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      Magical Realism Permeates Christian Ruiz Berman’s Labyrinthine Paintings

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      “Tesseract” acrylic on panel, 11 x17 inches. All images courtesy of Christian Ruiz Berman, shared with permission

      Magical Realism Permeates Christian Ruiz Berman’s Labyrinthine Paintings

      July 7, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      “I grew up in the magical realist tradition, not only in terms of literature and painting but as a school of thought and culture,” Christian Ruiz Berman says. Endlessly interested in “the surreal nature of being stuck between two worlds,” the Mexican artist channels his experiences of immigration and adapting to new environments—including his current home in upstate New York—through his painting practice.

      For Ruiz Berman, magical realism is a way to translate his realities into dense, surreal compositions that become a constellation of references and memories. His influences are broad, from Mexican muralist traditions and Latin American folk art to Taoism and Buddhism to poetry and Japanese printmaking, all of which converge in his work.

      “God giving god to god” (2023), acrylic on panel, 30 x 40 inches

      The resulting paintings become a place to encounter unexpected pairings and mystical associations free of hierarchies. Layering, in Ruiz Berman’s work, isn’t to privilege the objects and textures of the foreground but a manner of depicting the relationships between all elements.

      “Ultimately, my work very much reflects the collision of Eastern and Latin American culture, art, (and) thought, as much as it does my personal amalgamation of Mexico and the U.S.,” he tells Colossal. “The existence of high intentionality and care, but also playfulness and strangeness, is something that has always made me feel connected to East Asian culture, and particularly to places like Japan and Tibet.”

      Although Ruiz Berman offers many entry points to a single painting, his compositions provide an exacting path, however labyrinthine it might be. The eager raccoons in “God giving god to god” might catch the viewer’s eye first, for example, but they soon lead to the sleek lilies they offer up and the Mesoamerican stone statue that’s the object of their reverence. Another seated figure hovers to their left, against woodgrain, granite, and vibrant, swirling agate.

      “Mixcoatl Merkaba” (2025), acrylic on panel, 16 x 20 inches

      Combined with clean lines and exacting geometric shapes, this melange of symbols is undeniably eclectic and in service of a larger narrative. He shares:

      I examine the notion that each person, animal, and object is not only an essential component of the present moment but an entangled element in a greater apparatus of constant change and adaptation…Magic and surprise always happen as a result of shared experience, cross-cultural inspiration, and the subversion of established tropes and identities. I paint because I am fascinated by the way it can draw from the endless diversity and inherent tension of life’s web.

      Animals are often incorporated as “stewards of human culture,” the artist says. For example, Mesoamerican mythology tends to position jaguars as revered protectors able to move between worlds: those of the trees and water, day and night, and sites of the living and dead. Birds, too, are often seen as messengers and guides. Depicting these creatures not in their natural habitats but embedded in unusual compositions, Ruiz Berman seeks to recontextualize their meanings and expand the narratives each has come to symbolize.

      If you’re in Miami, you can see some of Ruiz Berman’s work this summer at Mindy Solomon Gallery. Next spring, he will show at Art Basel Hong Kong with Proyectos Monclov and Harper’s Gallery in New York. Until then, head to his website and Instagram for more.

      “Ursa Gevurah” (2025), acrylic on panel, 50 x 60 inches

      “Grackles of grace” (2023), acrylic on panel, 18 x 24 inches

      “Xacozelotl oz lat” (2025), acrylic on panel, 16 x 20 inches

      “Life cycle” (2024), acrylic on panel, 24 x 36 inches

      “Honeycreeper Harbingers” (2024), acrylic on panels, 15 x 11 inches

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      Explore Centuries of Art History 15 Minutes at a Time in James Payne’s ‘Great Art Explained’

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      All images courtesy of Great Art Explained

      Explore Centuries of Art History 15 Minutes at a Time in James Payne’s ‘Great Art Explained’

      July 2, 2025

      ArtHistory

      Kate Mothes

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      The art world is rife with persistent myths and associations, some of which are based on socio-economic factors that have prevailed for, well, millennia. For instance, wealthy patrons have historically been among the few who benefit in a system that can be exclusive and elitist. Whether we’re talking rich ancient Romans, the Medici family in Renaissance Florence, myriad kings and queens, or today’s major art collectors, the bottom line is most often money. For many, that’s a solid barrier to entry.

      Another term that gets tossed around a lot is “gatekeeping.” Galleries, art dealers, museum curators, scholars, publishers, and so on assume roles as tastemakers and assessors, building relationships (or not) that often determine which artworks end up in public institutions, which shows receive attention, or which private collections artists’ pieces are destined to join. Gatekeeping is, by definition, the act of monitoring who “gets in,” reinforcing the notion of exclusivity. In short, it describes a multitude of potential barriers.

      So, if the art world has historically always indulged the wealthy or felt like a realm for scholars and intellectuals, how can it be made more accessible? That’s what curator, gallerist, educator, and self-described passionate art lover James Payne is up to with Great Art Explained.

      The video series began in May 2020, at the height of the pandemic, with the simple premise that great art can be “explained clearly and concisely in 15 minutes,” he says. Payne’s YouTube channel chronicles seminal artworks throughout the centuries, predominantly focusing on textbook titans of European and American art like Marcel Duchamp, Sandro Botticelli, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Johannes Vermeer, Salvador Dalí, and more.

      Distilling the stories of iconic pieces into 15-minute explanations, Payne dives into some of the most groundbreaking moments in art history. The most recent video highlights a turning point in American art through the lens of Jackson Pollock’s splatter paintings, including “Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist),” which the artist painted on the floor of a Long Island barn in 1950.

      Pollock’s methods, lifestyle, and views have long been polarizing, but he is most known for eschewing traditional brushwork—changing the course of art history, really—by pouring, dripping, and flinging paint onto canvas. Not only that, he removed the substrate from the wall and put it on the floor, challenging notions of formality and preciousness. There’s even a discarded cigarette and a few rogue insects permanently stuck to the surface.

      Lee Krasner, “Combat” (1965), oil on canvas, 179 x 410.4 centimeters

      “Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist)” and similar works made around that time amounted to an artistic breakthrough for Pollock, who has come to exemplify the myth of the lone, troubled, so-called “cowboy painter.” (He was born in Cody, Wyoming, and was known to drink to excess; he died in 1956 in an alcohol-related car crash.) This period of his practice also spurred the Abstract Expressionist movement in New York City and marked a monumental shift in our appreciation of what painting can be.

      Payne is interested in these kinds of trailblazing moments, but he emphasizes letting go of “art-speak” to bring us closer to significant works of art through a mini-documentary format. He releases a new video each month, plus an occasional sub-series called Great Art Cities that highlights a variety of destinations in collaboration with travel writer Joanne Shurvell.

      “Sometimes the artwork is a springboard for other wider issues I would like to explore, and sometimes, it is a simple exploration of techniques and meaning,” Payne says. “For me, setting the works in context helps us appreciate them more.”

      Payne’s work is supported via Patreon, and a Great Art Explained book is slated for release from Thames & Hudson later this year. And for the literary fans among us, he also runs another YouTube channel in a similar vein called Great Books Explained. (via Kottke)

      Detail of Gustav Klimt, “The Kiss” (1908-09), oil and gold leaf on canvas, 180 x 180 centimeters

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      In a Baltimore Exhibition, the Transformative Potential of Today’s Griots Emerges

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      Alanis Forde, “A Sea Bath” (2023), oil on canvas, 25 x 20 inches. All images courtesy of the artists and Galerie Myrtis, shared with permission

      In a Baltimore Exhibition, the Transformative Potential of Today’s Griots Emerges

      June 27, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      Stories have long helped us to understand the world and our place within it. For the western Sahel in West Africa, storytellers known as griots are often responsible for sharing oral histories and local legends. As generations pass and culture shifts, griots add onto the narratives they’ve inherited with contemporary details relevant to their audiences.

      A group exhibition curated by Noel Bedolla and Ky Vassor at Galerie Myrtis gathers a dozen international artists continuing this tradition. Emergence: Stories in the Making presents “a mirror to contemporary society” by positing that the narratives we tell play a critical role in collective experiences, acts of solidarity, and ultimately, societal progress.

      Kachelle Knowles, “Queen’s College” (2025), graphite, decorative paper, colored pencils, thread, charcoal, acrylic paint, ink, acrylic gemstones, marker on paper, 28 x 18 inches. Image courtesy of the artist, Galerie Myrtis, and Tern Gallery

      For Alanis Forde, imagining paradise and its trappings is a way to excavate questions about internal conflict. She often paints figures with blue masks and bodies, the vibrant disguises becoming proxies that allow the artist to merge her likeness with a fictive version of herself. Subverting the art historical and cultural representations of Black women “as objects of pleasure and servitude,” Forde shapes an alternative narrative.

      Kachelle Knowles works in a parallel practice. Through mixed-media portraits with patterned paper, thread, and acrylic gems, the Bahamian artist focuses on Black teenagers and asserts their rights to fluid gender expressions.

      While portraits feature prominently in Emergence, Kim Rice’s “American Quilt” invokes the politics of the body without visualizing a figure. Her large-scale tapestry is comprised of maps distributed by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, the defunct federal agency responsible for delineating which neighborhoods were too “hazardous” to receive mortgages in a racist process known as redlining. Stitched together with red thread, “American Quilt” makes explicit the ways that “whiteness is woven into our everyday lives,” Rice says.

      If you’re in Baltimore, see Emergence: Stories in the Making through July 12.

      Alanis Forde, “Garden Gloves” (2024), oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches

      Kim Rice, “American Quilt” (2025), HOLC “redlining” maps, acrylic gel, thread, 10 x 11 feet. Photo by Vivian Marie Doering

      Kim Rice, “American Quilt” (2025), HOLC “redlining” maps, acrylic gel, thread, 10 x 11 feet. Photo by Vivian Marie Doering

      Kim Rice, “American Quilt” (2025), HOLC “redlining” maps, acrylic gel, thread, 10 x 11 feet. Photo by Vivian Marie Doering

      Unyime Edet, “Spirit To Spirit: The Night Watchers” (2024), oil on canvas, 55 x 59 inches

      Damilare Jaimu, “All Things Bloom” (2025), oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

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      London’s Largest Ancient Roman Fresco Makes for the ‘World’s Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle’

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      Timelapse of the MOLA specialist team reassembling a section of wall plaster. All images © MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), shared with permission

      London’s Largest Ancient Roman Fresco Makes for the ‘World’s Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle’

      June 23, 2025

      ArtHistory

      Kate Mothes

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      One of the remarkable things about a city like London, which has been inhabited for nearly 2,000 years, is that no matter where a developer chooses to build, chances are there’s some relic of the past buried below ground. Archaeologists are routinely called to new development sites to carefully verify the presence—or not—of everything from early structures to centuries-old graveyards. And in a place founded by the Romans shortly after 43 C.E., we can occasionally glimpse astonishing finds from well over 1,000 years ago.

      This year, a team of researchers from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has been hard at work in a development site known as The Liberty, which has already revealed ancient mosaics and a mausoleum. But the discoveries keep coming. Scattered in pieces, the city’s largest-ever collection of painted Roman plaster was found amid the rubble, dating back at least 1,800 years.

      MOLA specialist Han Li reconstructing the wall plaster

      The first structures on this site appeared between 43 and 150 C.E., and the frescoed wall would have stood in a high-status Roman building. Sometime before 200 C.E., the building was demolished and the plaster pieces discarded in a pit. Seeing the light of day for the first time since, it was a dream opportunity for MOLA researchers.

      Han Li, MOLA’s Senior Building Material Specialist, spent three months reconfiguring the artwork with the help of a team of researchers. He explained that pieces had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so figuring out how the fresco was originally composed took a lot of tinkering and patience. “It was like assembling the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle,” he says.

      Even the most avid jigsaw fans will appreciate that this type of puzzle is a real mind-bender—there’s no picture to look at for comparison. But there are clues. This era of Roman painting commonly incorporated color panels with border motifs and elements that imitated stone slabs like porphyry without the expense or labor involved in hauling that much material. And while this work is fairly representative of the style, the use of the color yellow is particularly rare and found in only a few very luxurious buildings around the U.K.

      The fresco also tells the story of visitors and passersby who left graffiti, including an image of a crying woman with a hairstyle common in the Flavian period (69 to 96 C.E.) and a carved Greek alphabet. It’s thought that the latter could have served a practical purpose, like a tally sheet or a checklist.

      Wall plaster reconstruction illustration by Faith Vardy

      One special detail comes in the form of what’s known as a tabula ansata, a carving of a decorative tablet that Roman artists used to sign their work. It contains the Latin word “FECIT,” which means “has made this.” Sadly, the part where the artist’s name would have appeared is too broken to determine, so their identity will likely remain a mystery.

      Explore more of MOLA’s excavations and projects on its website.

      The remains of the tabula ansata

      MOLA specialist Han Li reconstructing the wall plaster

      Sections of bird decorations on the Liberty wall plaster

      A MOLA archaeologist uncovers the wall plaster during excavations at The Liberty site

      Sections of floral decoration on the Liberty wall plaster

      Yellow and imitation porphyry panels

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      Seth Armstrong Sets the Hills of Los Angeles Aglow in Vibrant Oil Paintings

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      Seth Armstrong Sets the Hills of Los Angeles Aglow in Vibrant Oil Paintings

      June 20, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Capturing the magical glow of the golden hour, the rich blue of early evening, and the butter-yellow of morning, Seth Armstrong transports us to Southern California in his ongoing series of oil paintings. Bright bungalows, electrical lines, palm trees, and shrubs dot the foothills that shape Los Angeles, with the San Gabriel Mountains often rising in the background.

      Greenery plays a central role in Armstrong’s suburban portraits, revealing and concealing roads, homes, and infrastructure—evocative of the city’s reputation as a place where any dream seems possible. Yet its sprawling neighborhoods, immense wealth, and locus of the entertainment industry tend to obscure undercurrents brought to light by recent immigration protests or last year’s devastating wildfires.

      Next month, Armstrong opens a solo exhibition titled Subrosa at Unit London, borrowing from the Latin phrase “under the rose,” signifying secrecy or discretion. The artist draws upon his own observations of his L.A. neighborhood during long, early-morning walks with his young son.

      Viewed from a distance, the hillside neighborhoods appear idyllic, even paradisiacal, but he hints at out-of-frame elements in this city constantly in flux: simmering socio-political tensions, scorched mountains and fire-leveled homes, and palpable economic disparities. Sometimes people are present, half-hidden in windows and often only noticeable when viewed up-close. “There’s substance behind the forms,” Armstrong says. “Sometimes you get a peek inside. Sometimes you don’t.”

      Subrosa runs from July 9 to August 17. See more on Armstrong’s website and Instagram.

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      Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams

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      “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024),
      walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches. All images courtesy of Andrew Rafacz, shared with permission

      Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams

      June 16, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      “The model railroader is the truest creator: engineer, architect, and master of his own timetable,” reads a statement about Josh Dihle’s feverish exhibition, Basement Arrangement.

      Armed with hundreds of minuscule objects from coral to LEGO, Dihle concocts dreamlike worlds in which figures become topographies and every cavity houses a surprising detail. Peek inside the cheek of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary,” and find a wooly mammoth with lustrous stones embedded in its wooden tusks. “Confluence” is similar as carved fish jut out of the foam-and-plaster ground alongside trees and palms with widespread fingers.

      Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

      Evoking model railroads and dollhouses, Dihle’s sculptural paintings incorporate recognizable objects but with an uncanny, if not skewed, perspective. Stretching nearly five feet tall, the large-scale works hang on the wall and draw a contrast between the overall composition, viewed straight on, and the miniature vignettes best taken in at a 90-degree angle. Step back and see an aerial landscape with hills shaped like lips or a sunken nose, while close-up inspection becomes a dizzying hunt for unlikely items tucked into every crevice.

      The exhibition title originates with hermit hobbyists, who seem to come alive when cloistered in worlds of their own making. What appears to outsiders as an escape from reality is, for them, an attempt to organize the chaos and take control, even if in the form of toys and make-believe.

      If you’re in Chicago, see Basement Arrangement at Andrew Rafacz through July 18. Find more from Dihle on his website.

      Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

      “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches

      Detail of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches

      “Brittle Star” (2025), oil, acrylic, casein, colored pencil, Legos, fossils, rocks, plastic toys, marbles, mosaic tile, buttons, carved walnut, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, and plywood on panel, 47 x 21 inches

      “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

      “Sighting” (2025), casein, colored pencil, rocks, fossils, eyeball agate, agate, amber, found objects, plastic toys, mosaic tile, marbles, LEGO, beads, thumb tacks, and beach glass on carved basswood, 18 x 14 x 1.5 inches

      “Falls” (2025), acrylic, turquoise, meteorite, fossil, marble, rocks, plastic toy, paper pulp, plaster gauze, twine, maple, and foam on panel, 42 x 32.5 x 11 inches

      “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches

      Detail of “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches

      Installation view of ‘Basement Arrangement’

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      In ‘Pu$h Thru,’ Yvette Mayorga Examines Latinx Experience Through Rococo Maximalism

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      “She’s in the cake/Put out the fire, after Nicolas
      Lancret” (2025), collage, glitter, buttons, textile, birthday candles,
      pastel, cardboard, gold foil, silver foil, gold flakes, stickers, cake
      toppers, acrylic marker, acrylic nails, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 60 x 120 inches. all images courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, shared with permission

      In ‘Pu$h Thru,’ Yvette Mayorga Examines Latinx Experience Through Rococo Maximalism

      June 11, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Known for her delectable, frilly, occasionally ominous acrylic paintings made with bakery tools, Yvette Mayorga (previously) nods to memories of her mother working as a baker and references Baroque and Rococo art while critically examining family, community, and notions of prosperity.

      Mayorga’s pieces are “dominated by shades of pink to critically examine the American Dream and the Latinx experience, often borrowing compositions from personal and family photos and art history,” says Monique Meloche Gallery, which presents a solo show of the artist’s work opening this weekend.

      “W3 R TIR3D” (2025), collage, rhinestones, plastic butterflies, acrylic marker, pastel, silver foil, gold foil, pen, acrylic nails, car sticker, butterflies, glitter, gold flakes, silver flakes, textile, belt, rhinestones, nail charms and acrylic piping on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

      Pu$h Thru, the artist’s first show with the gallery and the first in her hometown of Chicago since 2018, takes a semi-autobiographical approach by reflecting on her experiences during the last decade in the city. Beyond her characteristic confection-inspired works, she has created large-scale compositions incorporating found objects like lampshades, clothing, and jewelry, along with bits of ceramic, pastels, gold foil, acrylic nails, and more.

      Many of these works draw on Mayorga’s personal memories, like snapshots of the artist as a child during a birthday party or sitting in her family’s living room. Converging with romantic Rococo aesthetics and style, like portraits modeled after Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun or Jean-Honoré Fragonard, the artist addresses the Euro-centric narrative of art history and its overarching omission of other identities. Mayorga has even coined a term to describe her approach, “Latinxoco,” which merges Latinx identity with Rococo aesthetics.

      “Pink, a color that has a long history with Mayorga’s practice, is deployed as a conceptual strategy to destabilize Western ideals of skin tone, evoking questions of race, class, and gendered embodiment while also referencing cosmetic and domestic aesthetics—an ironic and radical reclamation of softness as strength,” the gallery says.

      Pu$h Thru runs from June 14 to July 26. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      “La Ursupadora Not 4 Me” (2025), collage, textile, glitter, lamp shade, pen, electrical outlet, hoop earrings, shoes, jeans, marker, pastel, drawer handles, lampshade, ceramic, belt, felt, pastel, clock, stickers, gold flakes, gold foil, mirror, acrylic nails, textile, nail charms, TV control, and acrylic piping on canvas, 60 x 120 inches

      “What’s Hidden Beneath (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

      “Hot and Ready” (2025), collage, rhinestones, acrylic marker, silver foil, gold foil, pen, pastel, mirror, acrylic nails, stickers, rhinestones, gold flakes, nail charms, collage, glitter and acrylic piping on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

      “Self Portrait of the Artist After Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun” (2025), textile, collage, stickers, gold flakes, silver flakes, pen, lace, buttons, acrylic nails, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 72 x 60 inches

      “The Portal (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

      “Rhinestone Vaquero After Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun” (2025), textile, rhinestones, buttons, belt buckle, gold flakes, silver flakes, glitter, and acrylic piping on canvas, 72 x 60 inches

      “Taffy Taffy (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

      “PU$$H PU$$H THRU” (2025), collage, rhinestones, glitter, acrylic marker, silver foil, gold foil, pen, toy boat, mirror, marker, acrylic nails, stickers, textile, leather, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

      “La Serpiente (Remnant Series)” (2024), found objects and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

      Installation view of ‘Pu$h Thru’ at Monique Meloche Gallery

      “Party Favor (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects, nail charms, party favor, and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

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      At Joy Machine, Five Artists Bring a Gust of Fresh Air for a Joint Exhibition with The Jaunt

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      Stevie Shao, “Thistle Butterfly sheltering from rain,” acrylic gouache and latex paint on paper, 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches

      At Joy Machine, Five Artists Bring a Gust of Fresh Air for a Joint Exhibition with The Jaunt

      June 9, 2025

      ArtPartner

      Joy Machine

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      Joy Machine is excited to announce a joint exhibition with The Jaunt. Opening this week in Chicago, Ventus features paintings, sculptures, and prints by Cody Hudson, Seonna Hong (previously), Seth Pimentel, Stevie Shao, and Scott Sueme.

      Founded and curated by Jeroen Smeets, The Jaunt (previously) is a travel project that sends artists around the world to experience new locations and cultures. Once they return home, artists create a limited-edition silkscreen print inspired by their journeys.

      Seonna Hong, “Summer Swimmers” (2025), acrylic on linen, 30 x 24 inches, framed

      Being outside our comfort zones heightens our senses and opens us up to new experiences and inspiration. The Jaunt is a gust of new perspective and energy that flows through artists’ creative processes, allowing them to reorient and establish a new current.

      For Ventus, Smeets gathered a group of artists who have each participated in the project, traveling to places like Shanghai, Mexico City, and Jeju Island, along with the towns of Shelton, Washington, and Joseph, Oregon. Each lets their experiences and observations lead as they create new artworks.

      Chicago has always been somewhat of a home away from home for The Jaunt. The very first exhibition was in the city, and over the years, amazing artists living and working in Chicago–including Cody Hudson, David Heo, Liz Flores, and others–have participated. The Jaunt and Joy Machine are excited to partner and present these five artists, many of whom are showing here for the first time.

      Ventus runs from June 13 to August 2. RSVP to the opening reception here.

      Stevie Shao, “Swallows,” acrylic gouache and latex paint on shaped wood

      Seonna Hong, “Bigfoot,” hand-finished print

      Scott Sueme, “Self-Schema, Pillar One” (2025), acrylic, flashe, and pastel on wood, 69 x 5.5 inches

      Cody Hudson, “Self-Sufficiency, Tangerine Variant”

      Cody Hudson, “Alternative Education, Tangerine Variant”

      Seth Pimentel, silkscreen print, 50 x 70 centimeters, edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist

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