ARTIST STATEMENT 2025 This series of paintings is inspired by the urban environment that surrounds me. The Structure Series has become a metaphor for our conflicting times. Social, political, personal, and economic upheaval is always experienced, processed and then restructured.
These abstract geometric paintings examine the constructs of intellect and emotion through the repetitive use of the square and rectangle, how it is presented and organized, and how color characterizes the psychology of the works. They are inspired by the urban landscape and touch on the subtlety found in puzzles. Some works are more totem-like while other works use the whole canvas to move the eye from one point of view to the next. The mystery and process of painting propels me as I draw with the tape and apply paint only with a palette knife. These paintings have become symbiotic with the reality and evolution of daily life, illustrating our thought processes from the inside and outside of our minds.
BIOGRAPHY IRIS KUFERT-RIVO received her Bachelor of Science from Skidmore College and MFA from Bard College, Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts and has been exhibiting widely throughout the United States including at Waterhouse and Dodd (NYC/London), The Painting Center (NYC), Hidell Brooks Gallery (Charlotte, NC), Billis Williams Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), Dune (NYC), One West End Gallery (NYC), Village One Gallery (NYC), Red Dot Fair at Miami Art Week (Miami, FL), San Francisco Art Fair, Atlanta Art Fair, Art Miami, Palm Beach Art Fair, Newell Gallery (NYC), and The Morris Museum (Morristown, NJ), among others. She has curated exhibitions at the Henry Street Settlement/Abrons Art Center in New York and the 125 First Street Gallery in New Jersey, and has exhibited at the Mana Contemporary and had a solo exhibition at the Jersey City Museum. She lives and works in Jersey City, NJ.
RESUME
EDUCATION MFA Painting, Bard College, Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY BS Studio Art, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2025 Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA: New Paintings 2019 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, NC: Intro Show 2019 George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA 2019 Dune-NY, New York, NY: Structure Series 2015 George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA: Can Travel 2015 artsy.net: www.artsy.net/artist/iris-kufert-rivo 2010 Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ: Gnome Banner Project 2009 Brunswick Window, Jersey City, NJ: Fawn Meets Fauna 2007 Jersey City Museum at The Majestic, Jersey City, NJ: Subtext: On Cultural Iconography 2005 Wedgeworks Gallery, Hoboken, NJ 2004 Windows on Columbus, Jersey City , NJ: Mack-Cali Presents 2002 Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ: Near Eastern
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2024 Atlanta Art Fair, Atlanta, GA 2024 Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2024 Aedra Fine Arts, Jersey City, NJ (digital exhibition) 2023 L’Space Gallery, NYC: Art for Healing 2023 Design Industry for Peace (online) 2023 Design on a Dime, NYC 2022 George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA: Geometric Abstractions (2 person show) 2022 Waterhouse & Dodd, NYC: Visible - Invisible: Four Female Abstract Artists 2022 George Billis Gallery LA: San Francisco Art Market 2022 Palm Beach Show, FL: Waterhouse & Dodd 2021 Art Miami: Waterhouse & Dodd, Miami, FL 2021 Waterhouse & Dodd, NYC: Flowing Forms 2021 Village One Space, NYC: Exquisite Planes 2021 Mayor's Office, City Hall, Jersey City, NJ 2021 Mason Exhibition Space, Hoboken, NJ: Many Hands: One Voice 2020 Galeri Soho, Vasteras, Sweden: International Online Exhibition 2020 Ghost Harbor Creative, Asbury Park, NJ 2020 One Westend Gallery, New York, NY 2020 Painting Center, New York, NY: New Optics 2019 Red Dot Art Fair Miami, George Billis Gallery LA, Miami, FL 2019 Art Market SF, George Billis Gallery LA, San Francisco, CA 2019 Decentralized, Mana Contemporary Jersey City, NJ 2018 DT234 Gallery, Jersey City, NJ: Women's Group Show 2018 Flux Gallery, NYC: The New Non 2018 Drawing Rooms, Jersey City, NJ: Somewhere Over the Interconnected Rainbow 2017 Newel Gallery, New York, NY 2017 KH Art Projects Exhibition, 12 East 88th Street Gallery, New York, NY 2016 Dineen-Hull Gallery, Hudson Community College, Jersey City, NJ 2015 ESKFF 2015 Annual Auction/AxA Fundraiser, Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ 2015 Red Dot Art Fair Miami, George Billis Gallery LA, Miami FL 2014 Red Dot Art Fair Miami, George Billis Gallery LA, Miami FL 2014 Seton Hall Law School Art Gallery, Newark, NJ: Now You See Me 2014 Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ: Love U More Than Fireworks 2014 Drawing Rooms, Jersey City, NJ: Automatic/Systematic 2014 B. Beamsderfer Gallery, Highland Park, NJ: Metro 30 2014 CWOW, Newark, NJ: Metro 30- Celebrating 30 Years of Art on the Move 2013 Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ: The Originals 2012 Arts Guild of Rahway, Rahway, NJ: Evolution: 20@10 2008 545 Washington, Jersey City, NJ: Lifecycle 2008 Victory Arts Projects at 77 Hudson, Jersey City, NJ: Au Natural 2007 The Ben Shahn Center Galleries, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ: Fire and Ash 2005 Mana Fine Arts, Jersey City, NJ: The Chair Show 2003 Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ: New Jersey Fine Arts Annual 2003 Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ: Curator’s Choice Exhibition
CURATORIAL PROJECTS 125 First Street Gallery, Jersey City, NJ: “Cloud Nine” Henry Street Settlement/Abrons Art Center, New York, NY: “Tangents: Connecting the Classroom to the Studio” The Gallery at 180 Maiden Lane, New York, NY: “Our Backyard: Young Artists Exploring New York City”
CATALOGUE Westbeth Zine #1 West Zine #2 Aedra Fine Art Catalogue Mixed Tape London The Painting Center, New York, NY: “New Optics” Flux Gallery, NYC: "The New Non" Arts Guild of Rahway, Rahway, NJ: “Evolution: 2010” 545 Washington, Jersey City, NJ: “Lifecycle” Victory Arts Projects at 77 Hudson, Jersey City, NJ: “Au Natural” The Arts Guild of Rahway, Rahway, NJ: “Menagerie” The Ben Shahn Center Galleries, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ: “Fire and Ash” Victory Hall, Jersey City, NJ : “Reverence for All Living Creatures” Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ: “Curator’s Choice Exhibition“
COLLECTIONS Universal Music, NYC, NY Johnson & Johnson Corporate Art Program, New Brunswick, NJ Iron Monkey Restaurant, Jersey City, NJ Boxtree Construction, Inc., New York, NY smarter.net; quirky.com and other private collections