Adam McEwen
Adam McEwen is an authority on discarded gum. In a visit to his studio, the British-born artist explained his fascination for the patterns created by chewed up gum, which he employs in his paintings.
McEwen is known for the obituaries he has penned about living subjects such as Jeff Koons, Bill Clinton, and Kate Moss. He worked at the Daily Telegraph in London writing obituaries, so he is quite comfortable with the process.
He is also known for creating machine graphite sculptures of everyday objects such as water coolers or air conditioners.
His upcoming show in Berlin will feature his new photographs of limousines, which have been processed in a way allowing him to stand them upright. Each limo is named for his driver such as “Mike” and “Big Mike.” There is a maquette of the upcoming show in his studio. The cars will be shown vertically like sculptures.
“I find myself doing crazy things that take a long time, ” he said while giving us a tour of his Brooklyn studio.
Josiah McElheny
Right:(Frozen structure, White Cube), via artsy
Josiah McElheny, recipient of a 2006 McArthur Fellow Genius grant, uses the ancient craft of glass-blowing to explore historical themes.
He has two work spaces in the same building. In the downstairs space, he uses a kiln to create finely crafted glass objects. The other workspace is more research based, lined with computers and books.
His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, White Cube, and Reina Sofia. In 2005, he collaborated with cosmologist David Weinberg on “An End to Modernity,” depicting chandeliers and “the big bang” all at once. He has also recreated objects from Renaissance paintings.
Julie Dault
Toronto-born Julie Dault creates in situ pieces. Armed with materials such as plexiglass, formica, and Everlast boxing wraps, her on site sculptures are fixed to gallery walls with strings and knots.
In a visit to her studio, she told us that sheets of formica are great because they are flexible and act like a mirror, adding that her on-site installation works will “never be exactly the same.”
She uses “found fabrics” such as pleather, silk and spandex to make textured paintings.
Michael Joo
(Man Made Monstrous, Blain Southern)
Chandeliers, antlers and 500 million year old artifacts—Michael Joo uses all these materials and more to create his pieces. His work explores concepts of identity, knowledge and culture.
After Hurricane Sandy hit Red Hook, it took Joo three months to get everything back up and running at his work space.
Now, huge fossil beds can be seen on his studio’s floors. Joo brought these ancient fossilized “sea lilies” back with him from Morocco. He also completed a residency at the Smithsonian to study science and art. Joo collects chandeliers from historic buildings, such from the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach.
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