Ariel Kleinberg, Vala, 2020

This artwork has been selected by art historian David Cohen, publisher and editor of Artcritical.com for inclusion in the benefit exhibition Pets of the Pandemic.  Alpha 137 Gallery is making no profit whatsoever on this exhibition: 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Best Friends Animal Society, and 50% of the proceeds will be paid to the artist. 

Artist Name:

Ariel Maya Kleinberg

Vala, 2020

Acrylic and ink on panel in hand painted artist frame

Unique

Measurements:

Framed

7.5 inches by 7.5 inches

Work itself:

6 inches  x 6 inches

Artist's Statement:

"This is a portrait of my cat, Vala. When I found him on the street five years ago, he was skinny, wounded, and covered with spray paint. Despite all that he had been through, he gladly let me take him home for dinner and a bath. He healed well, doubled in size, and now he follows me around the house like a shadow. He has enjoyed all the extra attention during quarantine - and he gives me great comfort as he finds light in everything.”

Ariel Kleinberg Biography

Ariel Kleinberg is a painter and performance artist based in New York. She earned a BA in Ancient Greek from Vassar College in 2009 and an MFA in Painting from the New York Studio School in 2014. Upon graduating, she was granted the Hohenberg Award for European Travel and set out on an odyssey through the UK, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, and Italy. During this time she began a practice of ritual street performance. She documented these performances and her other adventures in a series of drawings which she exhibited in January 2015 at NYSS. Ariel has been an artist-in-residence at the Triangle Artists’ Workshop and the League Residency at Vyt and has performed at events including Jam Fest, the LIC Arts Open, Radical Shakespeare, the New York City Poetry Festival. She is currently painting in her studio at Trestle Art Space, collaborating with musicians, dancers, and filmmakers on set and costume design and is excited to be creating a special installation and performance for the show “Artifacts” at One Art Space in December 2019.