Though we all love to go to museums and learn about the greats of days past, supporting emerging artists in your community by going to gallery shows, purchasing work (that’s often at a more affordable price point), and following them on social media is a rewarding way to learn about Pittsburgh’s art scene. Here are three local artists living and working in Pittsburgh whose work we think is both relevant and inspiring.
Pittsburgh’s Emerging Artists in the Community
Corey Ochai
While Braddock-born Corey Ochai takes some inspiration from Basquiat in the composition of his paintings, one of his early pieces I Am Not Jean comments on how Black artists are often pigeonholed as Basquiat-derivative. In recent years, he experiments with using found materials in his paintings and works with themes like sobriety, mortality, and the balance between freedom and captivity.
Heather Bond
Heather Bond’s work is David Lynch meets Anaïs Nin — sexy, surreal, and hard to pin down. She’s as adept at collage as she is large-scale figurative painting. Her vision is eclectic and striking, reminiscent of Barbara Kruger or Judy Chicago with surrealist sensibilities.
Alex Lecce
At a time when few artists have really embraced figuration, Alex Lecce melds an acute understanding of the human form with a mystical world within their paintings. Lecce’s work is technically dazzling and brims with a soul beyond what’s physically on the canvas.
Story by Emma Riva
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