~DARK TIMES: DARJA BAJAGIC & TOM COSTA / JORDAN CASTEEL

DEDICATED TO THE DARK EVENTS of 9/11/01 & the generation that grew up in their shadow.

on my way to the evening’s huge blast of a opening, SATAN CERAMICS at SALON 94 FREEMANS, pix posting tomorrow – I happened upon the shows of 2 new artists to the scene, DARJA BAJAGIC and TOM COSTA. both of whom, although young & supposedly hopeful – expressed very dark thoughts.
I also ran into JORDAN CASTEEL, another young painter recently located to NYC – in person.

Mr. Costa’s vision was more looking out, and the look was devastating. Ms. Bajagic’s dark rumblings – seeped up from deep inside.

the ironic part was JORDAN CASTEEL, a young artist whose studio I had visited a couple of years back at the YALE GRADUATE FINE ARTS PROGRAM OPEN STUDIOS. she told me she had her first solo show in New York, currently up at SARGENT’S DAUGHTERS, located deeper into the fringes of the Lower East Side. titled ‘Visible Man’, it comes down this weekend, so you can still catch it.
what struck me, looking up the work on the gallery website – was that her work was . . optimistic, and hopeful, if complicated and . . deep.


TOM COSTA, in front of his painting. he has 3 canvases in this group show.
‘DESTRUCTURE’ – curated by JONATHAN MELVILLE PRATT
SEPT 3 – OCT 12, 2014.
LESLEY HELLER WORKSPACE


TOM COSTA, apocalyptic vision or what.


TOM COSTA, ‘Window 5’, 2014. oil on canvas.
30 x 52 in. ($3,500)
. . a startling glimpse through the crowd.


detail, TOM COSTA, ‘WINDOW 5’.


TOM COSTA, ‘DRACK’ – image via his website: TOM COSTA
TOM COSTA has an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, 2004, and he seems to have showed some very cool, sleek future vision paintings – at Audio Visual Arts/AVA in NYC, in 2009.
definitely check out that website.


DARJA BAJAGIC, ‘Come to the Dark Side We Have Cookies !!!’, 2014.
mixed media on canvas, 53 x 76.25 in.

DARJA BAJAGIC showed ‘assemblage’ works over at ROOM EAST. very graphic, very dark – her work, was about – growing up ?

DARJA BAJAGIC, ‘Cold Comfort’
SEPT 7 – OCT 5, 2014
ROOM EAST – 41 ORCHARD ST, NYC


detail, DARJA BAJAGIC, ‘Come to the Dark Side We Have Cookies !!!’, 2014.
all about the young ROOKIE gen chicks – 2 sides of the coin, look out !!


looking very . . eerily like the Twin Towers – or what ?!!!!


yep, welcome to my world – the devil, SATAN . . is a YOUNG DEMON MEAN GIRL.


DARJA BAJAGIC . . . ‘Welcome to the Dark Side, Surprised we lied about the Cookies ?’


DARJA BAJAGIC, ‘Evil’, 2014
UV print on aluminum, 50 x 35 x 0.25 in.


detail, ‘Evil’.
the photo seemed to be a blow-up of a stitched, embroidered ‘badge’, and worked very well on the aluminum surface.


detail, ‘Evil’.
the cut-out quality was really nice. too.


DARJA BAJAGIC, ‘I’m invisible Just Assholes can See Me’, 2014.
mixed media on canvas, 76 x 55 in.


detail, ‘I’m Invisible’, note small patch on the upper left side.


detail, ‘I’m Invisible’ – yep, that ‘patch’ . . says it all.


DARJA BAJAGIC – image from her website, check it out: DARJA BAJAGIC


JORDAN CASTEEL, Lower East Side, NYC. SEPT 7, 2014.
currently New York City based, Jordan was born in 1989, in DENVER, Colorado.
she received her MFA from YALE this past year (2014).

JORDAN CASTEEL has her debut NYC show up at SARGENT’S DAUGHTERS – the show, titled ‘Visible Man’, runs thru SEPT 14, 2014 – so you can still catch it.


JORDAN CASTEEL, ‘Jerome’, 2014.
oil on canvas, 54 x 72 in. – image via SARGENT’S DAUGHTERS

from the gallery website:
Jordan Casteel’s “subject .. is black men, all of whom are unclothed, both literally and metaphorically . . . she seems to ask, is a black man a black man no matter the color ?”


JORDAN CASTEEL, ‘Galen 2’, 2014.
oil on canvas, 72 x 84 in. – image via SARGENT’S DAUGHTERS

check out more of Jordan’s work on her website: JORDAN CASTEEL

so,

Welcome to the DARK SIDE, NYC . . SEPT 11, 2014.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, SEPT 7, 2014 – unless otherwise noted.