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The New Contemporary Art Magazine
Painter Mu Pan’s massive scenes, often adorned with monstrous figures and epic battles, carry details that add both humor and intrigue to the works. In a recent show at Joshua Liner Gallery in New York City, titled "Bright Moon Shines on the River,” a set of recent works pushes this notion further. A feature on the artist’s work was featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 44.
Using acrylics and oils on wood panels, Marc Burckhardt creates timeless, fantastical paintings packed with allegory and storytelling. The artist cites Northern Renaissance and Dutch secular painting as influences in his work, with his own, personal narratives woven into each creation. Though each piece only focuses on one or a handful of beings, lush backdrops and detail add to the absorbing quality to these works.
Italian artist Agostino Arrivabene paints an iconographic universe that exists somewhere at the division between the real world from the spiritual realm. Previously featured here on our blog, his works include landscapes, portraits, and large paintings allegorical and apocalyptic in nature. Subjects of his paintings often appear as if from another time and place, celestial bodies and nudes emerging from the earth that recall the figures of those who influence him, particularly Gustave Moreau and Odd Nerdrum. Arrivabene describes his personal world as one that is eclectic and occult, where his artistic lanuage changes depending on his life experience. His upcoming solo exhibition at Cara Gallery in New York, "Hierogamy", delves into mythological themes and ideas about personal intimacy, change, and time.
Italian artist Alessia Iannetti has a unique fascination for what is mysterious and unknown which she carries into her dark and romantic drawings. Previously featured on our blog, her works are primarily drawn in graphite with painted touches of bright colors and golden hues. Her subjects of natural beauties and young children are in constant touch with their surroundings, enveloped by flowering shrubs, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Some say that looking at Iannetti's art feels like coming under a spell or enchantment. This seems to perfectly describe her upcoming exhibit at La Luz de Jesus gallery in Los Angeles, "In the Footsteps of my Shadow".
Originally from New Mexico, Oakland based artist Grady Gordon creates dark and surreal monotype prints of frightful creatures. He describes his style of work as "Monster Existentialism", Rorschach inkblot test-like images portraying the psychology of his subjects. He creates his images first using a crude mark making tool in black ink on plexiglass, then removes the ink to reveal the final print. The nature of monotype printing makes it impossible to repeat any image, making each piece a one of a kind that conveys his monster's individual personalities.
Throughout his career, Franco Fasoli aka JAZ has treated his work as a search for identity, primarily between his native Argentina and Mexico. He represents a mix of cultures in motifs like masks, football, popular rituals and clashes between opposing parties, as in his mural about the 2014 Iguala Mass Kidnapping. This sort of confrontation is the main theme of his solo show, "CHOQUE" (English: "Collision") now on view at Celaya Brothers Gallery in Mexico City. His exhibit offers different interpretations of this idea through culture, beliefs, ideals, and artistic techniques.
Studying mythology allows one to examine how the values of contemporary culture are transmitted through history. Tying a thread between past and present, Portland's Antler Gallery invited a group of artists to create portraits inspired by mythical creatures for their third annual "Unnatural Histories" group show. Each piece is accompanied by a short story written by each artist relating their specific character's tale. According to curators Neil M. Perry and Susannah Kelly, some artists reinterpreted existing myths while others took the opportunity for more inventive storytelling. Participating artists include Josh Keyes, Craww, Vanessa Foley, Michael Page, Hi-Fructose co-editor-in-chief Annie Owens, Siolo Thompson, Brin Levinson, Syd Bee, Jackie Avery, Crystal Morey, Susannah Kelly, Ben Kehoe, Neil M. Perry, Jennifer Parks, Jon MacNair, and Ryan Berkley. Take a look at our preview of the exhibition before it opens this evening.
Last Saturday, Century Guild unveiled Stephanie Inagaki’s first major solo offering, “Metamorphosis”. The gallery is filled with historical furniture and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. Among these, you will find Stephanie Inagaki’s work. Inagaki is a reflection of her art and greeted visitors in an intricate black headdress of her own design. While her new paintings can be appreciated from a historical context, it’s her use of modern motifs that stands out. Read more after the jump.