Juried Exhibition: Under 30 Under Pressure , The Painting Center, June 23 - July 18 2026

Curated by Carrie Patterson

The Painting Center is pleased to present Under 30 Under Pressure curated by Carrie Patterson. This exhibition includes 60 artists exhibiting at The Painting Center and features 80 artists in the online exhibition on Artsy. The exhibition opens on Tuesday, June 23, and runs through Saturday, July 18, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 25, from 5–8 pm.

Young artists are coming of age amid unprecedented change marked by political upheaval, climate instability, and pervasive violence. Social media and emerging technologies shape their daily realities, amplifying pressures around identity, visibility, and unattainable ideals. The works in this exhibition respond to these conditions and ask: What does it mean to be a young artist in a world that feels increasingly overwhelming? What are the major themes, observations and concerns for this new generation?

Four distinct characteristics emerge in Under 30 Under Pressure. The first is found in works that simultaneously embody the long tradition of their art form, while also addressing an urgent contemporary situation. Through exceptional craftsmanship, and close observation resulting in both figurative and abstract work, these artists demand that we slow down and consider the fragility and absurdity of our current state. A second characteristic can be seen in work that combines two or more material elements, creating an archive, artifact, or diary of our own material culture. The third characteristic identifies a changing narrative: who is looking, who is controlling, and who is participating becomes the dominant question for us as viewers and one that is ultimately not answered. The fourth is a return to art as a gift - an offering to something larger than ourselves that leaves us with a feeling of comfort or hope. Taken together, the artists in Under 30 Under Pressure demonstrate remarkable ingenuity, sensitivity, and vision. Their works reveal a generation deeply attuned to the complexities of the world around them while remaining committed to the transformative potential of creative practice.

Artists included in the exhibition at The Painting Center space: Chloe Abidi, Reevah Agarwaal, Griffin Allman, Walker Antonio, Eloise Avery, Jynx B-C, Eleanor Bernard, Hector Beven, Morgan Binkerd, Adiah Bonham, Lane Brickman, Kallie Cassidy, Ju-Hsin Chen, Sarah Coates, Olivia Cohen, Serena Corson, Sasha Marie Cravis, Sky Dai, Srishti Dass, Lucas de la Cruz, Leo de Paula, Mariana Flor, Christopher Glabb-Vincent, Oscar Gluck, Mira Goodman, Madie Gotshall, Yannie Gu, Benjamin Guillot, Lilah Heyman, Olivia Hiester, Adam Holland, Brianna Howard, Amy Hyman, Ana Ion, Phoebe Kalm Choi, Hannah Keats, Dahyeon Kim, Minji Kim, Rosie Kim, Anna Kline, Madelaine Kraushaar, Yingshuet Lam, Molly Martin, Kylie McLaughlin, Katherine Moran, Liam Murphy-Torres, Donny Nie, Daniel Nwadike, Sydney Paquette, Eli Pillaert, Leo Psaros, Alexis Renbarger, Lucy Schwartzreich, Natalie Steigmann-Gall, Chelsie Sunde, Tina Tully, Maria Vazquez, Moyan Wang, Livia Weiner.