DAYTON, OH.- The Contemporary Dayton is presenting its first exhibition of the 2019-2020 season, And Then Unfold, featuring artists Diana Behl (Cleveland born, living in Brookings, South Dakota), Jack St. John (Cleveland, Ohio), and Nishiki Sugawara-Beda (Dallas, Texas). The exhibition is curated by Eva Buttacavoli, Executive Director and Chief Curator, and is being presented September 6-October 26, 2019.

The title, And Then Unfold, is a phrase that describes an action or process that alludes to the undoing or uncovering of something yet to be known. It also refers to process, as if coming from a list of instructions. Both aspects speak to each of the artist’s work—in fact Behl says “I love the references in the title, suggesting a slow-paced action; the unfolding of paper, maps, and letters; an ambiguity of not quite knowing what is next; the revealing of a layered recording.”

Presented together for the first time in this exhibition by Co executive director and curator Eva Buttacavoli, the artists are joined together in their interest in challenging traditional assumptions about figuration and abstraction, as well as the relationships between avant-garde art, craft, pop culture, and technology. Jack St. John’s flat, boulder-like forms boldly push right up to the edge of the picture plane, while taking on architectural and figurative forms which bring to mind the monumental weight and mass depicted by abstract expressionists Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, and the more figurative neo-expressionist Phillip Guston. Referencing his engineering and rock-climbing background, the paintings are not so much "pure abstraction" as they are simplified renderings of elements of nature and a human presence.

Likewise, Diana Behl juxtaposes references to personal memories in a range of mediums ranging from printmaking, drawing, collage and installation. As described by Emily Burns in Maake Magazine “… her practice revolves around the improvisation and discovery uncovered while making, further enabling form to embody the evolution of that specific cue.” Turning to new digital approaches, renewing age-old printmaking techniques, and printing on and with alternative materials and tools, Behl’s work echoes fellow Ohio-born contemporary American painter Laura Owens whose work starting in the mid-90s upended the traditions of painterly abstraction by incorporating goofy personal allusions, doodling, and common craft materials; and alludes also to Amy Sillman’s unrestrained use of drawing, cartoons, collage, iPhone video, and zines.

Nishiki Sugawara-Beda’s drawings as well, are tied to personal memory—and a desire to re-claim a traditional medium and imbue it with new meaning. In talking about her use of Sumi-ink (regarded as a traditional Japanese art form) she explains as a child in Japan she was exposed to it from early age, even before entering grade school. She explains, “When I desire to be the “real me” (authentic), I want to use the materials that brings out my cultural heritage.” In her current series, she uses Sumi-ink almost as a base for every painting, connecting to Japanese culture both as a concept and as the surface of the painting. She explains further: “the surface of the painting is the primal stage for us, artists, to communicate our visions, stories, and concerns. There are many other areas to utilize for effective communication, but the surface remains the front row. So, for me, the concept and the surface of the painting are equally important and carry the same weight as visual object. In addition, the concept needs the surface to manifest, and the surface is supported by the concept. The relationship is intricate and symbiotic.”

Diana Behl is an artist and educator based in Brookings, SD. She holds an MFA and MA in Printmaking from The University of Iowa, a BFA in Two-Dimensional and Design Studies from Bowling Green State University, and is an Associate Professor in the School of Design at South Dakota State University. Behl has received grants from the Bush and Griffith Foundations and the South Dakota Arts Council to support her artistic and teaching practices, which are rooted in traditional and expanded printmaking processes and works on paper.

Solo and two-person exhibits have been at the Greenleaf Gallery at Whittier College (Whittier, CA), Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts (Nebraska City, NE), Edward J. & Helen Jane Morrison Gallery at the University of Minnesota, Morris (Morris, MN), and the South Dakota Art Museum (Brookings, SD). Recent group exhibits include The 2017 Boston Printmakers North American Print Biennial at Lesley University (Cambridge, MA), Small Works at Trestle Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), and The Contemporary Print at Flatbed Press (Austin, TX). Her works on paper have been featured in New American Paintings, "New Editions" in Art in Print, as well as in artist-run publications such as Maae Magazine and Printeresting's MANUAL.

Jack St. John is a native to Bedford, OH. He received a BA in Fine Arts from Kent State in 1995 and earned a Post-Baccalaureate certificate in Painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited widely across the country and has won numerous Best in Show awards throughout Ohio. Much of his work is inspired by rock climbing and other outdoor experiences. He has been a working artist for over 30 years.

Nishiki Sugawara-Beda is a visual artist who works primarily on painting and sculptural installation. As she was born and raised in Japan and immigrated to the US as a young adult, her work deals with the examination of various cultures. To speak to the core of humanity, she seeks the connections among cultures both from the past and present, and currently she is researching on Japanese traditional activities including Chado (tea ceremony) and Tenkoku (seal). Her work has been presented in solo exhibitions as well as numerous group shows nationally and internationally. She has been shortlisted for various art competitions, including the Door Prize (Bristol, England), ArtGemini Prize (London, England), and 7th National Juried Exhibition at Prince Street Gallery (New York). Her work has been published in the 87th issue of New American Paintings, Fresh Paint Magazine, Expose Art Magazine: Special Edition, AEQAI, and 100 days 100 women. She is an Idaho Art Fellow 2018 awarded by the Idaho Commission on the Arts funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, USA.
The artists were selected through The Contemporary Dayton’s 2018 Biennial Call and selected by our Exhibitions & Program Committee. The exhibition is curated by Eva Buttacavoli, Executive Director and Chief Curator.