FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Camille Tibaldeo

Communications Manager

212.246.6543

camille@fountaingallerynyc.com

Fountain Gallery Presents Osvaldo Cruz/Keith Pavia: New Works

May 17 – July 11, 2012

Opening Reception: May 17, 6-8 p.m.

New York, NY – May 14, 2012 – Fountain Gallery, located at 702 Ninth Avenue and representing artists with mental illness, today announced the upcoming opening of Osvaldo Cruz/Keith Pavia: New Works. This two-person exhibition of more than 20 pieces will be on view from May 17 through July 11, 2012, with an Opening Reception on Thursday, May 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Osvaldo Cruz worked in pen and ink, acrylic, and felt-tip marker before discovering the effects he could achieve with spray paint, the medium that now defines his style. Known for “graffiti” pieces featuring large lettering and expressed in the bright and gritty colors of New York City streets, in this show Cruz also displays pieces representative of a new direction: cloudlike, dreamy works in pastel hues that take the spray paint medium to a celestial level. He uses a variety of nozzles attached to the paint can to achieve effects from bold to refined, on surfaces including masonite and canvas board. Cruz was commissioned by New World Stages in Manhattan to paint a “graffiti wall” to enhance the New York atmosphere outside the theatre where the musical “Rent” is currently playing.

In this exhibition, Keith Pavia is also showing works inspired by the City – more specifically, the New York City subway system and its riders – in a series of color saturated gouaches from the 2011 self-published book Ghost Train. Turning his attention from subterranean New York to the Far East, Pavia also presents a group of large mixed media works depicting ladies wearing the traditional garb of Japan, the kimono – but with a cheeky, modern twist. Found objects such as buttons, beads and glitter, incorporated into the acrylic surface, add depth and texture to a number of these striking works on canvas and paper.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and by generous support from The Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation and The Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust.