Past Exhibitions
2022
LEIGH BROOKLYN: ALL OF ME
A solo exhibit by Leigh Brooklyn
October 7 - November 6
A solo exhibit by Leigh Brooklyn
October 7 - November 6
ARTIST STATEMENT
Specializing in figurative painting and drawing, my practice originates from an intense drive to create compelling images and stories meant to inspire and give hope. I have studied realism my entire life, dedicating my education to learning how to recreate what I observe with accurate detail.
My earlier work was created with the intention to give a voice to the voiceless, creating compelling portraits and figurative-based narrative paintings and drawings to provide representation for underrepresented communities and people. My education as a medical Illustrator has informed much of my practice with a concern for details and observation, but my work evolved to focus on stories and people. My passion for activism led me to paint stories imbued with causes like women’s rights, LGBTQ equality and acceptance, anti-racism, homelessness, gun reform, disability awareness, and many other subjects.
Although my current body of work still focuses on stories and people, I have now narrowed my focus toward women. Inspired largely by personal experiences and partly by the military presence in my family, my new body of work is focused on building an army of women warriors, armed and ready to defend the good in the world. One soldier at a time, I am creating a female militia to unite, overcome, uplift and fight for ourselves and each other. This army of diverse women are survivors who will overcome all battles, together and alone.
I want to contribute to this world while I am here, and my art is the way that I can do that. Guided by the tumultuous times in our culture, as well as my own personal battles, my work must uplift and motivate awareness and change. Through my work, I want to capture the issues that are important to our collective community, and inspire others with my symbolic soldiers.
LEIGH BROOKLYN BIOGRAPHY
Leigh Brooklyn, was born in 1987 outside of Cleveland, Ohio. In 2006 Brooklyn enrolled into the Columbus College of Art and Design. Later she transferred to The Cleveland Institute of Art after being inspired by the work of forensic artists who helped in a missing-person’s case. She earned her degree in Biomedical Illustration in 2011. Brooklyn worked with several hospitals, museums, and research facilities including the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, The Cleveland Botanical Gardens, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Case Western Reserve University, and Novelmed Therapeutics.
After 2011 Brooklyn moved throughout the country gaining artistic inspiration from various individuals she met through her pursuit of street photography. After hearing all the incredible stories of those she encountered and drawing from her own personal experiences Brooklyn decided to switch her work’s focus back to her roots of figurative drawing and oil painting, eventually narrowing her focus on women empowerment after facing a personal upheaval.
In 2019 Brooklyn understudied a nationally acclaimed figurative sculptor where she learned techniques for creating large scale sculptures out of oil-based clay to be cast in bronze. That same year Brooklyn began learning various welding and fabrication techniques eventually earning a lifetime certification for 3G MIG welding in 2021.
Brooklyn has won a variety of awards for her art since 2004. She recently was a semi-finalist for Figurtivas at the MEAM in Barcelona, Spain and was a top artist and winner in the Boynes International Emerging Artist Awards in Melbourne, Australia. Her work has been displayed in galleries and museums all over the country including the Medici Museum of Art, the Makeshift Museum, the U.S. Capitol Building and Corcoran Museum, the Diane von Furstenberg Studios, along with many national galleries and international art fairs. She currently resides in her hometown of Cleveland and is represented by D. Colabella Fine Art Gallery, Art Unified, and District Gallery. She plans to further expand her artistic and humanitarian endeavors in the local, national, and international community.
Specializing in figurative painting and drawing, my practice originates from an intense drive to create compelling images and stories meant to inspire and give hope. I have studied realism my entire life, dedicating my education to learning how to recreate what I observe with accurate detail.
My earlier work was created with the intention to give a voice to the voiceless, creating compelling portraits and figurative-based narrative paintings and drawings to provide representation for underrepresented communities and people. My education as a medical Illustrator has informed much of my practice with a concern for details and observation, but my work evolved to focus on stories and people. My passion for activism led me to paint stories imbued with causes like women’s rights, LGBTQ equality and acceptance, anti-racism, homelessness, gun reform, disability awareness, and many other subjects.
Although my current body of work still focuses on stories and people, I have now narrowed my focus toward women. Inspired largely by personal experiences and partly by the military presence in my family, my new body of work is focused on building an army of women warriors, armed and ready to defend the good in the world. One soldier at a time, I am creating a female militia to unite, overcome, uplift and fight for ourselves and each other. This army of diverse women are survivors who will overcome all battles, together and alone.
I want to contribute to this world while I am here, and my art is the way that I can do that. Guided by the tumultuous times in our culture, as well as my own personal battles, my work must uplift and motivate awareness and change. Through my work, I want to capture the issues that are important to our collective community, and inspire others with my symbolic soldiers.
LEIGH BROOKLYN BIOGRAPHY
Leigh Brooklyn, was born in 1987 outside of Cleveland, Ohio. In 2006 Brooklyn enrolled into the Columbus College of Art and Design. Later she transferred to The Cleveland Institute of Art after being inspired by the work of forensic artists who helped in a missing-person’s case. She earned her degree in Biomedical Illustration in 2011. Brooklyn worked with several hospitals, museums, and research facilities including the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, The Cleveland Botanical Gardens, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Case Western Reserve University, and Novelmed Therapeutics.
After 2011 Brooklyn moved throughout the country gaining artistic inspiration from various individuals she met through her pursuit of street photography. After hearing all the incredible stories of those she encountered and drawing from her own personal experiences Brooklyn decided to switch her work’s focus back to her roots of figurative drawing and oil painting, eventually narrowing her focus on women empowerment after facing a personal upheaval.
In 2019 Brooklyn understudied a nationally acclaimed figurative sculptor where she learned techniques for creating large scale sculptures out of oil-based clay to be cast in bronze. That same year Brooklyn began learning various welding and fabrication techniques eventually earning a lifetime certification for 3G MIG welding in 2021.
Brooklyn has won a variety of awards for her art since 2004. She recently was a semi-finalist for Figurtivas at the MEAM in Barcelona, Spain and was a top artist and winner in the Boynes International Emerging Artist Awards in Melbourne, Australia. Her work has been displayed in galleries and museums all over the country including the Medici Museum of Art, the Makeshift Museum, the U.S. Capitol Building and Corcoran Museum, the Diane von Furstenberg Studios, along with many national galleries and international art fairs. She currently resides in her hometown of Cleveland and is represented by D. Colabella Fine Art Gallery, Art Unified, and District Gallery. She plans to further expand her artistic and humanitarian endeavors in the local, national, and international community.
Borderlands
September 9 - October 2, 2022
OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, Sept 9, 6 PM - 9PM
Guest curator Karen Petkovic of BAYarts
Borderlands is an exhibition exploring themes of the vast unknown, asking artists to navigate the fine line between frontier and wasteland – both deal with the extremes of that which is barren and undeveloped-are these places either physically or theoretically empty or are they hopeful – on the brink of something – perhaps understanding.
Presenting the works of David Borawski, Brut Carniollus, Michael Greenwald, Scott Groeniger, Jeremy Jones, Eric Kunsman, Anne Manley, Raheleh Mohammad, Lily Rodriguez, Kritsen R. Simonsen, Kimberly Wetzel, Will Wilson, & Kristen T. Woodward.
September 9 - October 2, 2022
OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, Sept 9, 6 PM - 9PM
Guest curator Karen Petkovic of BAYarts
Borderlands is an exhibition exploring themes of the vast unknown, asking artists to navigate the fine line between frontier and wasteland – both deal with the extremes of that which is barren and undeveloped-are these places either physically or theoretically empty or are they hopeful – on the brink of something – perhaps understanding.
Presenting the works of David Borawski, Brut Carniollus, Michael Greenwald, Scott Groeniger, Jeremy Jones, Eric Kunsman, Anne Manley, Raheleh Mohammad, Lily Rodriguez, Kritsen R. Simonsen, Kimberly Wetzel, Will Wilson, & Kristen T. Woodward.
Journey to Harvest
August 12 - September 4, 2022
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, AUG 12, 6 PM - 9PM
Kaiser Gallery presents Journey to Harvest a special solo exhibition by Kubra Al Hilali in partnership with Building Hope in The City, on view at Kaiser Gallery from August 12 - September 4. Kubra Al Hilali is an Iraqi immigrant and artist based in Cleveland and uses the medium of painting to express messages of hope and justice that speak to our collective human longings. Building Hope in the City selected Kubra as their artist-in-residence for the Creative Fusion program because of her work through their Hope Center for Immigrants & Refugees. They were drawn to Kubra's desire to create beautiful, Iraqi-inspired art while also elevating the civic and creative voice of youth in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood.
Artist Statement:
My journey is through circles and lines, like birds and fish; sometimes flying between endless spaces and sometimes diving through the depths of seas and oceans. I roam in the midsts of its lands, and around its people. I go round and round… ad my harvest is in your hands; in colors and pictures…
August 12 - September 4, 2022
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, AUG 12, 6 PM - 9PM
Kaiser Gallery presents Journey to Harvest a special solo exhibition by Kubra Al Hilali in partnership with Building Hope in The City, on view at Kaiser Gallery from August 12 - September 4. Kubra Al Hilali is an Iraqi immigrant and artist based in Cleveland and uses the medium of painting to express messages of hope and justice that speak to our collective human longings. Building Hope in the City selected Kubra as their artist-in-residence for the Creative Fusion program because of her work through their Hope Center for Immigrants & Refugees. They were drawn to Kubra's desire to create beautiful, Iraqi-inspired art while also elevating the civic and creative voice of youth in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood.
Artist Statement:
My journey is through circles and lines, like birds and fish; sometimes flying between endless spaces and sometimes diving through the depths of seas and oceans. I roam in the midsts of its lands, and around its people. I go round and round… ad my harvest is in your hands; in colors and pictures…
SOLO SHOW SELECTION 2022
Handful of Dream-Dust
June 10 - August 7, 2022
Kaiser Gallery presents Handful of Dream-Dust a solo exhibit by Cleveland artist Jonah Jacobs, on view at Kaiser Gallery from June 10 to August 7.
A local treasure within Cleveland’s art scene, Jonah Jacobs, explores themes of beauty, complexity, and eco-consciousness to create works that are simultaneously thought-provoking and visually stunning. Born in Denmark, and a graduate of Antioch College, he is also an Army veteran who served in S. Korea and in the 82nd Airborne Division, gaining invaluable experience and insight into different perspectives and ways of thinking.
Jacobs’ large-scale pieces combine thousands of individual geometric shapes to create mesmerizing forms that reference fractal patterns, bio colonies, and other complex systems. Jacobs merges creativity with science in an innovative way, to create artworks that explore ideas about order, chaos, growth, decay, and life cycles - the pervasive yet elusive forces that shape our world. Jacobs also treats every exhibition as an opportunity to teach and inspire others how to create artwork that is more environmentally friendly by utilizing unexpected materials for his large-scale art installations, such as cardboard, egg cartons, yarn, quinoa, oatmeal, dryer sheets, and other textiles to name a few.
Handful of Dream-Dust
June 10 - August 7, 2022
Kaiser Gallery presents Handful of Dream-Dust a solo exhibit by Cleveland artist Jonah Jacobs, on view at Kaiser Gallery from June 10 to August 7.
A local treasure within Cleveland’s art scene, Jonah Jacobs, explores themes of beauty, complexity, and eco-consciousness to create works that are simultaneously thought-provoking and visually stunning. Born in Denmark, and a graduate of Antioch College, he is also an Army veteran who served in S. Korea and in the 82nd Airborne Division, gaining invaluable experience and insight into different perspectives and ways of thinking.
Jacobs’ large-scale pieces combine thousands of individual geometric shapes to create mesmerizing forms that reference fractal patterns, bio colonies, and other complex systems. Jacobs merges creativity with science in an innovative way, to create artworks that explore ideas about order, chaos, growth, decay, and life cycles - the pervasive yet elusive forces that shape our world. Jacobs also treats every exhibition as an opportunity to teach and inspire others how to create artwork that is more environmentally friendly by utilizing unexpected materials for his large-scale art installations, such as cardboard, egg cartons, yarn, quinoa, oatmeal, dryer sheets, and other textiles to name a few.
Silent Fields
April 8 - June 5, 2022
Kaiser Gallery's Silent Fields is a thought-provoking exhibition that will make you stop and think about the consequences of human activity on bees. Pollinators are necessary for the world's food security, yet humans are directly harming these delicate insects. Silent Fields is an exhibition that raises awareness of the importance of pollinators and the need to protect them. Silent Fields exhibition raises awareness for how important it is to protect pollinators and showcases them in a new light.
Presenting the works of Melissa Harvey, Maggie Latham, Kimit Menapace, Georgio Sabino III, and David Straange.
Additional information
The honey bee is possibly the most known pollinating species. Native species of bees and different bugs are fundamental to our food supply. Without these species, 70% of flora would be unable to reproduce or furnish food. Affected crops include many of our fruits, vegetables, and nuts that we are dependent on for our meals. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, of the 100 crops that grant 90% of the world’s food, 71 are pollinated by bees.
Currently, pollinators are declining at alarming rates. The number of honey bee colonies managed in the U.S. dropped from approximately 6 million in 1947 to less than 2.5 million today.
For more information about the pollination crisis, please visit https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/304/pollinators-and-pesticides/impacts-on-the-food-supply
Presenting the works of Melissa Harvey, Maggie Latham, Kimit Menapace, Georgio Sabino III, and David Straange.
Additional information
The honey bee is possibly the most known pollinating species. Native species of bees and different bugs are fundamental to our food supply. Without these species, 70% of flora would be unable to reproduce or furnish food. Affected crops include many of our fruits, vegetables, and nuts that we are dependent on for our meals. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, of the 100 crops that grant 90% of the world’s food, 71 are pollinated by bees.
Currently, pollinators are declining at alarming rates. The number of honey bee colonies managed in the U.S. dropped from approximately 6 million in 1947 to less than 2.5 million today.
For more information about the pollination crisis, please visit https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/304/pollinators-and-pesticides/impacts-on-the-food-supply
Still from Héloïse Roueau's video installation, 'Morgane' (2018).
Coveted II
February 11 - April 3, 2022
Kaiser Gallery’s annual exhibition Coveted seeks to represent the perspectives of those that are not easily accessible in mainstream culture, while representations of the male gaze can be found in abundance. This year's theme highlights the experiences of the 'othered' within spirituality, religion, and the occult. The spiritual journey can be difficult when looking for acceptance from oneself or from communities.
There is a long history of exclusion of women and persons who identified as LGBTQ+ from religious institutions. However, with the rise of feminism, there is a movement to open these religious institutions to include women and those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community in all aspects of spiritual practice. This includes things like leading prayer services or being able to become priests, and incorporating feminine energy into religious ceremonies and rituals.
However, religion inclusion is still not universal at this time within all religious institutions, and many find themselves looking in from the outside in the role of the other. These persons can develop a tenuous relationship with religion, as they are forced to participate, knowing they are not entirely accepted.
The resurgence of the occult in modern-day times places women in positions of power within the coven structure and allows women to be healers and leaders. The occult rejects the universal 'he' and offers women and nonbinary people a feminist-friendly alternative in their search for spirituality.
The occult draws on practices that date back to the dawn of time and has been practiced by women for generations. For centuries, it was forbidden for women to hold any agency as healers or religious leaders. As a result, they were burned at the stake and declared witches. But as history tells us, those days are long gone, and now we have feminist witch covens dedicated to inclusion.
Spirituality is a personal journey for acceptance of oneself. Finding a spiritual path or community to support that can be trying. In the feminist movement, there is a place for everyone regardless of their path. Opening doors within religion that previously seemed inaccessible.
Presenting the artworks of Courtney Alnutt, Tanya Kaiser, Natalie Lambert, Vic Liu, Jess Niemeyer, & Héloïse Roueau.
February 11 - April 3, 2022
Kaiser Gallery’s annual exhibition Coveted seeks to represent the perspectives of those that are not easily accessible in mainstream culture, while representations of the male gaze can be found in abundance. This year's theme highlights the experiences of the 'othered' within spirituality, religion, and the occult. The spiritual journey can be difficult when looking for acceptance from oneself or from communities.
There is a long history of exclusion of women and persons who identified as LGBTQ+ from religious institutions. However, with the rise of feminism, there is a movement to open these religious institutions to include women and those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community in all aspects of spiritual practice. This includes things like leading prayer services or being able to become priests, and incorporating feminine energy into religious ceremonies and rituals.
However, religion inclusion is still not universal at this time within all religious institutions, and many find themselves looking in from the outside in the role of the other. These persons can develop a tenuous relationship with religion, as they are forced to participate, knowing they are not entirely accepted.
The resurgence of the occult in modern-day times places women in positions of power within the coven structure and allows women to be healers and leaders. The occult rejects the universal 'he' and offers women and nonbinary people a feminist-friendly alternative in their search for spirituality.
The occult draws on practices that date back to the dawn of time and has been practiced by women for generations. For centuries, it was forbidden for women to hold any agency as healers or religious leaders. As a result, they were burned at the stake and declared witches. But as history tells us, those days are long gone, and now we have feminist witch covens dedicated to inclusion.
Spirituality is a personal journey for acceptance of oneself. Finding a spiritual path or community to support that can be trying. In the feminist movement, there is a place for everyone regardless of their path. Opening doors within religion that previously seemed inaccessible.
Presenting the artworks of Courtney Alnutt, Tanya Kaiser, Natalie Lambert, Vic Liu, Jess Niemeyer, & Héloïse Roueau.
2021
Future Resonance
December 3, 2021 - February 6, 2022
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 4, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
This year's Future Resonance exhibition seeks to explore technology as an aspect of human expression - how technology can push our thoughts into new horizons while creating avenues for artistic visionaries to express themselves.
The annual art and technology exhibition returns to Kaiser Gallery. This year Future Resonance presents yet another amazing batch of artists and creators who explore the field of sound and light as a universal media. The exhibition is an invitation to explore the ways in which technology and artistic practices converge. See the synchronicity of these artists as they change the way we see the world.
It is not a coincidence that art and technology have been declared as the theme for our annual exhibition. Technology has become a significant part of our lives – it permeates all aspects of it, from entertainment to medicine. With technology quickly evolving into an essential aspect of our lives, technology is no longer considered a novelty or a luxury. Instead, it's becoming a necessity for the human race. Technology has also increased our appetite for artistry because technology feeds the imagination with its expansive capabilities and unlimited horizons - resulting in ever more ambitious creations that give us elevated perspectives on human achievement.
With technology being a necessary part of life, it has also become a source for artistic inspiration. Technology seeps through the boundaries between science and art. It is no longer something seen as separate from or even opposed to art – technology has become one of the most influential forces behind modern art because tech does not simply illustrate an idea, technology makes it happen.
The human interaction with technology is a major aspect of modern art - because technology has become a part of who we are as a people. It is a cultural force that constantly evolves and will continue to do so until there is no distinction between technology and life. Some believe this shift towards technology couldn't have happened without the emergence of digital technology - that technological jump from analog to digital brought about changes in how things were created and experienced, such as sound and light.
Sound & Light: Now more than ever we can understand music and other forms of sound by seeing them – the visual representation of the elements creates a new lens through which we can experience these phenomena.
Presenting the works of Mike Bruckman, Jeremy Davis, Jeremy Newman, Thea Reid, Ethan Samaha, Dustin Steuck, and Anna Thorne.
This year's Future Resonance exhibition seeks to explore technology as an aspect of human expression - how technology can push our thoughts into new horizons while creating avenues for artistic visionaries to express themselves.
The annual art and technology exhibition returns to Kaiser Gallery. This year Future Resonance presents yet another amazing batch of artists and creators who explore the field of sound and light as a universal media. The exhibition is an invitation to explore the ways in which technology and artistic practices converge. See the synchronicity of these artists as they change the way we see the world.
It is not a coincidence that art and technology have been declared as the theme for our annual exhibition. Technology has become a significant part of our lives – it permeates all aspects of it, from entertainment to medicine. With technology quickly evolving into an essential aspect of our lives, technology is no longer considered a novelty or a luxury. Instead, it's becoming a necessity for the human race. Technology has also increased our appetite for artistry because technology feeds the imagination with its expansive capabilities and unlimited horizons - resulting in ever more ambitious creations that give us elevated perspectives on human achievement.
With technology being a necessary part of life, it has also become a source for artistic inspiration. Technology seeps through the boundaries between science and art. It is no longer something seen as separate from or even opposed to art – technology has become one of the most influential forces behind modern art because tech does not simply illustrate an idea, technology makes it happen.
The human interaction with technology is a major aspect of modern art - because technology has become a part of who we are as a people. It is a cultural force that constantly evolves and will continue to do so until there is no distinction between technology and life. Some believe this shift towards technology couldn't have happened without the emergence of digital technology - that technological jump from analog to digital brought about changes in how things were created and experienced, such as sound and light.
Sound & Light: Now more than ever we can understand music and other forms of sound by seeing them – the visual representation of the elements creates a new lens through which we can experience these phenomena.
Presenting the works of Mike Bruckman, Jeremy Davis, Jeremy Newman, Thea Reid, Ethan Samaha, Dustin Steuck, and Anna Thorne.
Cut From the Same Cloth
October 16 - November 28, 2021
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART: CREATIVITY WORKS
ARTIST TALK SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 AT 6 PM
Kaiser Gallery presents 'Cut From The Same Cloth' on view October 16 through November 28. This exhibit features the mixed media works of Cleveland Institute of Art students Ewuresi Archer and Crystal Miller. The vibrant artworks in this series draw directly from the artists' African American and African cultures, offering a dialect and a conversation between the two experiences.
"We come from two different backgrounds and are of the same race. There are a lot of differences and similarities between us as humans but also between our cultures. As a result, the work depicts our hopefulness and pride in our cultures. Rooted in cultural experiences, the hair salon, music, and home life, these experiences bring us together. While this may not be the lifestyle for every black person, we hope, in some way, a connection can be made.
The paintings depict physical spaces that we have been in and or are a place we call home. The textures, patterns, and gem-like motifs represent the continuous black lifestyle. The color combination is used to represent black skin but also celebrate black lives and transform these spaces and demonstrate an experience.
Overall the series invites the viewer to reflect on these spaces, and look into our lives, and appreciate our culture for what it is."
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART: CREATIVITY WORKS
ARTIST TALK SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 AT 6 PM
Kaiser Gallery presents 'Cut From The Same Cloth' on view October 16 through November 28. This exhibit features the mixed media works of Cleveland Institute of Art students Ewuresi Archer and Crystal Miller. The vibrant artworks in this series draw directly from the artists' African American and African cultures, offering a dialect and a conversation between the two experiences.
"We come from two different backgrounds and are of the same race. There are a lot of differences and similarities between us as humans but also between our cultures. As a result, the work depicts our hopefulness and pride in our cultures. Rooted in cultural experiences, the hair salon, music, and home life, these experiences bring us together. While this may not be the lifestyle for every black person, we hope, in some way, a connection can be made.
The paintings depict physical spaces that we have been in and or are a place we call home. The textures, patterns, and gem-like motifs represent the continuous black lifestyle. The color combination is used to represent black skin but also celebrate black lives and transform these spaces and demonstrate an experience.
Overall the series invites the viewer to reflect on these spaces, and look into our lives, and appreciate our culture for what it is."
Ewuresi Archer
Ewuresi Archer is an artist currently living and working in Cleveland Ohio. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her paintings utilize fluorescent colors and distorted shapes to create unnatural environments. In using distorted shapes and colors, she creates spaces that have viewers questioning and wondering about the nature of reality, and how it is constantly slipping through our fingers.
Crystal Miller
Crystal Miller is an interdisciplinary mixed media artist currently living and working in Cleveland, Ohio. She has an Associates in Graphic Design and is on her way to get a Bachelors in Fine Arts in Painting, Sculpture and Expanded Media at The Cleveland Institute of Art. Her paintings and sculptures explore the ideas and concepts of beauty through unconventional materials such as beads, yarn, rhinestones, and foam. Her main focus is to create an individualized aesthetic that represents her blackness and personal experiences with hair.
Andrew Ellis Johnson
"Insurrection" (2020)
Ink on paper.
50 x 113 inches
The Weight of Time
August 14 - October 10, 2021
Opening reception on August 14, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
'The Weight of Time' is an exhibition that explores the surrealism of a very real global pandemic through introspective works. The novel virus COVID-19 threw the world as we knew it into a situation that we've never seen before. The global pandemic and the shutdowns that followed created disorientating challenges for various people to navigate in different ways while further exposing broken government infrastructure and community ramifications for a world that was not prepared to stop.
Presenting the works of Chad Eby, Danny Greene, Andrew Ellis Johnson, Matt Milligan, Haumed Rahmani, and Nowhere Mountain.
*Don't miss the upcoming virtual artist talk on September 30 with Chad Eby, Andrew Ellis Johnson, Matt Milligan and Nowhere Mountain.
Then join us for the closing reception on October 10 featuring local artists Danny Greene and Haumed Rahmani.
Opening reception on August 14, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
'The Weight of Time' is an exhibition that explores the surrealism of a very real global pandemic through introspective works. The novel virus COVID-19 threw the world as we knew it into a situation that we've never seen before. The global pandemic and the shutdowns that followed created disorientating challenges for various people to navigate in different ways while further exposing broken government infrastructure and community ramifications for a world that was not prepared to stop.
Presenting the works of Chad Eby, Danny Greene, Andrew Ellis Johnson, Matt Milligan, Haumed Rahmani, and Nowhere Mountain.
*Don't miss the upcoming virtual artist talk on September 30 with Chad Eby, Andrew Ellis Johnson, Matt Milligan and Nowhere Mountain.
Then join us for the closing reception on October 10 featuring local artists Danny Greene and Haumed Rahmani.
Derick Decario Ladale Whitson's Sugar (Chapter II)
SOLO SHOW SELECTION 2021
June 12 - August 8, 2021
June 12 - August 8, 2021
On June 12, Kaiser Gallery presents SUGAR (Chapter II), a solo exhibition by Derick Decario Ladale Whitson. Whitson (b. 1991 Mansfield, Ohio) is an artist currently living and working in NYC. Working primarily in photography and video, Whitson explores the history and relationships of clowning, drag queens and black/white face to explore the social constructs of race, gender, and sexuality.
Derick Decario Ladale Whitson has attended artist residencies at AICAD New York Studio Residency Program, NY; Mass MoCA, Massachusetts; The Fountainhead, Miami, FL; and The Galveston Artist Residency. His work has recently been exhibited at Art Basel, Miami, FL; The Studio Museum in Harlem; and The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO. Whitson is also a current recipient of the Foundation For Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, the 2019 Enfoco Photography Fellowship, & The 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellowship. Whitson received his MFA at Columbia University and BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design.
Derick Decario Ladale Whitson has attended artist residencies at AICAD New York Studio Residency Program, NY; Mass MoCA, Massachusetts; The Fountainhead, Miami, FL; and The Galveston Artist Residency. His work has recently been exhibited at Art Basel, Miami, FL; The Studio Museum in Harlem; and The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO. Whitson is also a current recipient of the Foundation For Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, the 2019 Enfoco Photography Fellowship, & The 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellowship. Whitson received his MFA at Columbia University and BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design.
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Derick Decario Ladale Whitson (b. 1991, Mansfield, Ohio) lives & works in New York City. Earned his MFA at Columbia University & BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design. Working within the realms of Photography, Video & Performance. Whitson’s work has been published in Miami New Times, Huffington Post, The Advocate Magazine, & Photo-Emphasis. Whitson has participated in many residencies across the U.S., including programs at Mass MoCA, The Fountainhead (Miami), and the AICAD/New York Studio Residency Program. Whitson is also a current recipient of the Foundation For Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, the 2019 Enfoco Photography Fellowship, & The 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Photography Fellowship.
Artist Statement |
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This is your Ego: Words, two words, made up of two words. I’ve waited on the smell of beef stew and the taste of the burned garlic that sizzles the throat. My throat has held tension, it could be the tightness from allergies or the 3 legged dog pose that has become impossible to comfortably release. I’ve found moments of silence, maybe only two, but the background noise of television, irritates my thoughts on the search for a job that will convert me into a citizen. Theres been no quench of my thirst, theres no physical metaphor or reason to continue slurping orange juice. My belly is bloated, it’s beyond the american cheese and meat lovers pizza. The anxiety holds tight onto the gas that introduces itself to my neighbors. Maybe I waited for this? Waited to find that my true lover is longing and the potential, to make believe and form surrealist dreams that remind me of the bones in my sleeves. I have two treasure chests, one in my pores and the other in the sheets when I allow one sock to go because of a fungus thats beneath one curled toe. I had a dream of painting, navigating color relationships on a canvas. I also dreamed of riding my bicycle down a hill that was so steep I could barely break. Ellen is the name, she’s my divination tarot card reader. I’ve never seen her, I’ve never spoken to her, but she reveals a path. Sometimes I hear my own thoughts like a bell, the bell from the toaster oven that invented itself? Is it really true that I could be a combination of everything and every one else, am I made up of other peoples thoughts. There’s something to the color mint green, the green influences my sickness, almost like a tooth decaying in response to a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. I’ve loved once before, he was kind, gentle, sweet, the production of him happened in my dreams. I’ve thought about my dreams once before, they told me theres something to the color yellow, they said it’s like a stench in the air that’s only tainted by the sun. Running doesn’t get me high, it only forces me to create a amount of sympathy, sympathy for my insecurities. I’ve seen this chevron pattern once before, it follows the stripes that mask themselves in red & white, but this time in cotton. Cotton has become a symbol, I’m not sure of what, maybe it’s the mucus that drowned itself in my skin. A rose also carries it’s own symbol, and I don’t mean a projected symbol that signifies the artificial lighting from Christmas lights. I’ve learned two things about breathing, only one represents life. Calvin, what a lovely name, is that because it’s attached to my suit case, or my white underwear that rises in my shorts. I’ve found solace in my longing, time in my heart beat, and a tremor in my waken state. Lets hope my ego has found peace also.
Exhibition Statement
Black face subsided while white face remains as the main representation of clowning. Between 1830’s-1910 across the US were performances of minstrel showings, these shows became mainstream in 1848. The minstrel shows lampooned black individuals with modern stereotypes. Othello, originated in London, by Shakespeare, is known as the most famous performance of white males performing both gendered roles and in blackface. Shakespeare also employed jesters & clowns, the first play was Lord Chamberlain’s Men. 1980’s and early 90’s we have a resurgence of the Club Kid Culture scene, that was comprised of wealthy white individuals, that then leads us to contemporary platforms like Rupaul’s Drag Race. As a spectator of such platforms and histories, levels of performance and masking are metaphoric representations of the repression of race and gender. The white clown face is blackface in disguise. Blackface which originated through clowning created new stereotypes and perpetuated mistreatment and racist behaviors years to come.
In 1865 Slavery was abolished in Texas, and Galveston had an illegal slave trade through the Gulf of Mexico starting in 1816. By becoming an active member of the community in Texas, and an outsider responding to the context and history of repression and abuse in America, Sugar (Chapter II) becomes an extension of my natural responses to the people I’ve met and the nonliving extended experiences, by being on their territory. My time in Galveston is a recent endeavor, a temporary exploration of a town that cultivated a haunting. There are pioneers, subcultures, and individuals that are transforming, and questioning the roles of identity through race in makeup, gender through costuming, and humor/entertainment through pain. The different levels of engagement and influence hold a large amount of information in standards of beauty traced from all over the world.
I use photography to create a new form of identification through methods of masking. This is a form of representation, as an explorative generation of power through image-making. There’s a need to deconstruct ideologies based on appearance through imagery. I am dissecting the levels of masking. This photographic amalgamation is political, subversive, and affirmative imagery that forms a racial & gender non-conforming empathetic utopia. During the course of the past 3 years, I have been working on a new project titled Sugar (Chapter II). Sugar (Chapter II) is a series of photographs and video that will be displayed inside a full-colored installation. Created are staged photographs that are in response to my living locations.
In 1865 Slavery was abolished in Texas, and Galveston had an illegal slave trade through the Gulf of Mexico starting in 1816. By becoming an active member of the community in Texas, and an outsider responding to the context and history of repression and abuse in America, Sugar (Chapter II) becomes an extension of my natural responses to the people I’ve met and the nonliving extended experiences, by being on their territory. My time in Galveston is a recent endeavor, a temporary exploration of a town that cultivated a haunting. There are pioneers, subcultures, and individuals that are transforming, and questioning the roles of identity through race in makeup, gender through costuming, and humor/entertainment through pain. The different levels of engagement and influence hold a large amount of information in standards of beauty traced from all over the world.
I use photography to create a new form of identification through methods of masking. This is a form of representation, as an explorative generation of power through image-making. There’s a need to deconstruct ideologies based on appearance through imagery. I am dissecting the levels of masking. This photographic amalgamation is political, subversive, and affirmative imagery that forms a racial & gender non-conforming empathetic utopia. During the course of the past 3 years, I have been working on a new project titled Sugar (Chapter II). Sugar (Chapter II) is a series of photographs and video that will be displayed inside a full-colored installation. Created are staged photographs that are in response to my living locations.
DomesticLands
April 9 - June 6, 2021
The home is a place that fosters our understanding of relationships. During the early years of childhood is when we develop socially and emotionally. Later in life, these early years will impact our ability to foster relationships, empathize, and how to interact with others. When revisiting memories of home, it is important to teeter on the edge of both joy and trauma as this duality defines us. There are nurturing memories that offer safety and warmth. However, for others, the home can represent pain where a moment of trauma is forever encased in time. Home can be a physical location, associated with the material, or defined within one's self. This cultivation of objects and relationships defines who we are.
Presenting works by Morgan Bukovec, Gary Sczerbaniewicz, and Allison M. Walters.
Presenting works by Morgan Bukovec, Gary Sczerbaniewicz, and Allison M. Walters.
Coveted.
February 13 - April 4, 2021
Laura Mulvey, Scholar, and Filmmaker introduced the term "the male gaze" in her 1975 essay. The male gaze represents the perspective of a heterosexual male viewer, along with the perspective of the heterosexual male character and the heterosexual male creator of the film. The male gaze also primarily depicts women as sexual objects for the sole pleasure of the male viewer.
While representations of the male gaze can be found in abundance when exploring themes of love, relationships, and desires, Coveted features works that offer a range of perspectives that are not easily accessible in mainstream culture. Featured works by Stefani Byrd (Fayetteville, AR), Dani Clauson (Portland, OR), Leiyana Gonzales (Cleveland, OH), Sydney Kleinrock (Long Island, NY), Megan Lubey (Cleveland, OH), Olga Nazarenko (Cleveland, OH), and Rebecca Poarch (Long Island, NY).
While representations of the male gaze can be found in abundance when exploring themes of love, relationships, and desires, Coveted features works that offer a range of perspectives that are not easily accessible in mainstream culture. Featured works by Stefani Byrd (Fayetteville, AR), Dani Clauson (Portland, OR), Leiyana Gonzales (Cleveland, OH), Sydney Kleinrock (Long Island, NY), Megan Lubey (Cleveland, OH), Olga Nazarenko (Cleveland, OH), and Rebecca Poarch (Long Island, NY).
Read DRB's review of Coveted on the CAN Blog.
| CAN Blog: DRB review of 'Coveted' |
2020
SWITCH
December 18, 2020 - February 7, 2021
Kaiser Gallery is proud to feature artists and creatives from the art and technology sectors who utilize light as their medium and source of inspiration. The evolution of art has led it to become more and more intertwined with technology and reshaping the definition of what we consider art along the way. SWITCH features a wide variety of artists and creators who challenge art in different directions through the implementation of technology. Artists and creators alike explore different expressions of light through multidimensional studies, including but not limited to, sculptural works, printmaking, projection art, and virtual reality. The blending of different types of media through innovative practices may even provide a glimpse into the future.
Presenting works by Laura Bigger, Emily Dzieweczynski, GIBSON + RECODER, Carol Anne McChrystal, Haumed Rahmani, Joseph Santarpia, and HR-Stamenov.
Kaiser Gallery is proud to feature artists and creatives from the art and technology sectors who utilize light as their medium and source of inspiration. The evolution of art has led it to become more and more intertwined with technology and reshaping the definition of what we consider art along the way. SWITCH features a wide variety of artists and creators who challenge art in different directions through the implementation of technology. Artists and creators alike explore different expressions of light through multidimensional studies, including but not limited to, sculptural works, printmaking, projection art, and virtual reality. The blending of different types of media through innovative practices may even provide a glimpse into the future.
Presenting works by Laura Bigger, Emily Dzieweczynski, GIBSON + RECODER, Carol Anne McChrystal, Haumed Rahmani, Joseph Santarpia, and HR-Stamenov.
Laura Bigger
My work explores the relationships that exist among humans, animals, and ecosystems, particularly in terms of the food chain, raw materials, and the human tendency to exert control over natural systems. It explores existential quandaries such as what it means to be a human today, how we can live in the world responsibly, and what our obligation is to do so. As a multimedia artist, I question anthropocentric viewpoints and interpret the man made environment primarily through print, drawing and installation. Celestial Bodies is a series of prints that uses symbolism to articulate the concept of a tipping point. Some works portray the point at which light approaching a black hole changes direction, having been drawn toward the black hole’s mass. Others portray light emerging carelessly from a prism with no obstacles. Components such as slices of water are either upright, indicating an expected stasis, or upside-down, hinting at an eerie world with laws of nature unfathomable to us. While this series is more abstracted than much of my recent work, it manifests an environmental concern and a visual experimentation with balance, optimism, pessimism, and escapism.
Laura Bigger 'Constellations' (2019) Monoprint: intaglio & relief with copper leaf and reflective glass beads. 10.5" x 14.5”
Laura Bigger Bio
Laura Bigger is an Assistant Professor of Art and runs the printmaking area at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. She has previously taught at the University of Nevada, Reno and Augsburg College, in Minneapolis, MN. Originally from Boulder, CO, Bigger received a BA in Studio Art and Hispanic Studies from Colorado College in 2008 and an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2013. She has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions nationally.
Laura Bigger is an Assistant Professor of Art and runs the printmaking area at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. She has previously taught at the University of Nevada, Reno and Augsburg College, in Minneapolis, MN. Originally from Boulder, CO, Bigger received a BA in Studio Art and Hispanic Studies from Colorado College in 2008 and an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2013. She has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions nationally.
Emily Dzieweczynski
I’m curious about empathy. My portfolio moves between science, art, and technology. It questions the lengths and limitations of these fields when they intersect at the concept of empathy. This interest in empathy comes from equal parts hope, stubbornness, and cynicism. I wanted to understand what could make people do good. The research began by studying Daniel Batson’s Empathy-Altruism hypothesis. This hypothesis states that the more empathic concern we feel towards an entity, the more altruistic motivation is experienced. Empathy is facilitated by both understanding or sharing emotional remembrances and one’s ability to project and experience bodily sensations in relation to another entity. My work is interdisciplinary. Psychological literature informs art making decisions, bringing something that is analyzed into something that is felt. I conduct research through data collection and documentation. Work in two-dimensional or new media functions as empathic stimuli, questioning how we connect and experience empathy. Ultimately, your reality is vastly different than mine and I want to understand that.
Emily Dzieweczynski 'An Audio Analysis of Home' (2020) 3D Rendering, Ambisonic Sound, and VR. 3:50 min
Emily Dzieweczynski is a multimedia artist, creative researcher, designer, and educator. She is interested in the intersection of science and art, particularly where they meet at the concept of empathy. Emily is a graduate from Gustavus Adolphus College, holding Bachelor’s degrees in Studio Art and Psychological Science, and studied Fine Arts Media at the Slade School of Fine Art. Her work takes the form of drawing, printmaking, writing, and new media; including code, virtual reality, 3D modeling, web-based media, sound, and video.
Emily’s work has been shown at venues such as the Target Gallery, the American Swedish Institute, Rosalux Gallery, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Gustavus Adolphus College, and the Children’s Museum of Minnesota. She has received funding through the National Science Foundation, an Arts and Cultural Heritage Grant, the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, and Gustavus Adolphus College.
Emily’s work has been shown at venues such as the Target Gallery, the American Swedish Institute, Rosalux Gallery, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Gustavus Adolphus College, and the Children’s Museum of Minnesota. She has received funding through the National Science Foundation, an Arts and Cultural Heritage Grant, the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, and Gustavus Adolphus College.
GIBSON + RECODER
Coming Attraction GIBSON + RECODER In our installation work, we use projected light to articulate space and time. Film projectors and celluloid are the material base of our constructions in light and shadow, the elemental properties of cinema. These things are deeply imbued with a history of viewership in the dark of the theater. To remove it from darkness is to flood this history and cast a certain illumination upon it. A certain exposure. Light spills in the shifting of film from its native darkness in enclosed chambers (camera obscura) to the uncanny openness and defamiliarized illumination of installation. We are exploring the shift, elaborating the displacement, recasting the light mechanics of a peculiar estrangement of the medium. The art of cinema, yes. But more timely: the becoming cinema of art. That is the coming attraction for us.
Gibson + Recoder 'Solid Light Film' (2017) 16mm film projectors, acrylic cylinder, and hardware. 14" x 41" x 13"
Collaborating artists Sandra Gibson (b. 1968, Portland, OR) and Luis Recoder (b. 1971, San Francisco, CA) have been exhibiting their expanded cinema installations and projection performances since 2000. Their works are in the permanent collections of major art museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, and Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, Germany. Artist awards and commissions include the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Italy, National Endowment for the Art’s U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Fellowship, and Madison Square Park Conservancy’s Mad. Sq. Art in New York. Lecturing appointments include both long and short-term teaching residencies in the media departments of the University of Colorado Boulder, Denison University in Ohio, and California Institute for the Arts. They are featured artists and research associates of RESET THE APPARATUS! A Survey of the Photographic and the Filmic in Contemporary Art, hosted by the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria. Gibson + Recoder live and work in New York.
Carol Anne McChrystal
My materially-driven sculptures work through chemical processes and labor-intensive hand-making to explore the legacies of colonialism and trade, as well as the ways in which the climate catastrophe has compounded these histories of inequity. Inhabiting a tension between Earth’s immense geological history and the absurd everyday experience of plastic and labor, I consolidate the painstakingly hand-made with mass-produced consumables to pry open a speculative space to resist the means-ends rationale of late capitalism.
Carol Anne McChrystal 'Media Archaeology I' (2020) Dual layer DVD-Rs, kernite, dye, and copper nails. 60" x 60"
Born into the dual diaspora of the Philippines and Ireland, Carol Anne McChrystal is a Los Angeles–based artist and designer. Her materially-driven sculpture and videos work through chemical processes and labor-intensive hand-making to explore the legacy of colonialism and trade, as well as the ways in which the climate catastrophe has compounded these histories of inequity. Inhabiting the tension between Earth’s immense history and the absurdly mundane everyday experience of plastic and labor, her practice consolidates painstakingly hand-made and mass-produced consumables in order to pry open a speculative space in which to resist the means-ends rationale of late capitalism.
As part of the collaborative duo Nightmare City, she has created immersive environments that have been exhibited at Alter Space in San Francisco, The Luminary in St. Louis, and Horse and Pony in Berlin, and has shown video works at Essex Flowers in New York, MASS Gallery in Austin, and ACRETV in Chicago. Her writing has been published in critical arts publications like Art Practical and Temporary, and she recently self-published a collection of poetry titled, “Entropical Latitudes.” In tandem with her art practice, she organizes within the local Filipino community in Los Angeles with GABRIELA, the anti-imperialist Filipino women’s group.
As part of the collaborative duo Nightmare City, she has created immersive environments that have been exhibited at Alter Space in San Francisco, The Luminary in St. Louis, and Horse and Pony in Berlin, and has shown video works at Essex Flowers in New York, MASS Gallery in Austin, and ACRETV in Chicago. Her writing has been published in critical arts publications like Art Practical and Temporary, and she recently self-published a collection of poetry titled, “Entropical Latitudes.” In tandem with her art practice, she organizes within the local Filipino community in Los Angeles with GABRIELA, the anti-imperialist Filipino women’s group.
Haumed Rahmani
Just as we learn who we are through the process of self reflection, so too does this projection piece form its own emotions, memories, and identity by seeing itself through itself. The camera, projector, and cross-dichroic prism act as the organs of a feedback loop of converging and diverging light, always recreating the present as a fractalized view of the past. In this way, the system hopes to achieve some internal meaning.
Every word in the dictionary
is defined by other words in the dictionary,
like every moment in time
is defined by other moments:
a language of fractals,
only ever returning to itself.
is defined by other words in the dictionary,
like every moment in time
is defined by other moments:
a language of fractals,
only ever returning to itself.
Haumed Rahmani 'Self-Reflection' (2020) digital projection and prism.
Straddling creative, scientific, and digital frameworks, Haumed Rahmani spends his time thinking about questions that lead to better questions, in hopes of finding a guiding compass through the future. His code is being used by the likes of Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Max Planck Institute, and he’s slated to present at the International Liquid Crystal Conference 2022. With work ranging from microscope imaging to generative weaving and short film, Haumed is foremost a toolbuilder and communicator. He is currently working toward his PhD in Chemical Physics at the Advanced Materials & Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University.
Joseph Santarpia
My practice captures a stark contrast of darkness and luminosity, referencing both a sense of visceral interiority and expansive space in order to address curiosities regarding embodiment and release, and autopoiesis and sympoiesis. I achieve a range of abstracted and representational imagery using pigment and fluid on paper along with monotype printing and photographic processes. Through series’ of ink and watercolor paintings, collages, cyanotypes, and some 3 and 4D pieces, my work indexes the comparability of and transitory nature between interiority, flesh, bodily mechanics, and corporeal structure, to that of the expanse of space into which bodily actions extend. My materials interact through varying ratios of fluid, light, and object. The cyanotype process is fundamentally photography and printmaking—chemical exposure to UV light and transferring objects onto paper. The creative capacity of the chemicals, light, and objects on the paper surface allow this media to be treated painterly, as my "Scope" and "Range" series are. Evoking the aesthetics of medical imagery (MRI and X-ray) and using exercise equipment as the subject of the image transfer, this work is imbued with a context of medicalization and rehabilitation.
Joseph Santarpia 'BOUND vi' (2020) Cyanotype. 45" x 33"
Joseph Santarpia's work leverages autopoiesis—the self-creative capacity of material—to explore questions of release, embodiment, and landscape. He received his MFA from Stony Brook University in 2020, and a bachelors degree in Visual Art Education from SUNY New Paltz in 2017. He's shown in galleries across the United States, including: Small Green Door, East Los Angeles, CA; Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; LIC Arts Open, Long Island City, NY; The Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition, Brooklyn, NY; Limner Gallery, Hudson NY; The Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, Stony Brook, NY; Gallery North, Setauket, NY. He is the recipient of awards including The Goldberger Fellowship and the Dorothy L. Memorial Purchase Prize. Santarpia is also an active, New York State certified art educator currently working for the Lowville Academy & Central School District and previously for the Gallery North ArtVentures Program and Stony Brook University’s Studio Art Program.
At age 18, Santarpia had a spinal fusion of his L5, S1 vertebrae, altering his bodily reality. Because of this, he has grown to be intensely attentive to his bodily sensations. The lived experience and physical consequences of this procedure have since informed his life and art practice greatly. The two main components from which Santarpia’s practice manifest are (1) material approach and process, and (2) conceptual and biographical context. Both his material approach and the spinal fusion surgery he underwent, rely on systems of collaborative creativity (autopoiesis/sympoiesis). The fusion surgery uses bone graft, which is essentially a glue that hardens or fuses into bone over time. The procedure sets a rigid ground using rods and screws along and into the vertebrae for bodily regeneration to take its course. Similarly, Santarpia’s art practice facilitates a system of interaction: the flow of liquids and sediments; gravitational forces; evaporation; crystallization; state changes of liquids, gasses, and solids; UV light; emulsification; muscle contraction; respiration; cognition.
At age 18, Santarpia had a spinal fusion of his L5, S1 vertebrae, altering his bodily reality. Because of this, he has grown to be intensely attentive to his bodily sensations. The lived experience and physical consequences of this procedure have since informed his life and art practice greatly. The two main components from which Santarpia’s practice manifest are (1) material approach and process, and (2) conceptual and biographical context. Both his material approach and the spinal fusion surgery he underwent, rely on systems of collaborative creativity (autopoiesis/sympoiesis). The fusion surgery uses bone graft, which is essentially a glue that hardens or fuses into bone over time. The procedure sets a rigid ground using rods and screws along and into the vertebrae for bodily regeneration to take its course. Similarly, Santarpia’s art practice facilitates a system of interaction: the flow of liquids and sediments; gravitational forces; evaporation; crystallization; state changes of liquids, gasses, and solids; UV light; emulsification; muscle contraction; respiration; cognition.
HR Stamenov
HR-Stamenov was born in 1981 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In 2007 he obtained his Master’s Degree in Painting from Academia di Belle Arti di Carrara, Italy in the class of professor Omar Galliani. HR-Stamenov work combines technology, new media, video, traditional oil paintings, and site-specific light Installations.
HR-Stamenov exhibited in: Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy, (2009); Lu.C.C.A. Museum - Center Of Contemporary Art, Italy (2011); Institute of Contemporary Art Sofia, Bulgaria (2011); La Triennale di Milano (2009 ,2018); Laznia Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdansk, Poland (2012); Sofia Arsenal - Museum for Contemporary Art (2012); Sofia City Art Gallery (2009,10,11,12,13,14); Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria (2015) Structura Gallery, Sofia (2017); Galleria di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Viareggio, Italy (2018); CAMeC, La Spezia, Italy (2020) Æter Haga, The Hague, Netherlands (2020).
HR-Stamenov exhibited in: Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy, (2009); Lu.C.C.A. Museum - Center Of Contemporary Art, Italy (2011); Institute of Contemporary Art Sofia, Bulgaria (2011); La Triennale di Milano (2009 ,2018); Laznia Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdansk, Poland (2012); Sofia Arsenal - Museum for Contemporary Art (2012); Sofia City Art Gallery (2009,10,11,12,13,14); Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria (2015) Structura Gallery, Sofia (2017); Galleria di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Viareggio, Italy (2018); CAMeC, La Spezia, Italy (2020) Æter Haga, The Hague, Netherlands (2020).
HR Stamenov 'We need miracles' (2020) Video, loop, silent.