Eileen O’Kane Kornreich

“Pup 1 (Anxiety Fox).” Eileen O’Kane Kornreich. Acrylic on canvas, 2020.

Of the 4 artists, Kornreich’s works are the most recent and responsive to the COVID-19 crisis, since her portrayal of pups seems anxious and stressful, and this reflects the current psyche and reality of the artist. 

Bio:

Eileen O’Kane Kornreich is a visual artist based in New York City. She studied at the School of the Museum Boston in 1973-74 and the Art Students League of NY in 1977-78. In 2019 Kornreich has been an artist in residence (AIR) at The Watermill Center and School of Visual Arts.

In her main bodies of work, Kornreich uses fables as a basis for creating her imagery of beautiful beasts that may interact with one another through the act of love or war. Her beasts show that the world is full of contradiction and irony – the beautiful beasts show scars of living a hard life, which may be a reflection of the artist’s own life, and the “ugly” scars are precisely what make the beasts so raw and beautiful. The beasts being destroyed while dueling one another shows the danger of living in the world that is a jungle, in which encounters with others are necessary for survival but can also be dangerous. 

“Empathy for the Jungle.” Sophia Loeb. Oil on canvas, 2019.

Away from the stresses and anxiety of reality, Loeb uses her imagination to seek refuge in an immersive depiction of a fantastic jungle. The jungle is a contradictory image since the colors are harmonious, yet the image demands a greater respect and caution from the audience due to its predominantly red (and not green) colors.

Bio:

Sophia Loeb is a visual artist based in London and Sao Paulo, Brazil. She obtained her B.A. in Fine Arts and History of Arts from the Goldsmiths University and will continue her education at the Royal College of Art to obtain her M.A. in Painting. She was an artist-in-residence (AIR) at the School of Visual Arts in 2019.

Loeb’s practice focuses on the ephemeral powers of nature and its ability of constant movement and transformation. The tropical aspect of her work and her carnivalesque approach to colour and form draws back to her Brazilian cultural heritage. By observing the familiarity of forms
in nature, Loeb intends to show how everything is utterly connected and co-exists as one in a repetitive cycle of constant impact.

“The Bathers.” Chunbum Park. Acrylic on canvas, 76 x 76 inches, 2017.

Park uses his imagery of women to engage in fantasies in which he becomes a woman himself through the power of imagination. Through his art, Park seeks to provide an alternative to the male gaze, which perceives the female other as unknowable yet beautiful.

Bio:

Chunbum Park is an artist living and working in Palisades Park, NJ. He was a student at the Art Students League of NY and obtained his B.F.A. in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in NYC (2020).

In his art, Park always fixates on the female form, with the facial features often made in his own likeness. Park sees his art as the vehicle for the male self to see the female other as oneself through the power of perception, fantasy, and imagination. He seeks to create an alternative to the male gaze that exploits the female other as an object for viewing pleasure.

“Is It Real or Am I Dreaming – 2.” Sabrina Puppin, Ph.D. Oil based glass/ceramic paints on wood board construction, 43” x 36”, 2019.

Lastly, Dr. Puppin uses abstract colors and shapes to test the limits of reality and our perception of reality. The severe distortions and the abstract nature of her work create rooms for multiple interpretations of our perception and reality.

The works in this exhibit display a strong and experimental nature in terms of the use of color and form. They validate that while our reality can be stressful and anxious, we can respond to it with various modes of fantasy, which can shape our reality; while our perception can be limiting or too confining, we can liberate ourselves with the power and audacity of our imagination.

Bio:

Sabrina Puppin, Ph.D., is an artist who works and lives in NYC. Originally from Aviano, Italy, she initially obtained a B.A. in art history and studio art (2002), as well as M.A. in art history and anthropology at the Vermont College in Montpelier, VT (2003). She went on to obtain a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies, specializing in African Art studies from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, OH (2008), and an M.F.A. in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in NYC (2018).  

Dr. Puppin uses the visual language of color, shape, and form to create abstract compositions that dematerializes the known object-based world. Her work makes the underlying spatial relationship become apparent and creates an illusionist space.