Female Contemporary Artists Infusing the New Jersey Art Scene with Life.
1. Kazaan Viveiros
Kazaan Viveiros is a renowned artist living and working in Lambertville, NJ. Known for her versatile style, she earned her BA from the University of Virginia in Studio Art and Religious Studies, then went on to earn her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Since then, she has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the US and Europe and is highly decorated, holding many artistic titles, including the 2022 Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the NJ State Council of the Arts.
Image from Goetze Art & Design.
Beyond her impressive and extensive achievements, she also has an entrepreneurial spirit, exercised through the Steamroller Group. Viveiros helped found the new artist collective Steamroller Group in 2022 in the Delaware River Valley. Made up of 5 female artists, the group aims to uplift each other's profile and studio practices, exhibit work together, creatively collaborate, and share ideas in an effort to engage with the artistic community in a united and optimized way. Through the open dialogue, collaboration, and mutual support, the group strives to create works that address the relevant issues of our time, conscious artwork with a message.
Although each work is unique, and subjects vary, all her works are united under the same single thread of consciousness: ¨the human connection to the natural world.¨ Viveiros believes that we ¨apart of¨ not ¨apart from¨ the natural world, her works aim to show this connection in different and inspired ways.
¨Locomotion¨ By Kazaan Viveiros. Available at J. Nunez Gallery Millburn.
For example, ¨Locomotion¨ hailing from her body of work titled ¨Passages¨. This series aims to use ¨geometry to reference varied natural phenomena, evolution, and ecological systems¨ highlighting the interconnectedness of all elements of nature. As evident here, and in most of her works, there is no break between the brushstrokes. Even though there are clear different sections, highlighted by different colors or patterns, there is no harsh break between any of them; they ebb and flow together as part of a larger system. The way I see it, ¨Locomotion¨ uses colors ever present in nature, green, blue, beige, yellow, all representing different major players in our ecosystem working together like the engine of a train to sustain our world, and hence, life.
She can present such profound topics, communicating her philosophy on life itself, with seemingly simple shapes and forms. A painting with many circles and lines connecting them, somehow telling the story of the universe. However, that is not to say she only paints in this style; check out her artist profile in Summit for stunning non-abstract landscapes and animal paintings, or Millburn for more abstract, colorful works. One of her stunning works could be yours through J. Nunez Gallery!
2. Cynthia Pareja Dubin
Cynthia Pareja Dubin is a Peruvian multidisciplinary artist living in West Orange, New Jersey. She graduated with a BA in Graphic Design from the Universidad de Palermo in Argentina, where she was also awarded 1st place prize in editorial design. Following her graduation, she returned to Peru to pursue her passion for teaching as a professor and marketing designer at the Peruvian Institute of Art and Design. Dreaming of more, she moved to the States in 2013 to continue her studies at the Art Students League of New York. Where she fine-tuned her abstract painting skills and wood printmaking abilities from masters in their craft. She has gone on to define herself as an artist with an ¨assertive palette that conveys emotional depth and layers of meaning¨ always striving to emotionally connect with viewers. Now she is an Artist in Residence at The Oyster Point Hotel, exhibiting a 38-piece collection for a year.
Image from Cynthia Pareja Dubin.com
Beyond creating emotionally profound pieces that offer ¨vital escape from the pressures of daily life¨, she believes in using art for philanthropy to improve the world. Donating to raise funds for numerous causes, namely, women's empowerment, medical research, and veterans' support. Her generosity was noticed by the global philanthropic organization Move92. Where her work was selected to represent Peru, partnering with organizations in 13 countries, aiming to empower women in developing countries through microfinancing. Yet she never forgot her passion before her career, teaching. Today, if she's not busy creating another masterpiece, you can find her teaching her adult class "Introduction to Abstract Art" at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VACNJ) in Summit. Or her “Acrylic Painting” class at The Baird Center in South Orange.
Now for my favorite part, let's talk about her art. She has a truly unique style, working with bold colors and abstract shapes to immerse all who look into a dream-like trance, somehow representing the ¨complexities of contemporary life.¨ She likes to experiment with chromatic forms, exploring how they can transfer emotion, ideas, and psychological meaning through building alternate worlds made with multimedia. Namely, painting, collage, and illustration. Looking at one of her works, you could never get bored. Each time you will find new details and interpret their meaning all over again. She invites this, encouraging viewers to ¨contemplate the profound relationship between art, the human spirit, and the world we inhabit.¨ Embarking on a journey beyond yourself, she brings together ¨identity, memory, and the subconscious¨ on one canvas to emotionally pierce the viewer. To me, her paintings feel akin to the elusive poem "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the dreaminess and beauty of it, combined with how it makes you think.
¨Angel Fish¨ Sold at J. Nunez Gallery Millburn. More pieces like this available!
Check out her artist profile on our Millburn location to dive deeper into her fantasy abstract worlds!
3. Iris Kufert-Rivo
Iris Kufert-Rivo is a New York-born geometric abstract painter living in Jersey City, NJ. Receiving her Bachelor of Science from Skidmore College and a Master of Fine Arts from Bard College, she has transformed her passion into an impressive career defined by her matchless style and process. She has been a painter for over 35 years, and her works have been exhibited across the USA at many prestigious venues, including the Red Dot Fair at Art Basel (Miami, FL) and the San Francisco Art Fair.
Image from Mana Contemporary.
While every work is made unique to translate a different aspect of our world, they are all unified under Kufert-Rivo´s mission to ¨capture the precarious yet eternal way in which humanity perseveres through adversity.¨ Ever inspired by her urban backdrop, especially within her ¨Structure Series¨, she plays with patterns and forms observed in the world and culture around her. Looking at her stunning work, one may wonder how she achieves such perfect straight lines and the 3D nature of the protruding figures. This is done not by a paintbrush, but with palette knives, tape, and objects with straight edges perfect for pushing the pieces forward.
This technique has become an instrumental part of her process, creating her signature, which our gallery adores. Not afraid of color and experimentation, her pieces range from "deep and moody" to "jewel-like in their tones," each palette diverse yet cohesive. The careful incorporation of select colors and formatting of the straight edge pieces allows her paintings to be "geometric without being rigid", still harmonious and fluid despite the shapes.
As defined by her, her paintings are a ¨metaphor for our conflicting times.¨Sensitive to the happenings of our world, she notices how humanity perseveres through all types of adversity, how it shapes us, our minds, our lives. She aims to visualize how these experiences alter our point of view, expanding and molding who we are. Her paintings serve as a mirror to how the world transforms us. Have a look at her sharp-edged paintings on her artist profile page!
¨Knot¨ Available at J. Nunez Gallery at Millburn
4. Marie-Josée Bergeron
Marie-Josée Bergeron is a contemporary mixed-media artist with a trademark intuitive painting style from Laval, Quebec, Canada. After earning her Fine Arts Diploma and a Bachelor’s Degree in Design from the Université de Québec in Montréal, she was named favorite artist at the Spectrum Miami Contemporary Art Fair during Art Basel Week. Having received numerous honorable mentions and awards, it's no surprise that her work has been exhibited worldwide, from Shanghai to Hamburg. Also, no surprise we are so honored to represent her!
Image from Marie-Josée Bergeron.com
She embraces a "spontaneous approach" in her creative process, letting shapes, textures, and color choices come to her naturally to make a piece that is truly vulnerable and authentic, infused with emotion. Yet she has a grander mission in art: to make it accessible and legitimate for everyone. Her philosophy is that everyone should have access to art and culture, to break down the false belief that art is only for the elite and wealthy. Believing that ¨everyone has an artistic spark to nurture¨ she teaches acrylic painting and mixed-media techniques on her website through workshops and online courses. Sharing her knowledge, tips, and tricks, her courses are accessible anytime to any experience level, encouraging viewers to progress at their own pace from the comfort of their home.
Her artistic process and inspiration stem from a deeply personal place, defining her art as ¨an introspective act.¨As an adopted child, she likes to explore identity and integration, specifically visualizing the ¨mother-child condition and sentiments.¨ She is fascinated by the transformation of life, from the embryonic stage, the skeletal development, through to birth, and how this metamorphosis shapes us. She explores this topic in an effort to understand her roots, where she comes from, and the ¨evolution¨ of her adoption, always daring herself to become increasingly vulnerable in her art. Through this vulnerability, she likes to work with themes of ¨abandoment, sadness, separation, and rupture.¨ Dually, she is inspired by nature's forces; these inspirations all combine to let her create immersive surrealist worlds characterized by spontaneous brushstrokes that open a window to her subconscious.
¨Le jeu de cache cache¨Available at J. Nunez Gallery at Summit.
She likes experimenting with diverse, perhaps unusual materials to combine in her artworks. Tree bark, paper, magazine strips, metal, stone, wood, and fabric have all frequented her diverse works, creating texture and layers. Allowing her to create stunning collages, with new details ever present at every look. To me, her pieces often look like a whimsical waterfall curtain, embellished with all kinds of wonders and dripping with a mysterious, feminine aura. See for yourself! Check out her artist profile here.
If you like what you see here and want to explore our artists more, check out our vault to see all our works!
As a small business, we focus on supporting local, female artists ranging from emerging to established, trying to make the world a more colorful place 1 original art piece at a time.
Check out our socials here to stay updated with our universe of art and follow our journey!
