GENERATIONS: Street Art to Classical Masters
KEION KOPPER
Keion Kopper is a 26-year-old artist from Brooklyn, New York, with a passion for recreating fossil pieces. Inspired by the mysteries of the past, he meticulously crafts each piece with care and attention to detail, capturing the essence of prehistoric life. Excavating Ancient Treasures: Keion's interest in fossils takes him to remote parts of the world where ancient remnants lie buried. He spends time excavating fossils from these desolate areas, each one telling a story of a bygone era. Keion's dedication to preserving and recreating these pieces reflects his passion for connecting the past with the present through art.
Instagram @keion211
EMMA HAPNER
Emma Hapner, a graduate of the New York Academy of Art with a Master’s of Fine Arts in painting, hails originally from Indiana and earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Ball State University. Working primarily in oil paint on canvas, she is dedicated to creating figurative works that reclaim the language of classical painting through a woman's perspective.
In her artistic exploration, Emma identifies the color pink as a symbol of unapologetic femininity. Her figures inhabit pink worlds, drawing inspiration from motifs in classical antiquity, and she endeavors to celebrate traditional painting through her unique lens as a woman seeking to understand the intricacies of womanhood.
Emma's paintings delve into the duality of womanhood, reflecting her own experiences. She explores the desire to embody both power and sexuality alongside an appreciation for beauty, softness, and traditionally "girly" traits, emphasizing that one aspect does not diminish the other. Many of Emma's works incorporate elements such as clothing, costumes, and stage poses, reminiscent of fantasy and storytelling. This approach, akin to a game of dress-up, allows her to explore the transformative impact of attire on outlook and attitude. Different outfits serve as a vehicle for slipping into distinct identities, highlighting the versatility of self-expression.
The artist places significant importance on embracing her love of pink, both as a woman and as an artist. Immersing multiple figures in vibrant pink spaces, Emma aims to depict the intimate, tumultuous, and ever-changing relationship with oneself. Departing from conventional perceptions of soft pink as a color for little girls, her use of intense shades like quinacridone red, magenta, and fluorescent pink seeks to embrace both sensuality and power in her creative endeavors. Instagram @emmagracehapner
Emma Hapner, a graduate of the New York Academy of Art with a Master’s of Fine Arts in painting, hails originally from Indiana and earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Ball State University. Working primarily in oil paint on canvas, she is dedicated to creating figurative works that reclaim the language of classical painting through a woman's perspective.
In her artistic exploration, Emma identifies the color pink as a symbol of unapologetic femininity. Her figures inhabit pink worlds, drawing inspiration from motifs in classical antiquity, and she endeavors to celebrate traditional painting through her unique lens as a woman seeking to understand the intricacies of womanhood.
Emma's paintings delve into the duality of womanhood, reflecting her own experiences. She explores the desire to embody both power and sexuality alongside an appreciation for beauty, softness, and traditionally "girly" traits, emphasizing that one aspect does not diminish the other. Many of Emma's works incorporate elements such as clothing, costumes, and stage poses, reminiscent of fantasy and storytelling. This approach, akin to a game of dress-up, allows her to explore the transformative impact of attire on outlook and attitude. Different outfits serve as a vehicle for slipping into distinct identities, highlighting the versatility of self-expression.
The artist places significant importance on embracing her love of pink, both as a woman and as an artist. Immersing multiple figures in vibrant pink spaces, Emma aims to depict the intimate, tumultuous, and ever-changing relationship with oneself. Departing from conventional perceptions of soft pink as a color for little girls, her use of intense shades like quinacridone red, magenta, and fluorescent pink seeks to embrace both sensuality and power in her creative endeavors. Instagram @emmagracehapner
MICHAEL SADOWSKY
American Artist, Michael Sadowsky is best known for his bold and colorful paintings that depict hidden visual icons in a seemingly abstract landscape. When asked about his process, Michael states that each piece starts off with an emotional core that he translates into a visual landscape. He uses the inspiration from the emotional core to form a narrative, “I have synesthesia, meaning I see emotions as colors. This leads the viewer to understand the core of the piece without fully understanding the narrative behind the piece.” The uniqueness of his style is seen through his use of bold white lines and pattern variation, creating order from chaos.
Instagram @animotisart
MAXINE HOOVER
Maxine Hoover is a Fine Artist and curator based in New York City. She has been painting and drawing since she was a child and started receiving commissions at age 16. Maxine received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Fashion Institute of Technology and Politecnico Di Milano, where she studied Apparel design. Her background in the fashion industry informs the use of different materials and fabrics in her work. Her paintings explore the concept of self and the relationship between the physical and spiritual world, primarily executed with acrylic, oil paint and mixed materials. A lifelong practitioner of yoga and meditation, Maxine’s work mixes surrealist concepts with experimental self portraits, inspired by meditative visions and dreams.
"In my work, I want to inspire meditation, calm and self expansion in every viewer. What I love about being an artist is getting in touch with my own inner freedom, letting new stories unfold and seeing reality in ways that were previously unseen."
Instagram @maxinehooverart
MARINA CHISTY
Marina Chisty, a Russian-American artist based in NYC. Nurturing her artistic talent from a young age in a Russian children's art school, her roots influence her affinity for abstraction and symbolic use of color. With a background in economics, including an MA in the U.S., Marina infuses her art with a concrete purpose, aspiring to make a humanitarian impact, particularly in supporting women. Her commitment to women's rights is evident in her portraits, which transcend racial, socio-economic, and physical barriers, advocating for equal perspectives and mutual support. Currently pursuing an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she continues to refine her practice, experimenting with new techniques from her NYC studio, having honed her skills at the Art Students League of New York and through private tutelage in both the U.S. and Russia.
Instagram @marinachisty
RACHEL VAN DER NACHT
Rachel van der Nacht is an award-winning French Creative Director, Painter, and Visual Artist based in NYC, renowned for her Night Emperors series — giant hand-made illustrations celebrating New York’s nightlife community. Its viral recognition led to a collab with JR, permanent installations (like Paul Sevigny's private collection), and a TV feature. Her clients include Adidas, Refinery29, IG, Uber, HBO, Equinox, Nike, and Puma to name a few.
Having studied literature and philosophy in France, she holds an MFA in “Design as an Entrepreneur” from SVA. Influenced by her North African roots, her personal work delves into harmonious discord, reconciling opposing themes such as happiness vs. sadness or punk vs. traditional. Her creations offer a unique perspective on life and ask the viewer to see everything as connected. Art that encapsulates both light and dark, and twists them into a singular new sentiment — all-together. Think a cactus offering free hugs or two boxers hugging instead of fighting. "I try to be real. It is such a subjective thing, but I try to convey an emotion. I am a fan of light and dark at the same time. The magic to me is when there are lots of things going on at the same time."
Instagram @rachelvandernacht
RIFKA MILDER
Rifka Milder is from New York City, where she continues to live and work. She received her BFA from California Institute of the Arts. Milder builds up lines to create multiple connected forms in her recent oil paintings. Using a contrasting color, she connects the organic forms with paths of lines. The energetic paintings vibrate primarily with yellows, reds, blues, and greens. Her abstract oil paintings are inspired by music, nature and her travels. Everything the artist has seen from Central Park to Panama and Italy and India influence what she paints. Milder states of her paintings: “Everything I have seen is and isn’t here.”
Milder has exhibited internationally and nationally in solo and group shows, including at the Grady Alexis Gallery in New York, the Isabel Ignacio Galeria de Arte in Sevilla, Spain, the De Witt Wijnen in Gouda, Holland, the Gallery at the Preserve in Rockefeller State Park, Westbeth Gallery, and Merge Gallery. Her 2007 solo show was reviewed in Art In America. Isthmus Pictures and Sound recently published a suite of ten of her monoprints.
Instagram @rifkamilder
ARNOLD BROOKS
Arnold Brooks is a painter, musician, filmmaker, and printmaker born in Panamá. He has exhibited his paintings and prints in the U.S. and abroad, and is included in the collections of Appalachian State Art Department, Brooklyn Museum, and MMAC Collection / Frost Art Museum / Florida International University, Miami, FL.
He has exhibited videos at Anthology Film Archives in NYC and other venues. He participated in “Teknisk Uheld”, an international sound art exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has contributed to various sound compositions curated by Vox Novus 60x60. The sounds compositions of 60 x 60 travel nationally and internationally. The Vox Novus 5.1 Surround Sound 60 x 60 will be presented this December at Cuba Cultur in Münster, Germany. The compositions were heard at Radio Request Extravaganza at WGDR 91.1 Plainfield, Vermont and WFMT 98.7 Chicago, Illinois.
As the drummer in the folk rock band Victor Gurbo & Co. it won the Battle of the Boroughs of bands from Brooklyn sponsored by the Greene Space and WNYC where the band also won the Audience Choice Award. You can listen to his other band Brooks Feero Ranso at: https://soundcloud.com/brooks_feero_ransom He received a research grant from New School University titled The Alchemical Marriage of Intaglio and Lithography to attempt the combination of Lithography and Intaglio into a single unified technique. He is an Associate Professor at Brooklyn College where he teaches printmaking. Instagram @arnold_brooks
REID STOWE
William Reid Stowe (born. 1952) is a multi-disciplinary artist who explores intricate geometric collage compositions and brilliantly painted color works. Stowe has been in and about the New York art scene since the late 1970s where he rubbed shoulders with his influential artist friends in the East Village, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, who painted a portrait of Stowe as a gift in 1985.
In addition to his artistic accomplishments, he has been a lifelong sailor, having logged 1,152 non-stop days at sea (including many other trips) circumnavigating the globe. Stowe, who incorporates actual sails and ropes into his paintings, grew up around boats on the East Coast, sailing on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in his late teens and early twenties. By age 26, he had built two of his own sailboats with the help of his family and friends. Stowe subsequently sailed to the Antarctic with his schooner Anne in 1986 and completed a 194-day journey without touching land in 1999. In 2010 Stowe completed a more extensive ocean voyage, entitled 1000 Days at Sea: The Mars Ocean Odyssey—a journey that commenced on April 21, 2007. He has been written up in publications all over the world, including; The New York Times, The Guardian, Huffington Post, New York Magazine,
Miami Herald, among others. Stowe lives and works in New York. Instagram @reid_stowe_art
DON PERLIS
A native New Yorker, Don Perlis is an American figurative and representational painter, drawing much of his inspiration from literature, mythology, theatre, and opera. His landscape compositions depict the lush greenery of the natural world and the visceral streets of his own Gotham. From the beat of metropolitan life to the idyllic seascapes of Ischa, Perlis’ brushwork imprints upon ones’ spirit.
In many of his paintings, Perlis makes a statement supporting underserved communities. Recently, Perlis’s painting of the murder of George Floyd was featured on a billboard in Times Square. This billboard subsequently traveled to five other American cities.
Instagram @donperlispainter
SHEILA SCHWID
Born in Milwaukee, WI in 1932, Sheila Schwid's artistic journey has been marked by a rich tapestry of experiences. In 1940, her family relocated to Omaha, NE, where she later pursued her undergraduate studies at Omaha University, earning a BA in 1954. The following year, Schwid continued her artistic education at the Art Center School (1955-56), studying under the guidance of local professional artists.
Sheila Schwid began her career in the art department of Bozell & Jacobs Advertising Agency before making a significant move to New York City in 1959, accompanied by her husband, Jay Milder. Immersed in the vibrant artistic scene of the time, Schwid connected with painters, poets, and musicians, participating in Happenings. Her works found a home in the 10th Street Galleries, and in 1961, she embarked on a transformative journey to Europe. Notable milestones in Schwid's career include a solo exhibition at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1962, and representation in the "Women Choose Women" exhibition in New York in 1963. In 1974, she curated the 7 Women Show in New Orleans, showcasing her diverse talents. Schwid expanded her artistic repertoire to include animated films, which she exhibited in New York City and Provincetown in 1984.
Furthering her academic pursuits, Schwid earned a Masters from the City University of New York in 1988. Her paintings have graced the walls of prominent galleries in New York, such as the Westbeth Gallery and the Carter Burden Gallery, where she held solo exhibitions. In 2018, she exhibited at the AMPartmarket Gallery in Provincetown. Instagram @emmagracehapner