Kazuki Takamatsu’s haunting black-and-white imagery explore narratives of death and society, through a unique technique that he developed, in which classic mediums such as drawing, airbrush and gouache painting are combined with computer graphics. Within this new body of work, Takamatsu reflects on the conflict between personal freedom and the constraints of living within a larger societal group.

Johnston’s songs have been covered by several hundred artists, including David Bowie and Tom Waits. The late Kurt Cobain mused that Daniel Johnston is the best songwriter in America. In 2006, his life was documented in the award-winning film, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, and his painted illustrations were exhibited in the Whitney biennial. Johnston had a lifetime battle with mental illness, and medication prescribed for this condition damaged his liver requiring multiple hospitalizations. He died from a heart attack in his sleep before the morning of September 11, 2019.

In an era when vast accretions of consumer detritus and the vapid anecdotalism of digital media seem poised to overtake human creativity, authentic storytelling and the tangible materials of human existence take on elemental value as a means of connection, survival, and reinvention. In different media, but with the same rigorous and clear-sighted approach, artists Maximo González and Ato Ribeiro are innovating the philosophical and aesthetic sensibilities that will carry future generations forward into new modes of existence.

This work I now refer to as my “Pandemic Kitchen Table Paintings.” It was rewarding to work small and sense the completion of a painting, usually after a few days of concentrated effort. My art has always been about that intersection of imagination and experience and allowing for the unexpected occurrence. These new watercolor and gouache paintings on paper are part of the “Daydream Series” and provide an opportunity for me to dive into my imagination reflecting on my memories and emotions.

Inspired by his personal experiences growing up in Africa and the current cultural and political state of society, Stanley is driven to create drawings that trigger an emotional connection between the viewers and his artworks. Using his works as a form of social and political activism, Stanley hopes to use his art to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves Regarding his new series, Stanley says, “My art is born out of the zeal for perfection both in skill, expression, and devotion to create positive changes in the world."

Eventually, Murphy started selling his art at local retailers and galleries. By 2010, Murphy stopped looking for employment as an architect and concentrated on his art, working out of a studio in his home that he shares with his architect wife. His “Forgotten Modernism” series -- currently featured at Gallery 30 South – which is an ongoing catalog of modern architecture, focuses not just on the masterpieces of 20th-century California, but also the middle-class dwellings that helped define the spirit of the West Coast.

His first series, Atlas Metamorphosis, started with detailed greyscale sumi ink drawings that spawned from a lucid dream. Since then, his art evolves from his series of Sacred Geometry Surrealism paintings, called Iterations, to multimedia public art and installations including sculpture and animation. The subconscious, with its symbolic story-telling, has always played a part in his cultural narrative message.

Prończuk-Kuziak’s oil paintings are a combination of still life, nature, and fantasy. The artist creates colored visions of animals that are made of materials, as if woven out of thread and decorative fabrics. Building on contrast, they are full of life, energy, and fantasy, always idealized in their complicated nature and continuous transformation. In her art, the artist uses intensely saturated colors, which illustrate the vibrancy of the world her characters inhabit.

Participating artist from Italy, Nunzio Paci, shares his inspiration: "I watched Juliet of the Spirits many times. The artwork in the group show reflects my current exploration of the natural world and its connections with the dream sphere, nostalgia and memory, all themes in common with Fellini's oeuvre." Missouri-based artist Lauren Marx sees a connection between her work and Fellini’s artistic eye and cinematography: "I see similarities with the use of religious imagery, earthy imagery, baroque and fantastical themes. I can also see a slight connection between the composition of my piece and some of the beautiful compositions he created.”

According to Calder, “In this series of paintings, I use the icon of the blackboard to reexamine some of what we know about a group of our most familiar historical figures, myths, and cultural phenomena. Our understanding of this should not stop at what we were told in elementary school. The impetus for this series is my confusion when confronted with the discord between what we are taught and what seems to be the case."