Contact:
Camille Tibaldeo
E: camille.tibaldeo@fountainhouse.org
P: 212.246.6543
Fountain House Gallery Presents Fourth Annual “Compulsive Genius:
New Work from Fountain House Studio Artists”
On view: May 28 – July 15, 2026
Reception: May 28, 6-8pm
Curated by Austin Losada
NEW YORK CITY – Fountain House Gallery – the premier venue in New York City representing artists living with mental illness – announces the fourth annual Compulsive Genius: New Work from Fountain House Studio Artists. The exhibition will open with a reception at Fountain House Gallery on Thursday, May 28, 2026, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, and will remain on view through July 15, 2026. Fountain House Gallery is located at 702 Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. Compulsive Genius is curated by Austin Losada.
“It was a privilege to engage with each artist and think about their work together,” said Losada,
a scholar and curator of American art and material culture with a specialty in the history of photography from its invention to the present day. “For some, the residency provided the space to explore new material and thematic directions; for others, it offered a chance to further refine longstanding aesthetic concerns. Regardless of their path, the works reveal a commitment to artmaking that is uniquely personal yet remains in constant dialogue with Fountain House’s supportive and collaborative studio environment.”
Losada continued, “The strength of Compulsive Genius is its lack of thematic boundaries. Consequently, the diversity of each resident’s expressive language introduces audiences to a wide range of formal and thematic inquiries. These span from commentary on events in popular culture and investigations into the physical decay of information to formal explorations of symmetry, reflections on childhood memory, and expressions of love, community, and self-worth. In this way, Compulsive Genius feels like a collection of the diverse realities that define the human experience.”
Each year, Fountain House Studio in Long Island City supports 15 to 25 artists through its residency program. Artists apply for a residency with creation of a specific project or body of work in mind. Selected residents are provided with a dedicated workspace and during this time, artists are expected to work a certain number of Studio hours, attend weekly critiques and hold regular consultations with the Studio Director.
The 2026 Compulsive Genius artists are: Guiomar Giraldo-Baron, Roger Jones, Maxx Reith, Angela Rogers, Tom Schneider, Frankie Silva, Christopher Sybil, Alyson Vega, Vermillion, and Nelson Wong.
This program is funded, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and by generous support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust.
Austin Losada
Austin Losada is a scholar and curator of American art and material culture with a specialty in the history of photography from its invention to the present day. He earned his M.A. in Material Culture Studies from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture at the University of Delaware and a B.A. in Art History and German from Rutgers University. He previously served as the Andrew W. Mellon Post-Graduate Intern at the Zimmerli Art Museum where he curated several exhibitions, including Beauty Among the Ordinary Things: The Photographs of William Armbruster.
Fountain House Gallery & Studio
Fountain House Gallery & Studio supports the careers and creative visions of contemporary artists living with mental illness. Founded by Fountain House in 2000, the Manhattan-based Gallery sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators and cultural institutions. The Studio, located in Long Island City, is a collaborative workspace that furthers the professional practice of our artists. Embracing artists who are emerging or established, trained or self-taught, Fountain House Gallery & Studio cultivates artistic growth, makes a vital contribution to the New York arts community, and challenges the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Fountain House
For 75 years, Fountain House has been a beacon of hope and recovery for people living with serious mental illness. Through its direct service clubhouse programs in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as national policy, advocacy and research initiatives, Fountain House has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people living with serious mental illness. Founded in 1948 in New York City, Fountain House originated the clubhouse model of community mental health that has been replicated more than 370 times in nearly 40 U.S. states and in 30 countries around the world.
Fountain House Gallery
702 Ninth Avenue at 48th Street
NYC 10019
212.262.2756
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 12-6/Saturday 1-7
More than a gallery. A movement.
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