Interviews by Brainard Carey

image credit: Star Montana rafa esparza (b. 1981, Los Angeles; lives and works in Los Angeles) received a BA from University of California, Los Angeles in 2011. Solo exhibitions have been held at Artists Space, New York (2023); Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles (2021); MASS MoCA, North Adams (2019); ArtPace, San Antonio (2018); and Ballroom Marfa (2017). Selected group exhibitions have been held at Commonwealth and Council, Mexico City (2022); Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson (2022); Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University, Houston (2020); San Diego Art Institute (2019); Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2017); and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2016). esparza is a recipient of a Pérez Prize (2022), Latinx Artist Fellowship (2021), Lucas Artist Fellowship (2020), Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2017), Art Matters Foundation Grant (2014), and California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists (2014). He has participated in residencies at Artpace San Antonio (2018) and Wanlass Artist in Residence, OXY ARTS, Los Angeles (2016). esparza’s work is in the collections of Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Dallas Museumof Art; San Jose Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Museum of ContemporaryArt, Los Angeles; Kadist Art Foundation; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York;Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and Vincent Price Art Museum, LosAngeles. 110 Northbound, photo by Yomahra Gonzalez Camino Exhibition, photo by: Yomahra Gonzalez Hermila, photo by Yomahra Gonzalez

Hulda Guzman in the studio, 2023 Hulda Guzmán (b. 1984, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) depicts her tropical surroundings as she explores perspective and reality. Situated between Impressionistic landscape, psychological autobiography, Mexican muralism, Caribbean folk traditions, endearing comedy, and magical realism, Guzmán’s work engenders an emphatic compassion for the united forces of the living, celebrated through the act of painting. Guzmán received a BA from Altos de Chavón School of Design in the Dominican Republic and went on to study photography and mural painting at the National School of Visual Arts, Mexico. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, MD; Dallas Museum of Art, TX; Denver Art Museum, CO; He Art Museum (HEM), Guangdong, CN; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), CA; Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), São Paulo, Brazil; Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), CA, among others. Guzmán has been featured in the Dominican Republic’s pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. Guzmán has shown with Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK; Alexander Berggruen, NY; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA; Dio Horia Gallery, Mykonos; Arte BA, Buenos Aires; Galería Machete, Mexico City; Gallery Ariane Paffrath Dusseldorf; and at institutions such as the Denver Art Museum, CO; Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo; the Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL; Museo de Arte de São Paulo, Brazil; Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo, Costa Rica; and Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, DC. The artist lives and works in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Hulda Guzmán, Hojas de fuego, 2023, acrylic gouache on linen, triptych overall: 48 1/8 x 88 1/2 in. (122.2 x 224.8 cm.), each: 48 1/8 x 29 1/2 in. (122.2 x 74.9 cm.) Included in Hulda Guzmán: They come from water (May 24-July 5, 2023) at Alexander Berggruen, New York, NY. Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist; Alexander Berggruen, NY; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photo: Dario Lasagni Hulda Guzmán, Pets. Are they real?, 2023, acrylic gouache on linen, 48 x 29 5/8 in. (121.9 x 75.2 cm.) Included in Hulda Guzmán: They come from water (May 24-July 5, 2023) at Alexander Berggruen, New York, NY. Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist; Alexander Berggruen, NY; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photo: Dario Lasagni Hulda Guzmán, Eddy y Bo 1, 2023, acrylic gouache on linen, 60 x 37 in. (152.4 x 94 cm.) Included in Hulda Guzmán: They come from water (May 24-July 5, 2023) at Alexander Berggruen, New York, NY. Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist; Alexander Berggruen, NY; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photo: Dario Lasagni

Fatemeh Burnes is an artist, educator, curator, and activist based in Los Angeles. Classically trained in Persian art and verse, Burnes also studied biology, modern Persian poetry, and western artistic practice – including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, art history, and exhibition design – in Iran, Europe, and ultimately in California, where she received her BFA and MFA in art and art history.. Since 1992 she has exhibited her own work nationally and internationally, curated over 100 exhibitions, and authored numerous publications. Burnes’s painting and photography focus on nature and human nature by looking at modern events and tragedies, both ecological and social, and how those events manifest in contemporary life. Some of her most current work highlights environmental and identity issues, specifically in the context of her experiences as an immigrant and as a woman. "Goddess of Discord," 2023, oil, handmade paper, and spray paint on canvas, 72" x 96" "Tower of Pride," 2023, oil, pigment, collage, and carving on panel, 16" x 16" "Under My Skin," 2022, oil, pigment, handmade paper, and piano rolls on canvas, 44" x 44"

Li Wang (b. 1995) is a New York-based painter, born in Beijing, China. Li holds a Bachelor of Arts from The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, where he studied Stage Design. He graduated from the Columbia University School of the Arts' MFA program in 2022. Wang is a finalist of the AXA Art Prize and the New American Paintings competition. He is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant and the Columbia University Dean's Project Grant. In 2023, his solo exhibitions were held at Fragment gallery (New York, USA) and NADA New York. Li Wang, After bathing, 2022, oil o canvas, 48 x 50 in Li Wang, Carousel, 2022, oil on canvas, 58 x 70 in Li Wang, Tao in my studio, 2022, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 in

Elzie Williams III (American, b. 1993) holds an MFA in sculpture from Columbia University School of the Arts, New York (2022), and a BFAfrom The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York (2015). They are the first recipient of the Solomon B. HaydenFellowship, administered through Columbia University, NY. The award was founded to support diverse voices in art by Lisson Gallery,Clearing Gallery, and artist Hugh Hayden in honor of Hayden’s late father, Solomon B. Hayden who was a math teacher.Williams’ work was included inEponymouswith Dominic Palarachio and Bat-Ami Rivlin, M 2 3, New York (2021); and on view with Lyn Lui atFrançois Ghebaly, New York (2021). Recent exhibitions includeArrangements in Blackat Phillips, New York (2022); exhibitions at Clearingin Brooklyn and Los Angeles (2022); Half Gallery, New York (2022); Thierry Goldberg, New York (2023); as well asMZ.25 (MyCondolences), an exhibition by Monsieur Zohore at M+B, Los Angeles (2023); and The School of Visual Arts (SVA) Curatorial ThesisExhibitionTranscending the Ideal: Reimagining Femininity and its Relationship to Power, curated by Virginia Ingram (2023). Politics As Usualis their first solo exhibition. Elzie Williams III That’s Hot, but you're Fired!, 2023 cardboard, magazine page, counterfeit bill, stickers, clear tape, laser pointer 24 x 23.5 inches (61 x 60 cm) Elzie Williams III Monstro, 2023 water bottles, figurine, ten cents, metal, readymade shelf 19 x 5 x 5 inches (48 x 13 x 13 cm) Elzie Williams III Do You Know Where You're Going To?, 2023 magazine swatches of black and brown faces with the color white on reverse, found images, plastic, found objects, acrylic rod, metal, flagpole bracket, light 33 x 14 x 12 inches (84 x 36 x 31 cm)

Raymond Saá in his studio Raymond Saá is a Cuban-American artist born in New Orleans and raised in Miami. He graduated from the New World School of the Arts in 1991, received his B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1995, and studied at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf in 1996. In 1997, he earned an M.F.A. from Parsons School of Design. Selected exhibitions include White Columns, the Islip Museum, Wave Hill, the Museum of Art Puerto Rico, and El Museo del Barrio. Saá received a 2019 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in addition to awards from Public Art for Public Schools, the Pollack Krasner Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and New Jersey Fellowship in Art. The artist lives and works in New Jersey. The Blue Bird, 2023 Raymond Saá Morgan Lehman Gallery 'The Blue Bird' series, 2023 Size: 30 x 24 in Medium: gouache collage on sewn paper 'The Blue Bird' series, 2023 Size: 30 x 24 in Medium: gouache collage on sewn paper 'The Blue Bird' series, 2023 Size: 30 x 24 in Medium: gouache collage on sewn paper

Artist Anthony James and his first exhibition in the region entitled Light at Opera Gallery in DIFC.Antonie Robertson/The National Anthony James (b. 1974) is a London-born, Los Angeles-based artist who graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design with a degree in painting. James is known for his monumental sculptures and installations that embrace Minimalism, Transcendentalism and Light & Space. In the winter of 2023, James became the first and only visual artist to have work exhibited on all seven continents when he installed one of his stainless steel, glass, and LED Portals at White Desert’s base camp in Antarctica near the South Pole. “In my practice I’m trying to give a visual demonstration of the infinite or the divinity inside us all,” says James. “If you’re seeing and experiencing this ever-expanding cosmos, hopefully that’s a window to explore this underlying law of nature, this inner light.”

Masako Miki (b. 1973, Osaka, Japan) is a multimedia artist whose work ranges installation and large-scale sculpture, printmaking, watercolor and felting. A native of Japan, she now lives and works in Berkeley, CA. Her work frequently explores the idea of synthesis—manipulating contradicting spatial elements to suggest a disoriented context and space. The artist bases her narrative on her own experiences of becoming bicultural in the United States at the age of eighteen. Strongly influenced by craft and folk art of different cultures, she remains close to her ancestral traditions, frequently considering motifs and ideologies that arise from her association with Buddhism, Shintoism, and traditional Japanese folklore. The artist’s practice is further rooted in the belief that art can foster social contexts in which contemporary and universally relevant mythologies and social narratives can be generated—replacing or fixing harmful misconceptions and mythologies of the past that have previously sparked social injustices. In 2020, Miki’s functional furniture was commissioned to be a part of San Francisco’s forthcoming, landmark Minna-Natoma Art Corridor. In 2021, her large-scale sculptures were commissioned as a permanent installation at the Uber Technologies Headquarters in Mission Bay, San Francisco. She has been included in solo and group exhibitions at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, KY (2023); Nassima Landau Art Foundation, Israel (2023); ICA San Jose, CA (2022); Katonah Museum of Art, NY (2022); Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, CA (2022); Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, CA (2019); and de Young Museum, CA (2016), among others. Her work is included in the collections of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, CA; Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation, NY; Collección SOLO, Spain; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA. She received her MFA from San Jose State University. Masako Miki, Empathy Lab, Installated at Ryan Lee Gallery, May 18 – June 30, 2023 Masako Miki, Empathy Lab, Installated at Ryan Lee Gallery, May 18 – June 30, 2023 Hyakki Yagho, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons - Following Plaster Wall Shapeshifter and a Cat Who Lived a Million Years

Destiny Haven Trujillo (b. 1994, New Mexico, United States) received her BFA in 2016 from the University of New Mexico. In 2022, she had a solo exhibition with Smoke the Moon in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. DIMIN is excited to presentDevoraste, a neon diary of the vivid exploits of Destiny Haven Trujillo. For her first solo exhibition in New York, Trujillo embodies the manic charm of her daily life, offering a voyeuristic glimpse into the contemporaryvie boheme. The title of the show, “Devoraste”, is derived from the Spanish aphorism meant to convey the concept of unabashed queer self-expression, with the literal translation “you ate that!”. For Trujillo,devorastereferences the celebration of pride she conveys in her paintings –colorful bacchanals teeming with joy. At its core, the work addresses sexual identity and fluidity. The acceptance she has found in the queer community is tantamount in importance to the artist personally as it is to her artistic concept. Approachability is one of the major goals of Trujillo’s canvases – her goal is to welcome the broadest audience possible. Destiny Haven Trujillo Anthrax (Persistence of Time), 2023 Acrylic on canvas 40 x 36 in 101.6 x 91.4 cm Destiny Haven Trujillo, V-Day, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 42.5 x 42.5 in, 108 x 108 cm Destiny Haven Trujillo, Daddy’s Little Girl Ain’t A Girl No More, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 in, 121.9 x 121.9 cm

Omaha-born, New York-based artist Tim Brawner produces a practice of painting that mines the space between the uncanny and the grotesque. Seeking to produce in the viewer a compelling affect of unease, Brawner utilizes the idiom of illustration to render images of alienation, through the purposeful bricolage of disparate representational elements. In each work, a persistently fine, monochromatic, painterly execution meets the artist’s formal drafting process of drawing and montage in order to achieve what Brawner terms a pathos of ‘weirdness’: a form of defamiliarization which is also a seduction, an entreat, into a strange representational space nonetheless evoking trepidation and dread. These visual chimeras undermine the spectators’ traditional binary frames of reference, eliding at once those of conservative Western Christian morality and those of liberal secular paradigms of Enlightened empathy. As the artist intones, this ‘weirding’ is “part of the drama of the work; it is an ontological struggle [of an alternative world beyond our given dichotomies] to be represented… to come into being.” Tim Brawner (b. 1991, Omaha, Nebraska) received an MFA from Yale School of Art in 2020. Exhibitions include Zang Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; PAGE (NYC), New York; Yale University Gallery, New Haven, CT; Ashes On Ashes, New York; Yale Painting & Printmaking MFA, Galerie Perrotin; Papa Projects, Minneapolis, MN; Union Pacific, London; Unit London, London; Primary, Miami, FL. Brawner will have his first solo exhibition with Management in 2023. Tim Brawner, The Escape III, 2023, Acrylic on canvas 36 × 36 in / 91.4 × 91.4 cm Tim Brawner, Character Head 2, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 60 × 48 in / 152.4 × 121.9 cm Tim Brawner, Character Head 1, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 60 × 48 in / 152.4 × 121.9 cm