Jonathan Stein
Born in New York
Artist Statement
In the ebb and flow of our existence, we are confronted by great hindrances, as well as overwhelming moments of joy, which shape and define our character. It is my assertion that within each individual there lives and breathes a personal narrative that holds merit and deserves to be fully recognized. As a visual storyteller and conceptual artist, my life’s passion revolves around uncovering not only my own inherent story but the elaborate tales of those around me.
Classically trained in drawing, painting and sculpture, I have always sought to deviate and meander away from traditional means of representing the world around me. There are times I am visited by a superhighway of ideas that often race by too quickly to be seized, or I am confronted head-on by social injustices that bring upon an immediate need to respond creatively. These forces, this creative push, fuel the production of photographs, short film narratives and mixed media installations ranging in tone and varying in layered meaning. I stay open to influences and find my work reflects a multitude of subject matter, primarily gender, identity, social discourse, human rights, and the ever-present need for tolerance and social change.
My purpose as an artist and individual is propelled by an insatiable need to make a difference in this world for the good and to create artwork that can reach out and connect with audiences. Whatever the artistic medium, whatever the tools I may utilize, and whatever the lengths I must creatively push myself to realize my vision, this hunger is what serves as my foundation and allows me to claim the serious title of artist and visionary.
Education
Boston University - Graduated Cum Laude. 1996-2000
Boston, Massachusetts, B.F.A. with a minor in Art History, drawing, design, printmaking, painting, photography (all aspects, including fine art and photojournalism), film, and sculpture.
The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale - Graduated Cum Laude 2001-2003. Fort Lauderdale, Florida, A.S. with Special Distinction earning “BEST PORTFOLIO”. Commercial Photography & Advanced Portrait Photography, emphasis on Advertising and Styling.
The New York Film Academy. 1992. Focus in film narrative development, classic editing and 16 mm film production.
Exhibitions
2015
Bear Necessity and Fishing For Compliments, Art Miami New York, Galerie von Braunbehrens, Miami FL
Bling, Cornell Museum, Delray Beach, Florida
2014
Bear Necessities, Art Miami, Galerie von Braunbehrens, Miami FL
“Shiny Sparkly Show”, “In Bloom”, “This Old Thing”, Scope Miami Art Fair, Gallery Biba, Miami FL
Yummy Gummy Kitty*, Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, CA
** touring exhibition commissioned by Sanrio to celebrate the 40th birthday of Hello Kitty
2013
The Reason My People Can’t Go and Schmear, Eat Love, Miami Jewish Museum, Miami FL
The Shiny Sparkly Show, Art Aspen, Gallery Biba Aspen, CO
2012
The Shiny Sparkly Show, Scope Miami Art Basel, Gallery Biba, Miami FL
Souper Size Me, Dialect Factory, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, FL
The Repeal and M to F, Gender Appropriation Juried Exhibition, 1350 Sailboat Bend Gallery, Fort Lauderdale FL
Paws, Shark Exhibition, Be Inspired Group Show, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Chanel, Scope Basel, Art Basel, Robert Fontaine Gallery, Switzerland
Schmear, Eat, Love (Swarovski Bagel), Gallery 151, Chelsea, NY
Sugar Rush curated by and including art by Jonathan Stein, Cafeina, Miami, FL
2011 Shiny Sparkly Goes Down Easy Series, Scope Miami, Art Basel, Gallery Biba, Miami, FL
Bucket of Bling, Beck’s Emerging Miami Artist Exhibition, Wynwood Exhibition Center, Miami Fl
Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Art Fallout, Girls Club Collection, Fort Lauderdale, FL
t’s Just Make Up and Exuberance, Be Inspired Group Show, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, within The Art of Caring Show featuring Annie Liebowitz and Sally Mann, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Humoratorium and The Art of Whimsy juried exhibition, 1350 Sailboat Bend Gallery, Fort Lauderdale FL
Art For Autism, Gibson Guitar Center, Miami F
2011
Scope Art Basel, Gallery Biba
Chanel in Pink, Keszler Gallery, Madisson Avenue, New York
Exploring Gender, solo exhibit at Florida Atlantic University
2010
The Healing Process (Images of Abuse) Gallery Calix Gustav, Miami, FL
2009
Gotta Get My Fix and Souper Size Me, Olyvia Fine Art Gallery (London) in conjunction with Gallery Biba, Art Miami, Art Basel, Miami FL
It’s Just Make-Up - Gallery Calix Gustav, Art Basel Group Show. Miami FL
Edible Deities, Buck 15, Crackhead Jesus and MAMM group show, Art Basel Art Miami, Miami Florida
Official Nascar Portrait of Bobby Allison for Ford/Coke Zero VIP kick Off party, Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood Florida
Gibson Guitar Exhibition, Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood Florida
The Good Humor Show, Zoe Heineman Myers Gallery, Washington D.C.
Everyone Wants A Piece of Obama, Shepard Fairey’s Manifest Hope, Irvine Contemporary Art, Washington D.C.
Selected political works,44, Zoe Heineman Myers Gallery,Washington D.C.
All You Can Eat, PB3 Art Fair, Gallery Biba, West Palm Beach, FL
Everyone Wants A Piece Of This Show, solo show, Hollywood Art Center, Hollywood, Florida
2008
Jonny’s Sugar Shack, Art Now Art Fair, Zoe Heineman Myers Gallery, Art Basel Miami, Miami, FL
Works from the Everyone Wants A Piece Of… Collection, Scope Art Fair, Hardcore Contemporary Art Space, Art Basel Miami, Miami, FL
Contemporary Art Space, Miami FL
Everyone Wants a Piece Of Ricky, Salma, Celia and Penelope, Tales From The Farside, group show, Farside Gallery, Hialeah, FL
Works from the Everyone Wants A Piece of Collection, Hardcore Art Contemporary Space, Fia 2008 Art Fair, Caracas, Venezuela
Everyone Wants A Piece of Shakira and Paris Hilton, Hardcore Art Contemporary Space,Scope Art Fair, Art Basel Switzerland, Basel Switzerland
Everyone Wants A Piece of Obama, Hillary and McCain, The Candidates, Zoe Heineman Myers Gallery, Bethesda, MD
Everyone Wants A Piece Of Collection, solo exhibit, Circa Art Fair, San Juan, PR
Shiny Sparkly Goes Down Easy, solo show, John D. MacArthur Campus Library, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL
Everyone Wants A Piece of Paris, Abracadabra Show, Hollywood Art Center, Hollywood, FL
2007
Shiny Sparkly, Photo Buenos Aires, Curated by Andreina Fuentes, Hardcore Art Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Everyone Wants A Piece Of- J-Lo, Justin Timberake, and Paris, Scope Art Fair, Miami, FL
The Shiny Sparkly Goes Down Easy Collection, Photo Miami, Miami, FL
The Object Show, “Everyone Wants A Piece of Britney”, Art Basel, Hardcore Art Gallery, Miami, FL
Diversity Without Division, Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, FL
“Putting On The Ritz”, Locust Projects, Wynwood Art District, FL
“Love On the Rocks”, “Hailed and Nailed”, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight “, London Bridge Art Fair, Hardcore Art Gallery, London,
Shiny Sparkly Triptich, 54th Annual Juried Show, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca, Fl
Love On the Rocks, “Hailed and Nailed”, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,“ Art Basel Switzerland, Hardcore Art Gallery, Basel, Switzerland
Circa Puerto Rico 2007, Hardcore Art Gallery, Puerto Rico
All Media Juried Exhibition, Hollywood Art Center, Hollywood, FL
2006
Shiny Sparkly Goes Down Easy, Area 51, Art Basel, Miami, FL
Photo Miami, Hardcore Art Gallery, Miami, FL
“Love On the Rocks”, “Hailed and Nailed”, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,“ installations on during Art Basel display at The Happily Ever After Show, Hardcore Art Gallery, Miami FL
Photo Buenos Aires, Hardcore Art Gallery, Argentina
Autumn: Mystery, Magic and Beauty – Juried Group Show, Garnerville Art Center, NY
People’s Choice Award and Judge’s Recognition Award for, “Soiled,” Broward Art Guild’s Censorship Show, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2005
“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, A Celebration of The Beatles, New Moon Bar and Broward Art Guild, Fort Lauderdale, FL
“Whitebread, Crackers and Wasps- They Were Just Born That Way,” “Pillow Talk,” “The Repeal” and “Soiled” featured in Social Intercourse – A Group Show, ArtCenter on Lincoln Road, Miami FL
“Waiting,” ”Judy as Dick,” ”Mi Fridachica,” A Celebration of Women, New Moon Bar and Broward Art Guild, Fort Lauderdale, FL
MJOJ (Innocent?), For Everyone and No One exhibit, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami, Miami, FL
People’s Choice Award and Judge’s Recognition Award for, “Pillow Talk” video art installation, Broward Art Guild’s 2ndAnnual Video/Sculpture/Photography exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
John Stewart’s The Daily Show on Comedy Central, Pillow Talk appears in a news segment by Ed Helms, Broward Art Guild, Fort Lauderdale, FL
“Pillow Talk” video art installation, Showtel 4 Art Exhibition , West Palm Beach, FL
“Larissa” black and white photography for The Great Plate Affair, Coral Springs Art Museum, Coral Springs, FL
“Plate Techtonics” mixed media for The Great Plate Affair, Coral Springs Art Museum, Coral Springs, FL
“The Visitation” photograph for the Great Plate Affair, Coral Springs Art Museum, Coral Springs, FL
“Bear Necessities” 3 mixed media bas relief, ArtsUnited 5thAnnual Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
“Larissa” , Tsunami Benefit Art Auction, The Dorsch Gallery, Wynwood Art District, Miami, FL
“Mi Frida Chica” 5 photographic stills, accepted into a Juried Online traveling tribute to Frida Khalo sponsored by Art.com
“Tsunami Girl” (image and description used in Palm Beach Post article), Art Benefit Auction, Mark Schulgasser Gallery, West Palm Beach, FL
2004
Men at Work, site specific mixed media installation, Showtel 4 Art Exhibition, West Palm Beach, FL
2003
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale Senior Portfolio Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Judy As Dick, Photography, ArtsUnited 3rdAnnual Art Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Frank as Huck Finn, Photography, ArtsUnited 3rdAnnual Art Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
On My Own, an American Sign Language performance art piece, ArtsUnited 3rd Annual Art Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2002
On the Line, 2 Photographs from the Martyrdom Series, ArtsUnited 2rdAnnual Art Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Wild Nights an American Sign Language performance art piece, ArtsUnited 2rdAnnual Art Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2001
Larissa’s Solitude, 6 Photographs from the Larissa Series, ArtsUnited 1st Annual Art Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2000
Black and White photographs commissioned for Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Exhibition, 1019 Art Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
1999
Boston University School of Fine Art Juried Student Exhibition, 855 Commonwealth Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
1998
Boston University School of Fine Art Juried Student Exhibition, 855 Commonwealth Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
1997
Boston University School of Fine Art Juried Student Exhibition, 855 Commonwealth Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
1996
Coral Springs Artist Guild Award – Outstanding Efforts in the Arts, Coral Springs, FL
Miami Herald Silver Knight Award for Art and Community Service, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Permanent Collections
Gibson Guitar
Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, Fl
Coral Springs Art Museum. Coral Springs, Fl
Boston University Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts