Butt Johnson makes highly rendered and labor intensive drawings. Butt talks about using a pseudonym as part of his artistic identity, his technical process and drafting system, patient execution as a form of peacefulness, looking for rigorousness in art, a love for sub-cultures, biology and gardening, and setting up his own parameters of challenge in art.
Tau Lewis makes sculptural work that often utilizes fabrics, industrial debris, plaster and found objects. Tau talks about her admiration for Souls Grown Deep, the history and memory of materials, identifying as a self-taught artist, black geographies, black imagination and black resourcefulness, childhood drawings of Michael Jackson, mermaids, healing and joyfulness through making.
Maia Ruth Lee makes paintings, sculpture, jewelry and video-based works. Maia talks about growing up in Nepal, being patient and flexible with her ideas, utilizing source material like vintage clip art books, art education and her role as the director of Wide Rainbow, how motherhood has helped her become a more relaxed artist and her recent solo show at Jack Hanley Gallery.
Ellie Rines is the founder and director of 56 Henry and co-director at Ceysson Bénétière’s New York location. Ellie talks about paintings as memory banks, the relationship between gallery and artist, slowing down the discussion of an artwork, shower stalls as storage space, her recipe for ideal studio visits and acting as a conduit for the artists she represents.
Sun You makes sculpture, installations and wall works that operate like paintings. Sun talks about carrying the language of painting into her three dimensional work, finding ways to interrupt her sensibility, the tonality and surprise in Korean film, moments of self-doubt as healthy, false proximities and keeping track of the potential of art.
Sean J. Patrick Carney is a visual and performance artist, writer, comedian and art educator. Sean talks about the similarities between comedians and visual artists, his love for teaching, being a member the of the Bruce High Quality Foundation, cooking as a creative and meditative process, the fog of art speak, his Humor & The Abject podcast and comedy as a through-line in his work and life.
Jason McLean is a multi-disciplinary artist but is primarily known for his elaborate and surreal drawings. Jason talks about his personal experience as content, drawing into the flaws of his materials, the obsession and rush of collecting, mental health and being diagnosed with schizophrenia, collaborating with his kids and the balance of art and life.
Kari Cholnoky makes multidimensional paintings and sculpture that collide assemblage, craft and readymade objects. Kari talks about the containment, control and examination in her paintings, sex toys as gesture, clashing rural and urban experiences, the challenge of beauty and chasing paintings in her sleep.
Ian Cooper makes sculpture that ranges from minimal and quiet to elaborate and heavy. Ian talks about reconciling materiality in his work, being a fetishistic maker, fluidity through parenting, songs that fade out and his new artistic identity as creative director at Monkeypaw Productions.
Elisabeth Kley makes ceramic sculpture that often takes on the form of a vessel, ornate peacocks or elaborate birdcages. Elisabeth talks about using historical decorative art as a model for her own work, color palette as a subversive tool, drag performance, exhibiting her work at Canada Gallery (NYC) and Pierre Marie Giraud (Brussels), and making art as a way to process emotion and experience.
Alex Dodge makes vibrant oil paintings that rely on technology and printmaking techniques. Alex talks about his multi-layered process, building his own tools, virtual and physical spaces, patterns, balancing control and chance, and a desire to make physical objects that endure.
Emily Mae Smith makes representational paintings that weave in and out of illusionistic rendering and graphic flatness. Emily talks about the process of making a painting as similar to building a strange machine, color gradients as concepts, symbolism and surrealism, incorporating art history into her work and making paintings that are self-aware.
Glen Baldridge is an inter-disciplinary artist that shifts in and out of printmaking, sculpture and painting. Glen talks about the thru-lines in his various ways of working, looking for tension in the legibility of a painting, co-founding Forth Estate, noticing the beautifully abject, the studio as refuge and finding joy through making.
Yevgeniya Baras makes abstract paintings on burlap that feature colorful geometric forms and serpentine lines painted over and around found objects that have been collaged onto the picture plane. Yevgeniya talks about challenging her own understanding of her work, being a founding member of Regina Rex Gallery, transforming objects into gestures, maintaining mystery in her work and paintings as issues that she solves over time.
Ethan Greenbaum makes sculptural photographs that often feature carefully cropped images of sidewalk and street markings, construction sites and window reflections. Ethan talks about his technical process, constantly revising what’s possible, the economics of an MFA, primal fears, and his work and practice in a feedback loop with the world.
Lauren Luloff makes dynamic paintings that incorporate collaged layers of dyed and cut fabric, and skillful bleach drawings of decorative patterns, flowers, trees and plants. Lauren talks about the physicality and emotion in her work, working outdoors in cemeteries, motherhood, managing expectations before and after an exhibition and the redemptive relief of making art.
Andrew Kuo makes colorful geometric paintings that visually quantify personal experiences, philosophies and emotions. Andrew talks about the development of his work from early zines to his current painting practice, clarity through data and analytics, color as a class signifier, abstraction and hotdogs, professional sports and his studio as a private and strict work space.
Rachel Eulena Williams makes abstract paintings that feature painted cut canvas shapes and lengths of clothesline rope. Rachel talks about finding confidence in the physicality and magic of working in studio, ritual and devotional objects, growing up in Miami, giving her paintings a “haircut” and making artwork that evokes a sense of optimism.
Dave Hardy makes three-dimensional works that often incorporate cement infused cushion foam, panels of tempered glass, found materials and food items. Dave talks about the engineering and consideration that goes into his work, how becoming a parent improved his studio practice, the push and pull of doubt, and the relationships between derelict objects.
Pali Kashi makes representational and abstract paintings, and is the founder and director of Safe Gallery which is located in Brooklyn, New York. Pali talks about an interest in how art can intersect with life, the spirituality of place, accidentally starting an art gallery, her curatorial projects, admiring artists that challenge themselves and looking for the magic in art.