Fun

Curated works by Benjamin Terry
April 1-May 6, 2017
Opening reception Saturday, April 1 from 6:00-8:00 pm
Artists will be in attendance

Kirk Hopper Fine Art is pleased to collaborate with artist and curator Benjamin Terry (Denton) to present Fun, featuring the work of artists Sterling Allen, Michael Blair, Benjamin Edmiston, Bradley Kerl, Allison Reimus, and Jonathan Ryan Storm.

Allison Reimus, SAHM, 2016, oil, glitter, flocking fiber, pom-poms on sewn canvas

Through traditional and expanded modes of painting, these artists make work that beckon you from across the room, immediately become your best friend, and force you to smile. While at times these artists utilize overt, knee slapping humor, they often employ a slower, tongue-in-cheek approach. Traditional paintings techniques cleverly bounce off of found and non-traditional materials, initiating impromptu conversations about contemporary painting. Awkward shapes are stacked and odd spaces are constructed, creating an uneasy sense of gravity and subverting expectations. Images and symbols may suggest narrative, but these are indeed wholehearted formal investigations that forefront each artist's personality, forging their own unique visual language.

Sterling Allen holds an MFA in Sculpture from the Milton Avery Graduate School of Arts at Bard College. He is a co-founder and co-director of Okay Mountain, an artist collective and former gallery based in Austin. As a solo artist and in collaboration with Okay Mountain, he has exhibited, organized, and completed projects at venues throughout the United States, and received several residencies including the Artpace International Artist-in-Residence Program in San Antonio. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Studio Art at Texas State University.

Michael Blair is currently living and working in Dallas. He received his BFA from Mary Hardin Baylor and an MFA from the University of North Texas. He has exhibited work in many solo, group, and juried exhibitions throughout Texas and nationally, including Missouri State University (Springfield), Rudolf Blume Gallery (Houston), Texas Biennial (San Antonio), Cohn Drennan Contemporary (Dallas), and Texas National (Nacogdoches). He is a co-founder of the DIY gallery space Art Rover. His work has been written about in Arts+Culture Texas, Modern Houston, Modern Dallas, and D Magazine. He is also a contributing writer for Glasstire, and currently teaches at the University of North Texas and Texas Christian University.

Benjamin Edmiston currently lives and works in Brooklyn. He received his MFA from Brooklyn College in 2012 and his BFA from Tyler School or Art in 2003. Edmiston's work was included in New American Paintings Northeast edition #104, and The Age of Collage: Contemporary Collage in Modern Art. He was an artist in residence at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada, and was nominated for the Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant.

Bradley Kerl currently lives and works in Houston. He received his MFA from the University of Houston in 2014 and his BFA from the University of North Texas in 2009. He has exhibited work in group and solo exhibitions throughout Texas, and recently completed the artist-in-residence program at 100 W Corsicana.

Allison Reimus lives and works in the Chicago area. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and publications throughout the United States. Recent solo and two-person exhibitions include Knox College, The Mission (Chicago) and DEMO Projects (Springfield, Ill.). Recent group exhibitions include Left Field Gallery (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Dorchester Art Projects (Boston), Platform Gallery (Baltimore) and Heiner Contemporary (Washington, D.C.). Her work has been included in Maake Magazine and New American Paintings (#88, #113, #125), highlighted as both an "Editor's Selection" and a "Noteworthy Artist." Reviews include the Boston Globe, the Washington Post and NPR. Reimus received her BFA from Michigan State University and her MFA from American University.

Jonathan Ryan Storm is currently living and working in Northampton, MA. He received a BA in Metaphysics from Wheaton College. He has exhibited work in numerous group and solo exhibitions internationally. Recent exhibitions include Farewell Books (Austin), Morgan Lehman Gallery (New York City), MAKEBISH Gallery (New York City), David Shelton Gallery (Houston), Neur Saarbrucker Kunstverein (Saarbucken, DK), MOHS (Copenhagen, DK), and GoodPressGallery (Glasgow, UK). His work has been written about in Visual Art Source, Houston Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal, and Glasstire.