TRASH TALK

November 1- 13, 2022

Studio Kroner presented Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky-based artists Paul Kroner and Devan Horton in this unique limited-run show that tackle the relentless churn of toxic news, politics, and the mountains of trash that litter our present and threaten our future, literally and metaphorically.

Opening Reception

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Panel Dicussion

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Closing Reception

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Bios

Devan Horton: Penchant

In this series, "Penchant," I explore our culture’s obsession with consumption and waste by analyzing our relationship with garbage. Pulling from an interest in ancient societies and frustration from finding trash in nature, I saw the evidence that will remain from our civilization’s existence. Through the artifacts and artworks left behind by great societies throughout history, we can determine how cultures lived and the things they valued. How will future societies view our priorities? What will they conclude about the way we attempted to solve our problems?

I believe they will find a society built on convenience and individualism. I paint our blind relationship with the things we throw out to bring a more mindful awareness about the way we consume. Through experimentation with color and texture, threatening piles of trash evoke curiosity and playfulness while creating a sense of foreboding. I confront my audience with our waste obsession by allowing them to rethink their relationship with the things they consume while also bringing the awareness needed to confront irresponsible industries about what they are producing in order to fix this systemic issue. Penchant bridges the gaps and invites everyone to the same page by demonstrating an immediate level of impact on climate change in our daily lives. Penchant brings to light our relationship with waste in hopes of convincing others that despite the ongoing social and economic issues around us, our planet is always of the utmost importance. As a species we must work together to preserve its beauty for future generations.

Artist Bio

Devan Horton is a Northern Kentucky artist who creates oil paintings to call attention to the ongoing issue of waste in our culture. Since receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Northern Kentucky University, Devan has crafted and promoted her artistic career by exhibiting in local and national galleries, including Manifest Gallery, Caza Sykes Gallery, and most recently, a solo exhibition of her series, “Penchant”, at Buckham Gallery in Flint, Michigan.

Click to Watch Devan's Artist Talk >

Steve Kroeger

Steve Kroeger, a special educator and action researcher for thirty years, uses his current research to focus on supporting voice. Steve is involved in national and international projects including the Palestinian West Bank, and Ireland. While teaching, graphic narrative emerged as a powerful medium of expression. Since the last election, volunteering in a food pantry doing Spanish translation stirred thinking about abundance and scarcity of food. Comics helps tell the stories of people who are doing the amazing work of collecting, growing, cooking, distributing, educating, and serving in our regional Food Shed.

Karen Boyhen

Through illustration and graphic design, Karen Boyhen helps people communicate with their customers with a delightful and relatable approach. Her portfolio includes editorial illustration, illustrated maps, merchandise, brochures, posters, and annual reports for non-profit, education, and healthcare companies. In the studio at Visionaries + Voices, she facilitates artwork and builds relationships. Last summer she led a project entitled “Tiny Cincinnati” with the community while on artist residency through the Contemporary Arts Center. Karen is focused on making art and building creative partnerships.

Scott Hand

Scott Hand is the Chief Brand Officer at Urban Artifact, Principal Architect with Trilobite Design, and Station Manager for Radio Artifact. A licensed architect specializing in acoustics and sustainability, Scott spent years mastering how physical structures sound and feel. Today, he translates that rigorous design philosophy into the visual realm. He approaches brand development with an architect's eye, treating every illustration as a foundational block of a larger narrative. Scott’s goal is to build an internal world for folks: one that offers a rich, immersive experience and rewards curiosity with intentional whimsy.

Artist Statement

Paul Kroner: Box News

The corrugated box has become an ever-present symbol of our capitalistic society. Since the pandemic, they are even more prevalent as more and more of us opt to have any and everything delivered to our homes. Our garbage bins overflow with the detritus of our consumer culture.

At the same time, the insatiable 24/7 news cycle bombards us with an endless parade of talking heads promoting the big lie and other rubbish meant to attract eyeballs like flies to rotting garbage. So-called "leaders" of one of our major political parties litter the airwaves with their thinly veiled racist, misogynistic, xenophobic propaganda non-stop on Fox News, talk radio, and other conspiracy-related outlets.

Their black-and-white view of the world aims to return us to the monochromatic past, where men were men, women were women, white was right, and the hell with everyone else. It is hard to avoid them, as they seem to be everywhere and multiplying like the boxes on the doorsteps of our homes.

This series, "BOX NEWS," captures just some of these aspiring autocrats and bombastic blowhards in black-and-white on a "canvas" befitting their subjects: an empty and discarded box destined for the trash bin of history.

Artist Bio

Paul Kroner is a Cincinnati artist and gallery owner who moves fluidly from one medium to another. His work spans from figurative to abstract, 2D to 3D, and analog to digital. At the heart of Paul's work is a desire to find the intersection of art and design and to create a visual narrative that invites the viewer to be an integral part of the story. His work is in private collections nationally and internationally and has been in numerous galleries and solo and group exhibits in New England and the Midwest.