Luis Martin. Artist + Chief Curator, Parenthesis Art Space.
Bushwick, Brooklyn.
"I collect art from friends and colleagues because my investment is in the artists themselves. The work becomes a totem of their practice and it gives context to what we hold dear.
For me collecting art is very much about making space for artists' questions and finding myself in the answer. It becomes a familiar and endless conversation."
Photo Credit: Alfie Friday
Samantha Robinson. Based in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
"My work is about abstraction and landscape. I paint on transparent mesh instead of canvas in order to create an atmosphere between the painting's surface and the wall. I want my work to transport the viewer while still recognizing that paintings are objects, and that paintings are illusions. I feel it is best explained in the Frank Stella quote, as he talks about the titles in his retrospective at the Whitney "To put it really simply, it's the idea that abstraction is not as abstract as it appears. That it has the ability to relate to the way you experience things in the real world."
I paint first, and stretch later. My process is to paint with mostly ink and watercolor to ensure that the frame is still visible in my work. If I painted directly onto the mesh while it is already stretched onto the frame, the frame would become stained and covered in paint. Once dry, I will select which portion to stretch and to allow to become a painting."
Photo Credit: Parenthesis Art Space
"Working in this way makes a lot of waste. In my studio, there are so many bins, boxes, and piles of painting scraps that I can't part with. It is out of these painting scraps that my collages emerge.
I mount the mesh and nylon (from older paintings) onto thick paper, making it easier to cut clean edges and shapes. I also have also worked with graph paper and silver and gold leaf, which is also mounted onto paper before being cut and collaged."
If you are interested in Samantha Robinson's work or curious about owning art in
