Convergence: From Bytes to Brushstrokes is a group exhibition that encapsulates artistic exploration in the digital age. It represents a seamless journey from the tangible and traditional art world to the digital realm. In an era dominated by rapid advancements in digital communication and technologies, Convergence: From Bytes to Brushstrokes delves into how artists interact with the world and how this interaction has been transformed through the digital nature of telecommunications devices across the Internet. The show revolves around our urge to communicate and examines the voices that are amplified or suppressed in the digital age.
Through Maja Djordjevic’s profound empathy, we see how an artist transforms personal and collective pain into a force for resonance and understanding. Her work challenges our perceptual boundaries in the digital age, exploring the deeper meanings of communication. Adam Beris reveals how digital media shapes our understanding of the world through his unique visual language. His work reflects the challenges of finding meaning and connection in an era of information overload. Gao Hang's satirical art exposes the absurdities of the virtual world while questioning how digitalization affects our belief systems and political correctness. His work reminds us to maintain critical thinking in the digital world.
Nianxin Li explores the boundaries between the virtual and the real, revealing how digital communication changes our ways of being and self-perception. Her work prompts us to consider the essence of communication in a digitalized world. August Vilella presents a surreal form of communication through his dreamlike works, reflecting the exploration of personal and collective identity in the digital age. His paintings are an inquiry into the depth and breadth of communication in the digital era. Moyosore Martins' work shows how cultural and personal narratives find new forms of expression in a digitalized world. By combining traditional and digital media, his art explores the possibilities and limitations of communication in a globalized context.
Convergence: From Bytes to Brushstrokes offers an insightful exploration into how contemporary artists navigate and express their identities within the digital realm. This exhibition encourages audiences to reflect on the evolving landscape of art and communication in the digital era, emphasizing the quest for genuine expression and connection.
EXHIBITING WORKS
ARTISTS
ADAM BERIS
b. 1987, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Adam Beris received a dual degree in Painting and Creative Writing from Kansas City Art Institute in 2009. His paintings depict a collection of emoji-like symbols and faces constructed by paint squeezed straight from the tube onto the canvas. There is thus a tactility to Beris’ paintings produced by the sculptural approach to painting, which challenges traditional understandings of the production and presentation of painting. In combination with the simple imagery, this imparts a fresh and childlike quality to the work.
The quirkiness of the symbols is contrasted with their organization into neat grids and patterns, embodying at once loose informal rendering and a strictly systematic study. Beris’ compositions elicit the natural human impulse of classification, satisfying a desire for titles and groupings. The symbols are arranged as if in conversation with one another, encouraging the viewer to draw connections between them and develop their own narratives and interpretations.
His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across the United States. Recent solo exhibitions include “New Art Dealers Alliance,” presented by OCHI, Miami (US, 2022); “Grids,” Over the Influence, Bangkok (Thailand, 2022); “Monday Morning,” OCHI, Sun Valley (US, 2022), and “Mirrors,” Galerie Fran Reus, Mallorca (Spain, 2022). Beris was also included in recent group exhibitions such as “Spring,” Primary Projects, Miami (US, 2023), and “Chromesthesia: Soaking in Color,” Sam Francis Gallery, Crossroad School for the Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles (US, 2023), amongst others.
AUGUST VILELLA
b. 1986, Barcelona
August Vilella is a self-taught painter who creates oil paintings which embody elements of both contemporary and classical art. He is currently based in Tokyo. Vilella’s creative process follows the “surreal-intuitive” method, embracing his subconscious mind without the facilitation of physical sketches. This results in the evocation of a dream-like, psychical, magical atmosphere in his paintings.
The use of light and shadows, and refined brushstrokes and layering in his works recall techniques employed by the old masters, presenting an interesting juxtaposition with his cartoonish characters. The big, twinkling, crystal eyes of August’s characters often gazes outwards, inviting the audience to engage with their underlying feelings and explore them with quiet introspections.
Vilella’s artistic talent has been acknowledged through numerous artist prizes, including: Best Artist at the Tokyo International Art Fair in 2016, Best Innovative Art at The Global Art Awards of Dubai (UAE) in 2017, and the International Artist Grand Prize and Chairman’s Award in the Art Revolution Taipei in 2018. In 2022, August’s paintings were shown in global art events including Art Basel in Miami, Art Basel in Hong Kong, and TEFAF in New York. Moreover, he held a successful solo exhibition titled ‘Memories’ at the historic Kudan House in Chidoya City of Tokyo. Vilella’s works have been featured in various prominent media outlets, including Vice, Hi-Fructose, and Beautiful Bizarre, further solidifying his status as a contemporary artist.
GAO HANG
b. 1991, Baoding, China
Gao Hang obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Capital Normal University in 2013, subsequently moving to Houston, Texas to attain an MFA in Painting from the University of Houston in 2015. He currently lives and works in Houston, Texas.
Gao Hang is certain that his art process has something to do with his habits and obsessions. He mostly listen to standup comedy while making artworks. He enjoys standup comedy that pokes at general beliefs, and political correctness, yet at its core is the subtle negotiation between the observations, language, and laughter of a given performance. Then one should realize that it is no paradox, but a good conversation between the performer and the audience. At some point, Gao’s paintings are like standup comedy, they can only do so much about solving real problems. But brutal honesty, absurdity, and humor are very powerful qualities in any type of conversation.
Gao’s recent paintings are concerned with image “definition” in digital graphics, especially those from the last 20 years. He understands digital graphics as 21st century “found objects”. He is interested in objects that are bathing in modern technology’s greatness, while exposing a certain rawness, oddity, or awkwardness. Gao was flabbergasted when he first encountered 3D modelling and graphic renderings in computer games in the late 20th century. Looking back at the last two decades, he was inspired by the fact that graphical spectaculars could end up becoming the symbols of rawness and the objects of ridicule in the digital image evolution. However, it is that rawness and ridicule that triggers the same creative impulse with what the painting process can offer. The effect is an actual visceral feedback during said process: it could be surprise, a shifting attitude, or a more extreme emotion – his suppressed, hidden impulses as a human being. Gao would like his practice to simulate a modern production method, but with a high fault tolerance.
MAJA DJORDJEVIC
b. 1990, Belgrade, Serbia
Maja Djordjevic completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade. She currently lives and works in Belgrade and London. The artist is noticeable for her digitally-native aesthetic sensibility and her familiarity with the realms of computer-generated visual syntax and digital manipulation. From early on, Djordjevic’s work has directly engaged with the legacies of deskilling, internet art, and feminist-themed configurations, with a particular focus on harnessing the power of female expression and creativity.
Djordjevic’s work becomes a testament to the strength and resilience inherent in feminine narratives, challenging traditional norms and contributing to contemporary discourse on female empowerment in the art world. Despite their digital appearance, Maja Djordjevic’s transformative paintings are meticulously crafted with oil and enamel on canvas, devoid of tape, projectors, or special aids. The artist takes inspiration from MS Paint, which was popular amongst 90s kids, and uses the simple drawing software as a visual diary to express herself. Her alter ego, a naked girl who is a reccurring character in the paintings, serves as a potent conduit for conveying emotions beyond verbal expression.
Selected solo exhibitions include: “The Metamorphosis,” at Taipei Dangdai, Dio Horia Gallery, Taipei, and ‘Renaissance Humanism’ at Art021 Shanghai, Dio Horia Gallery, Shanghai. Selected group exhibitions include: ‘Real Fake Door’, at Arsenal Contemporary Art n New York; ‘The Cuteness Factor’ at Ludwig Museum, Köln; ‘Once Upon a Time in Mayfair’ at Philips X in collaboration with Dynamisk, London; ‘New Mediations’ at MODEM Modern and Contemporary Arts Centre, Debrecen; ‘Drawing Together 201 Exquisite Corpses’, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist at Museum in Bellpark Kriens; ‘Friends Non Show’ at Dio Horia Gallery, Athens, and ‘Post Digital Pop’ at The Garage, Amsterdam. Her work is housed in notable collections including the Mwoods Museum in Beijing, and the Blanca and Borja Thyssen-Bornemisza Collcection in Madrid.
MÓYÒSÒRÉ MARTINS
b. 1986, Lagos, Nigeria
Self-motivated and passionate to create, Móyòsóré Martins is a self-taught mixed-media artist. Raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Martins heavily employs personal and cultural iconography, both figurative and abstract, creating artworks that blend his Yoruba cultural background with his individualized life experience, such as his decisive move from his home country to the Bronx in New York. His paintings are multi-layered in elements and material, featuring rich and bold brushstrokes, thick oil paint impastos, drawings, scribbles, collaged objects, and text.
Selected solo exhibitions include “Now, They Know…Solo Exhibition,”Galerie Tanit X Teal Contemporary, Beirut (Lebanon, 2023), “Butter,” Long-Sharp Gallery, Indianapolis, Idaho (US, 2023), “The Artist Journey,” Solo Exhibition Crossing Art, New York (US, 2023), “Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary,” Long-Sharp Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida (US, 2022), “Art Miami,” Long-Sharp Gallery, Miami, Florida (US, 2022), “Móyòsóré Martins : Seen,” Long-Sharp Gallery, Indiannapolis, Idaho (US, 2022), “Butter,” Long-Sharp Gallery, Indianapolis, Idaho (US, 2022), “Conrad Indianapolis : Featured Artist,” Long-Sharp Gallery, Indiannapolis, Idaho (US, 2021), etc.
He is also an active participant in group exhibitions, such as Scope Miami (US, 2023), Art Shenzhen (China, 2023),“Portraits in Focus,” Robert Fontaine Gallery Group Show, Miami, Florida (US, 2023), “Intimate,” Robert Fontaine Gallery Group Show, Miami, Florida (US, 2023), Beijing Contemporary Art Fair, Crossing Art, Beijing (China, 2023), BHEA Group Show, San Francisco, California (US, 2022), “Songs Without Words: The Art of Music,” Nassau County Museum, Roslyn, New York (US, 2022), “Holiday Group Exhibition,” Dacia Gallery, New York, New York (US, 2019), and“Art United Presents: Radical Resistance to Xenophobia,” Grady Alexis Gallery, New York (US, 2017).
NIANXIN LI
b. 1999, Chongqing, China
Born in 1999 in Chongqing, Li is an emerging young star in the contemporary scene. From 2017 to 2020, she studied painting at the renowned Florence Academy of Fine Arts. Due to her interest in diverse cultural aesthetics, she moved to New York in 2021, and went to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating with an MFA in 2023.
Inspired by still life, Li enriches the traditional genre by depicting compositions with atypical elements.
The contending of toxic and neutral colors, the textural juxtaposition of sheen smoothness, and the feathery delicacy all drive a push-and-pull tension, allowing one to draw dynamic parallels when thinking about familial relationships.
Li’s recent solo exhibition “Entering The House,” was held successfully at K11 Museum Shanghai (2023). Selected group exhibitions include “Dimly at First,” Loft 121, New York (2023), “A Happy Beginning,” Latitude Gallery, New York (2023), “Genesis,” Chambers Gallery, New York (2023), “The hand of the artist,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, New York (2023), “Color Me In,” 550 Gallery, New York (2023), “Material Mixtape,” Newcollectors Gallery, New York (2022), and “Double Trouble,” Village one gallery, New York (2022). She has also attended artist interviews from CanvasRebel Magazine and Jimon Magazine in 2023.