by Patrick Ogle

John Grande is a New York City-based painter being show at this year's Scope Miami Beach by noted Swiss Gallery/art, Licht Feld. Grand is a painter whose background informs his work in a way that is fairly unique. His one-time day job making C-prints influenced and influences his work in interesting ways. Many painters who discuss influence from photos are talking about mimicking reality or distorting it. Grande's view is broader.

"I started working at Beth Schiffer's Fine Art Printing Lab right after I graduated from School Of Visual Arts in Manhattan. My experience working as a high end C printer was like going back to school again. When I say 'influenced me' I am talking about knowledge  in the art of creating a successful image," he says. "From Color theory to Composition--being able to work side by side with these highly successful photographers I was taking it all in and applying this knowledge to my work and adding it to my foundation of painting."

Grande is creating paintings that are not quite photo realistic but if is aim was that they be that? They assuredly would be.The complex images he creates might be labelled "pop art" by some but that would be lazy. These complex images are more than mischievous morphing of popular culture. There is a subtly different artistic dialog here.

"This would be my dialogue of how I see and interpret the world around me. I see my self as a sort of visual journalist. A filter," says Grande. "Instead of words I use the the picture to create the story/idea i want to tell in each different body of work."

And the way Grande chooses to bring pop culture into his work is unique and intwined with how he visually builds and structures his paintings.
 
"Once again adding to the vocabulary of art. How do i take this thing "POP ART" and make it mine in a market that has become saturated with 'POP.' I hope that at the end of the day i am successful." he says.

On the Licht Feld website Grande's biography discuses the different ways he solves his conceptual problems. You see similar discussion from other artists. But each artist's contextual problems certainly vary.

"When I talk about the "contextual problems” I am referring to an idea and, how do I bringing the idea to conception with in the my photo representational style. Some one once told me 'Just because you can paint don’t paint for pomp and circumstance. Always find a way to add to the vocabulary of art'," he says. "This made me stop and really think about what I was painting and why. Every time I am starting a new This is what i mean by contextual problem. How do my ideas add to the vocabulary of art?"

Grande says the process in creating work is similar through his efforts, differing only in the deployment of that process.  

"I always find that there is something that i have done in previous work that i adopt and add it to my technique. My work has an even flow meaning that I through my process I discover new ways to create," says Grande. "I don’t believe in the Lightening bolt idea. I believe it is all about creating work."

The artists work hs been exhibited around the world. Exhibitions include shows in: The USA (New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington DC), Korea, Italy, India
and Canada). See his work during Miami Art Week 2017 at Scope Miami Beach.

by Patrick Ogle

Antonio Riello is an Italian artist who works in pretty much every sort of media you can imagine. Within this any subject is also fair game. He manipulates and mauls this subject matter, recreating it into something new and also reflective. The art all revolves around his central tenet; to Riello ambivalence is the "symbolic form" of the modern age. When looking at his art it is helpful to keep this in mind.

His work at Scope Miami 2016 was largely made from glass.

"One distinctive feature of my work is to focus about the ambiguous nature of human violence and its tools (notably weapons) I decided to suggest the idea of an "aggressive fragility". In order to get this I combined a weapon (a pistol) with the most fragile kind of matter par excellence: glass," says Riello. "I am well aware that glass as a medium in contemporary art is a 'slippy and dangerous' one.  It is very necessary to have a purpose to use it, instead its charm can become, artistically speaking, pretty unwelcome and unexpected."

by Patrick Ogle

Atang Tshikare, from Bloemfontein in South Africa, is a self-taught artist who works in various media creating sculpture. His work is being show by Southern Guild at Design Miami 2016.

His pieces have an unusual wrinkle; their origins are on the artists own stories. Tshikare creates a narrative and then, literally, gives it form. It wasn’t always in this order according to the artist.

“The sculptures informed the story at first but after the third piece the roles switched a bit because they had to work hand in hand. So now I have a story written  with some missing details and that’s where the sculptures come in and overtake the story and the mix just goes back in a fluid mix between what part is stronger. It’s like a relationship with two strong individuals where each takes precedence according to their strengths.” says Tshikare.

His new works are in bronze but that is not the only medium he has used.

“I’ve worked in multiple media – from wood, clay, plastic, paper and so on, but I’ve always wanted something that lasted permanently and had great value so I wanted to try bronze. When I did I discovered the idea I had could be manipulated much quicker and there was less stress about the stability,” he says. “Unlike clay there was no need to worry about the material getting damaged in the kiln and all the problems most of the materials have. So, a combination of strong, steady and treasured values made bronze more appealing.”

The stories are complex and whichever direction the influence moves, from story to sculpture to story or story to sculpture, there is a complexity to the interaction.

“I use my tacit knowledge to work between the different focuses and It’s like riding a bicycle and explaining a sum at the same time whilst you are thinking of the fastest route to your home. When you have a controlled multiple personality you feel laid back and it just happens.” he says.

Tshikare never “decided” to become an artist; he says it was almost a bequest, a revelation of what was already in him.

“Being an artist is like learning the words to your favorite rapper’s song till you know the lyrics and then one day you’re making your own album. You practice what you’re natural at and attract it in multiple streams." he says.

Thus, it’s not something that you decide to become, you just reveal it to yourself.

“I am self-taught like my dad is and it’s the best route because it’s genetic and the skills are indelible, other paths to this career are harder and getting taught can increase your technical skill but deep inside it’s a want that you can’t turn off.” says Tshikare.

His new work is meant, in some way, to attract you, to draw n to it and not just in proximity.

"My new work is a shadow that you will tail because you’re trying to catch up with the enigma. I will only say that people  can understand the perspective I’ve
displayed because I’ve taken a piece of narrative and created a journey per my vision. I know it’s a comprehensive answer but because I am a universal mammal that wants to give a forward-thinking view of Africa I can only give this answer so people can come in for a closer look," he says. "The truth behind my art is a more elaborate labyrinth with some mystical manifestations that the West refers to as 'Law of Attraction'. So over the months I will keep people attracted to the lighter side of the work by making it accessible as sculptures with a design feature like lights, seating and so forth.“

His expectations for Miami include raising awareness about the possibilities available from Africa (as well as answering guestions about the same.) There are other hopes besides: “A mix of imaginative and curious reactions that will release mass abundance from receptacles to attract more creatures from Atang.”