ADAM UMBACH (American b. Chicago, 1986 - )Painter Beginning his painting career with minimalist canvases based on the enigmatic names of color swatches, Umbach’s creative approach has expanded to experiments with abstraction, geometric painting, and expressionism. The evolution of Umbach’s painting is markedly influenced by his surroundings, from the maritime imagery and seaside colors from his time living in East Hampton, New York and Islesboro, Maine to the graphic style of New York City’s architecture and graffiti. Umbach’s work pairs formalist explorations with realistic depictions of recognizable objects, including boats, toys such as rubber ducks and teddy bears, and pink flamingo lawn ornaments. A biographical painter, Umbach’s chosen subjects, which often repeat through differing bodies of work, belong to a personal and familial iconography. Though sourced from his life, Umbach’s paintings invite viewers to connect with this imagery by evoking their own experiences and memories. My paintings explore a collective nostalgia for childhood memories by juxtaposing realistic representations of everyday objects that represent deep personal ties to memory with expressionistic mark making. Using my non-dominant hand to create the thickly rendered lines and forms, I build on the sense of play by drawing with the uncertainty and freedom of a child. This formal tension mirrors the balance between my playful, often humorous, choice of subjects with the weight of the memories they symbolize—a sense of loneliness pervading a single teddy bear, toy, or boat combined with the comfort and hope that it brings. Adam Umbach was born in Chicago, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. After being inspired from an early age by the modern master's collection at the Art Institute of Chicago, he received his BFA in painting from the University of Wisconsin. He has exhibited his large-scale paintings nationally in Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, Virgil Catherine Gallery, Carver Hill Gallery, and Chase Edwards Contemporary, among others. He has also shown in numerous art fairs, including Moniker Art Fair, New York, Market: Art & Design, Bridgehampton, NY, and the Philadelphia Art Fair. Selected SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS:2022: Reboot: ALL PLAY, NO WORK Carver Hill Gallery, Camden/Rockland Maine July 1 - 30Whimsical Waters, Roman Fine Art, Sag Harbor 2021: Newfound American Freedom, Chase Edwards Contemporary, Bridgehampton, NY Halcyon Daze, Roman Fine Art, Sag Harbor, NY SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2022: Life, Death, Hereafter, NYC Culture Club, New York, NY C/overt Observation, Virgil Catherine Gallery, Hinsdale, IL Winter Group Show, Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, Palm Beach, FL Re:Emergence, Circle 46 Gallery, Hudson, NY 2021: Facts and Fictions, Virgil Catherine Gallery, Hinsdale, IL Fall Group Show, Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, Greenwich, CT Summer Group Show, Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, Nantucket, MA Talismans, Monica King Projects, New York, NY 2020: Bohemian City NYC, Group Installation Curated by MAGO, New York, NY Bohemian City Bubblegum, Havens, Sag Harbor, NY 2019: Bohemian City Miami, Basel Group Showcase Curated by MAGO, Miami, FL Subtle Impact, White Room Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY Members’ Show, Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY