Curated by Kylie Aylies, Special Occasion featured six artists based in Philadelphia. View works selected works from Jill Adler, Bobbie Bowdren, David Donigan, Kassadie Nieto, Chloe Luisa Piñero, and Zac Siravo at James Oliver Gallery on March 1st & 2nd only.
Jill Adler (b. 1996, Manhattan, New York) received her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2021 and her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2019. Adler’s practice incorporates a wide array of media, including but not limited to painting, sculpture, printmaking, papermaking, bookmaking, and ceramics.
Her interrogation of her own memory (and subsequent panic after coming to terms with its inherent slippage) is the foundation of her practice. Often with painstaking detail, Adler tries to pin down and recreate objects from her past that are evocative of the places and people with which she spent the most time and cared the most for. Jill Adler currently lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Pictured: Jill Adler, Fruit of His Room, 12.5” x 20.5” x .5”, Screenprint on artist’s handmade cotton paper (made with cotton shirt fibers), Edition of 11, 2022
Chloe Luisa Piñero is an interdisciplinary artist and educator from Philadelphia, PA, who works in mixed media painting, collage, and sculpture. Reflecting on her own experiences and familial histories from both her native home of Philadelphia, and her ancestral home of Puerto Rico, Chloe aims to preserve stories and memories tied to place, while exploring themes of gender, queerness, and desire as they relate to her own identity.
Left: Chloe Luisa Piñero, Rainbow, 16” x 20”, Oil paint, spray paint, found objects, glitter, and chalk pastel on canvas, 2020
Right: Chloe Luisa Piñero, Looking For a Four Leaf Clover, 8” x 10”, Book of printed digital collages, edition of 50 , 72 pages, 2021
Piñero earned a BFA in Painting and Drawing from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 2018. She recently completed the Spring 2023 Apprenticeship program at The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, PA, has participated in the Jasper Studios Artist Residency in Philadelphia, PA, and is a recipient of the 2022 Illuminate the Arts Grant. Piñero’s recent solo exhibitions include Morph Erotic Dream from a Magazine, Blah Blah Gallery (2023), In Between and All at Once, Philadelphia's Magic Gardens (2022-23), On Being Home, at Lather Hair Studio (2022), and Fever Dreams, at Hyacinth Gallery (2021). Chloe has taught in art education and public programming at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and continues to teach in the Philadelphia area.
Bobbie Bowdren, Family Tree I, Silkscreen, 6" x 6" (individually), December 2021, ai generated portraits using photos of themself, their mom, and their dad
Bobbie Bowdren is a printmaker and sculptor living and working in Philadelphia, PA. Bowdren reveals their deep and complicated connections to domestication by utilizing texture through natural materials. Their soft, muted palette is complemented by the occasional vivid pop of color. They further cultivated their knowledge of printmaking by receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture in 2022. Some of Bowdren’s favorite music artists are Björk, Minnie Riperton, and D’Angelo.
"Home has never been a place of comfort for me. At home, there should be a sense of calm and control. Unfortunately, I have never had this honor. Longing to satisfy this want for security, I began producing my own stability using printing and fiber craft techniques. To create my own heirlooms, I blend images of my loved ones with artificial intelligence. This usage of software represents the instability and unpredictability of the socialized world which might intersect with our private lives. A combination of these two can destroy a once-safe environment. Through my work, I investigate the structures that contribute to a broken home, such as gender roles, racism, and sexuality, as well as the logic behind such systems. In my art, I employ nostalgic and recognized home items that are common in many households. Altering these items helps me to investigate these mentalities. To keep ourselves comfortable, we have avoided confronting the concerns and unwritten norms of domestication."
Kassadie Nieto is a Philly-based artist from Florida. Her art practice celebrates the ecstatic poetry of liking stuff! Through objects to gaze upon, read, consider, wear, sip from, or hold close, she creates shrines to drama, indulgence, pulling out all the stops. Pointing to and declaring what she finds beautiful is a form of vulnerability that enchants her.
Fine art to fan art to fashion, the work is guided by a visual language referencing early '00s nostalgia and the glittering excess of capitalist girlhood. Her forms are caricatures of femininity, sexiness, youth, tackiness, taste. They scream “I thought this is what you wanted!!!!!!!!”
As ballet kitty, She sells 1 of 1 clothing, accessories, screenprints, ceramics, zines, and more.
Kassadie Nieto
I was born ready to care for a pet and be a pet too. , Screenprint on paper, glitter, chain
22” x 28”, 2024
As an artist, Zac Siravo draws inspiration from the layers of identity embedded within his life experiences. Born in 1993 and spending a significant portion of his formative years in Philadelphia, Zac's artistic journey reflects the dynamic energy of urban landscapes and the intricacies of human connection. Having recently returned to Philadelphia from Los Angeles, Zac's transition from tattoo artistry to large-scale mainly acrylic paintings symbolizes a metamorphosis—a journey of exploration and self-discovery.
With a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Zac blends technical expertise with a deep-rooted passion for storytelling, inviting viewers to delve into the complexities of existence through his vibrant and evocative canvases. Through his work, Zac Siravo invites us to ponder the significance of our past relationships, the places we call home, and the transformative power of artistic expression.
