NEW YORK, NY (November 22, 2016) — Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to present A Conversation Between Friends, a group exhibition presented during Art Basel Miami at the Juxtapoz Clubhouse featuring the following artists:
Adam Wallacavage, Alex Gross, Andrew Hem, Andy Kehoe, Ben Tolman, Brett Amory, Dan Witz, Dennis McNett, Dylan Egon, Eloy Morales, Erik Jones, Gary Taxali, Glenn Barr, Handiedan, Haroshi, Hush, Ian Francis, James Bullough, Jamie Adams, Jeremy Geddes, Joel Rea, Juan Francisco Casas, Ludo, Martin Wittfooth, Masakatsu Sashie, Rostarr, Shag, Shepard Fairey, Tara McPherson and Tristan Eaton.
Since 2005, Jonathan LeVine Gallery has been an essential venue for exhibiting low brow art, an underground movement that transcends genres and encompasses street art, pop surrealism and photorealism. A Conversation Between Friends highlights this style of art, which has broader boundaries than typically presented, by bringing together key players from each genre. Despite their differing aesthetics and preferred mediums, this close knit community of artists speak the same cutting edge visual language through paintings, drawings, installations and mixed-media work.
In conjunction with A Conversation Between Friends, the Juxtapoz Clubhouse will host an array of installations and pop-up shops, including the Juxtapoz Bookstore, KaiKai Kiki Lounge, Waves 4 Water x Juxtapoz Surf, Pearly’s Beauty Shop presented by Chandran Gallery and installations by Andrew Schoultz, David Ellis and Swoon. There will also be events on site nightly with live music and special performances.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Adam Wallacavage was born in 1969 and is currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1995, he received a BFA in photography from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. In 2012, he had a solo exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Alliance titled Shiny Monsters. His works have been featured in publications such as The New York Times, New York Magazine and TIME Magazine. Wallacavage is also an accomplished photographer and in 2006 Gingko Press published Monster Size Monsters, which documents fifteen years of his photography.
Alex Gross was born in 1968 in Roslyn Heights, New York and is currently based in Los Angeles, California. In 1990, he received a BFA with honors from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. In 2007, Gross’ work was the subject of a solo exhibition at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California. That same year Chronicle Books published his first monograph, The Art of Alex Gross, followed by Discrepancies (2010) and Now and Then: The Cabinet Card Paintings of Alex Gross (2012).
Andrew Hem was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he is currently based, and graduated from Art Center College of Design with a degree in illustration in 2006. He’s exhibited internationally with shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, New York, London and Zurich. Hem has collaborated with brands such as Adidas, Lucky Brand Jeans and Sony Pictures. In 2012, Zero Plus Publishing released Andrew Hem: Dreams Towards Reality, a 120 page survey of Hem’s work, as well as photographs from his extensive travel in Southeast Asia and South America.
Andy Kehoe was born in 1978 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he’s currently based. In 2003, he received a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design in New York. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country including Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Chicago and Portland.
Ben Tolman is currently based in Washington D.C. In 2005, he received his BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design and an MFA from American University in 2012. Tolman has exhibited internationally and was a finalist in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Brett Amory was born in 1975 in Chesapeake, Virginia and is currently based in Oakland, California. In 2005, Amory received a BFA from Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. In 2012, he was named Artist of the Year by The San Francisco Bay Guardian. In 2016, The Ft. Wayne Museum of Art (Indiana) presented Fort Wayne, American Monologue: A new body of work and installation by Brett Amory.
Dan Witz was born in 1957 in Chicago, Illinois and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design from 1975-77 and came to New York in 1978 to attend Cooper Union, receiving a BFA in 1980. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Witz has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post and ARTINFO. In 2010, Gingko Press released In Plain View, a monograph documenting 30 years of Witz’s work created in the studio and on the street.
Dennis McNett was born in 1972 and is currently based in Virgina. He’s been carving block prints for over eighteen years and has shown at galleries around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In 2015, his solo exhibition Legend of the Wolfbat opened at the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art (Indiana). He’s been featured in The New York Times, Houston Chronicle and NPR.
Dylan Egon was born in 1966 in New York City and is currently based in Jersey City, New Jersey. He studied Anthropology and Archeology at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama and later studied Film at City Tech University in New York. Egon works in a variety of mediums and often uses objects from his vast personal collection as focal points in his work. In 2015, his work was featured in a Chanel Beauty editorial in NO TOFU Magazine.
Eloy Morales was born in 1973 in Madrid, Spain, where he is currently based. His works have been exhibited in France, Mexico, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom and are included in the Howard A. and Judith Tullman Collection, one of the largest collections of realist art.
Erik Jones was born in 1982 in St. Petersburg, Florida and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. He received a bachelor’s degree from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2007. His work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Rome and London.
Gary Taxali was born in Chandigarh, India and raised in Toronto, Canada, where he is currently based. In 1991, he graduated from Ontario College of Art and Design University. His work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) and the Contemporary Art Museum (Rome). In 2011, two books of his work were released: Mono Taxali, published by 279 Editions, and I Love You, OK?, published by teNeues. In 2012, The Royal Canadian Mint released a special edition of six 25¢ coins which feature Taxali’s artwork and typography.
Glenn Barr was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he is currently based, and graduated from the College for Creative Studies. He has participated in group shows at the Long Beach Museum of Art and Riverside Art Museum. Publications of his work include Lowlife Paradise: The Works of Glenn Barr (Last Gasp Books, 2003), Haunted Paradise (Last Gasp Books, 2006) and Glenn Barr’s FACES (Last Gasp Books, 2012).
Handiedan was born in 1981 and is currently based in Amsterdam. She’s exhibited at galleries around the work, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Australia and Rome. She’s participated in many mural projects, such as RMP in Virginia, Wall\Therapy in New York and One Wall with Urban Nation in Berlin.
Haroshi was born in 1978 in Tokyo, Japan, where he is currently based. With no formal art training he adapted the determined perseverance, freedom of expression and DIY ethos of skate culture to create works of art made from skateboard decks. In 2011, commissioned by NIKE CEO Mark Parker, Haroshi re-created a pair of SB Dunk sneakers made from decks used by several NIKE pro-skaters.
Hush was born in 1976 in Newcastle, England and graduated from Newcastle School of Art & Design with a degree in Design & Illustration. He’s exhibited in San Francisco, London, Los Angeles and Switzerland. The Independent recognized him on their list of the Top 20 Up and Coming Artists and in 2010 he exhibited at the Portsmouth Museum of Art (New Hampshire).
Ian Francis was born in 1979 in Bristol, United Kingdom, where he is currently based. In 2001, he received a BA in art and illustration from University of the West of England and has exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, London and Australia.
James Bullough was born in Washington, D.C. and is currently based in Berlin, Germany. He’s exhibited in London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Berlin.
Jamie Adams was born in born 1961 and is currently based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1983 he received a BFA with honors from Carnegie Mellon University and in 2000, an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work is represented in the permanent public collections of Museu Brasileiro da Escultura (São Paulo, Brazil), Museum of Modern Art Library (New York), MoMA (Wales) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Research Library. He’s been featured in publications such as Art in America and the book Fragonard, Regards croisés.
Jeremy Geddes was born in 1974 in Wellington, New Zealand and is currently based in Melbourne, Australia. He studied painting at The University of Melbourne, Victorian College of the Arts, receiving a BFA in 1995 and an MFA in 1997.
Joel Rea was born in England in 1983 and moved to Australia as a young child, where he is currently based. In 2003, he graduated from Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Art and has since exhibited his oil paintings throughout Australia and the United States. In 2013, Art Business News featured Rea as one of thirty artists under the age of thirty who are revolutionizing the world of fine arts. In 2014, he was selected as a finalist for the Sulman Prize held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, as well as the Black Swan Award for Portraiture for the second year in a row.
Juan Francisco Casas was born in La Carolina, Spain in 1976 and is currently based in Madrid. In 1999, he received a B.F.A. from the University of Granada. During his studies he won a national award from the Ministry of Education and Science for best graduate qualifications in Spain. Casas subsequently received a M.F.A. and PhD from the university. He’s exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Munich, Rotterdam, Emdem, Salamanca and Seoul. His work is represented in permanent collections at the Museum Artium and the ABC Museum.
Ludo was born in 1976 in Paris, France, where he is currently based. In 1998, he received a Sociology degree from Sorbonne University and in 2000, he received a BFA in Graphic Design from Nuova Accademia de Belle Arti (NABA) in Milan, Italy. Known for his paste-ups and billboard culture jamming on the streets of his native France, the artist has also exhibited his work across Europe and the United States. In 2013, he was included in Ex-Situ, a group exhibition at Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Martin Wittfooth was born in 1981 in Canada and is currently based in New York. Wittfooth received his MFA from The School of Visual Arts and has exhibited extensively in galleries and museums throughout North America and Europe. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including cover features for New American Paintings, Hi-Fructose and American Artist.
Masakatsu Sashie was born in 1974 in Kanazawa, Japan where he is currently based. In 2000, Sashie received an MFA from Kanazawa College of Art. His work has been exhibited throughout Asia and the United States, including art fairs such as The Armory Show in New York and Art Hong Kong. In 2012, his work was included the Giant Robot Biennale 3 exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California.
Rostarr is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. In 1995, he graduated from the School of Visual Arts where he studied experimental graphic design and printmaking. He’s had solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Paris, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Puerto Rico. In 2000, he was named one of I.D. magazine’s “I.D. 40 under 30” and recognized as an honoree at the 2004 A.I.C.P show held at the Museum of Modern Art for his contribution to a celebrated Nike campaign. In 2010, his forty minute film, Kill The Ego, was shown at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. His work has been featured in Modern Painters, The New York Times and The Village Voice.
Shag (Josh Agle) was born in 1962 and is currently based in Los Angeles. He’s had numerous gallery exhibitions in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. His work has been featured in museums such as the Laguna Art Museum in California, The Andy Warhol Museum in Pennsylvania and the Naples Museum of Contemporary Art in Italy. Agle’s exhibitions have been reviewed by The New York Times’ critics Ken Johnson and Roberta Smith. His artwork has been published in several books, been the subject of a documentary film, as well as a musical.
Shepard Fairey was born in 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina and is currently based in Los Angeles, California. He received a BA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1991. Fairey designed the iconic “Hope” graphic of Barack Obama used during the 2007-2008 presidential campaign, which was acquired by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery the following year. In 2009, a mid-career survey of Fairey’s work was the subject of his first major museum exhibition at The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. Fairey’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego.
Tara McPherson was born in 1976 in San Francisco, California and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. In 2001, she received her BFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA with honors in illustration and a minor in fine art. She’s created editorial illustrations for Warner Brothers, HarperCollins and NIKE. In 2006, Dark Horse published Lonely Heart, the first printed collection of her work. Her second monograph, Lost Constellations, was released in 2009 and her third, Bunny in the Moon, in 2012, both published by Dark Horse.
Tristan Eaton was born in 1978 in Los Angeles, California and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of eighteen he designed his first toy for Fisher Price and became an icon in the designer toys world. His works have been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City and are part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.