SHIQING “DEMO” DENG & DEAN CHRISTENSEN

october 2019

SHIQING “DEMO” DENG

All My Friends Are Monsters

Produced & Curated by Cami Ledy

Opening Reception: Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 5-8 pm

October 22–27, 2019 - 213 Bowery (at Rivington)

Open every day 11 am-7:30 pm (and by appointment)

NEW YORK, NY – Curator Cami Ledy is thrilled to present “All My Friends Are Monsters,” the debut solo exhibition of paintings and drawings from artist Shiqing “Demo” Deng, at 213 Bowery, New York. The exhibition will be on view from October 22 through October 27, with an opening reception on Tuesday, October 22 at 5-8 pm. 

Growing up in Xi’an, China, Demo studied Renaissance masters while simultaneously experiencing a government-controlled society and the kernel of her artistic questioning began.  In “All My Friends Are Monsters,” Deng manifests the cognitive dissonance of “manipulated reality” and the “tangible world” through clothing. “I use clothing as a starting point. It can express ourselves and also suppress and conceal us, becoming thereby a restraint on our freedom,” Deng explains. “I use the human body as the carrier of clothing and I use clothing that expresses the body. My paintings use clothing as second skin of human bodies that is undefined by gender, race, and origin.”

Deng’s hauntingly beautiful figurative paintings are rich with multiple meanings.  Her artworks exist in a field of narrative portraiture, often featuring fellow artists as the primary players. As such, each work creates a unique psychological space to consider themes of manipulated reality, freedom and self-expression, and balance.  When paired with Deng’s use of deftly imagined environments that seamlessly combine three-dimensional and flat surfaces, the costumed characters speak even louder. Delicate pale wrists with deep blue veins; flamboyant fashion worn in the middle of a swamp. These contrasting juxtapositions reveal Deng’s interest in finding beauty in the existence and balance of all facets of life. What is solemnity without a little humor? Who are your friends, and who are your monsters?

The opening reception is free and open to the public.

About the Artist

Shiqing Deng (b. 1994, China) is a Chinese painter. She is a graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where she won multiple student awards, and received an MFA at the New York Academy of Fine Art, where she was awarded the Terra Foundation Artist Residency in Giverny, France. In 2016, she won first prize in the Art Renewal Center’s International Salon art competition. 2018 – 2019 Chubb Fellow. Her work has been exhibited at the National Museum of China in Beijing, Da Fen Art Museum in Shenzen, and at the United Nations in New York, as well as in group shows in New York, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

DEAN CHRISTENSEN

FCMDL – Felt Cute, Might Delete Later

Opening Reception: Tuesday October 29, 2019 5-9pm

October 29 – November 3, 2019 - 213 Bowery (at Rivington)

NEW YORK, NY – Cami Ledy is pleased to present Dean Christensen’s groundbreaking solo show “FCMDL: Felt Cute, Might Delete Later” in a week-long engagement at 213 Bowery beginning October 29th 2019.

Christensen takes self-aggrandizement to a new level.  In 2016 he portrayed himself as a larger-than-life Byzantine Deity replete with golden halo and sacred smartphone.  For his 2019 exhibition, Christensen speaks plainly about how he has upped the stakes: “I now have a cult” he declares, “I call them Deanie Babies”. Humbly quantifying that influencer milestone he adds, “… but like everyone has a cult. Whether you want to call it that or not, if you are online and have followers you have a cult. Let’s call it what it is.”

In FCMDL Christensen invites the viewer to question the digital reformation of our former physical existence.  His inquisition employs religious themes that both embrace and satirize the overarching vanity of our digital age addiction.  With pixilated imagery the artist depicts our self-absorbed euphoria rudely interrupted by momentary glitches that foreground the insatiable pornographic tease of “online existence.”  Equally epiphanic are Christensen’s depiction of trending brands which are likewise seen as over-inflated and invasive constructs in our daily lives.  The “messaging” across Christensen’s work is cautionary---the canary in the coal mine red flagging our digital dependence and its far from salubrious impact on our modern world.

FCMDL will include artwork, music and merchandise. Christensen will also be hosting an artist panel talk, to include revered designer Colm Dillane (aka KidSuper), who most recently staged a fashion show in a Parisian circus and an Assembly Line Recycling Fashion Show during New York’s Fashion Week.

“This is more than an art show, it’s a movement – Profound!” - Karen Auster, Auster Agency.

N. Dean Christensen (aka Deansace, b. 1992, Louisville, KY) is a young figurative painter living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Christensen's art tracks the birth and trajectory of the "iGeneration" and what it means to be perpetually tied to the world at large through the device in our pockets. Using satire and social media iconography, he compels us to examine ego, online persona, the human need for connection and approval, and the inescapable pervasiveness of advertising. His first solo show, The Millennial Man; Me My Selfie and I (Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY) was a sell-out success and his second show Who Is Dean Christensen? (Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY) added to his buzz. His latest escapade is the creation of a CULT with followers he calls "Deanie Babies."

​Christensen has received numerous prestigious awards including Best of Show, First Place Professional Painting, and the Purchase Award at the Kentucky Museum. He was also chosen as the artist to represent Kentucky on Figure 50 for the year 2016. Dean's training is comprehensive, having attended intensive painting workshops at the Scottsdale Artist’s School in Arizona, the Palette and Chisel in Chicago, and The Art Student’s League in New York City. Dean holds a BFA in painting from Western Kentucky University.

For press inquiries or further information please contact cameronledy@gmail.com or call 917.207.7915

#FCMDL