Caroline Liu and Nathan Budoff: Perhaps, and Nevermore

Caroline Liu, Ballad of a Nightmare, 2023, oil, acrylic on canvas, 54 x 42 in.

Pie Projects was thrilled to present 'Caroline Liu and Nathan Budoff: Perhaps and Nevermore', that opened on Friday, June 2, 2023 with a Reception for the Artists from 5 to 8 pm. The exhibition was on view until July 1, 2023.

The two-person exhibition featured works by Albuquerque-based artist Caroline Liu and Puerto Rico/Santa Fe artist Nathan Budoff. Both artists are muralists and use colors and playful characters as vessels towards answering questions on the fragility of our lives and on the relationships with ourselves and others. The paintings and drawings exhibited in 'Perhaps and Nevermore' alluded to topics such as grief, joy, play, coming together, and most of all hope.

Seeking to process her experiences as a neurodivergent person, Caroline Liu draws on self-portraits and portraits of loved ones to explore her subconscious. She weaves together elements of realism and magic to illuminate the complex interplay between her internal and external experiences. Her vibrant use of color, textural elements, and refractive light bridges the gap between memory and physicality, evoking a sense of wonder and intrigue in the viewer.

Nathan Budoff's recent work captures a utopian urge by bringing together creatures that are seen as threatening to one another, and suggests that spaces of negotiation encompass all life. Different creatures are given prominence in the works, relocated, and united in unlikely spaces and groupings; they are coming together for conversations or passing in futility. Budoff playfully applies a similar contrast in his use of techniques: works on raw or primed canvas juxtapose charcoal, acrylic paint, and lacy ink drawing.

"Flora and fauna occupy my recent work. The visual language refers to the interrelated nature and fragility of everything, and our life as part of the organism Earth. The 'other', often only feet away from us, includes bees, prairie dogs, and elephants, among others. At the heart of my work is the tension between the possibility of encounter and the threat of disappearance." - N. Budoff

After starting her artistic career in Chicago, Caroline Liu returned to Albuquerque where she originally obtained her BA in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico. She has exhibited extensively and has painted murals for large companies such as Adidas, Vans, Goose Island, and Facebook. In 2022, Caroline Liu was celebrated as one of the "12 New Mexico Artists to Know Now" by Southwest Contemporary Magazine and her work was featured on the cover of their New Mexico Field Guide. She recently completed a 1,200 sq/ft immersive mural/installation in MEOW WOLF's new "Rainbow Rainbow" multipurpose communal space in Santa Fe, NM.

Nathan Budoff lives and works between Puerto Rico and Santa Fe, NM. He obtained his MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Budoff also completed degrees in law, and in industrial and organizational psychology. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship. He has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally, and will be featured in 2024 in the exhibition 'Vivarium' at the Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM.

Nathan Budoff, Ramify, charcoal, oil, shellac ink on linen, 81 x 49 in.