Author Archives: jolanta

My new work depicts extravagant, yet flameless explosions. These media-inspired renderings of soldiers are fragmented and joined with those of vintage, foreign-model automobiles inspired by memories of my early upbringing in Libya and Pakistan. Born in Libya, Fawad Khan is a Pakistani-American painter based in New York. His first solo exhibition debuts March 13 at […]

Russian artist Petr Axenoff, in his first Italian solo show at Gallery Pack, Milan, challenges the audience with a hazardous juxtaposition of fascination and cruelty. The greeting words “welcome” are shiningly displayed on the entrance wall, made out of golden gun bullets, faced by golden antitank obstacles. An image rich in references, from Beuys’ and […]

For some time, Andy Warhol has conceded us 15 minutes of fame. That being the case, the prerequisite was to have an accident. That tricky media-worthy relevance would not spare Marilyn, Elvis, or Mao. Their faces were sufficiently important to be worthy of being remembered, reworked, and converted into a treasured object or icon for […]

One of the most encouraging developments in the creative community over the past few years has been the popular resurgence of figurative art. More noteworthy than the newfound enthusiasm for drawing and painting in the marketplace are the tenacity, resourcefulness and intelligence among young artists who make figurative work today. These qualities were on display […]

Sonia Hendler: Your work encompasses a mix of political and social commentary with careful visual imagery, such as the Pictures of Flowers series. What is your creative process? Fia Backstrom: Political commentary belongs on the newspaper pages. I’m interested in operative work, which rather asks what is political and what is an image. Take for […]

Whitney May: I first saw your work A Family Finds Entertainment at the 2006 Whitney Biennial where I was immediately drawn in by its incredibly fast pace, full-bodied color scheme and unchecked exuberance. The overall tone of this and several other examples of your video work can be seen as nothing less than hysterical. Can […]