ISSUE 76: 100 Under 100: The New Superstars of Southern Art

Out of overwhelming curiosity, we wanted to discover the most talented and thrilling up-and-coming artists in the South. So we enlisted a range of Southern experts (gallery owners, curators, critics, artists) to help us find them. To make things manageable, we limited our interest (for the time being) to those who paint, photograph, and draw.

Here is a sneak preview of the forty artists featured in the Visual South issue. The artists we couldn't fit in the issue, 41-100, can all be seen here.

Monica Zeringue

47, New Orleans

Although from a large family in South Louisiana, Monica Zeringue creates sophisticated and enigmatic drawings that are far from local in style. The artist gives her pubescent selves plenty of space in which to multiply and merge, their hair a cocoon or a perverse life force, protecting or prohibiting their insular transformations.

—Diane G. Dufilho, Director, The Meadows Museum of Art

"Arc" (2009) by Monica Zeringue. Graphite and embroidered thread on primed linen, 22 x 30 inches. Courtesy of Heriard-Cimino Gallery.

Justin Forbes

44, Denton, Texas

Justin Forbes's vision operates and communicates on multiple levels, from surface to sublime. He also manages to align subject matter and objects in a way that makes sense—almost. Just as importantly, the paintings are fun to look at. 

—William Greiner, photographer

"The Young and the Restless" (2011) by Justin Forbes. Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches. Courtesy of Jonathan Ferrara Gallery.

Heather McPherson

31, Atlanta

As a child, Heather McPherson—who was born in Atlanta in 1980—rode to Pennsylvania on an Amtrak train every summer. Along this route, she peered into countless houses in unknown towns, curious about strangers' lives. Those early experiences led to McPherson's most recent body of work: a multidisciplinary look at houses—all hardscrabble and distinctly Southern—and the mysteriously significant clues their exteriors suggest.

—Lloyd Benjamin, Owner / Operator, Get This! Gallery

"499 Wabash Avenue, as seen from Boulevard" (2011) by Heather McPherson. Acrylic and pencil on cut wood, 14 x 32 inches.

Susan Worsham

42, Richmond, Virginia

Susan Worsham's photographs help us realize the elegance and beauty in the everyday. Her work seems to ask: Have we been digging all along in the wrong place for our treasures? Here, repositories of history and memory are found when we follow our nose, knock on doors, or wander into a stranger's backyard. We sometimes forget that we are all explorers and the furthest place we can go is right where we are.

—Elijah Gowin, photographer

"Marine, Hotel Near Airport, Richmond, VA" (2009) by Susan Worsham. Archival pigment print, 20 x 25 inches.

Michael Porten

29, Savannah, Georgia

Raised in Huntsville, Alabama, Michael Porten moved to Savannah in 2000 to attend Savannah College of Art and Design. With an MFA in painting and a BFA in illustration, Porten has carved an aesthetic niche all his own. Contemporary pop culture and iconography figure heavily in Porten's sui-generis exploration of self-portraiture, and his points of reference range from Vonnegut to Voltaire.

—Paula Wallace, President / Co-Founder, Savannah College of Art and Design

"You, Me, and the Spinning Beach Ball of Death" (2011) by Michael Porten. Oil on 50 panels, each panel 24 x 24 inches.