ARTISTS
FANTACÍA
(ISAIAH BARR & GOGY ESPARZA)
An artist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, & producer, Isaiah Barr was born and raised in New York City. He founded the multi disciplinary group, Onyx Collective in 2013. The ensemble has performed in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Over the course of 10 years Onyx Collective has recorded and released 8 full length albums, some only existing on physical releases of Vinyl , CD, or Cassette. Onyx Collective has developed a multimedia approach which has led to performances at prestigious art galleries and museums (Museum Of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, Guggenheim Museum, MoMa PS1, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, and many more). Over the years Isaiah has performed and collaborated with Roy Nathanson, Nick Hakim, William Parker, Dev Hynes, Kelsey Lu, Eartheater, Ratking, David Byrne, & many more artists. Gogy Esparza is an Ecuadorian-American, New York City-based artist who concentrates in fine art, photography, and video. His project, El Vacîo (2012-14) featured a photography book published by Dashwood Books, and accompanying exhibitions with COMME DES GARÇONS in Berlin and The Wayward Gallery in London. He has also exhibited at sO1 Gallery (Tokyo), DOMICILE (Tokyo), Just Another Gallery (Tokyo), La Pierre (Paris), The Aishti Foundation (Beirut), 98 ORCHARD (NYC), No Romance Gallery (NYC), MAGIC (NYC), Padre Gallery (NYC), Know-Wave Gallery (NYC), Good Taste Miami, Auto Body (NYC + Miami), Test Gallery (Copenhagen), HVW8 Los Angeles, HVW8 Berlin. He has collaborated with brands such as Supreme, Arc’Teryx, COMME DES GARÇONS, Paris Saint-Germain, Richardson, Patta, Nike, adidas, Converse, and Vans. His work has been featured in publications such as ARTForum, Purple Diary, The New York Times, Vogue (US), Interview, The Studio Museum Harlem, SNEEZE, Richardson Magazine, Vice Creators Project, Office, i-D, Dazed, GRIND, Ollie, HighSnobiety and HYPEBEAST. MAGIC, is Gogy Esparza’s multipurpose project space in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Part Gallery + hub for an international collective of artists + working creative, MAGIC has hosted over 20 exhibtions + special events since opening its doors in 2013, curated by Gogy.
RADIMIR
Radimir (1997) is an artist born in Kazakhstan residing in NYC. His work reflects an exploration of the themes of death and rebirth. Now venturing into the physical space to bring his art to life in a more tangible and immersive way. Aiming to capture the essence of this theme, exploring the cyclical nature of life and the transformations we undergo. Through the medium of art, Radimir hopes to offer a reflection on the human experience and the ongoing journey of self-discovery and renewal. His clients include Bulgari, Universal Music Group, The Shed, Happy99, Windowsen, Jolin Tsai, Lil NasX, Justin Bieber, Marvel/Disney, 88Rising, 21 savage, Kinfolk, and Red Bull. His work has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Paper magazine, Office, Kingkong, and Dazed China.
MAXWELL DETER
Maxwell Deter is a New York City based artist born in the East Village, his work includes sculptures, drawings and paintings. His most recent pieces are hand-sewn fabric masks of various colors and patterns that are sourced from second hand stores and vintage collections. Each mask is a one-of-a-kind character that may invoke different feelings. The contrasting patterns, colors, and forms come together to create unique expressions to each mask which can be embodied by the wearer. Creating comfort as well as freedom to interpret what emotions they wish the mask to convey.
CAMILLE ROUZAUD
Born along the Mediterranean in the town of Narbonne, and having since migrated extensively between Spain, Puerto Rico, and later New York, Rouzaud's practice revolves around things left behind, both the tangible and the abstract. Camille's concoctions combine an array of seemingly disparate materials: BMX bike parts, dry wheat burned by the Mediterranean sun, concrete, and shotgun cartridges, each one bound together with an image of young men who have abetted and altered the artist's essence. Rouzaud's father, who grew up in Ouagadougou and Bamako, instilled the practice of animism in them at a very young age, which is evident throughout their work. Animism is the belief that all animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and perhaps even words possess a life force, and are animated and alive. It can be ascertained that each sculpture represents an "altar," lending credence to the layered life we live full of failures, experience, and oppression. Rouzaud's stoic, sculptural statements are a metaphor for resilience. They are at once effortless and elaborate, as free from indoctrination as their subjects are; both fragile and seemingly, invincible, as we all are. They are a symbolic means of self-preservation, exploring the impetuousness of adolescence, finding common freedom across nations in a rancor world, amidst continuous catastrophe, economic woes, and gender and racial injustice. The found objects hold scars, aging, and deterioration, marking the passage of time and tribulations. In this way, they act as a stand-in for the body and the human experience.
ARMANDO NIN
Armando Nin never desired to be dependent to a singular approach to art-making, yet developed a uniform trait that would allow the observer to recognize his work. Nin paraphrases different preceding genres such as photography, painting and assembling found objects, then plays with them to identify new capacities. Only a certain expressivity with innocent eroticism and nonconformity define his world of images. The focus of his multifaceted body of work is on generating a domain for spirited experimentation in which new images can arise. Since Nin was a child, he dabbled in photography. However, only since 2005 did he begin to take this medium sincerely. Urban image-making matched with his dramatic visual story-telling is a method to his photography work. The similarities to “combat” photography are striking. However, his subject matter is diverse. He examined an imaginative personal perspective that many like Nin, who navigate the various aspects of the city, might miss. The mundane for Nin becomes extraordinary or curiously profound; those situations, places and things are caught so that one later can look at them comfortably. Nin’s artistic research became intimate in short time, between 2013 and 2022 he experimented with using unusual materials such as etch-bath, latex, layout fluid, and soot from smoke to be elevated to the same importance as oil or acrylics. Armando Nin is accepted in the solutions found by artistic movements as 'arte povera' and 'neo-dada', leaving open many critical interpretations and methodological interpretations.
MELANIE LUNA
(b. 1997, Santiago, Dominican Republic), relocated to New York when she was 12 years old, and has lived the majority of her young adult life in the Bronx, NY. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, focusing on creating images that bear witness to the plight of the human experience, which has rapidly amplified over the course of the artist's existence. Melanie earned her BFA at Pratt Institute and is also a Yale Norfolk graduate.
JOSEPH COCHRAN II
Joseph Cochran II (b. 1990, New York City) is a visual artist, researcher, and archivist. His work focuses on the ontological exploration of advanced industrial societies. A response to his own traumatic temporal experiences, Cochran has concentrated on the production of work over long periods of time, emphasizing the mythological & historical power of the archive. His practice has evolved over time, reflecting the life he has led in and out of the United States. From documenting the realities of people in New York City to exploring the nuances of megacities in China and the isolation of people, especially those of color through projects in Sardinia, his practice has relied on a hypersensitivity to presence and an understanding of how humanity is impacted by the environments it exists within. Combining Photography, text, video, and book-based art, Cochran has worked tirelessly to craft an archive that simultaneously builds on the canon of photography and satiates his ethnographic, anthropological, and philosophical interests. Besides his photographic output, Cochran has explored his practice through the mediums of video & installation. Video Works such as Fusillade (2016) & There Will Be Blood (2020) examine the proliferation of audiovisual capital & maximization of state-run violence respectively, whilst Installation works such as Untitled I (2021) analyze global economics, displacement, migration, and loss & mourning. Since his return to New York City in 2019, Cochran has focused on documenting the communities in the City, chiefly Harlem, where he was born and spent his childhood, and both Brownsville and East New York, where he spent his adolescence. Communities in existential crisis, he is now documenting their present conditions whilst investigating their past. Cochran has shown domestically & internationally. Prior to his current solo show “ATARAXIA” 138313 (New York, NY), his work was most recently exhibited in The Cowboys Made Me Cry, the inaugural group exhibition at Brooklyn-based Swivel Gallery’s second location in Saugerties, NY. His works are in the permanent collections of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Harlem, New York) & the Langston Hughes Library (Queens, New York).
SHAWN POWERS
Shawn Powers (b. 1991) is a New York City based artist who concentrates on painting and sculpting with, and on found objects. He has exhibited at Magic Gallery (NYC), NO ROMANCE GALLERY (NYC), 98 ORCHARD (NYC), TEST GALLERY (COPENHAGEN), THE WAYWARD GALLERY (LONDON). He is also a professional skateboarder for UK-based Palace Skateboards.
CHRIS LLOYD
Chris Lloyd (b. 1994, Albuquerque, NM) is a multimedia artist based in Brooklyn, NY. “In Solitude Until The End of Time” presents Lloyd’s largest-scale works to date. Layers of tactility expand across works that are suspended in shadow boxes and hung as ‘scrolls’ along the walls. His practice builds in watercolor, sewing, architectural pin-plotting, laser engraving and collage, imbuing personal narrative and storytelling in his constructions. Recent shows include 'Two Birds, One Stone', Gern En Regalia, 2020, and a subsequent solo booth at NADA NY with the same in 2022. Recent group shows include 'At the Center Of My Ironic Faith', Cassandra Cassandra, Toronto, Canada 2021, 'Everyday Secrets,' Luce Gallery, Torino, Italy, 2021 and 'The Swamp Show, Mundus Press, Northern Massachusetts, 2021.
WEIRDO DAVE
Fuck This Life started as a fanzine by David Sander (weirdo Dave FTL etc.) in 2005. It is a collection of provocative images found from physical sources. Fuck This Life has been in exhibitions and publications around the world. He is a member of the Black Beach Boys crew and Body Work. Thank You.
JOYA STUDIO
Established in 2006 by Frederick Bouchardy as both a fragrance brand and design studio, Joya operates in a 19th Century Brooklyn rigging garage turned scented atelier. The company’s industrial space—and handmade products—pay homage to America’s explorers, entrepreneurs, artists and philosophers. Diverse works, including perfumes, candles, diffusers, soaps and art objects, emerge in various guises under Joya’s name— and in partnership with emerging artists or commissioned by established designers and global brands—crafted in-house from beginning to end. The company also designs environmental scents that are dispersed into the air through gas atomization technology at hotels, boutiques and events worldwide.
RONALD BAKER
Born 1990, an ongoing search of knowledge of self, and the energy that comes with living in survival mode spiritually and physically are the main themes of my work. I take my upbringing in the Bronx, and the question. “What was my ancestors spiritual practices before the colonizers pulled up?” To create my artworks. With assistance from the ancestors and the higher power that be. Majority of the time I’m using found objects, and materials from a botanica to create my pieces. “Hoodspirituality” is a title I use to describe/cultivate my work around. Taking elements from my urban upbringing, and allowing it to blend with different spiritual practices.
PHILLIP LEEDS
Photographer New York, New York Born 1970- Throughout Phillip’s nearly 30 year career in the music, art and fashion industries, he has always had a personal passion for vintage cameras and been an avid photographer. In 2004, Phillip added a Polaroid “Big Shot” to his collection, and began shooting Polaroid portraits as part of his repertoire. Being at the intersection of several diverse cultural scenes allowed Phillip to capture a unique collection of portraits of notables from all walks of life. His work organically culminated into the 2017 release of his book “BIG SHOTS! portraits from the world of Hip Hop and Fashion,” published by Rizzoli. Phillip is currently working on the second volume of the “BIG SHOTS!” series.
DOMINGUEZ
CORPORATION
Dominguez Corporation facilitates ideas for the greater good. Multimedia conglomerate founded out of a car wash in the Bronx, NY.
LUKE BARBER-SMITH
Luke Barber-Smith—b.1981 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; BFA graduate from The School of Visual Arts, NY—working in New York, NY—recent exhibitions include First Story, Marinaro Gallery, NY, NY (2021); Nathaniel Matthews, Entrance Gallery, New York NY (2019); ’1981’ at Parkhaus, Dusseldorf DE (Luke Barber-Smith and David Ostrowski); 'CITY LIMIT' at the Journal Gallery organized by Colin Snapp, Brooklyn NY; clorox/envy at Stillhouse, Brooklyn NY (2018); 'AEF' at Duve Gallery, Berlin DE; The Kings County Biennial, Brooklyn NY, curated by James Fuentes; ‘total power exchange’ at Galerie Manque NY; 'dear mother earth' at Jericho Ditch, Portsmouth VA; 'in memorial' at 175 Canal St. MAGIC, NY, NY (2015); 'ATLANTIC CITY' Loudhailer Los Angeles CA (2015).
STEPHANIE PEREZ (VVUTURA)
Stephanie Perez, Vvutura (1998) is a multi-disciplinary creative, her work ranges from styling, creative directing, typography, and fine arts. Basing the majority of her work on themes dissecting the nature of reality and the symmetry between art and science. Using visual symbolism to convey ethereal and abstract sentiments. She is currently creative director for Naomi Sharon, the first woman signed to OVO sound, and the fashion editor of Berlin based magazine CODE.
EVA NELSON
Multidisciplinary artist Eva Nelson uses meticulous pencil drawings to explore cycles of illness, addiction, death, and growth. Her pieces collapse the micro and macro, revealing prismatic patterns that are at once cellular and universal. Eva Nelson (1990) is self-taught and based in New York and Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to drawing, she works in fashion, garment design, and performance. Nelson had her first solo exhibition of drawings at Gern en Regalia (New York) in 2022. Her drawings have also appeared at Annex de Odelon (New York) and in Baited Area magazine. She has shown garment work at Camayuhs (Atlanta) and continues to release original clothing through her own BadClad imprint.“Clothing came from a place of joy,” she says about her creative trajectory. “This is darker.” But, while her drawings meditate on loss, it is not without a sense of play.
ALAN PAUKMAN
Alan Paukman is an architect from New York City and a graduate of NYU and Columbia University. He has been co-founder of Nikolai Rose Studio, architect at Foster + Partners, and design professor at NYIT. He has designed retail and office interiors in Manhattan, a house in Miami, and co-founded a prefabricated sauna company. He lives in New Orleans after completing a 9 month road trip through the United States.
