FRESH: series 1

January 28 - February 26, 2016

Opening reception: Thursday, January 28th 6-9pm

BT&C gallery announces FRESH: series 1, a showcase of young Buffalo artists. This is the first in what will be a continuing series of group shows featuring an array of young artists living and working in Buffalo. Fresh: series 1 opens on Thursday, January 28th with a reception 6-9pm and will run through February 27th. Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday 12-5pm, or by appointment (716-604-6183).

The FRESH exhibition series aims to highlight the rich vitality of the Buffalo art scene through a conscious reference to the London art scene in the late 1980s dominated by the “Young British Artists” (YBAs). The group of then emerging artists, the majority of which were initially supported by famed British art collector Charles Saatchi, included Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Chris Ofili, Rachel Whiteread and more. The reference is less about the sometimes sensational nature of the YBAs’ creative output, and more about highlighting a certain place and time—a distinctive moment for the visual arts in Buffalo, NY. Just as with the Young British Artists, these young Buffalo artists resist easy definition; there is a clear diversity of medium and theme and each artist has their own signature style.

A larger aim of this exhibition series is to promote patronage early on in the careers of WNY based artists mirroring Charles Saatchi’s early patronage of the YBAs. All of the work presented as part of FRESH is made available for acquisition at a lower price point than usually associated with BT&C, with the vast majority of works priced under $500. There is a plethora of talent coming out of Western New York in the fine arts field and it is without a doubt that these artists could benefit from patronage early on in their careers.

FRESH: series 1 includes work by six young Buffalo artists: Max Collins, Dylan England, Sarah Fonzi, Christina Laing, Justin Mages, and Alicia Malik. Media include sculpture, installation, photography, printmaking, painting and collage.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

MAX COLLINS is a multimedia artist from Buffalo, NY and MFA candidate in the art department at the University of Buffalo. After working as a photojournalist during his time at the University of Michigan where he earned his BA, Collins returned to Buffalo where he concentrated on building-sized photomurals. Utilizing a rather rudimentary process of “wheat-pasting,” Collins would blow up his photographs by printing them on wide sheets of standard paper and adhering them on a variety of surfaces ranging from a piece of found wood to brick on the side of a building. In his recent work, Collins has shifted focus— now utilizing his technique of wheat pasting to transform objects in nature, wrapping parts of fallen trees or rocks, for example, with stark white office paper. Collins has a solo exhibition, as part of the Top Spin series at the Castellani Art Museum, Lewiston, NY, scheduled to open in May 2016.

DYLAN ENGLAND holds a BA in Visual Arts and New Media from SUNY Fredonia. He is a mixed media artist who works primarily in collage. Collector and educator, Gerald Mead wrote in a 2014 review of England’s work: “It is very possible that Dylan England is the region’s most gifted emerging artist working in collage.” England sources his imagery from vintage periodicals including gardening and home magazines. In his meticulously crafted images, often involving references to the manicured lawns and buildings of suburbia, there is often a subtle hint of a darker, uncomfortable layer to it all. 

SARAH FONZI holds a BFA in Sculpture with a minor in Museum Studies from Savannah College of Art and Design. Fonzi is a sculptor who works in both large and small scale with a variety of materials and techniques. Process and materiality are important components to her work and contribute to the narrative, which is often related to others’ stories, actions, imprints and records. Fonzi has installed several large public artworks throughout WNY and will be involved in an exhibition this Spring at 1120 Projects, Buffalo. Also active in community engagement and education through the arts, Fonzi serves as Board President at The Foundry on Buffalo’s East side.

CHRISTINA LAING holds a BFA in photography from Buffalo State College. Included in FRESH are her mysterious black and white photographic images of abandoned Buffalo interiors (mainly former industrial and religious sites), many of which are in buildings that have since been demolished. In several of the images there is a blurriness, which both intentionally references the history of photography and adds a visual layer that evokes a disquieting dream. Laing sees her images as a comment on the history of this area and states, “each image is a visual record of how the community has changed over time, a portrait that will exist long after any demolition, arson, or structural collapse.”

JUSTIN MAGES holds a BFA in painting from Buffalo State College. His experimental fine art practice combines many media including the non-traditional use of screen-printing, resin and vinyl. His imagery has a wide range and is sourced anywhere from Victorian advertisements to popular film. The result is colorful, graphically oriented works with a vintage or retro aesthetic. Each has its own narrative that is very personal to the artist and, after reflection, often alludes to self-destruction and social isolation. Included in Fresh are a series of limited edition silk screens printed on vintage wallpaper accompanying a series of wall hung works that combine collage and screen printed elements, all encased under a thick layer of shiny resin.

ALICIA MALIK is a painter whose imagery centers around dead insects. Each an individual portrait of sorts, Malik considers her work as a commentary on isolation. Beautifully executed, the paintings depict an enlarged mundane scene—small bugs in a non-descript space. The viewer is disoriented because of the cropped perspective, allowing for a universality to the scene that opens potential for larger meaning. In her large-scale works, Malik intends for the viewer to become engulfed and overwhelmed by the image. Though the scene is quotidian, Malik’s interpretation and execution allows for a new perspective.