Description
The Artist-in-Residence Cohort (ARC) identifies and supports local emerging artists poised for careers as dedicated artists. This year jurors Stephanie Boateng and Natalie Hijinx chose four exciting and emerging painters; Noel Cross, Cony Madariaga, Nasir Young, and Zifeng Zang. These artists have engaged in intensive professional development seminars, formal and informal critiques, and practical workshops to prepare for their culminating exhibition. This exhibition is the culmination of ten months of the artistโs experimentation, planning, and growth, and showcases their collective creative accomplishments.
This final exhibition illustrates the determination of each artist to grow and excel within their individual artistic practice while highlighting their unique inherent skills. Noel Crossโs hyper-realistic paintings question our relationship to kitsch and materialism, enlarging their presence through contrast and bold colors. In another vein of realism, Nasir Youngโs painted documentations connect viewers to urban landscapes that are familiar and place-based, yet abstracted and foreign through Youngโs gestural style. Zifeng Zangโs complete abstractions similarly prioritize gestures with rich hues of color that range in opacity and texture, oscillating between washes and hard lines to create immersive fields. Bold color and line define Connie Madariagaโs vivid paintings that conceptually span from narrative figuration to abstracted shapes, all while showcasing Madariagaโs attuned skill of color and composition.
At the start, each brought unique career goals and varied professional experience, however, they came to a unified resolutionโa commitment to fully engage in the career development opportunities of the residency. While the museum provided resources (opportunities to meet professionals, funding to supply their studio, space, and time), it required individual initiative to challenge themselves to experiment with new techniques and ideas, to be open to career-defining feedback, and to authentically hone their craft that shaped the success of their final project.
Participating Artists: Noel Cross, Cony Madariaga, Nasir Young, Zifeng Zang
Carole Bieber & Marc Ham Gallery