Peripheral
eries
agazine
Special Edition
Contemporary Art
Peripheral ARTeries meets
Ken Weisensee Lives and works in New York City, USA
Often I am attracted to obscure or surreal imagery. Because of this, I enjoy drawing inspiration from unlikely places, such as my dreams. These dreams are often vivid and contain specific details such as images, numbers, names, objects or even colors. As the story unfolds, I try to remember certain scenes or images that have a large emotional and visual impact. In my awakened state, I process these remnant elements and use them as the inspiration to create the scenes I paint. I create my works using spray paint and a variety of other mediums including acrylic, oil, and watercolor. Intricate stencil-work is how I produce detail with spray paint. Not all my works are inspired directly by my dreams, but they do all have a dream-like state or uncertainty about them. I intend for my works to create mixed emotions within viewers. I enjoy and encourage people to have varying or opposing interpretations of my works. As a gay artist, some of my works do draw from contemporary LGBT culture and influences. My identity greatly influences the choices I make when creating works through subject, composition and even color. Ken Weisensee
Ken Weisensee began creating art through collage works. Over time he continued to improve his detail in cutting intricate pieces. His love for Contemporary Art and graffiti lead him to incorporate stencil work to create pieces using spray paint. Juxtaposing unlike themes has always been a continual expression in his art. Though spray paint is the most commonly used medium in his works, he also likes to include acrylic, oil, and watercolor. Ken has shown at various venues since 2013 throughout New York City, and other international cities through a traveling art exhibition.
production: in the meanwhile, would you tell us something about your usual setup and process? Moreover, are there any studies as well as experiences of training that did particulary direct the trajectory of your artistic journey?
An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator peripheral.arteries@europe.com
Hello Ken and welcome to Peripheral ARTeries. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production we would start this interview with a couple of introductory questions. Centered on the exploration of the theme of human body and its frailty, your artistic research conveys convey such a coherent combination between imagination and a rigorous aesthetics, and we would like to invite our readers to visit https://www.instagram.com/ken_weisensee_art in order to get a wide idea about your artistic
SPECIAL ISSUE
First I would just like to thank you for this interview opportunity and interest in my artistic creations. My process begins in the digital world, where I prepare a sample of what my final work will look like. I do a lot of photo editing and manipulations to create my visions. After I am satisfied with the sample, I prepare a stencil for any parts of the work that are to be spray painted, which in most cases are the main figure. This is the stage I spend
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