Episode 485 / Estefania Velez Rodriguez

Estefania Velez Rodriguez is an artist born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. She received her BFA from the University of South Florida (painting)

and her MFA from Brooklyn College (painting).

Solo shows: Auxiliary Projects (brooklyn), Praxis Gallery (chelsea), Fordham University (midtown), 

Other notable shows (group shows): Marc Strauss (Manhattan), Elizabeth Foundation for the arts (manhattan), Field of Play (brooklyn), Below Grand (manhattan), Soil Gallery (seattle), University of Arkansas, Cuntshaus (tampa), Queens College, Norte Maar (brooklyn), Paradise Palace, Praxis Gallery (manhattan), Art Fair Miami (during basel, satellite location fair).

She’s participated in residencies at: 

Hidrante (puerto rico), Ucross (Wyoming), Goldeyhouse (New York), and the Vermont Studio Center. Mural Project with Norte Maar Organization & more.

Her work has been covered by:

Two Coats of Paint , Brooklyn Rail, Revista Marvin (mexico), Art as Form, Epicenter NYC, Centro Puerto Rico (Hunter college center for puerto rican studies artists spotlight and book cover), I like your work podcast, and Interlocutor magazine. 

She has taught at:

Rutgers University, Pratt Institute, and Montclair State University. 
She has a current Group Exhibition at Marc Straus Gallery (Lower East side location), "Past Tense / Future Perfect" up until August 8th. 

Episode 484 / Léni Paquet-Morante

Léni Paquet-Morante (1962) is an artist based in New Jersey. Motivated by process driven imagery in paint, sculpture, and printmaking projects, her abstractions reconfigure familiar landscape elements, extracted then rearranged in a manner that speaks to the architecture of memory. Born in Canada, Léni is a Hamilton, New Jersey based artist. Recent recognition includes a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Finalist Grant for Painting in 2024; residencies at Vermont Studio Center Residency for Painting in 2024 and Peter’s Valley Visiting Artist Residency for Printmaking in 2023. Recent solo exhibitions include Princeton University Art Museum’s Bainbridge Gallery scheduled for summer of 2025. She earned a BFA in painting from Mason Gross School of Art in1992 and studied bronze casting techniques at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture from 1984 to1985. Her current show Extract / Abstract, Landscape a& the Architecture of Memory at the Princeton Univeristy Art Museum is up until November 9th. 

Episode 483 / Steven Cox

Steven Cox (b. 1986, Aberdeen) is a Scottish artist who lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland. He holds a BA in Painting from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee, and an MA in Curating and Contemporary Art Theory from the University of Edinburgh.

Cox is known for his vibrant abstract oil paintings, which explore materiality and mark-making. Over the past decade, he has developed a distinctive process involving the transfer of thick layers of oil paint onto canvas using plastic sheets. His work is deeply informed by an interest in the built environment, topography, and defaced surfaces, resulting in a visual language that oscillates between colour field painting and abstract expressionism. Cox is represented by Halsey McKay Gallery in New York. He has held numerous solo exhibitions internationally, including at Halsey McKay Gallery and A Hug From The Art World (New York, USA); Galerie Jérôme Pauchant (Paris, France); Annarumma Gallery (Naples, Italy); and Galleri Benoni (Copenhagen, Denmark). He has also exhibited in various international group exhibitions and artist residencies. His work has been featured in publications such as Modern Painters Magazine, ArtNews, ArtInfo, Wall Street International, Copenhagen Contemporary, Art F City, and Dust Magazine.

More information: www.stevencox.co.uk
Instagram: @studiostevencox

In addition to his art practice, Steven Cox is the founder of Hunted Projects, a contemporary art gallery and curatorial platform based in Edinburgh. Established in 2011, Hunted Projects fosters unique collaborations with both emerging and established artists. Central to its ethos is a commitment to conducting in-depth interviews that provide insight into each artist’s creative process and conceptual approach. These dialogues often inform the curation of site-specific solo and group exhibitions that amplify the artists’ voices in compelling and innovative ways. 

More information: www.huntedprojects.com
Instagram: @huntedprojects

Episode 482 / Bella Foster

Bella Foster was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1975 and lives in Grass Valley, CA. She received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY. Solo exhibitions of her work have been presented at Marinaro Gallery, New York, NY (2021), The Pit, Los Angeles (2018 & 2020 & 2024), Canada, New York, NY (2017), South Willard, Los Angeles, CA (2015), and Art Since the Summer of 69, New York, NY (2010), and a two-person exhibition with Elwyn Palmerton was presented at Southfirst, Brooklyn, NY in 2008. Foster’s work has been featured in thematic exhibitions such as Palo Santo, Ratio 3, San Francisco, CA (2018); Fort Greene, Venus Over Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (2016); Material, Salon 94, New York, NY (2012); Greater Brooklyn, CRG Gallery, New York, NY (2005); and Where are we going? Where do we come from? And where are we going?, Champion Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA (2004).  She is represented by The Pit, Los Angeles.  

Episode 481 / Debbi Kenote

Debbi Kenote is a painter who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She holds an MFA from Brooklyn College and a BFA from Western Washington University. Her recent solo and two person exhibitions include Baker-Hall in Miami, Duran Contemporain in Montreal, Cristin Tierney in New York and My Pet Ram in New York. Selected group exhibitions include Kate Werble in New York, Fir Gallery in Beijing, Cob Gallery in London, Hawkins Headquarters in Atlanta and SOIL Gallery in Seattle. She has been an artist in residence at Stove Works, The Ucross Foundation, PLOP, the Saltonstall Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, DNA, Nes, CAI Projects, and the Mineral School. Her work is part of the permanent OZ Art Collection and has been featured in The Art Newspaper, Art Fuse, Maake Magazine, Suboart, Art of Choice, Two Coats of Paint, and Hyperallergic. She is a curator at the NYC based gallery Below Grand. She is represented by Cristin Tierney gallery in New York and Duran Contemporain in Montreal.

Even the stump agrees, solo show on view at Baker-Hall in Miami, FL through July 12. 

Mindscape is a Pattern, group show, curated by Caetlynn Booth on view at Project Art Space in New York, NY.

Julie Curtiss was born in 1982 in Paris, France and lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts, Paris, during which time she undertook two exchange programmes; one at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Dresden and the other at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Curtiss graduated in 2006 with a BA and MFA. Recent solo exhibitions include White Cube Hong Kong (2023); Anton Kern Gallery, New York (2022; 2020; 2019); White Cube Mason’s Yard, London (2021); Various Small Fires, Los Angeles (2018); and 106 Green, Brooklyn, New York (2017). Group exhibitions include Fondation Carmignac, Porquerolles, France (2024); Dallas Museum of Art, TX (2023); MCA Chicago, IL (2023); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2023); FLAG Art Foundation, New York (2023); Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul (2022); Biennale des Arts de Nice, France (2022); The Shed, New York (2021); Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn, New York (2019); Perrotin, Seoul (2019); Clearing, New York (2019); White Cube Bermondsey, London (2017). She has been the recipient of a number of fellowships and awards, including Youkobo Art Space Returnee Residency Program, Tokyo (2019); Fellow of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, New York (2018); Saltonstall Arts Colony Residency, New York (2017); Contemporary Art Center at Woodside Residency Program, New York (2013); VAN LIER Fellowship, New York (2012); Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy’s Young Artists Award (2004); and Erasmus European Exchange Program Grant, Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Dresden (2003).
Curtiss’ work is represented in a number of museum collections, among which are Bronx Museum, New York; Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; High Museum, Atlanta; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Maki Collection, Japan; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and Yuz Museum, Shanghai.

Episode 479 / Chloe Wise

Reissue from 2019 with artist Chloe Wise.

Episode 478 / Butt Johnson

Butt Johnson (b.1979, Ramapo, New York) earned a BFA in painting from RISD and received a Pollock-Krasner Fellowship in 2010. His work is included in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS and the RISD Museum. He is a founder and partner in the Klaus von Nichtssagend (Neek-saa-gundt) Gallery in New York. He has exhibited at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery at George Washington University, the Abrons Art Center and CRG Gallery, both in New York.

The Canopy Program is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 cohort cycle -  led by faculty mentors Amir H. Fallah, Sharon Butler, Catherine Haggarty, Meg Lipke, Clare Grill, and Jessica Dickinson. 

Founder and executive director Catherine Haggarty will be hosting information sessions where all questions can be answered - to RSVP, learn more and apply by July 26th

please visit www.nyccritclub.com 

www.nyccritclub.com

IG is @nyccritclub and @the_canopy_program_

Episode 477 / Seline Burn

Seline Burn (*1995, Switzerland) is a contemporary artist recognized for her evocative figurative paintings that merge personal memories with art historical motifs. Her work explores how everyday objects, relationships, and artistic traditions shape our perception of the world. By intertwining elements of her personal experiences with broader social and historical contexts, Burn invites viewers to question the cultural norms that influence visual representation.

Her artworks are marked by a nuanced exploration of how cultural heritage shapes our understanding of the familiar. Through visually striking compositions, Burn encourages engagement on multiple levels, offering both aesthetic appeal and thoughtful reflections on the interplay between tradition and contemporary experience.

Seline’s work has been featured in exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad such as at the Kunsthaus Pasquart (Biel, Switzerland), Kunstmuseum Thun (Switzerland), Wilde (Geneva and Basel, Switzerland), Everyday Moonday Gallery (Seoul, Korea), Delphian Gallery (Ligné, France and Helsinki, Finland) and Baert Gallery (Los Angeles, USA). 

Episode 476 / Zak Prekop

Zak Prekop (b. 1979, Chicago) is a Hudson Valley-based painter known for his intricate, nonrepresentational works. He holds an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. Prekop has had solo exhibitions at Maxwell Graham Gallery, New York; Galería Marta Cervera, Madrid; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; and Hagiwara Projects, Tokyo. His work is held in collections at the Walker Art Center, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Notable group exhibitions include File Under Freedom at Bergen Kunsthall; Painter, Painter at the Walker Art Center and Greater New York at PS1. Prekop's first museum exhibition opens at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT in June.