Akiva Listman
Akiva Listman is a Manhattan-based artist focusing on the shared pedestrian experience in New York City. He uses painting to distill the City to its essential elements and draw attention to the beauty found in often neglected urban phenomena. His painting process uses a range of classical and modern techniques, landing between photorealism and impressionism. By being attentive to realistic form and local color, his paintings are both readable and painterly. He Has collaborated with artists and brands on paintings, prints, clothing, accessories, housewares, and more.
Akiva earned a BFA in painting from the Pratt Institute in May 2021 and completed a summer residency at the New York Academy of Art in Manhattan. He works in his Long Island City studio, exploring new ideas and techniques.
Interested in building community among New York City artists, he has organized group shows for other emerging artists and has led classes in business and social media use for artists
Collect Bean: What does growth mean to you?
Akiva Listman: My growth has been mostly made of realization and understanding. Each person is in charge of their own life and motivation and can choose to make the best of their situation and ability. I have enjoyed nothing more in recent years than accomplishing things and feeling responsible for them. There are parts of your life you control and parts you do not. Over time, I have realized that my job as an artist and a business/ brand is to make the work, plant seeds of opportunity for myself, and let collectors and brands I interact with do the rest.
Collect Bean: If you had to describe your work in only three words, what would they be?
Akiva Listman: Distilled City Views
Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?
Akiva Listman: New York City always provides! It changes daily; there's new construction, new graffiti, and new things to notice all the time. I take reference photos all around Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.
Collect Bean: What does your painting process look like from start to finish?
Akiva Listman: Each painting starts when something catches my eye while walking around NYC. iPhone photos are then edited and composed in Photoshop and Illustrator. Detailed pencil outlines are drawn onto raw canvas or paper. Lastly I water down acrylic paint and apply many thin layers from light to dark until the opacity and color seem like enough. Each Painting can take anywhere from a day to a month.
Collect Bean: How does where you grew up influence your work?
Akiva Listman: I lived in the suburbs about thirty minutes from New York City until moving to Manhattan when I was thirteen, so I always had the appreciation for the city of someone who only traveled in for special occasions. I have now lived in New York City for over ten years and have managed to keep feeling the awe I had when I was younger. New York City is the subject matter of my two favorite paintings by two of my favorite artists (“Waiting #246” by Brett Amory & “Early Sunday Morning” by Edward Hopper).
Collect Bean: How do you balance your practice with your daily life?
Akiva Listman: To me, my practice is my daily life. I carry my work with me in my head every minute of every day, so there's no “Daily Life” that is fully absent of any “practice.” I assist an artist part-time and make sure to fit in time to reset and relax, but I paint and work as much as I possibly can every day. There's nobody who pushes me to work more than myself.
