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PAINTRESS

Caslon Bevington & Craig White
May 11th - June 16th, 2024

Ki Smith Gallery invites you to the opening reception of PAINTRESS on Saturday, May 11th, 2024, featuring new works by artists Caslon Bevington and Craig White in a duo exhibition. PAINTRESS is the culmination of years of conversations, overlapping interests, and shared impulses in art making, exploring lens- and post-lens-based image capturing as well as the political and historical challenges inherent in the production visual culture.

Through years of research and friendship, both artists draw from their personal image banks to incorporate photography, post-digital art, and AI influence. Anchored in the history of image production—from painting to photography (e.g., "Video Killed the Radio Star")—Caslon and Craig delve into the hierarchies of ‘resolution’, developing new language for understanding material and image-as-material.

“Leopards break into the temple and drink to the dregs what is in the sacrificial pitchers; this is repeated over and over again; finally it can be calculated in advance, and it becomes a part of the ceremony.” ―Franz Kafka, The Zürau Aphorisms (1931). For the artists, the gallery serves as the metaphorical temple, where they playfully disrupt the sacred space. Through constant revision and editing (this act of sabotage), their work is incorporated into the whole, both sanctified in a sense and rendered innocuous in another.

Caslon Bevington (b. 1992) is a New York-based multimedia artist. Through a range of mediums, Caslon examines glitches, distortion, corrosion, and correlation of post-digital environments. Recently, Caslon's practice explores landscape painting in relation to post-digital space(s). This process—akin to an archaeological excavation—examines painting as visual semantics corresponding to the digitalization of image production.

Craig White (b. 1994) is a New York-based artist and archivist. He received his BFA in photography and printmaking from Purchase College. Through his multidisciplinary practice, Craig works to unpack the layers of his complex American identity. With photography as a point of departure, he further reinterprets society and his surrounding environments. By reflecting on the existing state of affairs, especially concerning social, political, and religious ideologies, Craig is consistently evolving, shaping his identity in a dominant culture that frequently sidelines and overlooks his community's perspectives. Inspired by counter-cultural movements and personal archives, Craig uses printed and subverted imagery as a tool for self-expression and direct communication.

Blumka Contemporary Showcase:

Support System

Tim Okamura

May 11th - June 16th, 2024

Support System is a compelling exhibition that delves into the vital role of relationships within the dynamic landscape of New York City, and other urban centers. Through the lens of artist Tim Okamura, the showcase explores the profound significance of these connections, akin to familial bonds, in bolstering and sustaining us amidst our complex journeys.

This collection aims to encapsulate the essence of "finding your tribe" and the enduring solidarity of "ride or die" relationships. His artistry portrays the resilience and strength derived from these connections, essential for not only survival but also flourishing within the challenging urban milieu we navigate. Support System invites viewers to reflect on the profound impact of friendship networks as pillars of support, offering solace, and encouragement along life's journey.

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