Leander Capuozzo (NYC)
20 May – 10 June 2017
>Most Serene Gardens Compilation [HD], run time 11 minutes 23 seconds. My room off a hallway in New York City, my life in seven by ten feet. 5:45 am re- turned from shift downtown. Adderral loosening its grip on my muscles. Related video, Most Beautiful Gardens [Europe]. Take a trip. Runtime 6 minutes 8 seconds. My grandmother would plant bulbs in the spring.
>Have you ever been to Versailles? No but I did visit the Tiergarten in 2010- but more firmly set in my memory, the soviet memorial at Treptower park. I read a joke today about the communist with their eyes on the horizon, refusing to look back at their past failures. Or Gorlitzer where we would buy weed.
>This garden is a mystery to me but I come here sometimes to check on the dog. And to see if they got me checkmate.
Leander Capuozzo (b. 1994, Staten Island) is a multidisciplinary artist currently living and working in New York City. In 2014 he created and edited a new art magazine called SW7, which was published by Sarah Lawrence College featuring work by Todd James among others. In 2014 while studying at the School of the Art Institute Chicago (SAIC), Leander co-founded the art space Hidden Dog which has hosted internationally renowned musicians and artists. Hidden Dog was named a top new Chicago gallery project by Newcity Art.
Leander is focused on mining a variety of visual cultures including user generated images, pop media and processes of figuration, producing a flow content oscillating between original and remix. When organized and presented in his artworks, these materials speak meaningfully to an audience that is interested in discovering a maximal flow of information, a meaningful relationship with contemporary society, and a new vision of a possible future. Leander often works closely with other artists while creating work; in 2015 he created a project with painter Joe Grillo (of Dearraindrop), working collaboratively on paintings, drawings and sculptures in a week of intense production. His current project 1 (800) BAD-DRUG is a collaborative exhibition and performance space in various locations across New York. Capuozzo has exhibited at Hammer Museum (LA), Flanders/Lump Gallery (NC), Side Show Gallery (NY) and has created work for the collection of Sofia Coppola.
Images by Leander Capuozzo, Letti K-Ewing and Mia van den Bos.