In a nod to the still-life painters of the Dutch Golden Age, North Carolina-based artist Andrew Leventis considers the historical and contemporary significance of vanitas, a motif in which objects represent the fleeting nature of life and the passage of time. His still-life paintings trace the histories of humans exhibiting possession, ownership, and intimacy with one another through things, such as necklaces, photos souvenirs, and other still-life memorabilia.

In his film stills series, the artist makes paintings from a number of technicolor-era film productions. Obsolescent rotary telephones, heirloom vanities, vintage tea sets, black and white family photos, and corduroy coach bags denote a transient world in which things pass in and out of usage and fashion. These objects are set amidst hotel corridors, turquoise swimming pools, pink bathtub tiles, and city sidewalks. Much like early still life, they represent a backdrop of shifting worldly things. At times, figures move in and out of these surroundings, like travelers in a landscape. Leventis’ process appropriates source material from film, television, and other mass media outlets. He observes disregarded moments in film, presses pause, records the frozen image through his camera, and uses the resultant photograph to create his oil paintings. His work combines the human touch of painting with the clinical look of the camera, as viewers are simultaneously aware of the look of photography, the look of video, or the look of low-quality computer screen imagery and, all the while, that the object presented is a painting.

In his refrigerator series, created in 2020, Leventis is inspired by photographs of fridge contents taken by his friends and colleagues. The core themes of vanitas paintings – the fragility and transience of life and the hollowness of worldly pleasures – are present. Traditional symbols of the genre like skulls, extinguished candles, books, and musical instruments are replaced by sets of whole chickens, a pig head, a slab of butter, or everyday treats, such as a carton of heavy cream, a jar of pickles, or beer bottles. Similarly, decadent piles of objects existing purely for our own entertainment and satisfaction reflect our futile desire for hedonistic consumption in contemporary society and a primal need for self-preservation. Leventis began to work on this series during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced him to grapple with the caducity of life. His oeuvre casts a spotlight on our human shortcomings and fears, but does so with compassion and understanding, for others as well as himself.

EDUCATION

2012     MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths College, University Of London, London, UK.

2010     MA Fine Art, Wimbledon College Of Art, University Of The Arts London, London, UK.

2006     BFA In Painting, American Academy Of Art, Chicago, IL.

2003     Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024     Solo Exhibition At The Whitaker Museum, (Dates Tbd), Rossendale, UK.

2023     Refrigerate After Opening, Soco Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2022     Contemporary Vanities, Mint Constellation Series, Mint Museum Uptown.

2021     Inner Life, Arts Visalia, Visalia, CA.

2020     Worlds Within, The Foundry Art Center, St. Charles, Missouri.

2019     Fractured Realities, Curfman Gallery, Colorado State University.

2018     Reconstructed Images And Nature Morte, Milliken Art Gallery, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC.

2018     Mise-En-Scene, Sozo Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2017     “Re-Collections”, Rowe Arts, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, Charlotte, NC.

2015     Still Life And Moving Image, Community Arts Network Of Oneonta, Wilber Mansion, Oneonta, NY.

2014     Into The Screen: Still-Life And Moving Image, Rowe Gallery, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte. 

2013     New Paintings, High House Gallery, Oxfordshire, UK.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024     Food in Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Krakow, Poland.

2023     Forever Transient, APT Gallery, London, UK.

2023     The World Without Us, Neon Gallery, Eugeniusz Geppert Academy, Wroclaw, Poland.

2023     The World Without Us, Moving Poets Project Space, Berlin, Germany.

2023     Shifting, (Dates TBD), Dan Alberto Yoshii Gallery, New York, NY

2023     Art Market San Francisco, K. Imperial Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2022     Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still Life Tradition, Rowe Galleries, UNC Charlotte. (Co-curated)

2022     Group Exhibition, Hidell-Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2021     Arte Laguna Prize 15th Edition, Exhibition of Shortlisted Artists, Venice Arsenale.

2021     Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition, York Art Gallery, UK.

2020-21 Perspectives, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art Museum, Gimpo, South Korea.

2020     Art Essex Virtual Invitational, Presented by George Billis Gallery, NY. Juried by George Billis.

2020     Athens Open Art Exhibition, Gallery Number.23, Athens, Greece.

2020     Wells Art Contemporary International Visual Arts Competition, Wells Cathedral, UK.

2020     2020 California Open- 15th National Juried Art Competition, Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, California. 

2020     Wet Paint 2020, Colors of Humanity Art Gallery. 

2020     Eat! Juried Online Exhibition, J. Mane Gallery.

2020     United Artist Relief Fund, New York, NY.

2020     Color: Juried Exhibition, Online Exhibition Presented by Collex Art.

2020     Detour, Hosted by University of Maine Farmington.

2019     The World Without Us, APT Gallery London, UK.

2019     The Recent Graduates Show Revisited, The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London, UK.

2019     New York City Invitational, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY.       

2019     Artrooms Art Fair London, Melia White House, London, UK.

2018     Art on a Secret Postcard Exhibition, Hepatitis C Trust, London, UK.

2018     Lab 10 Malamegi Group Exhibition, 28 San Pietro Gallery, Rome, Italy.

2018     Color- National Juried Art Show, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists’ Coalition, Brooklyn, NY.

2018     LA Artcore 4th Annual Juried Exhibition, Dab Art, Los Angeles, CA.

2018     The Representational Art Conference 2018 International Juried Exhibition, West Concord Hotel, Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

2018     Klassieke Kunst, Frisian Gallery, Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

2017     Winter Show, Greenhill Art Center, Greensboro, NC.

2017     Young International Contest of Contemporary Art Exhibition, Fondazione Museo Crocetti, Rome, Italy.

2017     Wet Paint, Goodyear Arts, Camp Northend, Charlotte, NC.

2017     Art Gemini Prize 2017 Finalists Exhibition, Asia House Gallery, London.

2017     New York City Invitational Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, Chelsea, NY.

2017     Group Exhibition, Sunny Arts Gallery, London, UK.

2016     29th September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA.

2016     Axis Gallery 11th National Juried Exhibition, Axis Gallery, Sacramento, CA.

2016     Annual Faculty Exhibition, Rowe Gallery, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC.

2016     Annual Faculty Exhibition, University of South Dakota Art Gallery 110, Vermillion, SD.

2015     360 Xochi Quetzal Residents Group Exhibition, Chapala, Mexico.

2015     The Walker Open Exhibition 2015, Walker Art Gallery, Garnett, Kansas.

2015     We Never Dream Alone, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK.

2014     Deserts of Humanity, Display London, Holborn, London, UK. 

2013     Gruppeutstilling, Kunstgalleriet, Stavanger, Norway. 

2013     Trace, Group Exhibition with Jules Clark, Mirna Kresic, and Andrew Leventis, Art Eco Gallery, London, UK. 

2013     Young Gods, Exhibition of London Graduates, Griffin Gallery, London, UK.      

2012     Group Exhibition with Sarah Helser, Terrell James, Andrew Leventis, James Jared Taylor, Renee George Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2012     Salon Art Prize 2012 (Part II), Griffin Gallery, London, UK. 

2012     Brush Exhibition, Concrete Space, Shoreditch, London, UK.

2012     The Recent Graduate Exhibition, The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, UK.

2012     Salon Art Prize 2012 Exhibition (Part I), Matt Roberts Gallery, London, UK.

2012     This is the End, MFA Degree Show, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, UK.

2011     The National Open Art Exhibition, Chichester, UK.

2011     Stressing Spiritual Needs Even When Selling Ice Cream, DNA Gallery, Berlin, Germany.

2011     Goldsmiths Interim Show 2011, Goldsmiths College of Art, University of London, London, UK.

2010     Wimbledon College of Art MA Show 2010, Wimbledon College of Art, London, UK.

2010     I Swore I Sore, WCA Interim Show, Nunnery Gallery, London, UK.

2010     WCA Student Exhibition, Deutsche Post Bank, London, UK.

2009     December MA Painting Exhibition, Wimbledon Space, Wimbledon College of Art, London, UK.

2009     Choice Art Exhibition, Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2009     Realism Found, Group Exhibition, Queens Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2009     August Exhibition, Providence Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2008     Hip to Be Square, Providence Gallery, Charlotte, and NC.

2008     Still Lifes and Landscapes, The Artists’ Gallery, Charlotte, NC.

2008     Vista, Art House, Charlotte, NC.

2005     Illinois Collegiate Art Competition, Southwestern Illinois University, Belville, Illinois.

2005     Fra Angelico Art Competition, Loyola College, Chicago, IL.

2004     Annual Juried Show, American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL.

2003     Annual Juried Show, American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL.

VISITING PROFESSOR/ARTIST TALKS

2021     Future Now Symposium, Presented by Aesthetica Art Magazine, Shortlisted Artist’s Panel Discussion.

2021     Meet the Finalists: Arte Laguna Prize, 15th Edition.

2020     Career Meet Up: Exploring and Registering for Art Exhibitions, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

2020     Artists’ Panel Discussion, California Art Open.

2020     Paper Presentation at the Art in Society Conference: The Blockbuster Picture; Cinematic Influences on Contemporary Painting, Galway, Ireland.

2020     Artist Talk for the Foundry Art Center.

2018     Paper Presentation at The Representational Art Conference: Can Representational Art be Viewed as Contemporary without Mediation?, Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

2018     Visiting Artist Talk in conjuction with Reconstructed Images and Nature Morte, Milliken Art Gallery, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC.

2015     Visiting Artist and Guest Speaker, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota.

2014     Visiting Artist in Printmaking 1 and Printmaking 3, University at North Carolina at Charlotte. 

2014     Visiting Artist for UNCC exhibition Still-Life and Moving Image in Painting 1 and Abstract Painting, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

2013     Visiting Artist and Guest Speaker, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA.

2013     Visiting Professor to Art History Methods with Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History Jae Emerling, University at North Carolina at Charlotte. 

2011     Visiting Professor/Guest Lecturer to University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Study Abroad Trip to London, UK. 

REVIEWS/RESIDENCIES/GRANTS

2021     New American Paintings, The South, Issue #154.

2021     Artist Support Grant, awarded for the creation of a new body of work, Arts and Sience Council.

2021     New American Paintings Magazine Issue #148, pgs. 104-107. 

2020-21  Nelson Mullins Art Loan Program, Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP, Charlotte, NC.

2020     House Letters Magazine Issue 2, Publication by Bethany Holmes, August, Pg 45.

2019     “The World Without Us”, Exhibition Review in This is Tomorrow Magazine by Sarah Markari.

2018     INPA 8, Manifest International Painting Annual Publication Annual Issue, pgs. 91-93.

2017     The Artist Magazine Competition, Finalist in Still Life Category, November-December Issue.

2017     Faculty Research Grant, Awarded for the production of a new body of work.

2015     360 Xochi Quetzal Residency, June 2-30, Chapala, Mexico.

2015     Aesthetica Magazine: We Never Dream Alone Review

2015     Exhibition Listing: We Never Dream Alone, London Guardian.

2014     We Never Dream Alone, Wall Street International Magazine. 

2014     Press Release in Artforum, We Never Dream Alone.

2013     Andrew Leventis Solo Exhibition, Show and Tell Magazine.

2013    ‘Trace’ at Art Eco Gallery, Fad Website.            

2013     Young Gods at the Griffin Gallery, A Kick Up the Arts.

2013     Young Gods, Artnesia Blogspot.

2012     Salon Art Prize 2012 Exhibition Catalogue, Matt Roberts Arts, London, UK. 

2011     The National Art Open Exhibition Catalogue, Minerva Theatre, Chichester, UK.

2010     Hudson, Kitty, Review, Murmur Art Magazine, Sept. 2010:16.

2010     Froggatt, Smit, Review, Murmur Art Magazine, Sept. 2010: 16.

2008     Trippi, Peter.  “Off the Walls: Galleries and Artists.” Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, June 2009: 64.