A: Is for artist off the beaten track

There are a lot of not so famous artists that make up the gallery scene and it's what makes them come alive. Nicholas Sperakis is a part of these hidden treasures lurking in the Chelsea gallery scene. Learning his craft at The Arts Students League and Pratt, this is an artist who has developed his own voice. Darkly illustrative with a tribal African influence he approaches imagery by treating the surfaces developing a relationship to history. He creates in beeswax vermiculite, oil and acrylic, creating an extremely heavy palette. Taking advantage of the grain of the wood there is no wonder that his wood cuts are world famous, dealing with religious and conventional themes and contemporary social issues. A Guggenheim Fellowship in 1971, forty two one man exhibits, fifty four permanent museum collections, including MoMA and The Philadelphia Museum makes this artist someone to take notice of. One of my favorite galleries is Max Protetch located at 511 West 22nd Street. Until August 10th their show Unfathom has earned Top Pick from several art critics. Curated by the artist Aaron Williams and Stuart Krimko, the gallery's Director of Exhibitions. This group show tackles spiritual themes from unconventional perspectives. The artists that stand out are Cameron, Saul Chernick, Bryon Kim, and Mira Dancy. Mira whose above work is reminiscent of Richard Prince which is not surprising considering she is also a writer. "There is always something I hear screaming to come along when I'm painting. Like this, I started to think about how paintings can shove themselves up to their painters and how they embody both an offering and a mystery at once." Saul Chernick pictorialize the metaphysical. Like a wonderful children's book, slightly dark, highly imaginative, Chernick is reminiscent of a less complicated Esher. Leading the viewer to otherworldly beings, alternate realities, and supernatural phenomena. Our fears, and desires are brought to light for they remain forever constant. Creating Protosapia, an Eden-like environment he portrays a laboratory and breeding ground for an alternate or “would-be” human species he gives birth to a place where ideas about creation, sexual politics, and iconography coalesce. This is an artist that is awake and allows you through his art to guide you to that state. It is my hopes that this column will inspire you to awake as well and that is a F.A.C.T.