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Fruit and Fruition
curated by Angela Heisch
28 June – 9 August 2024
54 White Street, New York, NY (US)Alicia Adamerovich, Carl D'Alvia, Dominique Fung, Daniel Giordano, Angela Heisch, Alessandro Keegan, Li Hei Di, Kristy Luck, Marin Majić, Francesca Mollett, Erin Jane Nelson, John Newman, Pauline Shaw, Kevin Umaña, Stella Zhong
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Alicia Adamerovich
b. 1989, Latrobe, PA (US)
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY (US)Alicia Adamerovich’s practice responds both to the natural world and that of science fiction. Her paintings and drawings are populated by twisting biomorphic forms that cast ink-black shadows or radiate with bright white internal light. These amorphous shapes are anthropomorphic and seductive in nature with soft curvatures alternately drawn from the realms of the arboreal, anatomical, and fantastical. Her paintings are complimented by organic sculptures the artist creates from branches salvaged from the woods surrounding her parents’ rural Pennsylvania home. Other sculptures are self-standing and appear to shiver and writhe, as if the branches themselves had become invested with otherworldly powers.
Adamerovich received a Bachelor of Design from Pennsylvania State University, PA (US) in 2013, and she studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD (US) from 2007 to 2008. She has a forthcoming solo exhibition at Timothy Taylor Gallery in New York, NY (US) in 2024.
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Carl D'Alvia
b. 1965, Sleepy Hollow, NY (US)
Lives and works in West Cornwall, CT and New York, NY (US)Neither wholly abstract, nor acutely figurative, Carl D’Alvia’s meticulously rendered and whimsically playful sculptures of creatures, shapes, and humanoids oscillate between liminal states. Enshrouded entirely in textural “skins” resembling tessellated patterns, wood grains, or shaggy furs, his chameleon-like sculptures complicate preconceived correlations between subject matter, form, and material composition, often placing them in ironic juxtapositions.
The artist received his BFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (US) in 1987. In 2012 he received The Rome Prize from the Henry W. and Marian T. Mitchell Fellowship, American Academy in Rome (IT).
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Carl D'AlviaRocket, 2022Bronze76.2 x 30.5 x 20.3 cm | 30 x 12 x 8 in
Courtesy the artist and Hesse Flatow, New YorkEdition of 3 plus 1 artist's proof -
Carl D'AlviaBent, 2022Marble and bronze61 x 50.8 x 10.2 cm | 24 x 20 x 4 in
Courtesy the artist and Hesse Flatow, New YorkEdition of 3 plus 1 artist's proof
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Dominique Fung
b. 1987, Ottawa, ON (CA)
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY (US)Dominique Fung’s surrealistic paintings explore the subliminal territory in which tradition, memory, and legacy seep through our collective subconscious. Fung uses a sensuous palate, glossy finishes, and humor to draw the viewer into her paintings. A second-generation Chinese-Canadian painter, her work aims to recast problematic notions and cultural tropes, while lending agency to her subjects and reviving overlooked and forgotten stories. By rendering historical artifacts and East Asian antiquities alongside trinkets purchased from shops in Chinatown, she urges contemplation upon the objectification and fetishization of Asian culture. Fung further subverts the aesthetics of Western canonical painting in her utilization of styles ranging from seventeenth-century Dutch painting to Romantic, Neo-Classical, and Surrealist motifs.
Fung received her BAA from the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Design, Oakville (CA) in 2009.
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Daniel Giordano
b. 1988, Poughkeepsie, NY (US)
Lives and works in Newburgh, NY (US)Throughout his body of work, Daniel Giordano mines family history and memories from his upbringing in Newburgh, New York to create both intimate objects and large-scale constructions. Materials are particularly important to Giordano, who notes that he considers his sculptures to be like reliquaries. His works are generally constructed from unique elements that reflect his upbringing and Italian-American heritage in combination with components such as wood, ceramic, and cast metal that are produced en masse. The artist fashions tools, invents procedures, and implements surface treatments that further inhibit the viewer’s recognition of what they are looking at and make each given material feel new to the eye.
Giordano received his MFA from the University of Delaware, Newark, DE (US) in 2016. His solo exhibition Crystal Blue Persuasion is currently on view at The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY (US).
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Daniel GiordanoSelf-Portrait Whilst Entering the Seventh Degree of Concentration, 202223.75 karat rose gold, acrylic polymer emulsion, black walnut seed, construction adhesive, cotton
balls, glass, glitter, moisturizing face mask, pigment, shellac, the artist’s hair, water caltrop23.5 x 26.7 x 12.1 cm | 9 1/4 x 10 1/2 x 4 3/4 in -
Daniel GiordanoCannoli (The Grip of Goran), 2016-202124K gold leaf, acrylic paint, ceramic, contact lens, cork, dog ticks, epoxy, eyeshadow, faux fur, fibered aluminum coating, hardware, leather, lichen, marine foam, Megan Murphy Martinez’s hair, milk paint, Murano glass, peat, pigment, sewing machine needle, sewing machine timing belt, sparklers, steel, Tang drink mix, tennis ball, tennis racket grommet, tennis racket string, thread spool50.8 x 58.4 x 53.3 cm | 20 x 23 x 21 in
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Daniel GiordanoMy Bare-Naked Driver, 2019-2020Cattails, copper mesh, epoxy, hardware, plywood, shag fabric, silicone, wooden hat block39.4 x 30.5 x 11.4 cm | 15 1/2 x 12 x 4 1/2 in
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Angela Heisch
b. 1989, Auckland (NZ)
Lives and works in Dutchess County, NY (US))Known for her luminous application of color, Angela Heisch composes paintings of repeated motifs, curving forms, and delicate, gestural lines. Drawing inspiration from organic bodies, patterns in nature, and the cosmos, Heisch’s paintings are infused with waves of energy and tension, capturing triumphant yet fleeting moments of balance and stillness.
Heisch received a BA Fine Arts from the University at Potsdam, SUNY, NY (US) in 2011, and an MFA from the University at Albany, SUNY, NY (US) in 2014.
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Alessandro Keegan
b. 1980, Nyack, NY (US)
Lives and works in Walden, NY (US)Alessandro Keegan’s oil paintings and works on paper are windows into psychological realms made of abstracted geometric and organic imagery that are brought to life by unexpected color palettes. Suggestive of alchemical laboratories, futuristic encounters, and the mysterious physics of another dimension, this imagery is inspired by the artist’s visionary experiences as well as the personal cosmology he refers to as his Mystical Science.
The artist received his MA from Brooklyn College, NY (US) in 2018, and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL (US) in 2005.
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Li Hei Di
b. 1997, Shenyang (CN)
Lives and works in London (UK)Li Hei Di captures seduction and flirtation in the fluid application of paint on canvas. Organic subject matter becomes abstract, submerged beneath painted veils or membranes. In Li’s painting different worlds co-exist; the dream-like spaces of their canvases are in constant flux, guided by desire and emotion. To submerge into Li’s ethereal, fantastical paintings is to encounter the radical dream of a world freed from rigid social, cultural, and sexual norms.
The artist received an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London (UK) in 2022, a BA in Fine Art from the Chelsea College of Arts, London (UK) in 2020, and a BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD (US) in 2018. They have a forthcoming exhibition at the Pond Society, Shanghai (CN) in 2024.
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Kristy Luck
b. 1985, Woodstock, IL (US))
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA (US)Kristy Luck’s paintings are windows into psychological spaces in which forms emerge from fluid gestures and rich colors. Building upon sketches, her surreal landscapes evoke a subconscious understanding of space and objects. Additionally, her works have a shifting atmospheric spatial sense, due in part perhaps to her meticulous yet open painterly practice. She notes, "My paintings start with creating and refining the surface. The first layer of paint is a translucent 'drawing' that covers the entire canvas. This creates the underlying structure and commitment to my composition. I then slowly add layers of paint with wax and build up intuitively with little to no planning.”
Luck received an MFA in Painting from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL (US) in 2014, and a BFA in Printmaking from Rockford University, IL (US) in 2010.
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Marin Majić
b. 1979, Frankfurt (DE)
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY (US)Marin Majić’s powerfully atmospheric paintings distill moments of narrative friction within his dreamlike, imagined world. Through the dark leaves of Majić’s verdant environments, figures appear in a series of entanglements concerning themes such as intimacy, isolation, and power. They find themselves in each other’s grips or in the large palm of the natural world, imbuing each painting with an implied story.
Majić’s color palette, produced with marble dust, oil, wax, and turpentine, is dominated by various shades between green and grey. He employs colored pencils to add color and texture to his canvases, which have a heavily worked, grooved surface. To accentuate focal points within the compositions, Majić harnesses the warm, bright hues of firelight and the cool blues of water. Overall, the mediating hand of the artist is strong, producing an uncanny Romanticism that emphasizes the impermanence of human life and the distortions produced by representation.
The artist studied at the Academy of Visual Arts, Zagreb (HR) from 2004 to 2010.
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Francesca Mollett
b. 1991, Bristol (UK)
Lives and works in London (UK)Francesca Mollett makes abstract paintings that react to space and context. Her works are reflections of light and surface formed through a fluid yet precise process. Compositions evolve by extracting observations from an image, which transforms in a practice of analyzing the shifting passages of paint as tension between luminosity and solidity develops. Often influenced by literature, Mollett reveals a deep relationship between the ethos of life and of time, elusive and unable to be articulated through representation alone.
Mollett received her MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London (UK) in 2020, having previously studied at the Royal Drawing School and Wimbledon College of Art, London (UK). She will have a solo exhibition at The Warehouse, Dallas, TX (US) in 2025.
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Erin Jane Nelson
b. 1989, Neenah, WI (US)
Lives and works in Atlanta, GA (US)Erin Jane Nelson’s practice is grounded in photography sourced from her personal archive of found and original images. She often works serially, with each project delving into new conceptual frameworks as far-ranging as regional histories of the Southern barrier islands, formative personal relationships, spirituality as a process of mourning and healing, and science fiction narratives.
Nelson received a BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art, New York, NY (US) in 2011, and she was a recipient of the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship in the Creative Arts. Her solo exhibition Undersight is currently on view at Document in Chicago, IL (US).
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John Newman
b. 1952, Flushing, NY (US)
Lives and works in New York, NY (US)John Newman makes art objects that are unlike any other; complex in material and form yet modest in scale, these highly colored and intricate sculptures are assembled out of a mash-up of handmade parts that celebrate process, experiment, and Newman’s idiosyncratic way of observing the world.
Newman received an MFA from the Yale School of Art, New Haven, CT (US) in 1975, and a BFA from Oberlin College, OH (US) in 1973.
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John NewmanThought Bubbles and Tell Tale Signs, 2018Wood, foam, Mutex, Japanese paper, aqua resin, papier mache, acrylic paint, colored pencil, chalk61 x 53.3 x 25.4 cm | 24 x 21 x 10 in
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John NewmanTell Tale Signs, 2022Wood, aluminum screening, Japanese paper, plaster and paper pulp mix, acqua resin, acrylic paint, chalk, colored pencil, pencil182.9 x 71.1 x 30.5 cm | 72 x 28 x 12 in
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Pauline Shaw
b. 1988, Kirkland, WA (US)
Lives and works in New York, NY (US)Pauline Shaw is a multidisciplinary artist recognized for her large-scale felted tapestries that synthesize inquiries into the nature and limits of the body, cultural inheritance, science, and mysticism. Referencing the erasure of traditions that Shaw has experienced as a first-generation Asian American woman, her abstracted biomorphic imagery draws from her investigation into the relationships between embodied memory and its representation–interweaving MRI scans, the fragility of diasporic narratives, and the instabilities of identity through dually fluid and fragmentary compositions. Informed by global genealogies of craft, her minutely detailed works contribute to a fusion of shared histories, personal experiences, and belief systems.
Shaw received an MFA from Columbia University, School of the Arts, New York, NY (US) in 2019, and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (US) in 2011.
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Kevin Umaña
b. 1989, Los Angeles, CA (US)
Lives and works in Kansas City, MO and Brooklyn, NY (US)Kevin Umaña’s recent work investigates the history of the Pipil people—the Indigenous group of his family ancestry—native to the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador where the artist lived during his youth. Each work is inspired by distinct recollections of native plants, community beaches and landscapes, local cuisine and religious experiences. Umaña’s affinity for architecture, design and color theory inform the distinct patterns and repetitive structures that create a sense of rhythm in each painting. Conflicting styles are fused together—mess and order, biomorphic and geometric, thin and thick, matte and sheen. He utilizes unusual materials including gem minerals, sawdust and other organic elements.
Umaña received a BFA from San Francisco State University, CA (US) in 2014, and he completed the residency program at the Chautauqua School of Art, NY (US) in 2024.
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Kevin UmañaOptimum Wings for Whirling Fruits, 2024Acrylic, oil, flock, ink, salt, sand, crushed aventurine, ceramics on canvas61 x 47.6 cm | 24 x 18 3/4 in
Courtesy the artist and Sperone Westwater -
Kevin UmañaThe Echo of Strawberry Loops, 2024Acrylic, oil, flock, ink, salt, sand, crushed aventurine, ceramics on canvas91.4 x 71.1 cm | 36 x 28 in
Courtesy the artist and Sperone Westwater
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Stella Zhong
b. 1993, Shenzhen (CN)
Lives and works in New York, NY (US)Stella Zhong’s sculptural environments are vast and stark, registered by scarcely visible objects in quiet chaos. Making tactile the cosmic and infinitesimal at once, Zhong’s acute scale-shift magnifies solitude and connectivity, refracting contemporary experiences—simultaneity, alienation, existential humor and uncertainty—shared yet ultimately incurving. Zhong’s objects flit between geometric forms and something alive, even edible, cute but covertly alarming. In its built-in opacity, the work withdraws, anchors, multiplies, and cools. Each of Zhong’s hermetic worlds is calibrated to a radical condition—like a particle accelerator absent of friction—to observe the revolutionary potential of smallness in one, in another, to feel hope and momentum inert states.
The artist received an MFA from the Yale University School of Art, New Haven, CT (US) in 2021, and a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (US) in 2015. She has a forthcoming solo exhibition at Antenna Space, Shanghai (CN) in September 2024.
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