Scream Presents its Curated Exhibition of Emerging Artists

Written by Alexander Wainthrop Thursday, 26 January 2012 00:00

London.- Scream is proud to present "Unweave the Rainbow", on view at the gallery from January 27th through March 10th. "Unweave  the  Rainbow" is its second annual curated exhibition of emerging artists, and the sequel to last January’s "States  of  Reverie". The exhibition features young artists from the USA, UK, China and Poland, each with a unique style, who have in common a psychedelic, other worldy or surreal sensibility. The exhibition title is inspired by John Keats’ 19th Century poem ‘Lamia’, an allegory for man’s attempt to separate emotions and sensuality from reason, this poem inspired the selection of artists in "Unweave the Rainbow". The practice of each artist featured in this exhibition demonstrates tension between dream and reality, imagination and reason. Several of the artists work in 2 or 3 dimensions, for example Caroline Jane Harris who creates otherworldly handcut photographs; Jen Stark whose psychedelic paper sculptures are also handcrafted, and Scott Hove who creates surreal cake sculptures fit for the fairy palace of Keats’ Lamia. Ye Hongking uses a collage of multi-coloured stickers to create depictions of Nirvana. Malgosia Stepnik, Andrew McAttee and Cain Caser are all exhibiting paintings with explosive neon palettes that inhabit the entire spectrum of the rainbow.

Jen Stark was born and grew up in Miami, Florida, and cites the indigenous tropical plants and cultural diversity as influences on her artwork. She was commissioned this year by the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art to create a 90ft by 35 ft mural to adorn the outside of their building, and she exhibited at the recent Art Basel Miami at PULSE and Scope Art Fair with LMAK Projects. At Scream she will exhibit 2 of her signature paper sculptures whose geometrical shapes can be found in natural and organic forms. Stark’s practice displays an almost Platonic obsession with Form and the problem of universals, of translating the essence of what she observes in nature into 3 dimensional paper sculptures.  She has been creating art since the age of 4, and graduated from Maryland Institute College of art in 2005. Her artwork recently graced the cover of Harvard Business Review, and she has been featured in Modern Painters, Nylon, New American Paintings and PUSH Paper: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Paper Art. Stark started experimenting with coloured construction paper and a Xacto knife whilst studying in the south of France, where the transformation of an ordinary material into something multi-layered and magical began. In her work geometry, nature and mathematics collide, and the complex process can take several weeks.

Caroline Jane Harris transforms paper into unique kaleidoscopic marvels that encapsulate the inherent beauty of nature. She is fascinated by natural phenomena, and the geometric symmetries found in all levels of existence such as the bronchi of a lung, river networks and neuron activity. Pre-programmed visual preferences, encoded neurally in innate reference patterns are considered in the relationship between humans and their environment. Eastern Printmaking and Paper-cutting techniques influence her work. Japanese wood-block prints whose simple lines capture the essence of organic forms, inform her lineated ‘hand-cut white paper’ compositions. Her work exceeds the viewer’s expectation of the possibilities of paper. Harris was shortlisted for the Club Monaco Emerging Artist's Award at the The Other Art Fair this November. She graduated in 2009 with a BA in Fine Art Printmaking from the University of Brighton, was artist in residence at The Muse at 269 this year, and won the Silver Arts Award at the 2010 Flipside Film Festival.

Ye Hongxing also employs Eastern techniques and Chinese ceramic decorative patterns, which she fuses with the traditionally Western medium of oil paint. Hongxing will exhibit 2 works from her ‘Thanka’ series at Scream, both works depicting a circular collaged motif inspired by Indian deities, and composed of jewel-coloured stickers. East meets West in her practice, which embraces realism in its echoing of organic forms, with a heavenly visionary aesthetic. Hongxing is one of the rising stars of the Chinese contemporary art scene, was selected as one of the top 20 emerging painters in China at the Dragonair Emerging Chinese Artist Awards (DECAA), and her work has been well received internationally, with exhibitions including Art Scene Beijing; Chongquing Art Museum; Nanjing Museum of Contemporary Art; the 7th Annual Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations in Venice; Art Taipei in Taiwan; Art Cologne and Miami Basel. Born in 1972, Hongxing graduated from China’s leading art academy – the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing – with a Master’s Degree in 1998.


Malgosia Stepnik is exhibiting the 5th painting in her series ‘Journey to Self’. The canvas represents the Tabula Rasa we embark on our life journey with, which leaves us open to endless possibilities. The intention here was to represent on canvas the openness and purity of a child’s mind, and the effort to retain that purity of thought as an adult in contemporary society. ‘Tabula Rasa (Baby Dreams)’ has a pared down aesthetic with a heavenly quality, enhanced by the used of phosphorus paint that emits an ethereal glow when the lights are dimmed. Stepnik studied Sociology with Psychology in her native Poland, before moving to London to pursue Modern and Contemporary Art Studies at Christie’s, and graduating with First Class hons in BA Fine Arts at City & Guilds London College of Art. Her knowledge of psychology and sociology is inherent in her art, which has intellectual and psychedelic elements.

Andrew McAttee’s paintings inhabit the more vibrant end of the rainbow, and the canvas he is exhibiting at Scream is a glorious riot of  cosmic symbols that pops with  colour. His work is a hybrid of graffiti and fine art, and he applied his Pop aesthetic to the drab disused public spaces of urban London, sending a message out that beauty can be found in the most unlikely places. McAttee studied Fine Art at Central St. Martin’s where he became interested in abstract expressionism, the influence of which is clear in his paintings. Since graduating in 1995 he has exhibited in New York and Europe in exhibitions such as ‘Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’ at Forster Gallery, and shown his work in Scope Art Fair at Miami Basel, and the London Art Fair. He worked on a project with Sony PS3 this year, and his work is included in private collections across the globe, including the US, Europe, South Africa, and Middle East. McAttee had a solo show at Lebenson Gallery in Paris this autumn, and has an exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in London next March.

Scream's exhibition programme maintains a strong Pop art and urban aesthetic and continues to promote established artists alongside innovative contemporary talent.  Scream is proud to support and nurture the careers of emerging international artists Bruce French, Derrick Santini, Greg Miller, Malgosia Stepnik, Pakpoom Silaphan and Russell Young. Since opening in 2006, in an effort to contextualise the practices of their emerging artists, Scream has established a reputation for sourcing a rich selection of contemporary and modern works.  Scream remains committed to enhancing the collections of our loyal and expanding client base through the placement of both primary and secondary artworks. Having established itself as an integral part of the London art scene, Scream are launching a pioneering international programme to showcase their artists on a global platform. Scream is available to hire for events. Visit the gallery's website at ... http://www.screamlondon.com

---

Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~