Dynamic Voices in Contemporary Art

Dynamic Voices in Contemporary Art showcases the mastery of 8 visionary artists, each leaving an indelible mark on the contemporary art landscape. Curated with precision, the exhibition embodies the spirit of innovation, pushing the boundaries of creative expression to new heights. Visitors will be taken on an exhilarating journey, immersing themselves in a world of artistic brilliance that reflects the dynamism of the human experience. An unparalleled fusion of artistic expression set to captivate art enthusiasts, collectors, and novices alike, Dynamic Voices in Contemporary Art is not just an exhibition; it is a celebration of human creativity and the myriad ways in which art can touch our lives.

Mark Acetelli traces his interest in creative practice to his mother’s passion for painting and has explored many forms of creative expression including music, painting, photography, and poetry. The artist’s work is inspired by the intensely personal, introspective journey of life, and he seeks to evoke a feeling rather than a defined image. He describes the context of his work as “simple expressions of complex thoughts, created by capturing the physical mixed with the spiritual.” Acetelli additionally refers to his work as "Absence and Presence" believing that something or someone can be gone, while a presence remains.

A native of Indonesia, Iqi Qoror started his career as a professional Visual Artist with a master’s degree in Fine Art. His works revolve around the questions of trust, interspersed with fragments of modernity set against his own social experience. Each artwork represents a point of self-reflection: “We live in a catastrophic world and I express my response, my scream, through my works, and I’m constructing a question of our madness.” Qoror’s combination of different media merges not only different art practices such as painting and embroidery, but past and present as well. The combination of modern expressionistic style with pops of color renders his artwork unforgettably visceral. This blend of portraiture, pop-textiles, and surrealistic imagery invokes curiosity, confusion, and a playful connection with our contemporary world.

Originally a ceramicist, Jennyfer Stratman replaced fired clay with larger-scale bronze, steel, and mixed media sculptures yet retained a delicacy, intimacy, and intricacy imbued from the ceramic process. There is a metaphorical interplay between the natural imagery Stratman uses and its multiple meanings. Particularly, the artist imagines trees and branches as a figurative link between the natural environment and our physical presence. The implied internal landscape of the body can also be reflected in how our surroundings from birth affect our sense of identity. Today she is a full-time established artist and splits her time between her studios in Phoenix and Melbourne.

Christina Major is a portrait painter interested in the ways the identity of both artist and subject can coexist in a painting. Major expands on traditional portrait painting by cataloging her memories and thoughts along with the thoughts of the subject—at times recording quotes from the person depicted—by painting under, into, and over the subject in her handwriting. Major’s hand is visible both in the brushstrokes and in the cursive writing, preserving her identity in a “readable” way both literally and through graphology, or handwriting analysis.

Designs, shapes, and colors find a balance between polite instinct and domesticated confusion within the cubist-inspired artworks by Tuscan artist, Federico Pinto Schmid. Partially restraining the seemingly boundless color are bold gestures Pinto Schmid creates with swift confidence. Each painting is meant to communicate a multitude of feelings and styles which can be reorganized infinitely within one’s imagination. Born in Tuscany and raised between Germany and Italy, Pinto Schmid is influenced by particularly German cubism as well as his father’s art practice. His artworks have been collected and exhibited internationally gracing a number of prominent homes. 

Kodjovi Olympio was born and raised in Togo, West Africa, into a large family of eight children. Olympio’s work is an unfiltered expression of his soul that manifests in a language of its own. That language is a common thread spoken throughout his visually impactful body of work, with each piece capturing its own moment in time. For Olympio, there is no hidden story or elusive meaning behind each painting. It is everything and nothing. Olympio’s work has been shown throughout Togo and neighboring countries, including the city art center in Lomé and the largest hotel in Togo, Hotel Sarakawa. In 2018 Olypmio was ranked one of the Top 10 Artists at the Red Dot Fine Art Fair. His artworks continue to be exhibited at galleries and major international art fairs in the United States and worldwide.

Originally born in Switzerland, Marco Schmidli moved to California and developed his work making backdrops for luxury photography. Working with top photographers, art directors, and set designers, Schmidli has set the industry standard in his work with clients such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, and more. His paintings are the culmination of nearly 50 years of painting experience. Schmidli combines his creativity with an open mind and a combination of an intuitive and resourceful approach to art. The artist says of his process, “Instead of controlling and demanding the paint move and act a certain way, I let the paint naturally manifest and express its pure form/ true colors/ most natural movement.” With work featured in fashion spreads of icons such as Nike and Balenciaga, celebrity photographers such as Annie Leibovitz and Peter Lindberg,  and a lengthy list of editorial work in leading magazines and newspapers across the world.

Bruce Rubenstein's large-scale paintings have a rigid and strong composition, but maintain organic shapes and soft colors. His paintings pull from abstract expressionism and cubism, harnessing a striking contemporary edge inspired by his experiences in New York and Los Angeles. At the core of Rubenstein's visionary practice lies an unmistakable fusion of abstract expressionism and contemporary finesse. His canvases pulsate with electrifying energy, rendering each brushstroke a testament to his unwavering dedication to his craft. Imbued with the spirit of the late 1950s and early 1960s expressionist movement, Rubenstein's creations resonate with a restless vitality that captivates and enthralls. For Rubenstein, painting transcends mere technique—it is a spiritual odyssey that transforms him into a conduit for a greater creative force. Within this transcendent process, Rubenstein fuses formality with abstraction, and modernity with antiquity, birthing a body of work that embodies the very essence of art's transformative power.

Since the opening of Artplex Gallery in 2018, the gallery continues to be one of the world's leading art galleries specializing in high-quality, original contemporary art representing a broad spectrum of major international artists. Right at home in West Hollywood and within immediate proximity to its sister gallery Artspace Warehouse, Artplex Gallery is an expansive modern space that specializes in international urban, pop, graffiti, figurative, and abstract art catering to the visual impact.