The Artist Space Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the fourth Black & White online Art Exhibition. Along with the selected artists, the jury selected award winners in the following art categories: drawing, photography and sculpture. The show displayed a variety of artistic styles and mediums: acrylic, charcoal, oil, photography, ceramic, graphite, forged steel, scratchboard, archival pigment print, ink, digital art. Out of all submissions received 86 artworks were selected to be included in the exhibition.
Best of Show
Richard Ambrose
Short Biography and Statement
The complex patchwork of urban elements in my immediate surroundings holds a tremendous fascination for me. I am particularly struck by the ironies and paradoxes found in humanities’ macro and micro world. My large tableau drawings are a compilation of disparate images stitched together and interwoven much like reconstructing a memory or collected experiences. My large scale graphite drawings examines the layered, often overlooked details of contemporary urban life. I build intricate panoramic compositions that feel at once immediate and reflective, offering a chance to navigate the curious complexities of urbanity, and the human condition. The work is drawn from my journeys throughout the Bay Area, immersed in its exotic diversity of the urban environment, and the paradoxes of humanity and life’s banality. The drawings are not literal documents but carefully arranged reconstructions of time, memory, and space. By assembling fragments of diverse environments, and human interaction, the artwork presents a visual language shaped by tension, paradox, and motion. Ambrose has over 30 years of leadership experience in the arts management, curating multi-disciplinary art collections of historical and contemporary art. His large scale drawings have been exhibited in museums, galleries, and art centers across the country, and is included in numerous private and public collections.
Drawing Prize
Emily Copeland
Short Biography and Statement
Emily Copeland is a Canadian charcoal artist specializing in photorealistic detailed drawings of vintage and utilitarian objects. Her work is rooted in a fascination with craftsmanship and the quiet narratives embedded in everyday artifacts. Through careful observation of light, texture, and wear, she seeks to preserve the character of objects shaped by time, use, and human touch. Working with charcoal, Copeland is drawn to the medium’s ability to capture subtle tonal shifts and tactile detail. Chrome reflections, worn leather, aged metal, and softened edges become visual records of memory and function. By isolating these objects and rendering them with precision, she invites viewers to slow down and consider the stories held within familiar forms. Through her practice, Copeland aims not only to document objects, but to honor the craftsmanship and lived experience they represent, giving overlooked items a renewed sense of presence and permanence.
Sculpture Prize
Jason Shih
Short Biography and Statement
Jason Shih was born in 1972 in Taiwan. In 1991, he began to specialize in metal sculpture when he was a sophomore in the Fine Arts Dept. of Taipei National University of the Arts. In 2001, he graduated from School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA, and majored in Metal Sculpture. And then, he served as the metal sculptor Albert Paley's assistant, involved in crafts and public art work practices. Furthermore, he earned his Art Ph. D. from China Academy of Art, China (2015). Now, he lives in Taiwan, and consistently engages in the both areas of sculpture and public art. Jason Shih’s artistic vision is shaped by a diverse array of influences, from contemporary dance to avant-garde fashion. He cites German choreographer Pina Bausch and British designer Alexander McQueen as significant inspirations. Bausch’s explorations of time and space resonate with Shih’s interest in sculpture’s capacity to embody kinetic energy and spatial imagination. McQueen’s innovative approach to contemporary imagery and themes provides Shih with a broad canvas for creative expression. Shih’s work is also influenced by the aesthetic principles of Futurism and Constructivism, movements that emphasize dynamic energy and continuous motion. These influences are evident in his pursuit of capturing the beauty of movement and the elegant restraint of natural forces. Shih’s sculptures often depict moments of defying gravity, capturing the fleeting beauty of motion in a static form. As a professional sculptor, Jason likes to experience the taste of life with perceptual observation in the subtle moments, and also likes the ever-changing situation of game shapes in the poetic imaginary space. For Jason, art creation is to share various moods and stories in daily life.
Photography Prize
Steve Sorensen
Short Biography and Statement
I am Steve Sorensen, a resident of Lone Tree, Colorado. I am a self-taught photographer, a work in progress, always seeking improvement, continually challenged, continually frustrated and euphoric with myriad possibilities. My superhero strength is diligently trying to see the world through the eyes of a child. A star struck sense of wonder and awe at the slightest provocation. I am transfixed by the light foot strike of a cheetah, a reflection of light off a water source doubling the illumination transforming simple to magical, or the power of architecture to make art from powerful structures.
Winners