HUNTER SHAW FINE ART
presents:
SPRUNG!
Dan Beard, Jamie Felton, Daniel Ingroff,
Jonny Negron, Kira Shewfelt, Sarah Ann Weber
Opening reception Saturday, May 20, 7 - 9 pm.
On view May 20 - 31, 12:00 - 6:00 pm.
Sarah Ann Weber, 'Jardin des Plantes,' 2016, Prismacolor colored pencil on paper and mat board, 12 x 14 inches
Hunter Shaw Fine Art is pleased to announce SPRUNG! a group exhibition celebrating late spring, and exploring the connections between nature and eroticism, seasonality and sensuality.
Although the human animal is generally thought not to have a mating season, springtime holds a particular importance for us, as for most of our earthly coinhabitants. For thousands of years, in cultures worldwide, Spring has been represented and regarded with distinct connotations of romance, vitality, and sexual desire. As days grow longer, warmer and brighter, the world blooms and ripens, arousing not just the libido, but the awareness of nature and our place amongst it. Research indicates that as the body receives higher levels of sunlight, it produces increased levels of serotonin and Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH) which are linked to increased happiness and sex drive. In other words: in sunlight, we flower.
This eco-biological connection was not lost on our ancestors and is reflected in ancient spring fertility and copulation festivals from the Celtic Beltane, to the orgiastic “Lesser Mysteries” of ancient Greece, to Japan’s Onda Matsuri, to name just a few. Central to each of these celebrations is the ritualized ingestion and fetishized representation the Earth's bounty in the form of grapes, wine, pomegranates, blue lotus, cannabis, mushrooms and many other psychoactive and aphrodisiacal products of the land. This terrestrial communion no doubt amplified the sensory engagement with the natural environment, reinforcing the psychological connection between the senses and the seasons.
The artworks in this exhibition explore these age-old associations through the language of contemporary painting and drawing. By means of color, gesture, and line, these images are ripe with the gushing urgency of a late spring bloom. This exhibition is meant as a timely reminder that the appreciation of nature, beauty and romance is intimately entangled with what it means to be human.
Dan Beard received his BFA in painting from Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK (1996-1999), and has exhibited extensively in Europe. This is his first exhibition in North America. Recent exhibitions include ‘Discerning Eye,’ Mall Galleries, London (2016); ‘Correspond,’ Interview Room 11 Gallery, Edinburgh (2016); 'Anthology,' Charlie Smith Gallery London (2014); and 'Teleology,' Undead Painters, Husk Gallery, London (2014). Dan has also been the subject of solo exhibitions at Assembly Rooms, London (2013); Exposure Gallery, London (2010); Brinkkala Gallery, Turku (2008); Galleria Rajatila, Tampere (2008) amongst others.
Jamie Felton attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2014) in addition to receiving her MFA at Tyler School of Art, Rome, IT / Philadelphia, PA (2013) and her BFA in painting at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (2009). Recent exhibitions include 'Daydream Nation,' Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2017); ‘John Emison and Jamie Felton: Sun Power,’ Ms. Barbers, Los Angeles, CA (2016); and ‘Jamie Felton and Natalie Smith: Decorative Woman,’ Central Park Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2016).
Daniel Ingroff received his MFA from University of California, Irvine, CA (2014) and his BA from Pitzer College, Claremont, CA (2006). Recent exhibitions include ‘Get Ready,’ curated by Shaun Johnson, 24 Hour Charlie’s, Los Angeles, CA (2017); ‘Flames on the Side of My Face,’ Klaus Von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY (2015) ; ‘The White Album,’ Richard Telles Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA (2014).
Jonny Negron is a self-taught artist and illustrator. His illustrations have been commissioned by publications such as The New York Times, Pitchfork, and Vice, as well as for album artwork by bands Thee Oh Sees (‘Drop,’ Castleface Records, 2014) and Twin Sister (‘In Heaven,’ Domino USA, 2011). Recent exhibitions include ‘BIBLIOTECHA,’ ATM Gallery, Austin, TX (2017); ‘Maren Karlsen, Matt Lock, Jonny Negron: Formative World,’ Farewell, Austin, TX (2016-2017).
Kira Shewfelt received her MFA from New York University (2015), along with her MA in Art History from University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (2010), and her BA in literature from Yale University, New Haven, CT (2006). Recent exhibitions include ‘Darren Goins / Kira Shewfelt,’ Elevator Mondays, Los Angeles, CA (2017), ‘Remedios/Winter in Brazil,’ Largo das Artes, Rio de Janeiro (2016); and ‘Nobody Died That Year’ 80 WSE, New York City, NY (2014).
Sarah Ann Weber received her MFA from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (2011) and her BFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2009). Weber has been the subject of solo and two-person exhibitions ‘Sarah Ann Weber: Scenic View,’ Club Pro, Los Angeles, CA (2017); ‘Brian Rochefort and Sarah Ann Weber: Cavity,’ Some.Time.Salon., San Francisco, CA (2016). Recent group exhibitions include 'Psychonautics,' CES Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2017); ‘How High,’ Left Field, San Luis Obispo, CA (2016); and 'Pulp in Ashes,' Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Los Angeles, CA (2015).