Julie Curtis

Here’s a list of emerging and rising artists from around the world who are gaining significant attention in the contemporary art scene, recognized for pushing boundaries and engaging with social, political, and cultural themes.

1. Toyin Ojih Odutola (Nigeria/USA)

  • Medium: Drawing, Painting
  • Themes: Identity, history, representation of Black bodies
  • Notable for: Rich, textured portraits using pen, ink, and charcoal
  • Impact: Ojih Odutola is celebrated for her intricate, large-scale portraits that explore complex narratives around race, gender, and identity. Her work has been exhibited at major institutions like the Whitney Museum of American Art.

2. Salman Toor (Pakistan/USA)

  • Medium: Painting
  • Themes: Queer identity, South Asian diaspora, everyday life
  • Notable for: Dreamlike, figurative paintings of brown men in domestic and intimate settings
  • Impact: Toor’s lush, intimate paintings often focus on the queer experience of South Asian men, blending personal and cultural history. His 2020 exhibition at the Whitney Museum brought his work to broader international attention.

3. Amoako Boafo (Ghana)

  • Medium: Painting
  • Themes: Black identity, African diaspora
  • Notable for: Bright, expressive portraits using thick, impasto painting technique
  • Impact: Boafo’s bold, expressive portraits of Black figures have skyrocketed in popularity, with his work now part of major collections. He focuses on celebrating Black identity and has collaborated with brands like Dior.

4. Shirin Neshat (Iran)

  • Medium: Photography, Film
  • Themes: Gender, Islam, exile, political history
  • Notable for: Powerful black-and-white photography and video works that explore the intersection of gender and politics in Islamic cultures
  • Impact: While already an established artist, Neshat continues to push boundaries with her video art and photography, gaining even more recognition in the global art scene for her politically charged work.

5. Tschabalala Self (USA)

  • Medium: Painting, Mixed media
  • Themes: Black femininity, body politics, race, gender
  • Notable for: Vibrant, quilt-like depictions of Black female bodies
  • Impact: Self’s bold, large-scale works using fabric, paint, and found materials challenge stereotypes and representations of Black women in visual culture. Her work has been exhibited at institutions like the Studio Museum in Harlem.

6. Jordan Casteel (USA)

  • Medium: Painting
  • Themes: Community, portraiture, Black identity
  • Notable for: Intimate, large-scale portraits of friends, family, and community members
  • Impact: Casteel’s empathetic, large-scale portraits have gained her critical acclaim. Her focus on capturing the everyday lives of Black Americans has made her one of the most promising painters of her generation.

7. Hilma af Klint (Sweden)

  • Medium: Abstract painting
  • Themes: Spirituality, nature, mysticism
  • Notable for: Geometric and abstract works predating much of modern abstraction
  • Impact: Though she worked in the early 20th century, Hilma af Klint’s pioneering abstract work has recently gained major posthumous recognition, reshaping the history of abstract art and drawing global attention to her legacy.

8. Rafa Esparza (USA)

  • Medium: Performance, Installation, Sculpture
  • Themes: Identity, migration, Chicano culture, colonization
  • Notable for: Large-scale installations using adobe bricks, performance art tied to his Mexican heritage
  • Impact: Esparza’s performance-based works explore issues of land, labor, and identity, often referencing his Chicano heritage. His site-specific installations made from traditional materials like adobe are gaining attention for their commentary on colonization and identity.

9. Julie Curtiss (France/USA)

  • Medium: Painting, Sculpture
  • Themes: Femininity, body, surrealism
  • Notable for: Hyper-detailed, surreal depictions of the female form and everyday objects
  • Impact: Curtiss’s work blends the surreal and the familiar, focusing on the female experience. Her meticulous, surreal compositions and exaggerated portrayals of women are gaining attention at galleries like Anton Kern Gallery in New York.

10. Kudzanai-Violet Hwami (Zimbabwe/UK)

  • Medium: Painting
  • Themes: Identity, migration, African diaspora, queerness
  • Notable for: Bold, collage-like portraits with vibrant colors and symbolic imagery
  • Impact: Hwami’s exploration of African identity and queer narratives through vibrant, fragmented portraits has attracted attention in both Africa and Europe, and she was one of the youngest artists to exhibit at the 2019 Venice Biennale.

11. Oscar Murillo (Colombia/UK)

  • Medium: Painting, Performance, Installation
  • Themes: Globalization, labor, migration
  • Notable for: Abstract works that incorporate found objects, personal symbols, and cultural references
  • Impact: Murillo’s politically charged work addresses issues related to globalization, migration, and labor. His combination of abstract painting and socially engaged art practice has made him one of the most prominent emerging voices in contemporary art.

12. Firelei Báez (Dominican Republic/USA)

  • Medium: Painting, Installation
  • Themes: Caribbean history, identity, colonialism, diaspora
  • Notable for: Lush, surreal portraits that weave together Caribbean history and folklore
  • Impact: Báez is known for her vibrant, fantastical works that explore Caribbean identity, colonial history, and diasporic experience. Her intricate use of pattern and color is helping to redefine representations of Black and Caribbean women.

13. Louis Fratino (USA)

  • Medium: Painting
  • Themes: Queer love, intimacy, modern life
  • Notable for: Tender, figurative paintings of queer relationships
  • Impact: Fratino’s intimate depictions of queer love and daily life have captured attention for their warmth, tenderness, and focus on the LGBTQ+ experience, establishing him as a rising figure in contemporary figurative painting.

14. Simone Leigh (USA)

  • Medium: Sculpture, Installation
  • Themes: Black female experience, African diaspora, architecture
  • Notable for: Large-scale, ceramic sculptures focusing on Black women
  • Impact: Leigh’s works, rooted in African traditions and the representation of Black women, have earned her significant recognition. She was chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2022 Venice Biennale, solidifying her as one of the most important artists of her generation.

15. Jesse Mockrin (USA)

  • Medium: Painting
  • Themes: Gender, identity, mythology, art history
  • Notable for: Reimagining classical painting with a modern twist, often focusing on androgynous figures
  • Impact: Mockrin’s work, which draws from art history and mythology, reinterprets classical imagery through a contemporary lens, often exploring fluidity in gender and identity.

These artists represent a broad range of mediums and styles, addressing critical social and political themes while also innovating in the aesthetics of contemporary art. Keep an eye on their careers as they continue to shape the future of global art.