Chapter 1
2010 Show Catalog
THE NEXT GENERATION ~A New Chapter in Contemporary Art~
Featuring 45 International artists Exhibition: June 11th to July 4th. 2010 London Miles Gallery
Exhibition Curated by
& Having arisen in Los Angeles, California over the past decade, the New Contemporary art movement has evolved from the pop surrealist, comic book, and illustrative scenes that flourished on the US West Coast from the mid-70’s onwards. Over the past 10 years, as a new generation of artists have come to define this New Contemporary uprising, art galleries, curators, and buyers across the world have begun to embrace this distinctly individualistic and singular new art form. Curated by Thinkspace Gallery Director Andrew Hosner, ‘The Next Generation’ comprehensively showcases the close affinity between both London Miles Gallery and Thinkspace for championing the diverse and multifarious new art forms that constitute the New Contemporary movement. For this ambitious cross waters collaboration the cream of the best new international talent will be brought directly to the doorstep of London’s Contemporary art community. Featuring 12 x 12 inch works of art from a fastidiously handpicked selection of emerging and newly-established artists, ‘The Next Generation’ will include a comprehensive selection of forty-five of the most innovative and talented individuals currently pushing the boundaries within the New Contemporary domain.
Highlighting the diversity and depth of talent within this movement, the exhibition will feature a kaleidoscopic range of artistic styles from the likes of renowned figurative painter/illustrators Audrey Kawasaki, Amy Sol, and Stella Im Hultberg, distinguished surrealists Allison Sommers and Yosuke Ueno, emerging realists Linnea Strid and Pakayla Rae Biehn, and prolific street artist Gaia. For many of these artists this exhibition marks their first showing on UK soil, to date having cultivated avid followings elsewhere across the globe. Still less than five years old, Thinkspace Gallery has rapidly established itself as one of the key breeding grounds for new artistic talent in the venerated and fertile creative landscape of the US West coast. Nurturing a roster of both US and international artists, Thinkspace has in particular cultivated a formidable reputation for discovering and harnessing new, emerging artists, many of whom have gone on to achieve widespread international acclaim. Since its inception London Miles Gallery has taken bold strides to foster and exhibit a host of British and international artists working within the realms of the New Contemporary art movement. Never one to stand still, London Miles is once again intuitively looking ahead to herald a new dawn of emerging artists that are beginning to shape and define this engrossing movement. In collaborating with Thinkspace Gallery, ‘The Next Generation’ presents only the most precocious of international Contemporary art talents for London Miles rapidly expanding UK and internationally based audience.
www.londonmiles.com www.thinkspacegallery.com Artist Profiles
Chapter 1 THE NEXT GENERATION ~A New Chapter in Contemporary Art~
Featured artists: aaron nagel adam caldwell allison sommers amy sol andy kehoe anthony clarkson anthony pontius audrey kawasaki brett amory bumblebee caia koopman cherri wood chris murray craig “skibs� barker dabs myla
{ Aaron Nagel
www.aaronnagel.com
Viridan I and II Oil on wood panel .12 x 12 inches 2010
Aaron Nagel is a figurative oil painter living in Oakland, CA. Having received no formal training, he is entirely self-taught; a fact at odds with his seemingly classical approach to surrealism. In his current work, he explores themes of guilt and power, always associated with his views on the perils of organized religion and theism. Nagel has shown with Shooting Gallery, White Walls, RedLetter1, and also took part in the Aqua Art Fair in Miami during the winter of 2009.This is the first time he is exhibiting in the UK. Q: Who or what are your inspirations? A:This is a long list, but to narrow it down: I’m very much inspired by the human body (female specifically). I really admire the scope of religious art from the Baroque and Neo-Classical eras; Carravagio, Ingrés, etc., they inspire me to aim high and think big. What are your goals or aims as an artist? I’m relatively new to showing, so right now, I just want to show as much as possible, and in as many places as I can. I don’t know if I have any goals as far as what I want to express, that part is very much secondary for me.
Artist Profiles
Q:What advice would you give to the Next Generation of UK artists that what to succeed in this art genre? A:I think the biggest issue with younger people is lack of discipline, and the assumption that as long as you come up with the next popular concept, that will carry you just fine. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from painting, is that it takes a lot of work. It’s not talent that will make you but the drive to spend a ridiculous amount of time getting better. (keep in mind, I do not consider myself a success in the least, and hope that when/if I ever am, I won’t know it. So I’m not sure if I’m really qualified to give this type of advice). Q:What role do you think New Contemporary art plays in today’s society? A:Art enriches society by providing a means to seek beauty, be it by the artist or the audience.
{ ADAM CALDWELL
Mary the Color Scientist Oil on canvas 48 x 36” 122 x 91 cm, 2010
My paintings and drawings juxtapose elements of abstract expressionism and classical figuration. During my training at the California College of Arts and Crafts, I began to create collage drawings that layered disparate images on top of one another; I now use oil paint in a similar way, starting with an abstract background and then adding more photorealistic details, allowing the work to dictate its own construction. The resulting palimpsest of figures and abstract shapes represents the conflicted and paradoxical emotions that underlie my work. My paintings evoke the tensions between mind and body, self and other, present and past. They also raise questions about the nature of identity, particularly concerning issues of gender and sexuality. I am deeply concerned about the world around me, and my work reflects my reactions to social issues such as war and consumerism by contrasting images from American advertisements and popular culture with images of rituals from around the world.
The eclectic nature of my work reflects my wide range of interests and influences. My figurative painting and drawing has been influenced by the realistic yet expressive work of Odd Nerdrum, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Antonio López García, Jenny Saville, and Barron Storey, whom I studied under at CCAC. Theories of consciousness by philosophers such as Daniel Dennett have also informed my art work. I am inspired by my grandfather, author Erskine Caldwell, and his commitment to representing the unseen and marginalized members of our society. I am also heavily influenced by music, movies, and comics, all of which have shaped my identity. I am an accomplished guitarist and martial artist, and these disciplines also inform my artistic perspective. One of my most important areas of inspiration is the community of artists I surround myself with.
{ aLLISON sOMMERS
12 X 12 inches. 2010
www.allisonsommers.com
Wieder Jagdzeit Gouache on illustration board (framed) 8 x 10� 20 x 25 cm , 2009
Abandoning deference for playful irreverence, Allison Sommers draws on her interests in renaissance and baroque art, toying with staid motifs and trading solemnity for nose-thumbing whimsy. She delights in deconstructing the seriousness of historical tropes of art, and tempers sweetness with subtle touches of dark foreboding and sexual deviance. Allison Sommers studied early modern history at the University of Virginia, where she was able to legitimize a lifelong love of the historical narratives and themes of the Old World, much of which continue to inform her work. She currently works as an art director for a newsweekly in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her partner Gerrit and their hedgehog, Ludwig.
Artist Profiles
{ amy sol
Nestling night Acrylic on wood panel 12 x 12 inches. 2010
www.amysol.com
Keep Us Together Acrylic on Birch 12 x 16� 30 x 41 cm, 2009
Amy Sol spent her childhood years in Korea then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she currently lives and works. Though the style of her work is greatly influenced by a combination of manga, folk-art, vintage illustration and modern design, she remains a self-taught artist. She has dedicated many years of her life mixing pigments and mediums to achieve a unique color palette of subtly muted tones. The artist works intuitively from the beginning to end of each piece, with the intent that each painting’s theme or message can be interpreted subjectively. Within these delicate works you may often find whimsical landscapes populated with exotic plants, animal and females. Amongst the expressions of each character are notions of peaceful reflection and a sense of companionship.
{ Andy Kehoe
Anxiety away from the flock Acrylic, gouache and ink on wood panel 11 x 14” 28 x 36 cm, 2008
www.andykehoe.net
Twilight Campanions Mixed media., 12 x12 inches 2010
Andy Kehoe was born and raised in the city of steel, Pittsburgh, PA. The artist spends his days painting away in his attic in Portland, OR. He was bred on comics from an early age, finding an escape of sorts in the over stylized violence found within. Now longing for the days of his youth, the artist remembers the endless hours he spent absorbing all the storybooks and cartoons he could get his hands on, all the while doodling away on any scrap of paper available. His paintings are rich with a childlike innocence that recall a time when magic and monsters existed and all the untold mysteries of the world still seemed possible. Shortly after graduating from high school, Kehoe explored a number of different art schools before settling in to the illustration course at Parsons School of Design in NY. After dabbling in commercial illustration for a short time, Kehoe decided it was time to focus on his personal work, and he’s never looked back since. Kehoe’s work has shown the world over including such prestigious galleries as Jonathan LeVine (New York City), Nucleus Gallery (Los Angeles), Black Maria Gallery (Los Angeles), and Copro Gallery (Santa Monica, CA), as well as taking part in the Gen Art Vanguard Contemporary Art Fair during Art Basel 2008 in Miami, FL.
Artist Profiles
{ anthony clarkson
www.anthonyclarksonart.com
Oz Acrylic on masonite panel (framed) 20 x 16� 51 x 41 cm , 2009
The art of Anthony Clarkson is a portal into child-like innocence, mixed with troubled spirits, broken hearts and a sense of emptiness. When Clarkson graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art in 2002, he was resolute in his decision to make a living as a graphic artist in the music industry. He was hired as the head graphic designer for a prominent record label in Los Angeles shortly thereafter. Embracing a vibrantly hyper realistic digital photo-manipulation technique, his first published album cover followed shortly after joining their ranks and quickly established a long list of published album covers for several bands on various labels. Inspired by the continuously evolving Los Angeles new contemporary art scene and growing weary with digital art, Clarkson began to revisit the drawing style of his youth, mixed with the feelings and dark emotions he has dealt with throughout his adult life. In late 2005 he was given the chance to be in his first group show at Thinkspace in Los Angeles, thus providing the perfect opportunity to begin showcasing a completely new direction in his artistic style.
{ antony pointus
www.anthonypontius.vox.com
Bajozzo Oil on panel 12 x 12” 30 x 30 cm Emilio Oil on Panel 20 x 16” 51 x 41 cm
Anthony Pontius received his M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Kansas in 2004 and has taught extensively at the Des Moines Art Center, the University of Kansas, the Lawrence Arts Center and the Herron School of Art and Design. Pontius creates via a variety of mediums (mostly oils on wood panel and graphite on paper) to create his beautifully apocalyptic landscapes that bring to mind the unearthly works of the great Hieronymus Bosch. Infused with a dark whimsy all his own, Pontius’ narratives bring to mind the dark fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. His work is infused with a spirit that is hard to pinpoint, a sort of underlying frentic energy created via his intense layering technique. Beneath the smog defused glow lies a ghostly underworld not that far removed from our own, although in Anthony’s world, there is no happily ever after. Q: Have you ever had an large artistic block and how did you overcome it? A: I would not be an artist if i did not have blocks... they never go away i think you just find a way to overcome what ever it may be or you find a way around it... i think that i naturally block my self just to get me going in a different direction... then that has a way of showing me something new... and that is kinda of what art is, exploring something tht is new... Q:Do you think there is a similar potential for growth for yourself and for the art movement in the UK as in The US, what do you feel are the main barriers or obstacles? A: I think that my work has the ability to grow alongside the movement anywhere people can identify with my work, the only barriers or obsticles are just physical... the web and cross collaborations between galleries is the main thing that allows us to see that we share the same issues struggles and quest for beauty wheather we live here or on the moon...
Artist Profiles
{ Audrey Kawasaki
www.audrey-kawasaki.com
My Dishonest Heart Oil, Graphite & Colored Pencil on Wood
Mayakashi_lj Oil, Graphite & Colored pencil on wood
10 x 12” 25 x 30 cm, 2008
12 x 12 “. 2010
Audrey Kawasaki is a Japanese-American artist currently living and working in Los Angeles. She attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where she was influenced by Manga and art nouveau. Her work depicts sensuous young women on wood panel, with a strong emphasis on line quality and facial expression. The themes in Audrey Kawasaki’s work are contradictions within themselves. Her work is both innocent and erotic. Each subject is attractive yet disturbing. Her sharp graphic imagery is combined with the natural grain of the wood panels she paints on, bringing forth unexpected warmth to enigmatic subject matter. The figures she paints are seductive and contain an air of melancholy. They exist in their own sensually esoteric realm, yet at the same time present a sense of accessibility that draws the observer to them. These mysterious young women captivate with the direct stare of their bedroom eyes.
{ Brent amory
www.brettamory.com Brett Amory was born June 25, 1975 in Portsmouth, Virginia. When he was 21 Amory moved to San Francisco to study motion pictures at the Academy of Arts. Soon after enrolling in school, Amory took his first drawing class and was introduced to his passion for the arts. Around the time Amoryturned 24 he tried his hand in painting. In 2002 Amory switched his major to fine art and started his first body of work called “Waiting” a series of paintings about the anticipation of the next moment. Amory gathers his source material by taking pictures on the street of people waiting. He gravitates towards visible quirks and, by his own admission, a lot of his subjects are older. Amory graduated from the Academy of Arts in 2005 and has shown his work all over the country. In 2006 Brett along with five other artists published a book called “Convergence” and had book signings in New York, Los Angeles, and at the SFMOMA in San Francisco. Amory currently works as a graphic designer at an environmental company in San Francisco and continues to show his work in galleries across the country.
Q: What advice would you give to the Next Generation of UK artists that what to succeed in this art genre? A:Take time developing your craft and ideas. Own your work, don’t rush into showing work that you don’t feel comfortable with. Take time to develop an identity and worry about the hype later.
Waiting 40 Oil on wood panel 36 x 24” 91 x 61 cm , 2008
Artist Profiles
{ Bumblebee
www.flickr.com/photos/theuglyyou/
Bee Is For Balance Mixed Media on Canvas 12 x 12 inches. 2010
Bumblebee is a Los Angeles Based street artist. He creates thought provoking installation works, screen prints and paintings. He has exhibited his works in gallerys in America and on the streets of various major cities.
{ Caia koopman
www.caiadesign.com
Love 12in x12in Acrylic on canvas
Auspicious Herodias 24in x30in Acrylic on canvas
Caia Koopman is a native of California and was born in Livermore. She majored in fine art and earned a B.A. at UC Santa Cruz, California. Santa Cruz turned out to be the place that seduced her to the local skateboarding scene. In addition to receiving an academic education, Caia also learned to skate ramps, streets, pools, and Derby Park. Skateboarding led to skateboard graphics, and her first limited edition team T-shirt design for Santa Cruz Skateboards. After earning her art degree, she turned her attention to snowboarding and spent many winters following the snow. It was her love for the sport that inspired Caia to strive for a career creating snowboard graphics and later branching out to become a commercial artist and finally a fine artist as well. Her artwork has been featured in numerous national and international print media including Surfing Girl, Mademoiselle, Details, Girl’s Life, Snowboarder Magazine, Teen, Teen Style, Teen People, J-14, Fine , and others. Caia designed T-shirt graphics and promotional illustrations for many companies, such as: Quiksilver/Roxy, Hurley, Op, AT&T, and Casio.
Artist Profiles
{ CHERRI WOOD
www.flickr.com/photos/fysimone/ Cherri Wood is a young illustrator that is based out of Minnesota. Her watercolor and ink studies explore various areas of the human psyche such as alienation, childhood idiosyncrasies, and general psychosis. Each drawing contains quotes and dialog culled from a plethora of classic plays and short stories helping to narrate each work in its own special way. She is deeply influenced by independent films, graphic novels, comic art, and photography. In the new series of works for trouble, clearly a variety of methods and mediums were used in the creative process such as staining patterns created with tea, floral material, caramel soda, and various juice mixes along with acrylic paint and india ink. Wood has shown with Andenken Gallery, Gallery 1988, Project Gallery, O Contemporary/Opus Underground, and also took part in this past year’s GenArt Vanguard Fair that took place during Art Basel in Miami, FL.
Effect only of setting Mixed media on paper 11 x 15” 28 x 38 cm , 2008
Q:What do you think of the New Contemporary art movement at the moment? A:I’m not really sure. It’s very interesting, there are several different types of movements going on. I think on terms of works that are not considered “high art” that show more illustrative, or urban look are starting to be taken more seriously. Another is probably the hand-made or craft, and street art works that are also quite interesting. I don’t think there is a “New Contemporary” but a more of a merging with design and art being used in the context of fine art. The nice thing is that irritating line between high and low brow art is starting to fade (slowly but surely).
The Red Drink mixed media on paper. 12 x 12 inches. 2010
{ Chris murray
The Hunter. 12 x 12 in. Acrylic on Heavy WC Paper.
Chris Murray is a fine artist and digital illustrator.
Artist Profiles
ww.chrisbmurray.com
{ craig “skibs” barker
www.skibsart.com
Exchanging Pleasantries. Mixed Media. 12 x 12 each. 2010
Craig “Skibs” Barker grew up in Southern California during the early ‘80s in the midst of both the punk rock and surfing culture explosions. With a healthy dose of punk flyers, album covers, and surfing magazines buzzing through his head, Barker began making flyers and t-shirts for his friends and his own punk bands. Fast-forward to today; Barker’s most recent paintings infuse his long-standing love for painting and rendering the human female figure
with his punk-fueled graphic design. Mixing different approaches, techniques, and mediums, he creates a sense of memory, personal history, and appreciation for the female form. Combining elements of pop culture, literary censorship, and a positive mental attitude, he creates layered scenes of voyeuristic mischief. Barker’s work explores the junctions between past and present, memory and imagination, fantasy and reality, while creating a dialog between image and viewer.
Q:Have you showed your work in Europe or The United Kingdom before? A:No, I have never shown my work outside of the United Stated. I feel honored to be part of such a strong show, with such amazingly talented artists for my first time outside of the U.S. Q:What are your goals or aims with your art? A:The main things I try to get across in my work are feelings and memories. Having a strong sense of nostalgia for the past while thinking positively toward the future are the things I work hardest to achieve. But, like I said, I also want the viewer to find their own feelings and memories in the paintings. Q:Have you ever had an large artistic block and how did you overcome it? A:I have had blocks before and to get through them I just keep busy and make stuff. When I get stuck sometimes I have a quote from the artist Chuck Close that helps me get to it…it goes like this.“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work” Thanks Chuck!
{ Dabs mYLA
www.dabsmyla.com
Dabs is a prolific illustrator and graffiti artist who spent his teenage years growing up in Melbourne in the Early ‘90s. The graffiti scene influenced him greatly in his style and technique. These days Dabs’ characters come to life in more contextualized environments than ever before, whether they are painted on walls in the streets, or on canvases for a gallery setting Myla was also raised in Melbourne where she was obsessed with detailed painting and drawing from an early age. Throughout her life Myla has continued to develop her artistic ways, and now concentrates on detailed cities and landscapes. Three years ago, along with Dabs, they combined forces to solely collaborate on their works together.
Fresh Air Acylic on panel 12 x 12 inches 2010
Earthquake weather Acrylic on birch panel (framed) 45 x 30” 114 x 76 cm 2009
Artist Profiles