieces exhibit his learned classical compositions mixing religious iconography, as in his nun subjects, with some recognizable faces. Some of his models have included fellow local artists Soey Milk and Christine Wu. The work is also modern looking in its minimalism, focusing on the figures placed in subdued, apocalyptic environments. Berke also appreciates a minimal lifestyle in Los Angeles, where we went behind the scenes of his show.
Christine Wu's (covered here) art draws emotional tension from its soft, tonal palette and sketchy layers. She guides the viewer's eye with detailed points of interest and spots of colored light. Fundamentally, warm light might imply comfort, cheerful emotions, while cool hues imply something more mysterious. Wu intentionally manipulates the light and color of a scene to achieve a variety of effects. Her next series of paintings is inspired by morning light. She will exhibit these with Kyle Stewart, Hannah Yata, and Melissa Haslam at Parlor Gallery, opening September 13th. We visited her new studio in Los Angeles for a preview.
England-born and living in Kenya, textile artist Sophie Standing embroiders intense portraits of the African wildlife around her. At the beginning of her career, she specialized in life drawing which she utilizes in these threaded “studies” on canvas. We’ve featured several artists experimenting with textiles, such as Ana Teresa Barboz and Richard Saja, who implement fine art practices into their works. The influence of 19th century art can also be found in Standing’s work. She has an extensive collection of decorative fabrics from her travels all over the world, making her colorful ‘collages’ of flora and fauna a personal story. You could also call her narrative a political one, as she consistently displays the dominance and majesty of endangered species. Read more after the jump.