Dec 3 - 8 2024 | Untitled Art Miami Beach
Dec 3 - 8 2024 | Untitled Art Miami Beach
Curated by Leslie Fram
Behold, THE NEW CATHEDRALS
Of the Creative Spirit
Driven to the Disco Beat.
Eight Emerging Artists Congregate Here
Celebrating a Gospel of Mashed Up Glitterati and Darker Decadences.
This is the Way I Wanna Pray
The NEW CATHEDRALS is a group exhibition of works from seven emerging artists celebrating a mash-up of glitterati and darker decadences, driven by a disco beat, a re-imagining for spaces of worship.
Art Show Duration: April 6 - May 5, 2024
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 6, 2 - 5 pm
Shay Bredimus (1979, Omaha, Nebraska), is a painter and tattoo artist who currently lives and works in Long Beach, CA. Bredimus’ discipline is informed by his experience as a renowned tattoo artist, combined with his formal education in classical painting at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, and then earning an MFA in painting at Lagun
Shay Bredimus (1979, Omaha, Nebraska), is a painter and tattoo artist who currently lives and works in Long Beach, CA. Bredimus’ discipline is informed by his experience as a renowned tattoo artist, combined with his formal education in classical painting at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, and then earning an MFA in painting at Laguna College of Art and Design. This, plus a cataclysmal brain injury early in his life, all led him to invent his own practice of “brush drawings”—a combination of drawing and painting, using wet and dry mediums of tattoo ink, wax crayon, and semi-translucent drafting film. With languid and emotive mark makings, a deliberate transition to oil and color has been a shift in his personal narrative and journey, showcasing his desire for honest expression through “self creative behavior”.
Instagram: @shaybredimus
Statement: I utilize religious iconography in my artwork, such as these frequent depictions of Mother Mary and cloaked women, who not only signify spirituality, but also convey themes of creation and sensitivity. These symbols serve as enduring emblems that have resonated for me since I was a child in my short-lived term at Catholic school.
Dakota Higgins (1995, Las Vegas), is an artist, writer, and musician based in Los Angeles. Higgins received a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design and is currently a 2024 MFA candidate at UCLA.
Recent group shows include exhibiting at Bozo Mag (Los Angeles), GLAMFA 19 (California State University, Long Beach) and Woodbury University (B
Dakota Higgins (1995, Las Vegas), is an artist, writer, and musician based in Los Angeles. Higgins received a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design and is currently a 2024 MFA candidate at UCLA.
Recent group shows include exhibiting at Bozo Mag (Los Angeles), GLAMFA 19 (California State University, Long Beach) and Woodbury University (Burbank). He is also the founder of the Departure from Music Venue(s)-- aka The DMV– an experimental music venue located in Commerce, CA.
Instagram: @___scam.likely___
Statement: Rainbow and Tassel are glitter paintings born from my deep interest in formal presidential settings and portraiture (though I extracted Presidents Washington and Fillmore), which I express using materials that represent the unrestrained glitz from my upbringing in Las Vegas.
Vita Kari (1994, Los Angeles), is a non-binary artist known for creating immersive performance work involving illusion. Kari highlights contemporary issues of digital identity and commercialism via works live and on video, showcasing in Los Angeles, New York City and Miami in the past few months. They have had solo exhibitions, including
Vita Kari (1994, Los Angeles), is a non-binary artist known for creating immersive performance work involving illusion. Kari highlights contemporary issues of digital identity and commercialism via works live and on video, showcasing in Los Angeles, New York City and Miami in the past few months. They have had solo exhibitions, including "Escape to Vitawood" at ULO World, and participated in group exhibitions, most recently at Good Mother Gallery in Los Angeles. Kari's work has been profiled in publications such as Forbes, Artnet, Interview Magazine, Gay Times, Jezebel and more. They have had collaborations with Marc Jacobs, Loewe, Levi, Warby Parker, PUMA, Savage x Fenty by Rihanna, Bratz, and Adult Swim and have given artist talks, such as at UCLA this year. Kari is also known for opening VITAWOOD LA; 2020 - 2022, a community-run art space and gallery in Los Angeles. Kari is a 2024 MFA candidate at Otis College of Art and Design.
Instagram: @vitakari
Statement: Through textile works, I invite guests to transition between their domestic, private and public bodies. Reimagining, recreating and unraveling my grandmother's rugs, I aspire to elicit narratives of diaspora, family, and memory through a hyper-feminine queer lens. This exhibition seeks to disrupt and reflect upon the nature of
Statement: Through textile works, I invite guests to transition between their domestic, private and public bodies. Reimagining, recreating and unraveling my grandmother's rugs, I aspire to elicit narratives of diaspora, family, and memory through a hyper-feminine queer lens. This exhibition seeks to disrupt and reflect upon the nature of self-presentation and identity in a digitally interconnected world.
Angela Anh Nguyen (1995, Anaheim), is a self-taught Los Angeles-based fiber artist whose work satirizes the mayhem of America’s culture wars. Working primarily in gun-tufted textiles, Nguyen narrates the strained relationship Americans share with popular culture. Her pieces are a tongue-in-cheek ode to the convoluted rhythm of life, alway
Angela Anh Nguyen (1995, Anaheim), is a self-taught Los Angeles-based fiber artist whose work satirizes the mayhem of America’s culture wars. Working primarily in gun-tufted textiles, Nguyen narrates the strained relationship Americans share with popular culture. Her pieces are a tongue-in-cheek ode to the convoluted rhythm of life, always layered, often exaggerated, yet never serious on the surface.
Nguyen received a B.A. in Communication from UCLA and an M.A. in Communication from CSULA. She is currently an instructor of Communication at CSULA which, not surprisingly, supports the interweaving of culture into her art. 2023 Group shows include exhibitions at John Doe (LA), Soho Warehouse (LA), IRL (NYC) and Albertz Benda (LA).
Instagram: @pile_height
Statement: In the exhibited work Casino, I offer a light and sarcastic take on the Bible’s verse Job 1:21, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” Casino speaks to the state of California’s regulations of goods over consumers. Products, from menthol cigarettes to sports gambling, were created for mass consumption; however, in due cour
Statement: In the exhibited work Casino, I offer a light and sarcastic take on the Bible’s verse Job 1:21, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” Casino speaks to the state of California’s regulations of goods over consumers. Products, from menthol cigarettes to sports gambling, were created for mass consumption; however, in due course, were taken away from consumers by a higher power, the government. In other words, we began life without these goods, developed cravings to consume them, and are now left without them: where is our agency and after all that, what was the point?”
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Guillaume Ollivier (Paris, France, 1989). Raised in Los Angeles, Ollivier graduated from the San Francisco Academy of Art with a seasoned background in advertising, mural creation and graffiti. Ollivier's artwork dances on the edge between excess and reflection, an invitation to chaos that somehow finds tranquility in the turbulence of cu
Guillaume Ollivier (Paris, France, 1989). Raised in Los Angeles, Ollivier graduated from the San Francisco Academy of Art with a seasoned background in advertising, mural creation and graffiti. Ollivier's artwork dances on the edge between excess and reflection, an invitation to chaos that somehow finds tranquility in the turbulence of cultural overflow in ever-changing surroundings. Last month, Ollivier had a solo show at Control Gallery (Los Angeles); and prior to that his works were displayed in group settings at The Deyoung Museum (San Francisco, 2023) and The Brand Museum & Library (Glendale, 2022).
Instagram: @funkysquash
Statement: West Gate is a realistic rendition of the neon advertising one encounters on the streets in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Living downtown, for me, this painting brings to life a unique assemblage of an everyday visual, robust with advertising fragments within my urban landscape. These structures are my temples where I discover harmon
Statement: West Gate is a realistic rendition of the neon advertising one encounters on the streets in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Living downtown, for me, this painting brings to life a unique assemblage of an everyday visual, robust with advertising fragments within my urban landscape. These structures are my temples where I discover harmony from the seemingly discordant elements of our hyper-abundant era. I strive to explore my relationship with the surrounding world and objects, finding beauty and joy in the excesses of modern life.
Hannah Lupton Reinhard (1996, Orange County), earned her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Art and Design in 2020. Rooted in religious tradition, yet singularly progressive, Lupton Reinhard’s art is an unapologetic mixture of the sacred and profane. Her debut solo exhibition Beshert: Beholden February 2022 at Rusha & Co. was quickly fol
Hannah Lupton Reinhard (1996, Orange County), earned her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Art and Design in 2020. Rooted in religious tradition, yet singularly progressive, Lupton Reinhard’s art is an unapologetic mixture of the sacred and profane. Her debut solo exhibition Beshert: Beholden February 2022 at Rusha & Co. was quickly followed by A House of Stars and Angels, a solo exhibition at the Green Family Art Foundation in Dallas. Her first solo show in New York City, Shekinah, Shiksas, And Other Nice Jewish Girls, opened in Spring of 2023 at Fredericks & Freiser. Her work can be found in the collection of ICA Miami and has been included in gallery exhibitions at Loyal (Stockholm), Analog Diary (New York); Unit (London) and Bill Brady (Los Angeles). She is represented by Rusha & Co. in LA, and Fredericks & Freiser in NYC.
Instagram: @hannahmontana12346789
Statement: Isn’t it Strange? and Vigil are explorations of light—contrasting cool and warm, ominous and inviting. While one illustrates a fantastical childlike wonder, the other focuses on collective mourning and loss. The flame can be seen as either a yahrzeit or a vigil candle, nonetheless calling to question who exactly are we mourning?
Rebekah Rubalcava (1996, La Jolla), is a self-taught oil painter currently based in Atlanta. Her work is mainly focused on her inner world, haunting impressions from experiences and dreams and the polarity of flesh and spirituality. She has exhibited her work in various countries and cities spanning London (Gallery 46, Whitechapel and Rom
Rebekah Rubalcava (1996, La Jolla), is a self-taught oil painter currently based in Atlanta. Her work is mainly focused on her inner world, haunting impressions from experiences and dreams and the polarity of flesh and spirituality. She has exhibited her work in various countries and cities spanning London (Gallery 46, Whitechapel and Roman Road Galleries), Brooklyn (Tchotchke Gallery), Shanghai (BLANK Gallery) and Los Angeles (Rusha & Co. and The Pit Galleries)-- all in 2022 and 2023. She is represented by Rusha & Co. in Los Angeles.
Instagram: @rebrubalcava
Statement: In Pierced, a woman is strapped to a tree by her own braided hair, with an apple struck by an arrow above her head. Though this can be perceived as something playful and slightly dangerous, this piece felt like a somewhat mythic representative of self-sabotage and being the one to put yourself in dangerous situations to feel so
Statement: In Pierced, a woman is strapped to a tree by her own braided hair, with an apple struck by an arrow above her head. Though this can be perceived as something playful and slightly dangerous, this piece felt like a somewhat mythic representative of self-sabotage and being the one to put yourself in dangerous situations to feel something when experiencing the numbness of ennui or depression.
Suzanne Warren (Lancashire, England), studied art history and graphic design at Stockport College before embarking on a career first in advertising and music videos and then in features, where she has worked on multiple award winning films, such as The Last King of Scotland. Recent art exhibitions: solo show at Hyperion Gallery (Los Angel
Suzanne Warren (Lancashire, England), studied art history and graphic design at Stockport College before embarking on a career first in advertising and music videos and then in features, where she has worked on multiple award winning films, such as The Last King of Scotland. Recent art exhibitions: solo show at Hyperion Gallery (Los Angeles, 2022), and a group show at Amelchenko Gallery (New York 2023).
Instagram: @mmxxsw
Statement: These portraits of Kalief Browder and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are part of a series of paintings started during the lockdown in 2020 that are the result of an inspiration to employ the traditional processes, materials, and techniques of trecento artists like GIotto to highlight modern icons of fortitude and courage.
Kalief is a
Statement: These portraits of Kalief Browder and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are part of a series of paintings started during the lockdown in 2020 that are the result of an inspiration to employ the traditional processes, materials, and techniques of trecento artists like GIotto to highlight modern icons of fortitude and courage.
Kalief is a portrait of Kalief Browder who was arrested at seventeen for allegedly stealing a backpack. He refused to plead guilty, and without money for bail, spent three years in Rikers Island jail, mostly in solitary confinement, without ever being brought to trial. Two years after his release in 2015 he ended his own life at 22 years old. I wanted to portray Kalief not as a victim but as an icon of fortitude and courage. I did the portrait a few weeks before the murder of George Floyd, then added the background detail to mark the protests.
Bread For All and Roses Too is my celebration of the youngest woman who ever served in the US Congress– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez– and the new generation of diverse, progressive voices in American politics. The title, Bread for All and Roses Too refers to a speech by women’s suffrage activist, Helen Todd, expressing the soul of the women's movement and the worker’s fight for fair wages, dignity and respect.
*Any artist proceeds from sale of Kalief will go to the Kalief Browder Foundation.
Leslie Fram is an avid supporter of emerging artists, collecting their works for 20+ years and curating exhibitions. Just last year, Leslie founded the Emerging Artist Program for VENICE FAMILY CLINIC's Art Walk; and later in 2023, she launched The MFAs of LA at GOOD MOTHER GALLERY, downtown LA, an inaugural survey that showcases works by our city’s best graduate art school talent.
Leslie Fram holds a BA in Art History from Barnard College and an MBA from Columbia University. Since moving from NYC to Los Angeles in 2005, she has been a donor to local museums and their associated councils including LACMA, MOCA, LAXART, and the Hammer Museum, where she is a founding member of their Kids’ Art Museum Project (KAMP).
Beyond her passion for art, Leslie’s wide of array of interests are displayed in her career history, having been a media executive for The Hearst Corp., a self-help author for HarperCollins, a clothing designer for her own women’s label, a waste-to-energy management consultant and a ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet.