21st Century Art

'Gallery Without Walls'

Myth' 2007 Juried Exhibition

January 1, 2007- March 30, 2007

Best in Show

My work sets out to merge the principles of graphic design with the critical eye and tools of fine art practices in order to communicate with the viewer to the fullest extent. I do this by bringing pop culture and advertising into the world of fine art. During my lifetime, I have experienced the influence of advertising creep into private decisions and taint memories of my past, linking enjoyable childhood pastimes to less important brands and slogans of that time. I grew up seemingly in need for the best brands of clothes, best way to cut your hair, and the best toys to have in order to fit into society, always knowing what they were even if I didn't own them or have enough money to do so. I remember being enthralled with Batman and considering my Batman hoodies an absolute necessity, contributing to my personal stature. I remember purchasing T shirts and sweatshirts with various Batman insignia and wished I could afford to buy every one manufactured. Not sure why I identified with a superhero, but it was all just part of my messed up view of my own self esteem.I realize that this is crazy now, but I believe the need for material possessions as a path of contentment has been ingrained in my way of life for so long, that on now as an adult am I beginning to realize its effect. It has warped my perspective, and I feel exploited. My art explores themes regarding child manipulation and socioeconomic influence on children within the field of graphic design through advertising. I do this by creating life-size installations, which bring the viewer in direct confrontation with the logos and propaganda that have crept into everyday activities in our culture. This makes it possible to position the viewer in a reflective state regarding the child, and to engage the viewer in an internal conversation about the situation.

Merit Award

Andrea Gianchiglia, graduate from Hartford Art School, majored in illustration and minored in art history. She currently resides in her hometown, Bedminster, NJ teaching at various art associations and museums. Many of her pieces are commissioned by private collectors, or are commercially produced for business clients. She specializes in pet portraiture but enjoys to paint creatures such as faeries and angels, but in a new, nontraditional context.

Merit Award

Bombshell Bitsy

We are bombarded on a daily and even hourly basis with image after image telling us what to wear, how to act, and how our bodies should and shouldn’t look. There seems to be no escape from our society’s absurd expectations and unhealthy body images. Shows like Dr. 90210 and other reality television have taken over our lives and remind women and men alike that we are never good enough. The strive for individuality seems to be a thing of the past as we are pressured to imitate mainstream culture. We allow our little girls to dress up like their favorite scantily clad celebrity and encourage our young boys to be “pimps” and “players.”

This series of digital photographs shows the absurdity of mainstream culture through imitation and mockery. I have made exaggerated references to advertisements, popular celebrities and 1950’s style pin-ups. Each scene is carefully and thoughtfully constructed. Sometimes conscious hints are left in the image to make the construction visible to the viewer. Although I use myself in these images, these photographs should not be seen as self portraits, but rather my criticism of society. Not only should you laugh at these images but you should also stop and think about how mainstream culture has been allowed to creep into your own life.

Constellation' © Herbert Diepold

I was born on Valentines Day, thirty seven years ago, in Augsburg-Bavaria, Germany. I am an self educated artist who paints with passion and steadily growing enthusiasm. In daily life I am a graduate technical engineer and leading employees in an international enterprise. At the beginning the art became my balance but since that time developed itself to an important part of my life. I started paiiting about three years ago. My artistically talent accompanied me all my life, but it took a long time before it broke out. My favourite methods in painting are acrylics, oil and watercolour. The motives I like most are abstract, nude, portrait, flowers and landscape. I am a versatile painter, always going through a process of development. Because of having "fans“ for each style it is really difficult for me to appoint myself on one so far.

My artistic goal is to bridge the gap between the temporal and the ethereal realms by interpreting visually what can only be characterized as an intuitive rhythm. The immaterial is the conduit with which I intend to evoke a deep introspective posture that is sometimes elusive within the constraints of modern society. My purpose is a singular encounter with each composition.

'Call of the Prince' © Fred German

In the pursuit of artistic mastery, the realization of one’s own contribution to the celebration of life, these paintings are a collage framed in intellectual and emotional interpretations of experiences transfigured through physical gestation, manifesting in contrast and composition. Drawings are a personal exercise to master the tonal undulations of light cascading over recognizable volumes of space, capturing an individual moment in time by means of the most simplistic of mediums; pencil and paper.

My artwork is semi-abstract - Landscapes full of repetitive pattern and exploding with color. I am driven by exploring

the endless possibilities of form found in natural landscape. Pattern, whether in nature or art, relies upon three characteristics: a unit, repetition, and a system of organization. I developed a unique technique of using layered magazine & painted paper which I cut into mosaic like forms and paste onto hardboard. Through I work quite deliberately, and consciously, the repetitive cutting and pasting frees my imagination and provides many opportunities for natural progression and movement in the finished product. Color is important in my art to expose the mood and lighting of the world that exists in my imagination. For me, color is the language I use to communicate the splendor I see. By using colored paper, I am able to achieve exciting and complex color combinations through layering, which would not be possible with tile or glass.

I am an individual that has just discovered his inner creative self. I have had no formal training. Born in 1977 in Broken Bow, Nebraska I have had the privilege of global travel to gain a unique prospective on the world as a whole. This set of pictures does not represent a demonic expression. They were painted to represent the current status of religion in American today. Many struggle with the realism of religion. Is it true or not? Fact or Myth? This set of pictures represents the struggle as a society and as individuals.

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The Artists

Fred German, BFA

Artist’s Statement

Artist’s Biography

I have been driven to render as early as I can recall. My artistic fascination began when I first learned how to draw the alphabet. I took my first commission at the age of ten and through the years of my development I have shown my work in galleries and sold to private collectors.

In May 1988 I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. My emphasis was painting and print making. While at VCU I had the distinct honor to study under two men whom I considered to be living Masters: James Bradford (now deceased) and Milo Russell. To this day I am influenced by their teachings and can only hope to obtain their level of mastery in my lifetime.

I was one of the founding members of VIM; an art group established in Richmond, Virginia during the late 1980’s. We were dedicated to the promotion of art and without being bound by external limitations. This premise allowed for the truest expression of art.

Artistic Style

My art is about my self-indulgent enjoyment and the subjects I choose are those I deem important. My style is very loose, gestural, and is often a marriage of abstract and representational elements. The non-objective aspects of my compositions are equally as important as the figures in the positive space, making each piece a totality of these two components. In an effort to reduce linear qualities in my paintings I under paint the tonal structures in acrylics and overlay with fields of oil color.

Donna German, AFA

Artist's Statement

Artist's Biography

I originate from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, though I have called Virginia my home for most of my life. The Northern Virginia area lent experience to the years of my youth. After which I attended Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University and 1994 I was awarded an Associates in Fine Arts, Summa cum Laude, from Tidewater Community College. It was my experience at TCC that I believe was an integral part of facilitating my desire to define my talents.

After leaving the Tidewater Area I relocated to Richmond, Virginia where I continued to develop my individual artistic style. I consider my brief stay in Richmond to be very transitional and enlightening time. In early 1996 I left Richmond, took a short hiatus to explore the Southwest and returned to Virginia. Since that time I have called The Shenandoah Valley my home.

Artistic Style

My contemporary paintings are primarily non-representational, very organic and free flowing. I generally work with acrylic paint, but I frequently mix media to achieve different textures and effects. I use many layers of paint and textures to give the illusion of a third dimension in a two-dimensional space. Color is essential! The teachings of Johannes Itten command my attention. However, more than any other modern master, the artistic theories of Wassily Kandinski have been influential. Kandisnki’s had three major painting styles. Using his model I am able to classify my own work: My Improvisations are entirely intuitive; color and form dictate and evolve each piece as a dynamic entity. My Compositional pieces take shape in my mind’s eye before my brush strokes the canvas. Lastly my Impressional pieces are more abstracted and whimsical.

Inspiration for many of my paintings comes from a myriad of sources. Music is paramount and a basic necessity for me personally. Frequently, my paintings are interpretations of ideas that come from literary sources. The topics generally range from philosophy, to psychology and mysticism. I often look into the debasing of the human unconscious. I seek to uncover what lies beneath our cognitive mind and why primordial knowledge is becoming increasingly inaccessible in our modern era. I am also irrevocably drawn to biological processes, so science is an important fundamental in my art and frequently the shapes in my paintings bear a striking resemblance of biological forms.

"There is nothing on earth so curious for beauty or so absorbent of it, as a soul. For that reason few mortal souls withstand the leadership of a soul which gives to them beauty." ~Maeterlinck, De la beaute interieure.

More Background On 21stCenturyArt.net

At a time when many artists were still dependent on physical galleries, regional exhibitions, and printed catalogs to gain visibility, 21stCenturyArt.net emerged as a forward-looking experiment in digital curation. Conceived as a “gallery without walls,” the site positioned itself at the intersection of fine art, graphic design, cultural critique, and early internet exhibition practices. Long before social media platforms normalized online portfolios and virtual exhibitions, 21stCenturyArt.net offered a structured, juried, and curated space where artists from varied backgrounds could present their work to a global audience.

More than simply a website, 21stCenturyArt.net functioned as a cultural artifact of the early-to-mid 2000s art internet: a period defined by optimism about digital democratization, skepticism toward mass media influence, and a growing awareness of how advertising, branding, and popular culture shape identity. The site’s exhibitions, artist statements, and thematic framing reveal a platform deeply engaged with the anxieties and aspirations of its time.

Origins and Conceptual Vision

The “Gallery Without Walls” Philosophy

The foundational idea behind 21stCenturyArt.net was simple yet radical for its era: art did not need a physical room to be experienced seriously. By calling itself a “gallery without walls,” the site aligned with a lineage of conceptual and alternative art spaces that challenged institutional gatekeeping. However, unlike purely open platforms, 21stCenturyArt.net emphasized curation and jurying, reinforcing the notion that digital accessibility did not have to come at the expense of artistic rigor.

This balance—openness paired with selectivity—was one of the site’s defining characteristics. Artists were not merely uploading images; they were participating in curated exhibitions with themes, awards, and critical framing. The website thus positioned itself as an intermediary between traditional gallery systems and the emerging culture of self-published online portfolios.

Early 2000s Digital Context

When 21stCenturyArt.net was active, the web was still largely static. Social networks were either nonexistent or in their infancy. Image hosting was limited, bandwidth was expensive, and many artists lacked the technical means to present their work professionally online. In this environment, a centralized, well-designed platform that offered artists visibility, contextualization, and legitimacy had real value.

The site’s clean structure, emphasis on artist statements, and exhibition-based organization reflect this transitional moment in digital art history—one foot in the traditions of print catalogs and physical shows, the other stepping into a networked future.

Ownership and Management

Curatorial Oversight

While 21stCenturyArt.net did not foreground its ownership in a commercial sense, it was clearly guided by curatorial leadership with a strong editorial voice. Exhibition themes, award designations, and artist selections suggest that the site was managed by individuals with formal art education or deep familiarity with contemporary art discourse.

Rather than functioning as a commercial marketplace, the site emphasized artistic development, exposure, and dialogue. This orientation placed it closer to nonprofit or academic exhibition models than to sales-driven online galleries.

Independence and Scale

There is no evidence that 21stCenturyArt.net was backed by a major institution or corporate sponsor. Its scale appears intentionally modest, allowing for close attention to individual artists and thematic coherence across exhibitions. This independence gave the platform flexibility to address controversial or critical topics—such as consumerism, body image, and media saturation—without commercial pressure.

Exhibitions and Programming

Juried Exhibitions

One of the site’s most distinctive features was its use of juried exhibitions. These shows mirrored the structure of physical gallery exhibitions, complete with timeframes, thematic focus, and awards such as “Best in Show” and “Merit Award.” This framework helped legitimize the online format for artists accustomed to traditional exhibition standards.

The juried model also encouraged critical engagement. Artists were expected to articulate their intentions clearly, situate their work conceptually, and engage with broader cultural conversations.

Thematic Focus

The exhibitions hosted on 21stCenturyArt.net often addressed themes that were especially resonant in the early 21st century:

The influence of advertising on childhood and identity
The commodification of the body
The erosion of individuality under mass media
The tension between the material and the spiritual
The intersection of graphic design and fine art

These themes were not treated superficially. Artist statements frequently revealed deep introspection, personal history, and social critique, positioning the artwork as both aesthetic object and cultural argument.

Artists and Artistic Diversity

Range of Backgrounds

One of the site’s strengths was the diversity of its contributing artists. Participants included:

Formally trained fine artists
Self-taught painters
Graphic designers crossing into fine art
Engineers and professionals pursuing art alongside other careers
Illustrators, photographers, and mixed-media artists

This diversity reinforced the site’s inclusive ethos while also reflecting the changing demographics of contemporary art practice.

Artistic Styles and Media

The works presented on 21stCenturyArt.net spanned a wide range of styles and media, including:

Digital photography and staged imagery
Abstract and semi-abstract painting
Installation-inspired conceptual work
Figurative and symbolic compositions
Mixed-media approaches combining traditional and digital techniques

Rather than privileging a single aesthetic, the site emphasized conceptual clarity and expressive intent, allowing varied visual languages to coexist within a shared curatorial framework.

Cultural and Social Significance

Critique of Consumer Culture

A recurring thread throughout the site’s exhibitions was a critical examination of consumer culture. Many artists explored how branding infiltrates childhood, memory, and self-worth, often drawing on personal experiences to highlight broader social patterns.

This focus positioned 21stCenturyArt.net within a larger cultural conversation about media saturation, advertising ethics, and the psychological impact of consumerism—topics that have only grown more relevant in the decades since.

Reflection of Early Digital Anxiety

The site also captures a moment of ambivalence about technology itself. While embracing the internet as an exhibition space, the artwork frequently interrogated the very systems of persuasion and image production that digital media amplifies. In this sense, 21stCenturyArt.net was both a product of and a commentary on the digital age.

Audience and Reach

Target Audience

The site primarily appealed to:

Emerging and mid-career artists
Art students and educators
Curators interested in alternative exhibition models
Viewers interested in socially engaged contemporary art

Rather than courting a mass audience, 21stCenturyArt.net focused on viewers willing to read artist statements, engage critically with themes, and consider art beyond decorative value.

Geographic Reach

As an online platform, the site transcended geographic limitations. Artists and viewers from different regions and countries could participate without the logistical barriers of shipping, travel, or gallery access. This global reach was a significant advantage at a time when international exposure was otherwise difficult to achieve.

Popularity and Reception

Critical Reception

While 21stCenturyArt.net did not generate mainstream press attention on the scale of major museums, it earned respect within its niche. Artists valued the seriousness of its curatorial approach, and the presence of awards and juried selection added credibility to participation.

Artist Testimonials and Peer Recognition

The depth and thoughtfulness of artist statements suggest that contributors viewed the platform as more than a résumé line. For many, it was an opportunity to articulate ideas that might not find space in commercial galleries or academic journals.

Educational Value

Artist Statements as Pedagogy

One of the site’s underappreciated strengths was its educational value. Artist statements were not perfunctory; they were often detailed essays exploring motivation, process, and conceptual grounding. For students and emerging artists, these texts provided insight into how artists think about their work beyond technique.

Bridging Practice and Theory

By foregrounding both visual work and written reflection, 21stCenturyArt.net bridged the gap between studio practice and critical theory. This integration aligns with contemporary art education models but was less common in online spaces at the time.

Decline, Archival Status, and Legacy

Changing Internet Landscape

As social media platforms, portfolio sites, and online marketplaces proliferated, the centralized exhibition model pioneered by 21stCenturyArt.net became less common. Artists gained new tools for self-promotion, and audiences shifted toward faster, more image-driven consumption.

Archival Importance

Today, 21stCenturyArt.net functions as an archive of early digital art culture. Its preserved pages offer insight into:

Early online curation strategies
The concerns of artists navigating globalization and media saturation
The aesthetics and discourse of pre-social-media internet art

For researchers, historians, and artists interested in the evolution of online exhibition spaces, the site remains a valuable resource.

Broader Impact on Digital Art Platforms

Influence on Later Models

While not widely cited, the principles embodied by 21stCenturyArt.net—curation, thematic exhibitions, artist-centered narratives—can be seen echoed in later digital platforms, online biennials, and virtual galleries.

A Precursor to Contemporary Practices

In many ways, the site anticipated trends that are now commonplace: online juried shows, digital artist residencies, and virtual exhibitions. Its emphasis on critical engagement over algorithmic popularity stands as a reminder of alternative paths for digital art presentation.

21stCenturyArt.net represents a thoughtful and ambitious response to the question of how art could exist, thrive, and matter in the digital age. By combining curatorial rigor with online accessibility, it created a space that honored artistic depth while embracing technological possibility.

Though no longer at the forefront of contemporary art discourse, the site’s legacy endures as an early example of how the internet could serve not just as a promotional tool, but as a genuine exhibition space—one capable of fostering reflection, critique, and community.

In retrospect, 21stCenturyArt.net was not merely a website. It was an experiment in cultural translation: bringing the values of serious contemporary art into a medium that was still defining itself. That experiment, preserved through archives, continues to offer lessons for artists, curators, and digital platforms today.

21stCenturyArt.net