JULIAN MERCER | Contemporary Artist
Email: julianmercer@gmail.com
Phone: (555) 555-1234
Location: New York City
Career Overview
After completing my MFA at SVA in 2012, I stayed in New York and established my first studio in Brooklyn. I began showing work in group exhibitions while participating in local artist residencies. My early work was primarily focused on gestural abstraction and process-based mark-making, but over time I began to integrate architectural motifs and mixed media elements.
My paintings have been featured in both solo and group exhibitions in the U.S. and internationally. I’ve participated in several notable artist residencies, and my work is now included in a number of private and public collections. Currently, I’m working on a new series titled Urban Echoes, exploring themes of displacement and identity through layered textures and fragmented grids.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025 — "Urban Echoes" (Solo)
Mason Contemporary, New York, NY
An ongoing investigation into how gentrification affects both memory and physical space.
2023 — "Fragments of Silence" (Solo)
Lumen Gallery, Chicago, IL
A series of textured paintings reflecting on isolation during the pandemic era.
2022 — "The Abstract Present" (Group Show)
Gallery X, Berlin, Germany
Work featured alongside nine international painters redefining abstraction.
2021 — "Edge Conditions" (Group Show)
Redline Contemporary, Denver, CO — Group show highlighting boundary-pushing visual art
2019 — "Internal Cartographies" (Solo Show)
Blackridge Projects, Brooklyn, NY
Explored mapping personal emotional states through abstract compositions.
2017 — "Surface/Tension" (Group Show)
Boerum Art Space, New York, NY — Explored tension in visual surfaces
2015 — "Residency Showcase"
The Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT — Work created during artist residency
Publications & Press
⬩ Artforum, “Tactile Memory: Julian Mercer’s Layered Canvases” — April 2023
⬩ Hyperallergic, “Fragments and Frames: A Conversation with Julian Mercer” — Oct 2022
⬩ New American Paintings, Issue 149 — Featured Artist
My work is an ongoing conversation with place, memory, and material.
I seek to create surfaces that resonate with viewers on both a visual and visceral level. Each painting begins as a question and evolves into a meditation — on identity, history, and the ephemeral beauty of our constructed worlds.
Let’s Make Space for a Conversation.
Whether you’re a curator, collector, collaborator, or just curious — I'd love to hear from you. Art thrives on connection, and so do I. Reach out if you'd like to discuss a project, inquire about available work, or simply share a thought about what moved you. My studio door is always virtually open.
Send me a message and I'll get back to you soon.