Saturday, June 18: Gather Around: Gigi Chen & John Breiner

Gather Around: Gigi Chen & John Breiner
Saturday, June 18th
6-11pm 

Join us for the Two Person show of paintings and drawings by Gigi Chen and John Breiner.

John Breiner:
My work is highly inspired by nature, the passing of time, and the reclaiming of surfaces. For the last decade, books, salvaged paper, wood, and found objects have been my work surfaces of choice. As an artist I look for a surface with stains and the telltale marks of a past life. I find inspiration from yellowed paper, peeling paint, or a water-damaged surface. I see these marks as a constant reminder that time stops for nothing. Almost exclusively discarded, I embrace these “lived” surfaces adding and subtracting layers to convey my own experiences and observations. My Hope in the end is to create a seamless interaction with the piece. To join image to surface as naturally as possible. 

Bio:
Born in Poughkeepsie NY with a love for the ephemeral surface, John has been painting walls and Illustrating for close to two and a half decade’s. While the focus of his personal work revolves around the reuse of found items, (specifically old paper, books and book jackets) He has also painted large-scale murals, illustrations and various private commissions throughout the years.
John's work has been exhibited internationally (Turkey, Italy, Switzerland and China) as well as nationally in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Gigi Chen
Gather Around:
All beings thrive on desire and passion. 
The fabled story of the Bower Bird has long been a fascination for me. The little male songbird, can spend up to a year collecting twigs, berries and small objects in order to build beautiful and elaborate nests. All in the hopes of attracting a mate. These paintings are my empathetic reaction to the Bower Bird’s story. Lush settings, depicting objects I collected or scenes of a Louisiana swamp interwoven with pattern. We are all driven by the ideals and relentless toil of passion, desire and hope. Some just show it off. 

Bio:
Born in Guang Dong, China and raised in New York, Gigi Chen creates an aesthetic that combines her training as a traditional animator and her love of Old Master techniques. Gigi’s is simple: Love + Fun = Art. 
Gigi first exhibited her work in New York at Deitch Projects as part of the ARTSTAR reality based television program. Gigi’s exhibition credits also include the Queens Museum of Art, Mighty Tanaka Gallery and Stephen Romano Gallery in New York.

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