Chapter 3
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
Chapter 3 THE NEXT GENERATION ~A New Chapter in Contemporary Art~
Featured artists: mike russek moki nathan deyoung nouar pakayla rae biehn paul barnes peter taylor rebecca hahn sarah joncas seth armstrong stella im hultberg timothy karpinski tony philippou tran nguyen yosuke ueno
{ mike russek
www.1028designs.com
Mike Russek completed his master’s degree in sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2001 and quickly made Los Angeles his home. Over the last 8 years Russek has started galleries, thrown festivals, and provided multiple mobile art galleries for events all over the west coast. His new series features work based on circuit boards and micro chips. Using laser cutters and a variety of new materials Russek gives us his newest series “windows.� Currently he is working on new sculptures while running his company 1028 Designs.
{ moki
www.mioke.de
Moki lives and works in Hamburg, Germany since 2001. She takes part in a group of friends who are running an independent artspace called “hinterconti”(www.hinterconti.de) She is a member of the international network “from-bee-to-bee” (www.frombeetobee.net) In october 2010 her second book called “how to disappear” will be published by gingko press. Moki works primarily as painter. additionally she draws comicstoryies and creates animations films,
{Nathan DeYoung
www.nathandeyoung.com
A Change- A gift. Acrylic on board.
Seeking to better understand those around him, Nathan DeYoung offers an inquisitive exploration into the human condition. Using the intimate observations of others as a muse, he creates characters that allow him to fully analyze and interpret those to whom he is closest. By revealing and destroying his characters in frenzies of shape and color, he ventures to grasp, uncover, and expose the often hidden, with the hope that insight into others and their actions will enable a deeper understanding of himself. Nathan DeYoung currently works and studies in San Diego, California. Q:What form of art do you specialize in what is your artistic background? A:I am a painter and poet. I have been making art my entire life, it all started when i began making my own coloring and comic books as a child, and i just continued drawing and creating into my teen years. I began painting and writing when I was 16 and that has been my main focus the past few years. I never went to art college, (or any college for that matter with the exception of some beginning English classes at a community college) I have learned through experimentation, practice, books, mentors, and demos I find online. Q:Have you showed your work in Europe or The United Kingdom before? A:No, I have never shown outside the United States, so this is a tremendous honor to be invited to show my work in another country. I have admired so many artists that are in this show from a far for so long, and to be able to show with them in another country is nothing short of a dream
come true. I cant thank everyone enough for allowing me the opportunity to be apart of this. Q:What advice would you give to the Next Generation of UK artists that what to succeed in this art genre? A:The best piece of advice I can give is to work hard. Being an artist is really hard work, be really honest with yourself and your work and don’t let fear, ego, societal pressures or complacency consume you or your work. We all have room to grow and develop and its when we lose sight of these things that your work speaks the least. Art requires honesty and courage, so follow your unique voice and dare to be honest and courageous.
{ Nouar
www.noirnouar.com
Num, nums Oil on Panel,11.5 x 16
Nouar graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 2004. She has since lent her time as a traditional background painter for television animation. Recently, she finished working on the first season of Nickelodeon’s “Catscratch”. Nouar’s work draws largely from early to mid-century animation, illustration, food and advertisement art. Van Bueren cartoons, the Illustrations of Enoch Bolles, Vernon Grant, as well as old cookbooks continually inspire her colorful, humorous, and sometimes dark pieces.
{ Pakayla Rae Biehn
www.youshouldtakecare.com
Double exposure series, Oil and acrylic on canvas. 36” x 25” 2010
Q:What form of art do you specialize in? What is your artistic background? A:I like to fancy myself a renaissance woman. I’m enamored with painting, woodwork, metal arts, sewing and fashion, printmaking, photography, ceramics and neon/illuminated sculpture. I was previously a Mathematics major so most of my work tends to be meticulous, intricate, repetitious and equation based. I prefer to use photograph references for this reason. Photography references allow me to see the end product and then I can easily navigate the image, the equation, and take strategic artistic liberties with it. Q:What medium do you use or prefer? A:I’m unflinchingly faithful to oil and acrylics on canvas. But more recently, I’ve had a love affair with paper installations and wood working/furniture building. Q:Who or what are your inspirations? A:My incredibly graceful and unshakable friends. Gottfried Helnwein. Vegetarianism. My poor vision. Justin Vernon. The lust for living the unlikely life. Eric Fischl. Eva Hesse. A certain tender-hearted wizard man. Without doubt, my ma and paw and their unconditional love. And lastly, Gerhard Richter, eternally and durably.
Q:What do you think of the New Contemporary art movement at the moment? A:I am a great admirer of the new photorealism paintings that are being released into the art world. It really inspirational to see all of the beautiful images that are being created. Although I was not supportive at first, I am beginning to like the integration of technology into art. Still painting and drawing organically, but using technology to aid the process resulting in a clearer theme or intention. Q:What advice would you give to the Next Generation of UK artists that what to succeed in this art genre? A:Never stop working hard to get what you want. You are the only person who can keep your dreams from coming true. Authenticity is key.
{ Paul Barnes
www.paul-barnes.com I guess my closeness to nature and the slight isolation of growing up in the rural north of Scotland, along with my fascination of its ancient traditions rich in folklore and legend no doubt forms the basis of my work, no matter how much I try to escape it. It’s this inspiration, from a very early age, that fuels a big part of my imagination today. Resurrecting the creatures from my childhood memories, conscious of the innocence and naivety in the forms, I enjoy playing with them like I did as a child.
Good Vs. Evil Oil and plaster on board. 2009
Q:What do you think of the New Contemporary art movement at the moment? A:It’s absolutely amazing. The vast spectrum of imagination and vision is mind boggling and the level of craftsmanship of many of the artists is incredible. The movement is exploding and there seems to be no limit to how far the imagination can go.
I try hard to make my paintings look old, to recapture my visions with a feeling of timelessness and space, kind of like a dream or distant memory that has become all blurry and faded. I feel very lucky to have had some interest in my paintings in the USA lately and am honored to have shown in galleries such as La Luz de Jesus, Billy Shire Fine Arts, DvA Gallery, Carmichael Gallery, and Gallery 1988, alongside so many incredible artists who have become a new and important inspiration to me.
Q:Have you showed your work in Europe or The United Kingdom before? A: Interesting question! I show in the North of Scotland, Edinburgh and London but this exhibition is exciting for me as it’s the first time I’ve ever done a painting for a gallery in the US that’ll actually be shown back here in the UK. I feel very honoured to be exhibiting alongside the other artists in this show, many of them I’ve admired for about 5 years, so it’s really special to show with them as part of a ‘New Chapter in Contemporary Art’. And in an amazing gallery too, that celebrates this genre of art in the UK!
Part Tree Oil and plaster on board
{ Peter Taylor
www.handmadefeat.com
“I’m an artist. i’m more of a lover than a fighter, although i’ve delt and felt some blows. i like to take it easy. i ride my bike most places i go, sometimes in circles and sometimes all the way to the beach. i’m a bastard of a beautiful mother. i have a sister and a brother and another brother and a father who bangs nails better than jesus did. i like old people and children, of which i am one, still just a ladd. still learning.” Taylor’s paintings focus on a single figure whose facial expressions and bodily positions exude a combination of playfulness and meditative contentment. “These are my personal sages,” Taylor explains. They represent “seeds sprouting knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. In light of his generation’s increasing tendency towards cynicism and disingenuousness, these characters are a breath of fresh air, not only encouraging contemplative reflection, but similarly eschewing cliché and taboo through the knowing humour of their expressions and unselfconscious activity.
{ Rebecca Hahn
www.rebeccahahn.com
Cleaning House, Mixed Media.
Q:Who or what are your inspirations? A:The world around me inspires me: the struggles and victories – small and large, personal and global. The beauty projected by strong independent women also inspires me. I love and admire art that is cute or pretty, but I am the most deeply touched by art that involves story and concept. Art that has that extra depth and meaning to it always speaks to me more than anything. My husband influences me by his love for good craft and doing things the right way. My Grandmother and mother are both influences from my past – I learned to embroidery when I was three and sewing has always been a big part of our family life. My Sister and her secret, Mixed Media.
Q:What medium do you use or prefer? A:I use a variety of elements for each piece. A few I have to mention that are my mainstays are wood, embroidery floss, fabric and wax. I always use acrylic paint, it dries quickly, Rebecca Hahn was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. isn’t stinky and cleans with water. I like the low-key aspect It’s a small town but strangely enough, many people she of acrylic. meets have heard of it. She studied in both the Illustration and Printmaking departments before graduating with I also incorporate a range of found papers and am always a BFA in Printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute. very choosey about using them since I don’t have an endless To this day she enjoys working with a diverse range of supply. My stash includes old piano books I used as a child, media including animation. Japanese newspapers, candy wrappers, sandpaper, graph papers, dress patterns, and old books of maps to name a few. After graduation, Hahn moved to Los Angeles to work for the Walt Disney Company to work in the Consumer Products Division. Hahn still resides in LA with her husband fellow artist Brian Kelly Hahn, their new baby daughter and their whippet Quimby. She has since left the corporate world behind to work from her studio where she continues to create for business and pleasure, tending to her long time loves of story, concept, and craft.
{ Sarah Joncas
www.sarahjoncas.com
June Bug Oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches. 2010 A lingering Oil on canvas (framed) 18 x 26” 46 x 66 cm, 2009
Sarah Joncas was born in 1986 and grew up within both Hamilton and Niagara Falls, Ontario. Her interest in the visual arts developed at an early age, starting with the dedicated drawings of dinosaurs and lizards. Eventually the study and enjoyment of working from existing images stirred up the need in Sarah to create images of her own; ones that could reflect the world, yet also appease the personal feelings/ideas that she herself maintained. With this, her direction changed gradually from the world of animation, towards a path in fine art.
Q:What are your goals or aims with your art? A:Expression changes, and interpretations are all different and accepted. I want to identify and project emotion though. I Also just want to improve…Though because I’m never really happy with the work it’s a strive to keep working. I don’t think I want to reach a goal of ultimate ‘contentness’ though, that’d be a shame… Guess the biggest goal is to be able to keep painting/ making what I want while avoiding a day job.
Q:What advice would you give to the Next Generation of UK artists that what to succeed in this art genre? A:Work hard, paint what you want and do it with passion. Sarah is currently working and finishing up her BFA Drawing once a week or painting once a month just won’t cut at the Ontario College of Art and Design, in Toronto. it – you gotta make time for your work.
{ Seth Armstrong
www.setharmstrong.com
Lindell and Gene Dill Oil on wood panel. 12 x 12 inches
The getaway Oil on paper 22 x 30� 56 x 76 cm , 2008
Seth Armstrong was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He received his BFA from the California College Of The Arts. He currently lives and works in San Francisco, CA. His work has shown extensively across the States and Europe including hanging in such renowned galleries as 111 Minna (San Francisco), Redletter1 (Tampa Bay), Papa Dutch Gallery (The Netherlands), Rowan Morrison Gallery (Oakland), and many others and took part in the 2006 Annual Scholarship Exhibition at the Society Of Illustrators Museum in New York.
{ Stella Im Hultberg
Misty blue and lilac Oil on canvas (framed) 16 x 12” 41 x 30 cm , 2009.
www.stellaimhultberg.com
Equinox mixed media on wood panels 12 x 12 inches. 2010
Stella Im Hultberg’s paintings are conceived in varying combinations of ink, watercolor, and oils on paper, wood and canvas. Her portraits of women are rendered in easy, flowing lines with soft hues that transcend the typical critiques of feminine beauty, inherent in today’s self conscious society. Hultberg originally studied Industrial Design at CSU, which naturally segued into work as a toy designer early on in her career. Work in the design industry serendipitously led to her building on her natural talents as an artist and a career as a self-taught painter soon followed. Having grown up in Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan, she has a diverse blend of cultural influences to pull from. Hultberg has shown her work with such prestigious galleries at Lineage Gallery (now Joshua Liner Gallery), Roq La Rue, Gallery 1988, Limited Addiction, and Corey Helford. With solo shows ahead at Copro Gallery and Josh Liner Gallery in the coming year, things will only continue to bloom for this young artist.
{ Timothy Karpinski
www.timothykarpinski.com
Hanging on to each other Hand-cut paper, acrylic, graphite, & collage 8 1/2 x 8 1/2”, 2009.
Meet me on the Moon. Acrylic and graphite on handcut paper - framed 12 x 12 inches. 2010
Timothy J. Karpinski grew up near the Appalachian Trail in the woods of New Jersey. As a child he was obsessed with building forts and damming streams. As time passed, skateboarding and art entered the picture. To this day, Karpinski still spends much of his time building forts, damming streams, skateboarding and making art. Inspiration also comes from his love of music, outer space, typography, yoga, gardening, children’s books, graffiti, and his love of nature and science. All of these elements are reflected in his work. Karpinski is that rare combo of ‘dreamer’ and ‘doer’. Many encompass one of these traits, seldom both. He is a master of wit, a lover of folk and owner of one of the finest art reference libraries this side of the Mississippi. Karpinski is currently living the dream in Portland, OR where he runs Together Gallery, holds down both a fort and a sailboat… and somehow still finds time to make some art and dam some streams. “From a young age I’ve always been making things. Building forts turned into building skate ramps which lead to building art installations. I love the art making process, from the initial spark of the ‘idea’, the creation to the finished product. Art for me is very personal and everything i make is a direct reflection on my feelings about this world and my struggle and fascination with trying to understand it and find my purpose within it.”
{ Tony Philippou
www.tonyphilippou.com Tony Philippou was born in 1978 in Bronx, NY and still resides and creates there to this day. His intentions are to explore the reality and relationships of humans using the theme of religion and it’s most recognizable character; Jesus; alongside his apostle’s and other notable characters. Philippou’s fascination with this particular theme has stemmed from his love of the human form, design and symbolism. All personal views aside, the artist is not trying to advocate any message or stance via religion at all in his paintings; it is merely the symbolic and creative influence that he is inspired by. A fresh and exciting perspective is what he lends to his viewers. Philippou graduated in 2001 from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn NY with a BFA in Illustration
Portrait of Argus & Io. 12 in x 12 in, Oil on Wood. 2010
Q:What form of art do you specialize in what is your artistic background? A:Mainly figurative, but I really dig art nouveau and surrealism so that’s what my focus is on now. I love the idea of juxtaposing the human form in realities of imaginative grandeur. Q:Do you make art with an audience in mind or do you make it just because you like it. A:I’d say a bit of both. I make art for cool people with shiny jewelry and sunglasses. But at the least I make it for myself because if I don’t like it you won’t like it. I have an aching desire to make images that I think people should see and enjoy for a long time. Classic you know. Maybe my art can be one of the first that someone is willing to sell a child for, or an organ. Will see how things pan out for me in the future. Q:What are your goals or aims with your art? A:My only concern is to make something beautiful.
Q:What role do you think New Contemporary art plays in today’s society? A:It’s what art should always be, an outlet for certain people of a generation to embrace as the conscious creative influence of it’s era. I love the fact that I have so much rich visual & literal material to inspire my thought process because of the period of time that I live in.
{ Tran Nguyen
www.trannguyen.org
Q:What form of art do you specialize in what is your artistic background? A: For the most part, my specialty is creating figurative work within a surreal environment. Q:What medium do you use or prefer? A:I’m fond of acrylics for its spontaneity and color pencils for its lack of spontaneity. Q:Who or what are your inspirations? A: Visually, my inspiration includes Gustav Klimt and Hayao Miyazaki. For the conceptual aspect of my work, I’m heavily inspired by artist therapist Bruce L. Moon and the people I come across everyday. Q:What do you think of the New Contemporary art movement at the moment? A:I think the movement consists of extremely powerful visions/visionaries and it’s only in its early stages. Q:How do you feel about showing here for the first time and alongside this group of artists? A:I’m ecstatic about this new exploration and the incredible/variety of artists that’s participating. It’s inspiring, frightening, suspenseful, thrilling. 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: Definitely. I’ll always be learning and growing as an artist and person. I think the obstacles for any moveTran Nguyen is a Vietnamese artist specializing in fantastical ment is starting it. Introducing it to the public is the hard and surrealistic imagery. part, after that, it’ll go wherever it’s meant to -- like a car on neutral. Tran is fascinated with creating imagery that can be used as a psycho-therapeutic support vehicle. Currently based in Savannah, Georgia, she enjoys the aesthetics of nature and the outdoors which is often incorporated into her work Do not breathe in the moon Thin glazes of highly diluted acrylic and color pencil on Rives BFK paper 16 x 20” , 2010
She is currently enrolled at the Savannah College of Art and Design where she will graduate with a B.F.A in illustration in the year ahead.
{ Yosuke ueno
http://www.spaceegg77.com/
Positve E Acrylic on canvas 45.6 x 31.6” 116 x 80 cm , 2009.
Yosuke Ueno comes from Japan but might be from another planet. His themes are very cosmic and he’s also known as SpaceEgg77. His palette of colors is otherworldly and his themes range from Anne Frank looking down on earth from the heavens to cosmic ducks and magic mushrooms. Bizarre, surreal and thought provoking, conjuring images from another galaxy are words that come to mind. Q:What form of art do you specialize in what is your artistic background? A:I don’t intend to specialize in one certain art form and I want to challenge any style of art I could, but the themes of my art I realize are “Love, Space, and Positive Energy.” For me, my art is a significant tool for communication. The reason I keep drawing is because there are people that enjoy my paintings and collect them. I am so thankful for the people who love my art. Therefore I don’t like showing negative things like criticism or dissatisfaction with myself. I am not interested in violence. My art is a language and with it, I hope to create a world of peace contrasting the violence. So I show Love, Space, and Positive Energy as my theme.
Q:Who or what are your inspirations? A:Girls I see in towns, science, and running give me a lot of inspirations. Q:Do you make art with an audience in mind or do you make it just because you like it.? A:At first, I would draw as I desired and painted only for me. Then one day when I was eight, a friend of mine showed appreciation for one of my drawings. The more I drew, the more friends I was able to make happy. I started to think about art that would please a lot of people. Now I paint for both others and myself.