Interviews by Brainard Carey

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 YetterCourtesy 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 YetterCourtesy 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 inCourtesy 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 inCourtesy 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.

Jim Osman was born in New York City. He received a BA & MFA from Queens College. He has had solo exhibitions at McKenzie Fine Art, Robischon Gallery, Lesley Heller Workspace, Long Island University and Dartmouth College. His work has been included in group shows at the Brooklyn Museum, Equity Gallery and University of Texas at San Antonio.

He has received grants from the Brooklyn Arts Council, Parsons School of Design and a NYFA Artist Fellowship in Craft/Sculpture. He became a member of the National Academy in 2019.

Mr. Osman taught courses in three-dimensional design and sculpture at Parsons School of Design for 22 years. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Clock, 2024, wood, paint, 63 x 49 x 60 inches. Photo: McKenzie Fine Art.

Dogleg with Target, 2024, wood, paint, 6 5/8 x 7 1/4 x 7 1/2 inches. Photo: Christian Nguyen

Cedar Porch, 2024, wood, paint, 8 x 6 x 5 inches. Photo: Christian Nguyen

Bumin Kim is originally from South Korea and received her MFA in Drawing and Painting in 2015 from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. In 2017 she was awarded at the 30th annual international competition and exhibition, Materials: Hard+Soft.

Her work has been shown by various institutions, including: Art Miami and Pulse Art Fair in Miami, FL; Dallas Art Fair in Dallas, TX; Art Aspen in Aspen, CO; San Francisco Art Fair in San Francisco, CA, Art Market Hamptons Fine Art Fair in Water Mill, NY; and Texas Contemporary Art Fair in Houston, TX. Furthermore, Kim’s work has been featured in publications, such as: New American Paintings, Fresh Paint Magazine, and Glasstire, and can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Europe. Bumin Kim completed an artist residency at Facebook’s headquarters in Austin, Texas in 2020, and her work was selected to be displayed at the Schneider Museum of Art in Ashland, Oregon in 2022.

Meadow 5, 53 x 48 in, thread and acrylic on wood panel, 2024

Winter Night, 35 x 35 in, thread and acrylic on wood panel, 2024

Vexillum 1 (2023), 20 x 12 x 6 in, thread and wood, 2023

Kelly Reemtsen (b. 1967, Flint, Michigan) is best known for her bright and bold paintings of women carrying household tools such as chainsaws or axes. Her work often investigates the role of the modern woman, deconstructing societal perceptions of gender, power and femininity.

Reemtsen's paintings are characterized by their thick impasto, stark white backgrounds, and anonymous figures. Reemtsen is currently based in Los Angeles.

She studied fashion design and painting atCentral Michigan University and California State University Long Beach. Reemtsen has been involved with printmaking since the 1990s, studying etching and screen-printing in workshops and with educators across the United States.Kelly Reemtsen’s work has been exhibited widely in North America and is part of the Twentieth Century Fox and AT&T corporate collections.

Kelly Reemtsen, In The Spot Light, 2024, Oil on panel, 44 x 44 inches.

Kelly Reemtsen, Focal Points, 2024, Oil on panel, 60 x 60 inches.

Kelly Reemtsen, Soften the Blow, 2024, Dark walnut wood, faux fur, lacquer. Each Axe: 36 x 12 x 3 inches.

Bernd Zimmer, born in Planegg in 1948, was a co-initiator of the Berlin Galerie am Moritzplatz, founded in 1977, and is a representative of “Heftige Malerei”. He studied philosophy and religious studies at the Free University of Berlin from 1973.

His often large-format paintings initially focused on nature in deliberate contrast to the big city of Berlin. After a two-year stay in Rome, where he received a scholarship from the Villa Massimo, Bernd Zimmer has lived and worked in Polling in Upper Bavaria since 1984. Impressions from travel, nature, literature and philosophy are echoed in Zimmer's colorful works, as is his examination of the natural sciences and the cosmos, to which all forms of existence ultimately belong.

Bernd Zimmer, Reflexion über 5 Kontinente, 2019/21 160 x 130 cm, Acryl/Canvas

Bernd Zimmer, Ladoga. Mittsommer. Feuerwerk, 2006 130 x 180 cm, Acryl/Öl) Canvas

Bernd Zimmer, Wandel (6), 2022, 160 x 130 cm, Acryl/Lwd.