Featuring recent graduates from leading art schools, including New York Academy of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, and Art Students League, among others, Nascent captures the raw energy, experimentation, and evolving perspectives of young painters and illustrators at the beginning of their professional journeys.

These artists are finding their place in the contemporary art landscape, with works reflecting a diverse range of influences, techniques, and narratives. The exhibition showcases landscapes, figurative and still-life paintings, and illustrations - each one a masterful exploration of its respective medium. Some pieces feature expressive brushstrokes, allowing the application techniques to become an integral part of the work’s identity - raw, unfiltered, and full of emotion. Other pieces, in stark contrast, display painstaking detail, with tangible precision in their realism.

While the techniques and subject matter vary widely, Nascent reveals a shared pursuit of self-expression, creativity, and authenticity. Each artist in the show is exploring their own voice - grappling with questions of identity, personal history, and social commentary. Whether through abstraction, realism, or a combination of both, these artists are exploring new ways of interpreting the world around them.

Among the works included are: Scott Garder’s illustrations that evoke a reverence for the beauty of the human experience; Ruoyu Gong’s paintings that combine Jungian psychoanalysis and Chinese cultural roots to reveal the unconscious tensions that underlie the absurdity of human existence; the stunningly detailed illustrations of Manwei He which are deeply influenced by classical art; Alexa Huang’s exploration of Eastern and Western aesthetics, inspired by traditional Chinese ink paintings; the meticulously crafted compositions of Gannon McMullen; Norberto Perez’s figurative explorations that emphasize form and mark-making; landscapes painted by Lorenzo Torres which are influenced by human relationships and connection; Hao Wang’s illustrations and paintings that invite viewers to explore feelings of isolation and longing for connection; Theresia Zhang’s still lifes and figurative paintings that emotionally narrate daily life and social struggles; and evocative oil paintings from Daxian Zhao, whose works navigate the blurred boundaries of reality and fantasy.

Nascent is a celebration of emerging voices in art and serves as a powerful reminder that the future of art is being forged in the studios and classrooms that surround us. It invites viewers to witness the birth of new ideas and new voices.