Joseph alef

Born 1981, Berkeley, California
Has practiced at Creative Growth 2001–2008 and 2013–present

Joseph Alef makes active paintings that radiate with energy. Blending an impressive array of colors with gestural and drip elements, Alef has created his own expressive visual language. Often beginning with delicate fields of color, Alef then integrates linear and distinct graphic elements that form sculptural effects. Alef has been a studio artist at Creative Growth since 2001, and devotes most of his time to painting, though he also has explored ceramics as well. Like his paintings, the abstract ceramic tablets he builds are deeply layered with organic abstractions and vibrant colors.

Joseph Alef hace pinturas activas que irradian energía. Combinando una impresionante variedad de colores con elementos gestuales y de goteo, Alef ha creado su propio lenguaje visual expresivo. A menudo comenzando con delicados campos de color, Alef luego integra elementos gráficos lineales y distintivos que forman efectos esculturales. Alef ha sido artista de estudio en Creative Growth desde el 2001 y dedica la mayor parte de su tiempo a la pintura, aunque también ha explorado la cerámica. Al igual que sus pinturas, las tablillas de cerámica abstractas que construye tienen capas profundas de abstracciones orgánicas y colores vibrantes.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2022
Outsider Art Fair, New York

2021
Mystery Quilt, Art Enables, Washington DC
Vibrant, Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami
Interconnected, Southern Exposure, San Francisco

2019
The Creative Commons, ArtYard, Frenchtown
Outsider Art Fair, New York
Gifted: The Self-Taught Genius of Creative Growth, Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami, curated by Kim Hastreiter
Colors, Gestures, Marks, and Lines, 6397, New York

2018
Art is For Everyone: Outsider Art, Telegraph Hill Gallery, San Francisco

2017
D’Dessin Art Fair, Paris

2016
Large Drawings, 836M, San Francisco
NADA, Miami