7 Emerging Artists To Watch in 2022

Introduction: 7 Emerging Artists To Watch in 2022

Happy 2022! Our very best wishes for the new year. 2021 was a year in which we discovered numerous exciting emerging artists. One of many things to be very grateful for, making us briefly forget the omnipresent Covid-troubles and its lingering effects.

Now, the new year has set off. The cliché states a new year brings new possibilities. Rightfully so, as we look forward to new prospects taking the art world by storm. In doing so, we have selected at least seven artists, of which we are convinced are set for a great year and are worth following closely in 2022.

So let’s start the year with the following seven artists. Here are our top seven picks of emerging artists you must watch in 2022.

1. Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill

We start our list with the Canadian artist Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill. Born in 1979 in Comox, British Columbia, 2021 was the year of Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill. With her solo exhibition Projects at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Hill launched herself to the higher tiers of the art world and is set to be one of the thé artists to watch in 2022.

Hill is best known for her sculptural practice in exploring the history of found materials. She examines concepts such as land, economy, or property. How does land become property? What are the vulnerabilities of land property? The result consists of a series of magnificent three-dimensional artworks, encompassing weaving, binding materials, flags, cuddly bunnies, and oil paintings implementing found objects. We are eager to discover what 2022 will bring Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill and what Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill will get to 2022.[1]

2. Ritsart Gobyn

One of the lesser-known artists from our list, a true discovery in 2021, is one of Belgium’s most promising young artists, Ritsart Gobyn. Born in 1985, Gobyn lives and works in Ghent and is best known for his unique trompe-l’oeil paintings, marked by subtlety and illusion. At first, his unprimed linen paintings seem as if they have been smudged with marks of paint and masking tape, with often a little still life or fragments of a painting or photograph attached to the canvas.

However, there is no masking tape, nor can we find small pieces of paper depicting a landscape. Everything has been painted, reinvigorating trompe-l’oeil painting in an era in which mimesis and the niche of trompe-l’oeil painting seem to be a thing of the past. In doing so, Gobyn examines the artistic process of painting. He questions the status of painting, not only as an image but also as a process and object.[2]

We encounter a similar strategy when it comes to his exhibitions. It seems as if the gallery space is not finished yet, and they are still building the show. Masking tape, unhung paintings, or a ready-made decorative sculpture of a pile of drywalls can be found on the gallery floor. Ritsart Gobyn’s works and shows are something different. As a result, we are convinced he is one of the artists to watch in 2022.

3. Somaya Critchlow

Up next, we have the Benjamin of our selection of emerging artists. Somaya Critchlow, born in 1993, lives and works in London. The British artist’s figuratively rendered paintings take on the tradition of picture-making. One encounters hints of Renaissance, Rococo, Dutch still life painting, various traditions, and much more in an utmost contemporary manner.

The universe of Somaya Critchlow is female, taking on the distinctions between high and low culture, or in class, and racial differences. Her intriguing body of works hasn’t gone unnoticed. Critchlow was one of the fastest-growing artists in 2021, according to the Artfacts algorithm, and we firmly believe the young emerging artist hasn’t reached her peak yet.[3]

4. Remus Grecu

Our next artist is none other than Remus Grecu. In 2021, we had the absolute pleasure of working with the Romanian artist for his solo show at our exhibition space CAI Gallery with his solo exhibition Remus Grecu: Night Rainbows. Of all the artists we have met and seen throughout 2021, Grecu is the painter we are most convinced of to be destined for greatness in the art world, especially after such a highly successful year.

Born in 1976, Remus Grecu currently resides and works in Bucharest. He is best known for his vivid figurative paintings, filled with color, contrast, enigma, and pure talent. The charismatic contemporary painter directs and depicts surreal compositions inspired by cinema and the subconscious. A deep psychological character resides in his unique works due to the slowness of his process. Grecu worked on every painting for a very long time, deciding to create just a handful of paintings a year, filled with mystery and guts, aiming only to produce the spectacular and escape normality.

As a result, we are convinced Grecu is set for another terrific year in 2022. For any further inquiries on Remus Grecu, we are happy to assist you and remain at your complete disposal. For a catalog of currently available works by Grecu, please contact us at [email protected] or visit CAI Gallery.

5. Ania Catherine & Dejha Ti

Next, we encounter the artist duo Dejha Ti and Ania Catherine and their art-house Operator. The award-winning duo from Los Angeles currently resides and works in Berlin, Germany. Ti and Catherine distinguish themselves with their unique and project-based artistic practice, creating immersive experiences, guiding the viewer into an idiosyncratic world, and questioning socio-political issues through interactive installations.

The duo of conceptual artists creates immersive digital artworks in the form of large-scale installations. Whereas often, the new possibilities of digital in art seduce the viewer by presenting a spectacle, Dejha Ti and Ania Catherine take a more refined and subtle approach when it comes to immersion, producing a feeling instead of a spectacle. By taking on thought-provoking subjects in a multidisciplinary manner, the duo is set to take the European continent by storm, having moved very recently across the Atlantic. As a result, in 2022, we are following their projects with the most significant interest, and we believe you should too.[4]

6. Marco Reichert

Born in 1979, Marco Reichert is a German artist working and residing in Berlin. The aesthetics of Reichert’s contemporary paintings have convinced art collectors strongly throughout 2021. As a result, Marco Reichert is one of the artists to watch in 2022, as his career seems to be in a moment of acceleration.

The unique technical procedure of Reichert’s characteristic paintings consists of a very sophisticated and unique creative process, implementing machinery using computer technology. The German painter hovers between graffiti, computer art, and traditional (abstract) painting. The contrast between his black lines’ mechanical character and the artist’s expressive interventions results in an uncanny tension and play-off balance. Watch out for Marco Reichert![5]

7. Diana Markosian

We conclude our list with none other than Diana Markosian. Born in Moscow in 1989, the Russian-American photographer of Armenian descent has been on the rise convincingly. In particular, since publishing her first monograph Santa Barbara—published by Aperture—in 2020, her career has been carrying a lot of momentum into the new year.

Her fine art photography is marked by an ongoing exploration of memory and place. An interdisciplinary process characterizes Markosian’s artistic practice. Doing so, Markosian encompasses video, photography, drawing, and historical ephemera throughout her creative method. With shows at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) in 2020 and the International Center of Photography in New York last year, Markosian is one of the fastest-growing artists in the world. A true gem of an artist and one to watch in 2022, without any doubt.[6]

Notes:

[1] Cooper, Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill at https://coopercolegallery.com/artist/gabrielle-lhirondelle-hill/ consulted 8/01/2022.
[2] Plus-One Gallery, Ritsart Gobyn at https://www.plus-one.be/artists/ritsart-gobyn consulted 8/01/2022.
[3] Maximillian William, Somaya Critchclow at https://maximillianwilliam.com/artist/somaya-critchlow/ consulted 8/01/2022.
[4] Operator, About at https://www.operator.la/about consulted 10/01/2022.
[5] Circle Culture, Marco Reichtert at https://www.circleculture-gallery.com/artists/56877/marco-reichert/biography/ consulted 10/01/2022.
[6] RoseGallery, Diana Markosian at https://rosegallery.net/artists/47-diana-markosian/overview/ consulted 10/01/2022.

Last Updated on September 25, 2024