Art allows me to give this brain and heart a voice
Annamaria Pennazzi, collage and film artist once told me she used to dream in frames… When you’re constantly looking at film every day, your language develops as a film language so…Yeah I guess it creeps into the sub-conscious.
This is how Annamaria kicks off her interview with Smoor, she’s sitting at her desk in her new studio, which has sketches beneath her elbows and her work leaning up against its lemon yellow walls… Collage is putting the pieces together, just like in editing, it’s also the perfect off screen activity. Sometimes it’s great to come home after spending 12hrs of the day looking at 5 screens.
From the looks of things her art work isn’t so dreamy when it comes to her collages, as she usually begins with an organ in mind: It might be the brain or the heart lets say, and I try to dig inside to find the feeling from that specific body organ. This kind of exploration of anatomical emotion fascinates me, she explains that she wants to get what’s inside out, but what does that mean…
You really wanna know, it’s scary sometimes; we both laugh at what might be swirling around in her head. But before long, my attention is brought back to the collection of sketches dotted around, pink and yellow fluorescent postits clamber the wall all with scribbles on them, magazine cut outs pricked with drawing pins…and as I eye some of her work on display I see a gradient of colour drawing my eye down and across the collages. Does colour matter to her…. It’s very important to me that the colours match, and the feeling that that colour brings to the work. Yes. Annamaria certainly has a way of capturing the mood; her careful consideration where things are placed on a blank page seem purposeful -even if by explorative means. Seeing a tower of magazines stacked on the floor, I wonder what or who inspires her…
Leonora Carrington is a big inspiration, I read various books…sometimes I have an image in mind but no collage pieces, I use scientific resources from the internet, erm pornographic magazines, like Penthouse because the advertising is so interesting and I usually pick up magazines when I travel.
Is there a correlation between the film work and the art, or are they separate mediums for you… Oh definitely…. the short film I’m working on at the moment is called ‘The anatomy of anxiety’ and it’s about panic attacks, the protagonist of the film is made up of the organs of the human body.
Annamaria goes on to speak about how she’s suffered from her own panic attacks, anxiety and depression. I decided I wanted to make a comedy about it, I was also interested in looking at how each organ reacts when you have a panic attack, but in a comedic way.
With silence, fear and stigma that can surround mental health it’s a great way to break down some of those barriers, the more we talk, the more we learn, and like many pieces of art that has made an impact with others, can provoke tough conversations that aren’t being had; like abstract expressionist artist Rothko’s black and grey series, who famously suffered from depression. The Guerrilla girls who asked in 1989 ‘If all women had to be naked to get into the Met’ a feminist art collab exposing gender bias’s, the infamous Frida Kahlo, drew herself not only in her beauty but also in her pain…The list is endless. You can find beauty in something unconventional and a bit dark, which is what I like.
I can tell this film holds a lot of significance for Annamaria, I’m intrigued to see it once it hits our screens.
Next, I just have to ask about the deck of Tarot cards on her desk, it has been the elephant in the room for this entire interview … Oh yeah, I use the cards sometimes when I’m stuck. She gives me an example with some cut out pieces of brain, and clouds etc, with each decision she makes she asks the cards, it reminds me of a technique Merce Cunningham, a contemporary dance choreographer, sometimes used called chance choreography -I-ching- to decide on anything from the steps, speed, direction etc.
I’ve never heard of Tarot being used in this way for art but it must be liberating to give the power to the cards, when there’s a boulder in the way clouding your brain.
But what if the cards are wrong, is she afraid of making mistakes? I’m very wonky and clumsy and I love that this shows in my art work, she says of a bigger collage I’ve picked up in its frame. I don’t like perfection because nothing is perfect, that’s what I like to portray in my films too, I don’t mind mistakes…I know they bother some people.
Can you tell me more about the piece I’m holding?
I find it hard to talk about my stuff… but in this piece at the time, there was a lot going on in my love life, because my brain is close to where my vagina is – meaning I believe all of our organs are connected in some way and the vagina can interpret reality the same way a brain does (laughs). But I think there’s happiness and love in this piece and I think I was trying to make sense of what was going on at the time.
With all the things we’ve touched upon I’m excited to see what her exhibition ‘A taste and the aftertaste: Immersive journey into Annamaria Pennazzi’s art’ has in store. However, what I do know is that she’s not keen on the barriers a conventional exhibition provides. I’d love to make art and film that people can interact with, I want people to touch it to feel it I want people to create a discussion around it…I want people to get involved and feel like they can make it their own, it’s not just mine, it’s for the world to enjoy.
If you’d like to see more of Annamaria’s work, her exhibitionwill be on At Odyssey- Hoxton, 6-9:30pm, 28th November 2024.
Maybe I’ll see you there, or not, let me see what the cards have to say first.
Street scenes, building a sense of community and turning the unseen into heroes
I felt instantly at home after meeting Sarah Adams, she was warm and gracious and we hit it off straight away. Our encounter was through her partner who fixed my musician boyfriend's trumpet, which I swear is not a euphemism for something else, he actually repairs instruments.
Anyway, after a few catch ups with heart-warming new friends, I discovered Sarah had done more than a stint in the world of illustration, but was adamant that wasn’t ‘happening’ anymore. Out of curiosity I asked to see some of her work, but she became shy and introverted, only adding to my intrigue.
In the end she did let me see one or two pieces, and I was bowled over with what she’d presented, it had such an impact. I felt like I knew the places on the page she’d drawn, the people she’d depicted. I was brought up in Hackney, the place in question, so her ability to show it off with such a visceral energy kinda broke me.
I was hell bent on speaking to Sarah further not only to bring her work to the forefront, but also to lift the proverbial shadow she’d casted over it.
Once we’d aligned our schedules I rocked up to her place with a packet of custard creamed biscuits in one hand, and a note full of questions in the other, and it wasn’t long until she jumped in to tell me about her work-space. Yeah this bit is my corner, I have all my special books, my paints, and this is how I organise it. It very much says a lot about me…course it’s a mess, and I think it's good to show it in a complete and utter mess.
I add that most artists liked working in a disorganised functional space which she considers and smiles at. Totally, but this has evolved over 10 - 20 years actually, I was doing a lot of photoshop on my computer which is why I have this big screen, I did a few books which I had to relay and send online.
Books? This is news to me. We've spoken a few times and Sarah’s never mentioned about being published, not that she’s obliged to but this revelation feels even more of a privilege, to see her ready to share something she’d been initially so modest about. I was going through the drawers to show you what I have and it’s a bit of a mish mash, there are loads of really old stuff, but it’s all been a journey.
What has led you to this point? Oh god it goes right back to Central Saint Martins in London when I did a post grad in illustration, which was about 30 years ago and it sort of built from there. I went on to do magazine illustration, then I started to get into children’s books because someone saw my work, and I ended up working for Walker books. I went on to do a post grad in children’s illustration after that.
Sarah's partner comes in as she’s talking and she politely tells him that she’s busy, before seamlessly carrying on from where she left off. So I took some key bits out, like the sketch book I showed you.
She begins to flick through a series of drawings of kids playing, sitting, jumping and I take the opportunity to ask if she can remember when her love of art started?
When I was around 15 I had to start looking at what to do for a career, and I remember looking through these books and one of them said something about being an illustrator, and I never thought of doing that. At that point the direction changed, and I went and did an art foundation.
I hate to ask the next question especially as I can see Sarah is surrounded by a sweet shop of memories, but I wonder if she can choose three pieces that represent her work. She goes ahead and rummages through papers in her blue dungarees and red long sleeved top, to show me a lino cut print she made. Ok, so, this is my estate…I just love the view outside my window and this is it at night. The lino print has many elements from intricate markings of light and dark, the London’s skyline in the distance, the fox below with an abandoned shopping trolly in the scene and I get the sense of what is often synonymous in Sarah's work whether she knows it or not, and that’s to make the often forgettable or lost subject the hero of her work.
Oh and there’s this, it’s based around the fairytale ‘The red shoes’ she says drawn to another of her pieces. I basically wanted to update the story because I’ve always loved it. The expressions that Sarah captures in this eclectic street scene where the protagonist Karen is on the run, is full of character; and I’m so taken with the illustration’s punchy authenticity that I can almost smell the chip fat clinging to the pavement and hear reggae bouncing in the air. I am transported.
Sarah finally sets her heart on the third piece with a project called ‘Lucas Eden’. It’s about a boy and his grandmother who moved to an estate like this. Sarah is now on her feet, directing my gaze outwards to a grey sky and concrete jungle of 30 or so flats below, the setting has an important relationship with the story she’s about to embark on.
So, Luca and his grandmother moved here from eastern Europe, I haven’t specified where exactly but they’ve been given a place to stay. They look out of the window and see land, and want to create a garden because they feel isolated coming from a different country. But this land is in danger because the authorities want to build on it, so they try to save it. Sarah goes on to talk about where she lives and what that means to her.
There’s been a movement on our estate and in our community garden about bringing people together. Local people have taken ownership of that around here, they’ve not been led by councils or paid people, they’ve taken initiative themselves to expand it. It’s very much resident led here, and longer lasting because of it.
I want to know what Sarah believes makes a good illustrator? Having a sense of place, I think you can take inspiration from your own experience, where you live, or the people you know. I think it makes it more personal, now most of my work is based around London but in some cases in children’s books they like to sell more internationally and they don’t always encourage a sense of place because they think it limits the sale of the book, so it can be a bit generic, but personally I feel like it’s more interesting if there is a sense of place.
Sarah looks out of her window as she’s done so many times today, half with concern and the other with a palpable sense of happiness. I’ve gathered that her starting point has a lot to do with where she’s from and what’s in her community, but she also highlights how our differences can have a great effect on the people who live there.
This is apparent in ‘Dave and Violet’, one of Sarah's published children’s books, about a little girl helping a dragon fit in. This story is set in Shoreditch park, and I dunno, I sometimes think about
Dragan -Dragan is Sarah's partner who’s Serbian - I think he’s never felt quite 100% accepted here, and I’m quite protective of that.
Sarah's body language changes slightly as she comforts herself by wrapping an arm loosely around her waist, and the other on her opposite shoulder.
When I was a child I was very quiet and I didn’t really say much, and I remember the harder I tried to please the other kids the harder it was for me, I feel like they disliked me more. I remember feeling frustrated and how unhappy I was; I was being bullied and that...and this character, Dave the dragon, he wants to help but the harder he tries the worse it is. And he’s trying so hard that he gets nervous and starts to heat up, flames come out of him and he makes it even worse. That’s based on how I felt as a kid. So it’s a mix of things, and I guess Violet is like me…but I think a lot of artists base their work on their own experiences, something real.
Sarah shows me another of her children’s book called ‘Gary and Ray’ and I see the familiar theme loneliness being probed again, as she flicks through the pages there’s a hint of surprise in her voice as she admits I seem to write characters who are lonely and don’t belong, I guess as a kid I felt lonely and I wanted to belong.
I think living around here on the estate there’s a lot of people that are isolated and forgotten about, you don’t often see them but I know they are there.
I agree with Sarah that loneliness is not an easy state to live with, that it should be talked about more often and tackled head on, having said that I see many of her stories resonating with those reading them, as a reminder they are not alone and that hope is never too far away.
Sarah not only champions her often displaced characters with spirit and awareness, she also puts her money where her mouth is and is an active member of her community; and what I love about her work is its pure honesty and definite style.
She has a great ability to draw your eye across the page and hold a mirror up to the world she creates, whether it be a place outside your door or the subject that lives behind it. That’s what makes her work so special.
Photographer Chantel King
It’s 11am on a Thursday and the doorbell rings just as photographer Chantel King sits down to have her interview with me at her beautiful home in Archway in London. As she goes to get the door, it gives me time to soak in the colourful furnishings, squish my feet into the patterned rug beneath my feet and drink the tea she’s made for me.
Once Chantel comes back up after getting her delivery I ask her if she’s ready before pressing record, she nods and sits back comfortably wearing an oversized zebra print jumper and jeans and I delve right in. Can anyone take a photograph? She laughs before gathering her thoughts and answering….Anyone can take a photo, but not everyone can capture an image. It’s a sharp succinct answer but I’m interested to know more so ask her to elaborate. The term that’s often used in Photography ‘is having an eye’ that could mean a mixture of things, from composition being able to frame an image within the shot- so the way you start an image and end it. People have mobiles so they can snap away, but its without thought generally, one thing that really annoys me is when people cut off the feet or they take it from the middle of the forehead, and it doesn’t bother them, but it’s such a pet hate of mine. For many artist’s you’re thinking about the image, the emotion, the mood you’re trying to convey, so yeah there are many elements.
I’ve collected almost every piece of work my sister has done throughout the years, but I was as surprised as anyone when she went on to do photography I wonder is it’s something that she always wanted to do from a young age. Definitely not, I’ve been asked this before and it’s a really strange one because I think many people say from the moment they picked up a camera they were hooked, but from my experience mum would drag us around taking pictures that I never wanted to take, and I hated it. We both begin to laugh at the memory… but I also thought I couldn’t do it, I never saw any black photographers much less to female ones, I didn’t even think it was an option. Once I finished secondary school I went on to do business studies, so I could work in an office because that’s what I thought people did, they got to a certain age went and got a good job with a briefcase and suit sort of thing and y’know I thought that was life after school. I didn’t think that life could have such creative possibilities.
You have photographed for the Guardian newspaper, Stylist magazine, Grazia and many more can you explain a bit about the type of photography you do? My main focus is beauty, I also do portraiture mostly of celebrities or people in the public eye. When I’m shooting beauty I like to be fairly close to my subjects I have a 50mm lens which allows me to do that and I normally shoot at a lower angle so the subject looks more heroic in the shot, a lot of people like to shoot further away, but for me to have such distance loses connection.
Just as Chantel takes a sip of her tea I want to hear what about the work that gets her excited, is it the light, shade, the colour…I’m always drawn to the colour I just think it’s so fun, whether it’s in the make-up, or the background you can do so much with it. It doesn’t make you feel nervous? When I first started it was a little scary using colour, I was told by many other photographers things like if you do a bold lip avoid a bold eye, it was kind of the rule of thumb and I did that at the beginning. But I remember at one point I had this car crash of a shoot when everyone wanted to do their own thing and it was a mess! But later on in my career, when I got to work with really good collaborators from make-up to hair stylists who knew how to be bold but cohesive, that’s when I stopped being scared and wanted to challenge the use of colour more.
With a period of growth obviously propelling Chantel forward, I wonder if breaking away from rules and conventions is something that interests her. Oh god there have been many revelations along the way and confidence can certainly grow from that, people can be critical over something that’s different from that clean classic beauty image, so every so often I do like to push those boundaries. Great to hear that rebel spirit is alive and well, does that mean there’s no prep before a shoot what’s the starting point. No, I do prep definitely, but I try not to over prep otherwise it takes a bit of the magic away, primarily I like to think about the mood I want to convey; the worse thing about not prepping is that no one knows what’s going on, you can lose trust as the lead photographer which could be a loss of an opportunity when you could’ve used that time to create something special.
How closely do you and your team follow the brief? It depends if its my own brief I have quite a collaborative method but if its external I don’t always get to choose my team, regardless you still have to know how to deliver quality results. Ever the consummate professional I can see that Chantel demands a lot from her photographs to meet standards no matter what the brief is or who is on the job, I wonder if she works with reoccurring concepts or if that wheel of ideas is forever changing….It depends, I’m still building my portfolio and as we discussed I’m not shy when it comes to using colour so that’s one aspect, but I also enjoy photographing people with different backgrounds and body shapes. One thing I realised when I started was that there wasn’t enough diversity within my work and that was something I actively wanted to change, having said that I am also aware that I may be the ‘go to girl’ to photograph only the black and brown model because of my skin colour -which I’m not opposed to, but my book shows a range of diverse faces. I’m about to jump in with my next question when I can see Chantel is still mulling over the question Sorry, I was in a meeting just the other day she continues and the art director looking at my portfolio told me she was impressed by the range of skin tones I’d showcased, she said she was still surprised how many photographers still have a lack of diversity in their portfolio.
We’ve heard throughout the years that people of colour do not sell magazines, are things changing in the world of photography when it comes to inclusion or is it just lip service? Chantel shifts in her seat and takes a breath and I can totally understand the discomfort, it’s such a tiring and frustrating question for one main reason, it still has to be asked. I’ve been in the industry for over 12 years so I’ve definitely seen a progression, when I first started you’d rarely see a black model on the cover except for maybe the Naomi Campbells of this world, so they’d have their one high profile model y’know, and even on shoots before which wasn’t that long ago when I was assisting I’ve been in situations where the magazine decided they wouldn’t use a black model because they used a model with a darker hue for the previous issue, but obviously if it were a white model that had been photographed that question would never have come up in conversation.
So to answer your question yes there have been changes but there’s still a long way to go, but I’m looking through magazines, reading books and there has been a shift in seeing more of not just black models, but Asian, Indian, non-able bodied, deaf, LGBTQI, curvy models and many others on our screens and in our literature and it’s fantastic.
As her face lights up at the prospect of change I cease the moment to ask her that well-heeled question about her inspirations. The photographer who made a big impression on me was Tim Walker his work is generally theatrical and jumps off the page at you. I remember seeing his stuff at the time I’d graduated and he was like everywhere, but I was completely magnetised by his style which for me not everyone was doing at the time. It’s when I realised you can push the boundaries and explore what’s beyond, you could be different.
What does a day on shoot day look like when you’re on set with Chantel King…It’s a lot of running around she laughs pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. I like to be in control but I always relax when I know I have a great team, I set up before anyone gets there put some music on, and set the mood. We both do an impromptu shoulder jiggle at the word ‘mood’, then double over laughing at our sister vibes. I make sure everyone has breakfast, I know I’m like mum because it’s a long day and sometimes people forget the simple things. Then I gather the assisting team together to make sure they know what I want for the lighting, next I’ll bring the glam crew together to go through the ideas, introduce myself to the model[s] who are sometimes surprised that it’s me I ask why… Well they’re not usually expecting a black female photographer to be heading the shoot, but its all met with love and smiles, and its sometimes funnily enough what gets people more amped which is sweet.
All that’s left is for me to go out there to get the best possible shots I can.
Thanks sis love ya
By Sabrina Bramble
Abfillage and self-expression: the art of Aluu Prosper
Aluu Prosper is a 24 year old Nigerian Painter and figurative artist, producing strikingly bold works which not only challenge the neutral colour palette, but also the figurative perspective with verve and energy. To hear more about the man behind the canvas I had to ask a few more questions…
Can you describe your studio to our Smoor readers?
My studio is quite a mix of different states. Most times organised and sometimes in a mess. Because of the style of art I do which is a fusion of collage, abstract and figurative art, when it’s time to cut newspapers and glue it to the canvas, everywhere becomes disoriented as well as during the abstract coloration. But it’s a beautiful place.
What does art mean to you, and how do you know when it’s good?
I always tell people, art is self-expression. There is no bad art. If someone chooses to express himself or herself in whatever way they can, then it’s art. It is a personal choice. What you see as a bad art, someone could see as a masterpiece.
How would you describe the art that you make for someone who’s not familiar with your work?
I call it Abfillage. I indirectly relay messages on newspapers to my viewers without making it so obvious, while painting my story and expressing myself in figurative form. It’s a fusion of abstract, figurative and collage hence the name Abfillage.
Do you have a dream place you’d like to exhibit and why?
There are a lot of places, definitely. Like the Guggenheim, The Tate, The National portrait gallery, and maybe the Louvre in Paris and so on. In terms of why I think it’s already obvious why I want to show there.
Influences, inspiration? Talk to me….
Erm, I would pick Picasso first of all, not because of his style of art but because of his relentless personality. I learnt a lot from his lifestyle (not the bad side???). But his zeal and willingness to succeed, and in terms of how I paint, it’s influenced by Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Kadir Nelson and myself too.
How much sketching do you do beforehand? is it necessary?
In the kind of art I do, I sketch on the canvas directly because I work from reference images I took myself or from my past, so I don’t do preliminary sketches in rough books or sketchpads, but it’s essential I sketch before I paint the figurative part of my work because I wouldn’t want paints going into places they are not supposed to go into at all.
You use newspaper as a base for your work. Is there a reason for this?
Yes there is. Just like Mahatma Gandhi said, In order to preserve culture, you must continue to create it. The social, economic and political stories in newspapers are part of our culture, our way of life, and society plays a huge role in our individual lives. I preserve these stories not by stacking the papers but by using them to create art. It’s like turning what could have been a waste into gold.
I know when I’m writing I sometimes use music to help concentrate -let’s just say a particular Max Richter song has got me through a lot-. Do you listen to music while painting?
I can literally do little without music. Everything could feel boring. Music initiates and invites a certain energy into the room and the work. I only turn it off when I’m done. You know I write too. I don’t use music when I write my poems, because I need full concentration. Words collide in my head if I use music to write.
Why is challenging the perspective of the human form such a big feature in your work?
Well, I would also ask you, why would I want to paint what already ‘is’ when I have the power to create my own universe on my canvas? God chose to make us the way he wanted to because he has the power to. I challenge the normal narrative but mostly the head because it’s the seat of wisdom.
There’s a parrot in the mural ‘Garden of Eden’ that you’ve painted showing a woman braiding another woman’s hair, in another piece a dove sits on top the oversized head of a young boy entitled ‘What do you believe in’ can you talk more about the use of birds, and your signature crown motif?
Well, as for the birds, it was contextual. Picasso was the first to use a dove to signify peace. The crowns dignify my subjects, it simply means they are special.
How does your Nigerian heritage influence your work, how important is it to acknowledge that part of yourself?
To be sincere with you, I’m not really proud at this moment to be a Nigerian because of the state of the nation. But there is nothing I can do about it because that’s who I am and I have to express myself and tell my stories in my works. The newspapers speak for themselves. As an artist living in Nigeria, there are more than enough things to talk about or express.
Did you know many black painters when you were growing up?
I was just a comic artist at a young age. I didn’t know about most famous black painters. I knew I got the talent from my dad. When I grew older, I started to know them one by one and get inspired by what they’ve done.
You’re becoming quite an established artist, making beautiful, memorable work. What would you say to other artists burrowing away in their bedrooms making art and wanting a piece of the creative pie?
Well, I am like every other artist out there too. But I would say to them, art is self-expression, make something unique, find a niche. You don’t need to go too far to find it, it’s within you. The beginning isn’t easy but with time you’ll be happy you never stopped.
“Create something beautiful that brings joy to others.” Claudia Hollister and her floral cyanotypes
As a third generation Oregonian, I have been fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by beauty everywhere you look. I found gardens to be my church, and my grandfather’s rose garden was a special place to wander and imagine. This is why I am a devoted gardener. Nature has been my inspiration to create something beautiful in my art, my north star!
As a third generation Oregonian, I have been fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by beauty everywhere you look. I found gardens to be my church, and my grandfather’s rose garden was a special place to wander and imagine. This is why I am a devoted gardener. Nature has been my inspiration to create something beautiful in my art, my north star!
From a young age, I was a spirited child who had a big imagination. My parents supported my curiosity about art. Their encouragement allowed me to follow my dreams and talents as a practicing artist. College further informed my way of seeing things differently and using materials in a nontraditional format.
Three Generations
I jumped into practicing and selling my art right out of college. As a jeweler working in lost wax casting I included imagery of flowers, plants and butterflies in a contemporary art nouveau style, to adorn objects and containers in silver. Later designing for silver and crystal companies. I also designed the seashell series of molds for Godiva, and reproduction carving for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ending this phase of my journey with a show at Cartier’s, NYC.
When the silver market crashed in the early 80’s, I shifted my focus to working in porcelain. First teaching myself and then creating hand built color inlaid vases and teapots sold throughout galleries in the US. Then years later transitioned to large wall installations for hotels, corporations, and the most rewarding children’s hospitals.
Peony
In 2008 I decided to follow my heart and shifted to painting in encaustic.
This medium provided a way to express visual mystery to imagery, blurring the lines between illusionary depth and sculptural relief. By utilizing multiple materials, paper grounds, and adding dimensional vessels and flowers to the paintings I found my style. It was while I was teaching encaustic at Pacific Northwest College of Art [PNCA] that I was introduced to Cyanotypes.
Cyanotype is an alternative photographic process developed in 1842.
Originally I used the cyanotype process for printing on various art papers in the backgrounds of my encaustic work, and have continued the practice.
Luscious Anemone .jpg
However during COVID-19 lockdown everything changed. I turned to my garden, deciding to take on a 100 day challenge on Instagram to ease my mind into a positive place.
My process involves alchemy, nature, artistic license, technology and timing. I start by sensitizing my paper with a combination of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferric cyanide, sensitive to UV light. This paper will be set to dry in a dark room.
Beautiful Vintage Tiles
I photograph my images in my studio using an iPhone from which I create a negative transparency film.
The dried paper is placed on a panel with the negative film on top in direct contact, you can also use plants. Setting glass onto and in the sun until reaching the correct exposure time. This may take more than one print. I start with a 6 minute test print and adjust when needed based on the time, angle of the sun and the temperature outside.
Next I drop the exposed paper in water and I watch the magic as the print oxidizes and a positive image appears. After drying and photographing the final print I would post it on Instagram, for a 100 day project. Doing this as a daily process taught me to view my garden in a new light, capturing its beauty and spirit. Though most of the first year prints were failures, what I learned was invaluable. Today these basic steps in my studio to printing remain the same.This is my fourth year of documenting the cycle of season blooms, and every year brings new gifts and a handful of special prints.
The element of surprise in the imperfect process of printing cyanotypes is something I love, not to mention the depth of Prussian blue hues that can’t be duplicated in any other material. There is often an unpredictable outcome to a print that can’t be repeated, I like to think of it as a gift.
All this said, you need to start with a good photograph and produce a good negative in order to create an excellent print. One should count on putting in the time, throwing away many more prints and negatives than you keep. Good work doesn’t happen overnight, so perseverance is required.
Many of my current backgrounds for my new Visual Poetry series of Cyanotype Collages are completely experimental. I may print 6 pieces of paper and only one will turn out. I utilize different kinds of papers and techniques using the cyanotype solution, always reaching to stretch my journey and creative process developing new floral metaphors.
My personal goal as an artist has always been to create something beautiful that brings joy to others. When I look at the world today I feel it is even more important to bring beauty and share it with others, if only for one calming moment.
I think of my work as vintage modern, although iPhones are high tech the actual process was developed in the 1800’s and is still very hands on. I still have so much more to learn and explore as I continue to move forward on my cyanotype journey. I plan to create larger cyanotype collages for a couple of upcoming shows, which will come with new challenges and problems to solve.
There are many current cyanotype artists' work that I admire, here are a few.
Julia Whitney Barnes for extremely large cyanotype print installation over the door of the Drying House.
Rosalind Hobley for her stunning prints of roses.
Diana H. Bloomfield for her amazing photography and cyanotypes.
Emma Powell/ @emmaobscura, story telling cyanotypes.
Alexandrea DeFurio for her narrative cyanotypes.
Edward S Curtis for his early cyanotypes of native Americans.
A few painters, embroidery artists, too many to list.
Uzo Hiramatsu, his work is simple and complex at the same time.
Yukakimi Akiba for stunning detailed stitching on photographs.
Hinke Schreuders for masterful embroidery on photographs.
Timothy McDowell for being a master painter, printmaker who is not afraid to experiment, and tease your eyes to see what’s not there.
I want to thank you for your interest and this opportunity to talk about my work.
Vintage Fritillaria
Loop de Loop
Marvelous Spring
The Butterfly Effect
Insta @claudiahollister
Poetic portraits by Polish photographer Kate Katies
Everyday is a new day and has its own opportunities which in many cases are unique. So patience, calm and assertiveness are skills that I have developed with the frequency of love and understanding to people around me.
My Name is Kate, I'm from Poland, yet I've been based in London for a few years now.
It’s here in London where I have found the key ingredient in my creativity. I'm grateful for how life has been in the last few years. Challenges and difficulties have made me look at my surroundings from a different perspective. At the beginning as a scape, yet with the time it has become a way to explore my emotions, connection with others and how the world moves around me. I’m a keen Yogi, and that also has an influence as it helped me to be more flexible, not only physically but at heart.
At the beginning I started just using a mobile phone camera as I couldn’t afford anything else and wasn’t sure of where photography was going to take me. Nowadays, I still work with my IPhone 13 Pro and a Fuji x-e4 which I really like as it’s a small frame and easy to carry and shoot without much time to prepare.
I started with street geometry, which I think is a must as it really gives you the school for perspective but not often tells a story, it’s the interaction that people have with their environment, nature, structures, and themselves what really sparks my creativity on my daily commute, walks, etc… Lately I’m focusing on portrait in the studio which throws a technical challenge, but anything and anyone under any circumstance could be my next shot.
Creativity is about having the freedom to do whatever I want, is good to have an influence at some point from other photographers but following other people’s work just keeps you in a static frame, experimentation has been in so many ways the key to finding my own style. Pleasing others might give you straight recognition but doesn’t mean good work, in fact, it could turn out to be the worst of your work.
instagram @kate_katies
Frieze 2023: The Pinnacle of Contemporary Art Arrives This October
Ibrahim Mahama, Bintu Abrasipu Sekondi, 2019. C-print on Dibond, 97.5 × 65 cm. Purchased from White Cube, London by the Contemporary Art Society through its Collections Fund at Frieze, October 2022; presented to Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, 2022/23. © Ibrahim Mahama, courtesy of the Contemporary Art Society
As October approaches, the international art scene is buzzing with anticipation for Frieze 2023. Celebrated as one of the world's leading art fairs, Frieze is an emblematic gathering that encapsulates the spirit, innovation, and diversity of contemporary art.
Set in the stunning location of London the Frieze Art Fair will run from Wed, 11 Oct 2023 – Sun, 15 Oct 2023 offering an extraordinary opportunity to immerse oneself in a world of artistic discovery.
The 2023 edition marks the 20th anniversary of Frieze London, Art enthusiasts, collectors, and even casual observers can expect an eclectic mix of works, from avant-garde installations to timeless masterpieces. Notable this year is the focus special initiative Artist-to-Artist, where eight world-renowned artists propose a counterpart for a solo exhibition at the fair.
Frieze 2023 isn't just a visual feast; it's a full-on sensory experience. Aside from the art, attendees can look forward to engaging dialogues in the Talks Programme, hands-on workshops, and even a sculptural park offering a tranquil escape from the indoor excitement.
Frieze 2023 is more than an art fair; it's a celebration of artistic dialogue and discovery. This October, be prepared to explore, engage, and most importantly, be enthralled.
For the latest updates on Frieze 2023, stay tuned to SMOOR Magazine. We’ll be on the ground, capturing every brushstroke and nuance.
See you there!
Marina Xenofontos, I don’t sleep, I dream, 2021. The Island Club, Limassol, Cyprus. Courtesy of the artist, Hot Wheels Athens and The Island Club
Rita Keegan, Homage to Frida Kahlo, 1987. Oil on canvas, 66 x 66 cm. Acquired from Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo © Tate Photography / Matt Greenwood
People in Nairobi as photographed by Kibe Nduni
My name is Kibe Nduni, a photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya. My journey in photography started back in highschool, I'd go out on the weekends with friends and we’d take pictures of each other around town or whatever location that we’d find interesting. I found a lot of joy in photographing people, if they looked a certain way, dressed a certain way as well, this fascinates me as I get an array of really different bodies of work which at the end of the day reminds me why I have this as my career. For now I use a Nikon D750 with a 17-55mm lens but I can use anything.
Being an artist to me, I believe is being the catalyst between the viewer and the story, playing a part in making stories. Themes and ideas coming to life through photography is a joy and a privilege that I am honoured to have. I believe that being truthful is an important part of being an artist. Staying true to yourself as well as to your work is a fundamental part of creating timeless works of art.
Lucy Evans's paintings turns wounds into wisdom
I’m a Ukrainian artist born in Kyiv. I already understood in my childhood that I wanted to be an artist. When I write works I breathe. I graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and architecture in 2019 and currently studied in Beaux Arts de Paris.
Art for me is a search, freedom, is an opportunity to speak frankly with the world. In my works, I convey the vulnerability, fragility and at the same time the inner strength of a person. In my work, the soul is the main thing. My paintings often show strength precisely through fragility. I depict a sensitive, tender, fragile, difficult and mysterious world. A person can learn to turn wounds into wisdom, keeping beauty and tenderness in their heart, I think most of my works are about that.
I use different materials but I’m mostly working with oil on canvas.The technique is also very important to me, I’ve been mastering it for a long time, and I still do it, because it’s an endless path of search, which is an integral part of the work.
Being an artist for me is to live a life that is truly authentic to who you are.
Benjamin Murphy has a new show in London: Iconoclasm
British artist Benjamin Murphy presents his latest work at UNION gallery in London. And we couldn't be more excited about it! We’ve known Benjamin since around the time our project ROOMS was being born; he’s always been so passionate about art and the artist community. We’re loving his new work and very much enjoying following his artistic journey.
Benjamin’s current work revolves around the use of charcoal on raw canvas, its challenges and unpredictability. His fascination for this medium is central to his work. And though houseplants and cut flowers are the pictorial protagonists, they are only the medium to explore deeper questions on the limited freedom and controlled existence of these green companions. Faithful to his monochromatic distinctive style, his pieces embrace beauty and chaos, contradictions. But it's their subtle darkness which keeps us as enthralled as unsettled.
We took this opportunity to interview Benjamin and find out more about him.
What made you become an artist? When and how did you decide you wanted to be one?
It was a real accident. I studied art out of a reluctance to join the real world. I enjoyed the freedom from responsibility that art college allowed, and so I went to university in search of more of the same. I then moved to London on a whim and got an unpaid internship at a gallery/events space in Hoxton. It was a perfect combination of that reluctance to get a 'career' and the recklessness needed to forego stability (and money - because this pursuit necessitates many, many years of living in absolute penury). I lived in the gallery and ate poorly, getting used to the discomfort that's unavoidable when you start out on a journey such as this.
I was making work obsessively and I started getting asked to be in small DIY shows around East London. Things just snowballed from there really. It was never the plan.
What does actually being an artist mean to you?
Freedom. Not only the freedom to make what I want to make (which is great), but also the ability to choose how I spend my own time, unbeholden to anyone. That is the greatest thing in the world. I may not be a millionaire in monetary terms, but I am in time. To me that is much more valuable.
As an artist, what do you worry about? Do you ever feel like saying ‘fuck this shit!’?
I've never been a worrier, but artistic block makes me feel under pressure, distressed, and overwhelmed at times. I'm fortunate that I have a few different creative outlets though, so if the artwork just isn't flowing I move on for a while and do some writing or something instead of trying to force it.
I don't think I could ever fully go "fuck this shit" and walk away from it all no. To me it's an obsession that is so linked to my very being that I wouldn't be able to abandon it. It would be like cutting off a limb.
Tell us about the kind of work you are currently doing?
At the moment I'm working in charcoal on raw canvas, embracing the chaos that such a medium presents. The works explore contradictions; delicate flowers with violent mark-making, beauty and chaos, yin and yang etc.
How important are the art materials you use? Are you picky about brands, qualities, etc, or you adapt rather easily to whatever is available?
I use a variation of charcoals. Willow for the sketching out and the edges, compressed charcoal for all the dense black areas, and charcoal pencils for working on paper.
I've been recently making my own charcoal though. Experimenting with different types of woods and different burn durations etc. I'm yet to really nail the process, so I've yet to really use it in my work but it's getting there. Once I've nailed that I'm going to make my own paper too and use the charcoal on it.
Who has been a major influence to you, as a person and artist?
Here's a list: Leo Tolstoy, Marina Abramović, Edvard Munch, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Marcel Proust, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Cornelia Parker, Mona Hatoum.
What makes your creative juices flow?
ADHD.
Which artist would you like to go out for dinner with tonight?
I've been out for dinner with Ant Hamlyn, Oli Epp, Peter Doyle, and Conor Murgatroyd a lot in the last year, so maybe I'd just have them all together, ideally somewhere with chilli margaritas.
Is there an artist you’d very much like to read their interview?
Marina Abramović - if you're reading this drop me a line on MSN Messenger and let's plan that two person retrospective.
Baptiste Pauthe: Beach flavoured paintings with a street-art edge
Grew up with surfing in front of the ocean, in the Landes between Hossegor and Seignosse. After graduating as an architect in Bordeaux. After a few experiences in an architectural agency, he leaves time to deepen his creation and make his painting travel in Spain, France, Belgium and recently in California.
Visual art is his means of expression, he develops his creations from painting to drawing, from illustration to video. In an intimate and sincere quest, he expresses himself out of personal need. In a refuge full of love that he insults and full of sorrow that he praises, his brain is regenerated through colors and texts that tell his stories.
Michael McIlvaney: beautiful serendipity in street photography
Subordinate
The daily collisions between one's inner private self and the everyday reality of urban city living, form part of a project intended to explore the metaphors associated with this tension: vulnerability; alienation; subordination; fear; threat; isolation; infringement; intrusion, as well as the tripartite relationship between victim, perpetrator and image maker. The series calls into question the photographer's participation: whether as documentarian, witness, narrator, facilitator, voyeur, conspirator or a combination of these roles. Ultimately this project is about this threefold dynamic.
from mikemcstreet
Collision
The city encounters record temperatures. The glass and steel of the latest structures reflect the light and magnify the heat causing distress and anguish to the city's inhabitants. When the natural and created worlds collide things get uncomfortable. A passerby approaches: "Do you know the news today?" "No" "It's the same as yesterday! The world is careering toward a climate apocalypse. Didn't you know? And you just stand there. Taking photographs. Do something man. Something needs to be done!"
from mikemcstreet
Memoirs of a gaze, the portraits of Carole Pueo
Carole Puéo is a painter with a passion for literature and music. She nourishes her reflection and her painting with a double curriculum as a visual artist and an art historian. She has studied feminist art and gender studies.
Battersea Arts Centre & GOAT Music Present Borderless
Plus New Shows Added With… Sons Of Kemet, Andrew Ashong, Metá Metá, Family Atlantica & More
‘Since working at Battersea Arts Centre, I have often heard stories of legendary gigs in the Grand Hall three and four decades ago, including The Jam and Fleetwood Mac. It’s great to be working with Goat Music to bring live music back to Battersea Arts Centre, in the historic Council Chamber at the front of the building, starting out with a series of fresh musical talents for summer 2016.’ David Jubb, Artistic Director, Battersea Arts Centre.
Tickets are on sale now via: www.bac.org.uk/borderless
We have a limited number of press spots available for each show, please get in touch with katie@therestisnoise.co.uk as soon as possible to reserve your place.
BORDERLESS EVENT PROGRAMME
HACKNEY COLLIERY BAND
+ Support TBC
2nd Aug | 8pm | Tickets £15
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/hackneycolliery
In August & September 2016, Battersea Arts Centre and former Roundhouse music programmers GOAT Music will collaborate to present Borderless, a series of live music gigs bringing the festival feel straight to your doorstep.
Borderless is excited to announce the addition of 5 new artists to the forthcoming series at Battersea Arts Centre. The new additions bring 3 artists in August; widely acclaimed British-Ghanian soulman Andrew Ashong, Mobo award-winning jazz trio Sons of Kemet, and Dele Sosimi with his unique blend of danceable funk and traditional African music to grace the venue’s beautiful Council Chamber.
September additions also enhance the smorgasbord of global music at Borderless. Hailing from Sao Paolo, Metá Metá will showcase their Brazilian roots with their avant-garde take on Samba, jazz and Afro-punk influences, with inspiration from the chants of the ancient orixas shining through. Family Atlantica bring their multi-continental sound fusion to Battersea, following an array of intense live shows throughout the European festival circuit.
The Councli Chamber, Battersea Arts Centre – Photo Credit – Vikki Ellis
MONEY
+ Support TBC
3rd Aug | 8pm | Tickets £15
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/money
ANDREW ASHONG
+ Support TBC
9th Aug | 8pm | £15
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.co.uk/andrewashong
SONS OF KEMET
+ Support TBC
11th Aug | 8pm | £20
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/sonsofkemet
DELE SOSIMI
+ Support TBC
18th Aug | 8pm | £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.co.uk/delesosimi
NUBIYAN TWIST
+ Support TBC
24th Aug | 8pm | Tickets £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/nubiyantwist
HÆLOS
+ support TBC
25th Aug | 8pm | Tickets £15
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/haelos
KATH BLOOM
+ Support TBC
30th Aug | 8pm | Tickets £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/kathbloom
ELECTRIC JALABA
+ Support TBC
7th Sep | 8pm | Tickets £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/electricjalaba
METÁ METÁ
+ Support TBC
13th Sep | 8pm | Tickets £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/metameta
FAMILY ATLANTICA
+ Support TBC
14th Sept | 8pm | £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/familyatlantica
ROSEAU
+ Support TBC
20th Sept | 8pm | Tickets £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/roseau
MAMMAL HANDS
+ Support TBC
21st Sept | 8pm | Tickets £12.50
BOOKING LINK: www.bac.org.uk/mammalhands
FRANCESCA BELMONTE
+ Support TBC
29th Sept | 8pm | Tickets £12.50
BOOKING LINK:
www.bac.org.uk/francescabelmonte
Rinse | Born & Bred
Rinse | Born & Bred kick back to its home of Haggerston Park last weekend on June 4th and 5th. The festival is now a teamwork with Rinse FM - From grime to hip-hop, from house to drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, garage, techno plus much more, it remains firmly rooted within the sounds within and past the capital. Instead of attempting to chaotically cover all bases, it keeps its remit firmly, tightly centered on London talent.
Found again compiled leading lights of grime, garage, dubstep, drum & bass jungle and together with breakthrough acts to celebrate the present and future sounds of London. Saturday saw acts such as ILoveMakkonen, P Money, Slimzee, Wookie, CASisDEAD, Benga and Jammer entertain crowds across four stages including Lord Of The Mics, Livin' Proof and Heritage vs. London Some'ting. Mike Barnard was there for the Sunday.
This is an needed festival for the city and also provides a platform for both rising talents and pioneers in their respective scenes to showcase their sounds and we eagerly await the announcement of next year’s big draws.
Rinse | Born & Bred – Haggerston
On Saturday 4th June 2016 Found Presents: Born & Bred, two days festival event excellent true London sounds in East of London.
Born & Bred has slowly become one of east London’s very best music festivals, with a consistently excellent booking policy covering the world’s finest alternative acts. The bill regularly incorporates everything from grime, hip-hop and drum ’n’ bass to house, techno, garage and beyond.
Don't miss the fun!
ILOVEMACKONEN // WILEY + SLIMZEE // NOVELIST // CRAZY COUSINZ
A G Cook / AJ Tracey / Ant TC1 / Benga / Calibre / CASisDEAD / Congo Natty Ft. Congo Dubz + Iron Dread / dBridge / Dispatch Records / Emerald / Exit Records / Foundation (Scott Garcia & Sticky) / FWD>> / Heritage / Jammer / Josey Rebelle / Kahn + Neek / Kyla / Koreless / Lady Leshurr / Laurel Halo / Loefah b2b Fabio / Logan Sama / London Some’ting / Lord of the Mics / Lotic / Marcus Intalex / Marcus Nasty / Maya Jama / Newham Generals + J Cush / P Money / Ray BLK / Sir Spyro / Swamp 81 / The Square / Wookie
Avelino / Big Zuu / Brockie / Complexion / DJ Cartier / DJ Ron b2b Kenny Ken / DJ Spoony / DLR / Fusion / Hodge / Jammz /Lily Mercer / Livin’ Proof / MC Creed / MC Det / MC GQ / MC Visionobi / Mikill Pane / Motive b2b CWD / Mssingno / Murlo / PAP / Sam Supplier / Siobhan Bell / SK Vibemaker / SP:MC / Splurgeboys / Survival / The HeavyTrackerz / Vencha / YGG / Yinka / Youngsta
Gilded Chaos by Benjamin Murphy
Artist Rowan Newton interviews artist Benjamin Murphy ahead of his striking new body of work Gilded Chaos, showing at Beers London soon!
After The Day After
Artist Rowan Newton interviews artist Benjamin Murphy ahead of his striking new body of work Gilded Chaos, showing at Beers London soon!
Gilded Chaos
Preview: Thursday 14 January 6-9pm
Exhibition: 15 Jan.- 13 Feb 2016
Why have you chosen electrical tape as your medium? When did this begin, and do you feel restricted by it?
I did it after a few too many beers one night around 6 years ago whilst I was doing an MA in Contemporary Fine Art at The University of Salford. I like it because of its limitations I suppose. There are no books about ‘how to draw with electrical tape’, so any techniques or solutions I need I have to work out for myself.
Why do you always use black tape, as electrical tape comes in other colours too?
All of my work is black and white, even when I’m not using tape. It’s a much bolder and more striking aesthetic, the world is multicoloured and anything black and white stands out in contrast to it.
Your pieces have a confliction between life drawing and still life. Often a nude study is at the forefront but in a staged environment with many still life objects dotted around in the background. What do you prefer, the still life or the life, and what is it that interests you about the both of them?
I always have the ‘still life’ elements in the background, as a way of suggesting possible storylines for the main character of the artworks. They are both important but the background detail is only there as a way to add extra potential narritive for the subject.
What is your reason for so much pattern work within your pieces, is this because it looks pretty, or because it is a challenge to recreate such intricate pattern work; or is there something else to it?
It is partly just a way of challenging myself and pushing my limits, and partly because I decided to make this new body of work as detailed and lavish as possible to resonate with the show title. (Gilded Chaos).
“I want to leave the works ‘meaning’ up to the viewer to determine”
There is a strong narrative to your work, is the message a direct one you wish to tell, or is it for the viewer to interpret for themselves?
I’m always careful to suggest multiple possible meanings and messages, but in a way that their interpretations are multifarious. I believe in the pluralism of interpretation, as any viewer who looks at an image will see it in a different way. So for this reason I want to leave the works ‘meaning’ up to the viewer to determine. I like to hint at things, but ultimately I feel that most of the work should be done by the viewer.
Is there room for you in the art world for just pretty looking art, art work that is just there to be enjoyed for its attractiveness but not so much trying to convey a message?
There definitely is a place for it, but I find that it doesn’t hold my attention for as long as works with more substance to them than their surface aesthetic. Craftsmanship on its own isn’t really enough without something else.
Constanza
Within your narrative there are regular motifs that pop up, skulls, crucifixes but the one that stands out to me in the toilet roll, talk to me about toilet roll?
I thought that that particular work needed something that was almost plain white in the center to balance the image, and so my first idea was a skull. The vase of flowers and the urn obviously both already have strong death connotations so a skull would have been overkill. As it looks like it is in some kind of funeral parlor or something the toilet roll seems to fit in, also there’s something darkly comical about it, which I like.
Will we see toilet roll in this show?
Yes the toilet roll one is in the show, it’s called ‘In Praise Of Darkness’. It’s titled after a short story by Jorge Luis Borges, who has been a big inspiration for the show.
There is a play with perspective in your work, the angles of chairs not quite lining up with angle of the shelf or the bed or the table etc. What do these mean for you?
My use of perspective is quite important and people rarely pick up on it, so I’m glad you have.
Perspective is utilized by the artist to transform a two-dimensional plane into a three-dimensional space. This brings the viewer beyond the frame and into the artwork, as what is seen in the foreground is imagined (through the use of foreshortening etc.) to be at the front of the image. Perspective in a two-dimensional image is an illusion, and its immobile vanishing points is something that is never seen in nature. This already makes the artwork static and artificial, before the subject matter is even considered.
Perspective can be utilized to create feelings of unfamiliarity and otherness when used in the right way. When I draw the person in the artwork, they are seen from below, as if the viewer of the work is looking up at them. This is drawn in a contradictory way to the one in which I draw the background, as the background is seen as if the viewer were above it.
This imbalance in perspective is what creates the subtle but very real sense of unease in the viewer, as it is not immediately noticeable to be the source of the uneasiness. This difference in perspective creates two ‘artificial’ viewpoints that occur from every singular ‘real’ viewpoint.
“Like a pop-up book, the character in the artwork is forced out of the confines of the frame and into the real world”
The way that the subject and background are seen creates the illusion that the subject is in fact a giant in their surroundings, and is much closer to the viewer than they appear, and that they aren’t really situated in the background at all, but on the viewers side of the frame. By placing objects in between the viewer and subject, the subject is then forced back into the background slightly, back into the picture.
Like a pop-up book, the character in the artwork is forced out of the confines of the frame and into the real world. The person depicted in the artwork is brought into the real world, and not the viewer into the artwork as is created with the correct perspective.
These techniques with perspective deny the viewers eyes from properly feeling that they can enter and explore the artwork fully, which the perspective appears at first glance to invite.
Which artists have influenced/inspired you with there use of perspective in their work?
I’m a big fan of the expressionists, many of whom do their perspective a little off; especially Vincent Van Gogh.
There is a voyeuristic nature to your work, as if you’re looking into private moments, what intrigues you about these moments?
The work is voyeuristic in a sense, but it is intended in a totally non-sexual way. I am careful to make the subject non-sexualised and non-passive in her surroundings. It is more like the viewer is voyeuristically looking at someone going about their daily lives, but in no way are the subjects naked for the pleasure of the viewer. If anything seedy is going on it is the fault of the viewer and not the subject of the artwork.
I like the subtlety of how uneasy this makes the viewer feel.
Do you feel now that we as people are being observed in voyeuristic manner, as we expose ourselves almost daily on social media, especially Instagram?
I suppose we are, but we put ourselves out there to be looked at. No one can see anything you don’t first decide to post. Instagram and facebook are inherently narcissistic, but then being an artist requires you to be a bit of a narcissist to begin with.
Are you ok with that or do you feel you have to do it to help build your audience and try and connect with them on a more intimate level. If you did not have your artwork to expose, would you be on social media?
I think I probably would still be on it, but I wouldn’t take it anywhere near as seriously.
More often than not your subjects are naked, is this to do with vulnerability? There are also kinky aspects to your work, corsets, suspenders, knives, are you turned on by your work? Is there a sexual releases for you in your work? Who are these women and do these settings exist?
It is more to do with innocence than vulnerability in my mind. Lingerie and underwear tend to be sexy in a coquettish way, by suggesting that which they conceal. For me those items are more of a way in which to cover up something, which in turn is a way of making the work not so much about sex. I don’t like to draw fully naked character as its tough to have them still appear tasteful and non-sexualised.
What frustrates you about your art and the art world around you?
The only real times I get frustrated with my work is when I can’t find time to be drawing, or when I’ve been drawing for so long that I can’t tell what works and what doesn’t. In the art world in general I’m most frustrated by the continuous rehashings of pop art that are so ubiquitous these days, Pop Art ceased to be interesting a long time ago.
Face to face how do you find talking about your work, is it something you are comfortable with, or shy away from?
I don’t mind it so much, I find that I often talk too fast and go off on tangents for far too long though. I’m much more coherent when I’m writing it down.
You have a solo show at Beers Contemporary coming up. What is the theme of this show and have you approached it any differently to past shows?
I’m really excited about showing with Beers, they are a great gallery and have been amazing to work with this far. To be even listed as one of their artists is an honor.
There isn’t a theme as such, but all the works relate to one another in some way. There is a lot of detailed floral pattern running throughout the works, partially inspired by William Morris. These works have taken a lot longer to produce than the works for my previous shows, due to the level of detail et cetera. This in turn has meant that as I’m working for much longer, my inspirations are all the more myriad.
What was the biggest challenge to putting this show together?
The level of detail has been a big challenge, as the smaller you go the more difficult it is. It’s also hard to spend days drawing the same pattern over and over, it makes you go a little insane.
What do you want people to walk away with once seeing this show?
I want people receive so many different and contradictory thoughts and emotions that they don’t fully understand them until they go away and ruminate on them. I also want the show to have a lasting impact in some way, be it positive or negative. Anything as long as it isn’t ambivalent.
Body Honesty
How this era’s art is debunking body shamers.
How this era’s art is debunking body shamers.
With armpit hair censored on Instagram, Gigi Hadid called ‘too big’ for modeling and period adds being banned for ‘inappropriateness’, it appears that for us women, there is no place left for anything less than ‘perfection’ in this society. Being aware that beauty ideals go back to an untraceable time, it is safe to say we have reached the limit. As we are the Selfie obsessed, social media horny generation with a strong opinion and a reasonably big ego, it seems the fingers are all pointed at us; and so we left ourselves with a mess, where deviations of what we consider perfect are selectively disregarded and 80 per cent of the female population feels awkward about themselves. Isn’t it time for us to fight this weird situation we have found ourselves in before we lose the idea of what the reality actually is? Being bored of the traditional female body parading throughout the art scene, these next artists challenge the idea of beauty and provide us with a brutally honest representation of female diversity.
Exploring the struggles of ‘black’ hair through pastel coloured still lives, Nayeka Brown might be the perfect badass example of self-acceptance. Confronting us with the reality of our definition of beauty in the context of a black woman, the photographer dares to tackle the taboos surrounding body image, race and tradition in an undeviating way.
If there is one thing to admire this Finnish artist for, it’s her courage to approach her body in a humorous way. Shoving a broom under her boobs, putting on a hat with ‘bread hair’ while standing on a treadmill, nothing is too absurd for this upcoming photographer. However while she’s having the time of her life making these shots, she’s simultaneously teaching the world a lesson about body shaming, taking a piss with beauty ideals and questioning the fact that abnormal may be normal.
Although still finishing up her studies, illustrator Layla May Ehsan is already getting her voice out there, and I can assure you it is a powerful one. Highlighting a painful and these days rather shaming thing that goes on inside women’s bodies, Layla’s period drawings are aimed to start a conversation, pointing out the ridiculousness of the lengths the world goes to in order to avoid the ‘gross’ subject of menstruation.
As tolerance is hiding behind a world full of stereotypes and discriminating thoughts, there is a powerful counter reaction going on to actively help our society towards acceptance. From indie films dedicated to a love for chubbiness to a photography movement capturing body reality of our diverse society, it seems we are finally ready to be honest about our bodies and if body honesty is the theme of this era’s art, than at least there is something we are doing right.
Miami Art Week 2015 Highlights
At the center of what now is commonly referred to as Miami Art Week, is Art Basel Miami Beach, held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center. During the 14th edition, 267 galleries from 32 countries exhibited and sold works from world renowned artists like Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frank Stella, Yinka Shonibare, Kehinde Wiley, Anish Kapoor and Wangechi Mutu. The fair, spearheaded by Art Basel’s newly appointed Director Americas Noah Horowitz, was attended by 77,000 visitors over five days, including major private collectors as well as directors, curators, trustees and patrons of nearly 200 museum and institution groups. Collectors from over 110 countries attended the show, with first-time collectors coming from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Romania, Togo and Zimbabwe.
The most engaging section at Art Basel Miami Beach tends to be the Positions sector, which allows curators, critics, and collectors to discover ambitious new talents from across the globe, by providing a platform for a single artist to present one major project.
Among the 16 exhibitors in Positions, 12 were first-time participants in the sector. Artists included Dan Bayles at François Ghebaly Gallery (Los Angeles), Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz at Marcelle Alix (Paris), Vittorio Brodmann at Galerie Gregor Staiger (Zurich), Henning Fehr and Philipp Rühr at Galerie Max Mayer (Dusseldorf), GCC at Project Native Informant (London), Jiieh G Hur at One and J. Gallery (Seoul), Fritzia Irizar at Arredondo \ Arozarena (Mexico City), Daniel Keller at Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler (Berlin), Andrei Koschmieder at Real Fine Art (New York), Jaromír Novotný at hunt kastner (Prague), Sean Paul at Thomas Duncan Gallery (Los Angeles), Romy Pocztaruk at SIM Galeria (Curitiba), B. Ingrid Olson at Simone Subal Gallery (New York), Villa Design Group at Mathew Gallery (Berlin, New York), Thomas Wachholz at RaebervonStenglin (Zurich) and He Xiangyu at White Space Beijing (Beijing).
Sales highlights in 2015 included a Francis Bacon oil on canvas, “Man in Blue,” from 1954, with an asking price of $15 million by Van de Weghe Fine Art, and Picasso’s “Buste au Chapeau” oil from 1971, with an asking price of $10.5 million, from the same gallery. Mazzoleni, a gallery in Turin and London, reported the sale of three works by Alberto Burri from the 1960s, including a “Plastica” which sold for $2 million.
Surrounding Art Basel Miami Beach is a number of satellite fairs in Miami Beach as well as Miami’s Midtown. Most prominently, the modern and contemporary art fair Art Miami, which has been a prime Miami art fair since its inception 26 years ago. As every year at Art Miami, 120 galleries presented works of the highest quality to international collectors. As the No. 1 ranked international art fair for attendance in the U.S. and second most attended globally, Art Miami attracted more than 85,000 new and established collectors, curators, museum professionals, press, art world luminaries and art enthusiasts to its 200,000-square-foot pavilions.
Art Miami sister fair CONTEXT was an absolute must-see this year. Featuring 95 international galleries and projects from 20 countries and 53 cities, CONTEXT presented promising cutting-edge, mid-career and established artists. Especially impressive and one of the most noteworthy stand-outs of Miami Art Week 2015, was the art presented by the Galleries Association of Korea, which included, amongst others, Nine Gallery and artists Lee Lee Nam and Son Bong Chae.
Another highlight of Art Week was the 2015 edition of UNTITLED., held in the fair’s fuchsia tent right on the sand of Miami Beach at Ocean Drive and flooded with natural light, boasting views of the ocean. UNTITLED. creates a distinct fair experience as it is expertly curated to offer a presentation unlike any other fair.
Founded by Jeff Lawson in New York in partnership with Alan G. Randolph in Miami, UNTITLED. welcomed back its curatorial team, led by Artistic Director Omar López-Chahoud, with curators Christophe Boutin and Melanie Scarciglia, co-founders of the distinguished publishing houses “onestar press” and “Three Star Books” in Paris.
Galleries that stood out were Taymour Grahne Gallery from New York, presenting works by Hassan Hajjaj, two galleries from Stuttgart, Germany: Thomas Fuchs and Michael Sturm, Luis de Jesus from Los Angeles, presenting paintings by Edith Beaucage, and Galerie Ron Mandos presenting the latest works by three international acclaimed artists: Isaac Julien, Krisstof Kintera and Inti Hernandez.
Other fairs on the beach were SCOPE Miami Beach, with a focus on emerging and mid-career contemporary and Miami Beach PULSE, where the Vietnamese multi-disciplinary artists, writer and curator Trong Gia Nguyen won the PULSE Prize.
NADA, a fair that to many collectors and art enthusiasts is a must-see, was held at the Fontainebleau Hotel this year. NADA is presented by the New Art Dealers Alliance, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the cultivation, support, and advancement of new voices in contemporary at. For the 2015 edition, 87 galleries, art spaces and organizations, including Miami’s own Guccivuitton and Locust Projects as well as LA-based gallery Moran Bondaroff, which presented works by artists like Jacolby Satterwhite, Michael Genovese, Lucien Smith and Eric Mack, amongst others.
Besides the fairs, Miami Art Week offers a calendar packed with special exhibition like “Unrealism,” a collaboration between Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian at the Moore Building, gallery exhibitions, special installations, performances, and projects, public art, breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners and parties, parties and more parties. Whether Solange Knowles spinning at Fendi, the Urban Bush Babes celebrating with Bombay Sapphire, or Dev Hynes and Ryan McNamara presenting their latest project “Dimensions” at the Perez Art Museum Miami, there was no shortage of fun and stories to be told.
Also in town was rapper and producer Swizz Beatz, an avid art collector himself, who brought the No Commission Art Fair to Wynwood. The Dean Collection in collaboration with BACARDI presented an art fair . featuring artists like HoxxoH, Michael Vasquez, KAWS, Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, Sue Tsai, Timothy Buwalda, SWOON, Shepard Fairey, Tomokazu Matsuyama, and a concert series featuring Alicia Keys, Pusha T, DMX and Whiz Khalifa.
What was different about Swizz Beatz approach? It was quite significant actually. There was no fee to exhibit at his fair and no commission was taken from the artists‘ sales. Additionally, the fair supported The Heliotrop Foundation, started by artist Swoon as a way to support and extend the values and vision of her long-term community-based projects , such as the core projects in Haiti as well as Pennsylvania and Louisiana in the US.
The most interesting project of the week was presented by Anthony Spinello of Spinello Projects - the Littlest Sister Art Fair. The gallery, which showed for the first time in the new space in Little Haiti, also simultaneously celebrated its 10th anniversary with the exhibition “Full Moon,” featuring artists Agustina Woodgate, Antonia Wright, Aramis Gutierrez, Farley Aguilar, Kris Knight, Manny Prieres, Naama Tsabar, Santiago Rubino, Sinisa Kukec, Typoe and special live performance by Psychic Youth Inc. and Franky Cruz.
Curated by Sofia Bastidas, the Littlest Sister Art Fair was a “faux” invitational art fair, commenting on the art fair as an entity that activated Miami’s contemporary arts scene. The fair, set up as a traditional fair space with 10 small white-walled booth featured works by Miami based female artists who work in painting, sculpture, design, installation, and new media. A project sector focused on video, sound, performance, and happenings.
NUN at the Littlest Sister Art Fair - photo by Robert Dempster
Running concurrently, Platform, a symposium bringing together Miami’s most influential women in the arts, invited panelists to engage in conversations and debate regarding current macro and local issues, from challenges in the field, the future of art fairs, real estate development and the arts, to gender and race inequality in the market. Programmed throughout Miami Art Week, Platform will create informal opportunities of exchange for real critical discourse.