Leo Frontini , Photo by Scott MacDonough

Leo Frontini (b. 2000, Cleveland, OH) has found painting to be an escape from reality while also bringing him closer to the world, relationships, and himself. His practice combines his complicated exploration of the subconscious mind and emotional tumult with an exhaustive knowledge of human anatomy, oil painting techniques, and draftsmanship that is unique in its range of influence. Exploring his work is like embarking on a journey that engages both the senses and intellect. His paintings are often accompanied by evocative poetry, an instrumental part of his practice in exploring the hidden allegories of his work. Frontinis’ compositions hold the viewer in captivation and contemplation—a kindling of transcendence.

Leo Frontini received a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design (2023), studying great masters of the past in between frequent Life Drawing sessions. Frontini was raised in a creative household. In the solitariness of quarantine, Frontini began an intensive study of painting the figure. His visual intermingling of the past, present, and unknown provide a balance of harmony and tension. Launching his career upon graduation, Frontini had a solo exhibition with albertz benda Los Angeles in 2024, followed by a project exhibition with 1969 Gallery in New York. He will continue this trajectory with his first comprehensive solo exhibition at albertz benda New York in 2025.

Leo Frontini, Source of Anguish, 2024, Oil on canvas 36 x 48 inches 91.5 x 122 cm Leo Frontini, Soliloquy of a sleepless night, 2025,  Oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches 183 x 152.5 cm Leo Frontini, Cadence of Disruption, 2024, Oil on canvas 36 x 48 inches 91.4 x 121.9 cm

Antonia Caicedo Holguín photographed by Imogen Forte.

Antonia Caicedo Holguín (b. 1997 in Colombia) is deeply influenced by her hometown of Cali, Colombia, from the people who inhabit the city to the vibrant salsa music and dance culture of the region. By exploring everyday life, memory, and imagination, Caicedo Holguín chronicles her life, friends, and family. “A key component of my practice is the playfulness of writing narratives. The characters I build hold the charm, depth, and presence of literary protagonists.” Drawing inspiration from contemporary painters like Paula Rego and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, as well as old masters like Degas and Manet, her work often depicts fleeting moments of intimacy and moments of solitude. Often the subjects of Caicedo Holguín’s paintings seem to be in a state of introspection, or lost in reverie. She works with a variety of materials, including oil paint and unconventional materials like coffee grounds, coffee dyes, natural Latin American pigments, and found objects.

Caicedo Holguín received her Master of Arts in 2023 from the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art, at University College London in London, England. She has exhibited internationally, and has received the following awards and grants: The Olive Award, in recognition of art process experimentation, The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, 2023, The Sarabande Foundation, Emerging Artist Fund, 2023, The Chelsea Arts Club Trust MA Materials and Research Award, 2022, and The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, 2021. She was a featured guest on the 250th episode of The Art Newspaper’s podcast, The Week in Art, hosted by Ben Luke in 2023. She was featured in The Art Newspaper, in an article titled “Art stars of tomorrow? Four of my favourite artists from the Slade School degree show in London” by Dr. Chibundu Onuzo in 2023, and again in 2024 in the article “I commissioned an artist for the first time: here’s what it taught me about what it really means to be a ‘collector’.” The artist lives and works in London, England.

Antonia Caicedo Holguín, My Friend Hannah Uzor – Portrait in the Studio 2024 Oil and oil pastels on canvas 47 x 43 in (119.38 x 109.22 cm) Antonia Caicedo Holguín, Her Heart Sets the Beat, 2024 Acrylic, oil, and pastels on canvas 67.25 x 66.50 in (170.82 x 168.91 cm) Antonia Caicedo Holguín, Sunkissed 2024, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 47 x 43 in (119.38 x 109.22 cm)

Ana Gonzalez, Photo byJuan Moore

Ana González’s artistic practice celebrates the landscapes of her native Colombia and her partnerships with the indigenous communities dedicated to their preservation. Her work serves as a vibrant tribute to the sensory richness and cultural significance of these environments whilst highlighting their crucial role in historic ecosystems. Her oeuvre bridges multiple disciplines, including painting, photography, and sculpture.

In her work González references to the 18th-century naturalist Alexander von Humboldt and his exploration of the interconnectedness of all living systems. Her Devastations series features textiles onto which the artist prints photographs of Colombia’s vulnerable environments which she then partially unravels by hand. The works preserve these spaces as sites of power, abundance, and renewal while referencing the slow disappearance of ancient ecologies.

González has worked closely with Colombian Indigenous communities, leading social and humanitarian initiatives with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta communities, the Nukak people of Guaviare, and Misak women in Cauca. In collaboration with Cartier and the Amazon Conservation Team, González founded a health and social project in the Colombian Amazon. In November 2024 they completed a healthcare center in Murui Muina, Umancia, an indigenous settlement positioned at the intersection of three key regions: Putumayo, Caquetá, and Amazonas.

Ana González is a graduate in architecture from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She pursued advanced studies in Art and Gender at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and completed a master’s in arts and media, focusing on Photography, Printing, and Publishing, at both the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris in France. Her work is part of significant private and public collections, including the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection, the Havremagasinet Länskonsthall Museum in Sweden, the National Museum of Colombia, the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO), the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, CA, the JP Morgan Chase Art Collection, NY, the Bancolombia Art Collection and the Museo de la Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. She currently lives and works in Bogotá.

Ana González, PALMAS DE CERA (WAX PALM TREES), 2024 sublimation printing on roughened tarp 58 1/4 x 58 11/16 inches. © Ana González Courtesy Sean Kelly, New York/Los Angeles. Ana González, RÍO VAUPÉS (RIVER IN THE AMAZON FOREST), 2024, sublimation printing on roughened tarp, 21 5/8 x 27 9/16 inches. © Ana González Courtesy Sean Kelly, New York/Los Angeles. Ana González, KYBA (DREAM), 2024, diptych graphite and acrylic on canvas. canvas: 63 x 47 1/4 inches (160 x 120 cm) each. © Ana González Courtesy Sean Kelly, New York/Los Angeles.

Benjamin Bertocci has been living and working in N.Y.C. since 2005. He was raised in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, attended Bard College at Simon’s Rock, UMASS Amherst, and Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.

He now works out of his studio in Long Island City Queens, and lives with his small family in nearby Astoria.

 

Philosopher VII; Abomination Parent Transfixed Between Planes, Frozen, Destroyed (Fiscally Appreciative Parasitoid) 14”x11” Oil on Panel. The Last Beasts in the Sky Still Need to Play, Oil on Panel, 16”x20”. Promession III, oil on plastic entombed canvas 12” x 12” 2022.

Matthew Leifheit, Photo by Shala Miller

Matthew Leifheit is an American photographer, magazine editor, and professor based in Brooklyn, New York. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and the Yale School of Art, Leifheit is Editor-in-Chief of MATTE Magazine, the journal of emerging photography he has published since 2010. Leifheit’s photographs have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Aperture, TIME, and Artforum, and have been exhibited internationally. His work has been supported by residencies at the Corporation of Yaddo and The Watermill Center, receiving grants from the New York State Cultural Council and the Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale, where he was awarded the Richard Benson Prize in 2017. He is currently full-time faculty at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston.

Gay Archive was presented at Union College Crowell and West Galleries and at Massachusetts College of Art and Design‘s Brant Gallery in the fall of 2024. “Matthew Leifheit: Gay Chorus” will be on view at REVERB Gallery in Tampa, Florida through February 14th. Selections from Leifheit’s Gay Archive work will also be included in the Griffin Museum of Photography‘s upcoming exhibition “Nuclear Family,” on view January 17th—March 30th 2025. Installation View of Matthew Leifheit: Queer Archive at Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Brant Gallery, November 2025 John Pfleiderer Body Hair Collection* (undated, collected prior to Pfleiderer’s death in 1982) GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, 2023 40×30” dye sublimation print with footnote. Harvey Milk Underwear, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, 2023 40×30” dye sublimation print on aluminum Pedro Zamora Gift Image, 2024 22.75’’ x 32.75’’ offset lithography on newsprint, edition of 1000 copies.

Mark van Yetter (b. 1978) lives and works in the Poconos, PA. Van Yetter co-founded exhibition space Marquise Dance Hall (2007-2015), which started as a book and record store in New York, before transitioning to an itinerant gallery in Istanbul.

Current and previous solo exhibitions include Plunderbund Charity, Ebensperger, Berlin, GE (2022); Damn View, Ebensperger Rhomberg, Berlin, GE (2019); False Friends… and Six Bottles, Kunsthalle St. Gallen, St. Gallen, CH (2019); Drawings 2005 – 2018: 20 Propositions at Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg, AT (2018); You can observe a lot by just watching, Bridget Donahue, New York, US (2018); We are what we walk between, Micky Schubert, Berlin, DE (2016); The Terrifying Abyss of Skepticism, Bridget Donahue, New York, US (2016); The mere knowledge of a fact is pale, Kunsthall Stavanger, Stavanger, NO (2016); Relentless Compassion, VI, VII, Oslo, NO (2015). Selected group exhibitions include Catechism, Bridget Donahue, New York, US (2022); Freedom & Independence, Ebensperger, Berlin, GE (2020); Any Day Now, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, GE, (2020); To confess, one must tell lies, Clages Gallery, Cologne, GE (2019); Nightfall, Mendes Wood DM, Brussels, BE (2018); All’estero & Dr. K.’s Badereise nach Riva: Version B, Croy Nielsen, Vienna, AT (2018); All’estero & Dr. K. Takes the Waters at Riva: Version A, A Plus A Gallery, Venice, IT (2018); Hütti, Ludlow 38, New York, US (2017); At the bar, MD Bar, Cologne, DE (2017); Monday is a Day Between Sunday and Tuesday, Tanya Leighton, Berlin, DE (2017); Group Show, Micky Schubert, Berlin, DE (2015); Eray Börtecene, Sonja Weissmann, Mark van Yetter, Institut für Bienenzucht, Düsseldorf, DE (2014). Van Yetter was the recipient of the Fürstenberg Zeitgenössisch Residency in 2016.

Mark van Yetter, Jonas, Amelie & Loki, 2024 Pastel on paper, artist’s pine frame 27.6 × 39.4 in. (70.10 × 100.08 cm). Copyright Mark van Yetter, Courtesy of the artist and Bridget Donahue, NYC, Photo by Charles Benton. Mark van Yetter, Umar, 2024 Pastel on paper, artist’s pine frame 18.9 × 14.2 in. Copyright Mark van Yetter
Courtesy of the artist and Bridget Donahue, NYC, Photo by Charles Benton. Mark van Yetter, Untitled, 2024 Oil on paper, artist’s pine frame 12 × 9.1 in. (30.48 × 23.11 cm) Copyright Mark van Yetter
Courtesy of the artist and Bridget Donahue, NYC, Photo by Charles Benton.

Gretchen Scherer  (b. 1979, Indianapolis, IN) received a MFA from Hunter College, NY and a BFA from The University of Illinois at Chicago, IL. Scherer has been awarded residencies at Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting, ME and Vermont Studio Center, VT. Recent exhibitions include Richard Heller Gallery, LA; Patricia Low Gallery, Gstaad,Switzerland; Gowen Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland; Taymour Grahne, London; and Monya Rowe Gallery, NY. Scherer’s work was highlighted in Harper’s Bazaar Latin Art Issue in “Artists to Follow in 2022”, and in New York Magazine by Jerry Saltz in “The Best Art Shows of 2021”.

Scherer’s work was recently profiled in the Spring 2024 issue of Juxtapoz magazine (“Gretchen Scherer: If Rooms Could Talk”). Her work is also included in “New Surrealism: The Uncanny in Contemporary Painting” by Robert Zeller, published by Monacelli Press (2024), an imprint of Phaidon. The artist lives and works in West Creek, NJ and Brooklyn, NY.

GRETCHEN SCHERER Sir John Soane’s Museum, Drawing Office, 2024 oil and acrylic on panel 24 by 30 inches Courtesy of Monya Rowe Gallery, NY. GRETCHEN SCHERER Palazzo Borromeo, Isola Bella, Berthier Gallery, 2024 oil and acrylic on panel 18 by 24 inches Courtesy of Monya Rowe Gallery, NY GRETCHEN SCHERER Palace of Aranjuez, Porcelain Room, 2024 oil and acrylic on panel 18 by 24 inches Courtesy of Monya Rowe Gallery, NY.

Paula Siebra is a Brazilian painter born in Fortaleza, Ceará, in 1998. The artist focuses on images related to everyday life and scenes of intimacy using Brazilian northeastern culture as her starting point. Her paintings emerge from the exploration of established themes such as portraits,  landscapes, and still lifes.  These motifs,  throughout her research,  acquire a  peculiar aspect: a certain simplification in the contours, added to a reduction in the contrast between chromatic tones, polarizing reality, and reverie – as if the artist were daydreaming about ordinary life.

In addition to following a straightforward continuum from tradition, her paintings relate to an inherent visualness of her native land of Ceará and the Brazilian Northeast as a whole. She is particularly close to folk art since her interests encompass the synthetic form of clay objects, laces, and other textile works such as crochet and embroidery,  as well as the geometric and colorful architectural features of traditional houses. Surrounding villages, household objects, and anonymous faces are elements of the landscape in which the artist is immersed, appearing as if clothed by a light mist that covers everything – alternately concealing or revealing them.

Her recent solo exhibitions include As primeiras coisas [The earliest things], Mendes Wood DM, New York (2024); Cristalino Segredo, Mendes Wood DM, Brussels (2023); Noites de cetim, Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo (2022); Lembrança de algum lugar, Sobrado Dr. José Lourenço, Fortaleza (2022); O Soar das Horas, Nieuwe Gentweg 21, Bruges (2023) and Arrebol, Mendes Wood DM, New York (2021).

Additionally her work has been including in group exhibitions such as Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato en conversation avec Lucas Arruda, Sanam Khatibi, Patricia Leite, Paula Siebra, Marcos Siqueira, Erika Verzutti et Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Mendes Wood DM, Paris (2024); 74º Salão de Abril, Centro Cultural Casa do Barão de Camocim, Fortaleza (2023); Arte Laguna Prize Exhibition, Arsenale di Venezia, Venice (2023); Close, Grimm Gallery, London (2023); A Gauzy Flame, Herald St, London (2023); Pequenas pinturas II, auroras, São Paulo (2022); My reflection of you, The Perimeter, London (2022); Corpo Ancestral – 21ª UNIFOR Plástica, Universidade de Fortaleza, Fortaleza (2022); Male Nudes: a salon from 1800 to 2021, Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo (2022).

Additionally, here’s a link to a Studio Visit.

Paula Siebra, Uma carta | A letter, 2024, oil on canvas, 30 x 20 cm, 11 3/4 x 7 7/8 in.
Courtesy of the artist and Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York, Photo credit: EstudioEmObra Paula Siebra, Mesa de cabeceira | Bedside table , 2024, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 in
Courtesy of the artist and Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York. Photo credit: EstudioEmObra Paula Siebra, Mesa do almoço com quadro do Chico da Silva | Dining room table with a painting by Chico da Silva, 2024, oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm, 27 1/2 x 39 3/8 in
Courtesy of the artist and Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York. Photo credit: EstudioEmObra

Born in Los Angeles, Lily Ramírez’s painting practice has always hinged on her fascination with the with paint. She began working in acrylics at a young age, experimenting alongside her father who supported her burgeoning practice. The pair moved across the US, living briefly in Montana and Wyoming before re-settling in LA. “Everything I’ve done is based on what he taught me. I had a beautiful, natural childhood,” she says.

Ramirez attended Otis College of Art and Design to study painting as an undergraduate, where she studied under artists Meg Cranston, Scott Grieger, and Soo Kim.

Lily Ramírez Missoula, Montana, 2023 Oil Stick on Kozo Paper 30 x 24 inches 76.2 x 61 cm. Lily Ramírez Orange tree, 2023 Oil Stick on Kozo Paper 30 x 24 inches 76.2 x 61 cm Lily Ramírez Probablemente, 2025 Oil and Oil Stick on Canvas 67 x 71 inches 170.2 x 180.3 cm.

 

James Little (b. 1952, Memphis, TN) holds a BFA from the Memphis Academy of Art and an MFA from Syracuse University. He is a 2009 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Award for Painting.

In addition to being featured prominently in the 2022 Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, his work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions around the world, including at MoMA P.S.1, New York; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; and the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. In 2022, Little participated in a historic collaboration for Duke Ellington’s conceptual Sacred Concerts series at the Lincoln Center, New York, with the New York Choral Society at the New School for Social Research and the Schomburg Center in New York. Recent solo exhibitions include: Petzel, New York (2024); Kavi Gupta, Chicago (2022); Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis (2022); Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood (2020); and June Kelly Gallery, New York (2018).

His paintings are represented in the collections of numerous public and private collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond; The Studio Museum, Harlem, New York; The Menil Collection, Houston; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis; Maatschappij Arti Et Amicitiae, Amsterdam; Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse; New Jersey State Museum, Trenton; Tennessee State Museum, Nashville; and the Newark Museum, Newark.

James Little Trophy Wives, 2024 Photo: Thomas Barratt Courtesy the artist and Petzel, New York James Little The Problem with Segregation, 2024 Photo: Thomas Barratt Courtesy the artist and Petzel, New York James Little Mahalia’s Wings, 2024 Photo: Thomas Barratt Courtesy the artist and Petzel, New York

A citizen of the world, Jerri Allyn (she/he/shimmher) is a community-based artist, educator, and activist who promotes civic engagement. Her work provides a forum for diverse voices that look at issues comprehensively. While challenging traditional gender roles and highlighting the experiences of underrepresented communities, his art explores complex themes including power dynamics and the intersections of body autonomy, race, and social class. Jerri’s diverse artistic practice encompasses various media: audio, video and sculptural tableaus, electronic billboards, 3-D books, and printmaking multiples, often culminating in site-oriented, interactive installations and performance art events. Allyn has exhibited internationally and received numerous prestigious awards. These include a Rockefeller Foundation Residency in Italy, an International Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Residency in Mexico, and grants from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Lightening Fund, and The National Tanes Fund. Fr more information and research: Website link to Sx Cele popup, Safiya page. Safiya's Myth Busters. Ongoing Programs: Sx Celebrated: Comprehensive Sex Ed, Body Positive Movement, Sx Worker Rights - Human Rights Watch. Installation shot of work-in-progress popup, Sx Celebrated: Expanding Erotic Power, The Art Room, Los Angeles, CA, USA, Sept 28, 2024; photo: Cheri Gaulke. Safiya with photomontage portrait: Sapphrodite Goddess of Paraphilias / Safiya Discover an inner Deity, Sappic Energies, Erotic, Intimate needs? Your paraphilias are safe with me. Photo Montage, archival digital print on canvas, handsewn fabric frame, hung on rod; 6’H x 4’L; 2024.   Excerpt of Performance: Stripper Co-op Dancers Seize the Means of Production, pictured: Kayla Tange, photo: Dan Monick.