Paradigm

Kate Glasheen: DEAD KINGS, II 

Crystal Latimer: KEEPSAKES 

December 4, 2020 – January 9, 2021 

(left) Kate Glasheen, Dead King 27 [20th Century Iraqi President], 2020,
Pen and Ink, 16” x 20”
(right) Crystal Latimer, Take Reign of Backroads, 2020 Acrylic, pastel, gold leaf,
cotton fiber tassels on panel 24” x 30” (plus tassels)

Paradigm Gallery is pleased to present two solo exhibitions of new works by contemporary artists, Kate Glasheen and Crystal Latimer. Glasheen’s exhibition, DEAD KINGS, II (pronounced ‘the second’), is an intricate body of work that depicts world leaders past, present, and dead and comments on their obsessions with materialism and legacy. Latimer’s exhibition, KEEPSAKES, marks the artist’s first time showing at Paradigm and is a series of mixed media paintings that act as colorful reminders of one’s own inner-strength. Though the exhibitions exist as separate bodies of work, they both explore the concept of power, external and internal, through historical references and imagery. DEAD

KINGS, II and KEEPSAKES are opening* on December 4, 2020 and on view through January 9, 2021. 

DEAD KINGS, II is a follow up to Glasheen’s 2018 Paradigm exhibition, DEAD KINGS, which presented compositions of fictional rulers in ink on paper. Though fabricated, Glasheen’s characters were eerily connected to the contemporary leaders of today and for this exhibition, the leaders are now real. The timeline’s maw has expanded to swallow up the current day and Glasheen’s Kings’ relevancy moves from allegorical to actual. While her cast of characters are still skeletal, which is typical of the artist’s practice, they are recognizable in the details; their legacies constructed in ink. DEAD KINGS began as a sarcastic body of work that mocked the historical patterns of power; however, as unwieldy kings became contemporary, no longer a thing of the past, Glasheen wonders, ‘With them so close, is the joke the same? Is it funny at all, anymore?’. DEAD KINGS, II seeks to expose the desperate flailings of these rulers to maintain power. Power is temporary, and time is the only King. 

KEEPSAKES is the first body of work in a brand new series by Latimer that continues the artist’s fascination with storytelling and affirmations. In her practice, Latimer reinterprets Western historical art to create a connection between the past and the present. The mixed-media paintings in KEEPSAKES are colorful and bold, as the artist uses acrylics, gold leaf, and cotton fiber tassels. The works look like tapestries, an art form that was long ago favored for its accessible and portable storytelling abilities and through the use of contemporary iconography, Latimer tells stories of inner strength, positivity and triumph. In her previous work, the artist painted masculine imagery like battle scenes of conquest and male historical figures, but for KEEPSAKES, the imagery and color story is re-interpreted as feminine. Power comes from within and Latimer’s works act as an evocative visual reminder of that inner strength. 

*Due to COVID-19, “DEAD KINGS, II” and “KEEPSAKES” will be available for viewing by appointment only or on https://www.paradigmarts.org/ until further notice. These policies are dependent on the current policies of the CDC, WHO and the Governor and Mayor’s offices. 

Paradigm Gallery’s number one priority is the safety and wellness of their visitors. For live updates on the exhibition and appointments, please visit the Paradigm website and socials. For any questions on Paradigm’s current policies, please email info@paradigm-gallery.com. 

About Kate Glasheen 

Kate Glasheen graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. Kate has since been a creator, artist, and contributor for several critically acclaimed books, participated in exhibitions across the country, and worked on some of the biggest properties in entertainment. Her artistic interests find communion in fine and sequential art under the notion that there’s something hilarious about something that’s not funny at all. 

Kate has exhibited her work in spaces such as LA’s Gallery 1988, Philadelphia’s Paradigm Gallery, and Brooklyn’s Gristle Gallery. Published works include Top Shelf’s A Radical Shift of

Gravity (with collaborator Nick Tapalansky), contributions to the Adventure Time series (BOOM! Studios), Hybrid Bastards! (Archaia Entertainment), The Sakai Project (Dark Horse Comics), several entries in the Graphic Canon series (Seven Stories Press), Resist! (Françoise Mouly, Nadja Speigleman, and Desert Island), Kickstarter funded Bandage: A Diary of Sorts, and Line Webtoon’s dark teen drama, Varsity Noir

Commercial clients include Paramount Pictures, Cartoon Network, AMC, Topps, Inc., and many others with work spanning such properties as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Walking Dead

About Crystal Latimer 

Crystal Latimer was born in Hollywood, CA but grew up in Ellwood City, PA. In 2010, Crystal completed her BFA Slippery Rock University. She then went to receive an MA and MFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2013 and 2016, respectively. After graduating, Crystal taught several courses at Penn State New Kensington and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney and has lectured at Slippery Rock University and Carlow University. 

Crystal’s work has been shown extensively in both solo and group exhibitions, including at the Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Chautauqua Institution, The Mine Factory, George Washington University, and Union Hall among others. She has shown her work in Hong Kong, China, South Bank, London, as well as participated in a residency at the Joaquin Chaverri Fabrica de Carretas in Sarchi, Costa Rica. Crystal’s work has been featured in Create!, Pikchur, Local Arts PGH, Art Maze, Ruminate, and Fresh Paint Magazines. Her work is included in both public and private collections including those of Indiana State University of Pennsylvania, PNC Corporate, the Benter Foundation, and Wyndham Tryp Hotel. 

About Paradigm Gallery 

Established February 2010 in Philadelphia, Paradigm Gallery began as a project between co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston, as a space to create and collect in a welcoming gallery setting. Now open 10 years, Paradigm Gallery is globally recognized and known as a tastemaker within their greater Philadelphia arts community. As the gallery grows, it maintains its original mission to keep art accessible. Through monthly donations, free public art installations and initiatives like Insider Picks, Paradigm Gallery, continues to be a champion of small businesses and emerging artists. 

Location: 

746 S 4th St 

Philadelphia, PA 19147 

Media Contact: 

Lainya Magaña, A&O PR 

347 395 4155 

lainya@aopublic.com

Thank you to Madison Fishman for the content of this post.

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