Scott Reeder, Magenta Window, 2021; Limited Edition Print

Scott Reeder is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses deadpan humor and cultural critique to expose the absurdity of life. Based in Detroit and Chicago, he first became known in the late 1990s and early 2000s for his text-based paintings and parodies of process painting, as well as for his later feature-length, sci-fi film Moon Dust. The artist’s works have been the subject of one and two person exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Canada, New York; Kavi Gupta, Chicago; Marlborough Gallery, New York; Luce Gallery, Turino; Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York; among others. 

Magenta Window depicts an anthropomorphized flower in a vase, smoking and gazing out the window like a noirish detective. As though to suggest a sense of longing on behalf of the flower, pink palm trees appear through the blinds, flatly lit from behind by an orange-hued sky. The work stems from Reeder’s newest series of brightly colored, cartoon-like paintings that draw from the traditions of still-life painting, to project emotional affect and social relationships onto inanimate objects such as bread and butter. The artist has hand-embellished 10 prints within the edition with silkscreen, making each a unique work of art. 

Of this series, Reeder notes, “Supporting The Kitchen and other arts organizations is crucial this year, as artists working across disciplines in performance, film, theatre, etc have been especially impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown. The Kitchen has been a formative source of inspiration in my own art practice, and I’m honored to be a part of this important initiative organized by ART FOR CHANGE."

This limited edition is part of ART FOR CHANGE’s Spring 2021 virtual benefit exhibition, which supports artists and five New York City arts organizations––The Kitchen, Performance Space, Printed Matter, Abrons Art Center, and NADA’s new nonprofit. Of the total net proceeds of prints sold from this series, 50% will directly benefit the participating artists, and 20% will benefit the organizations.