AHMET ARSLAN 4 KAREEM BERJAOUI 10 CHRIS BOYKO 16 ZOITA DELIA CALINESCU 22 JANA CHARL 28 CEDRIC VAN EENOO 34 DICK EVANS 40 SUSAN STAMM EVANS 46 CHRISTINA GEOGHEGAN 52 N. G. HERRERA a.k.a. NIRVANA SQ 58
FIORENTINA GIANNOTTA 64 ARJA KÄRKKÄINEN 70 LICCA KIRK 76 TERRI LLOYD 82 TERESA NUÑEZ 88 HUGH SCHOCK 94 MICHAEL TROZZOLO 100 CHRIS TUFF 106 CHRISTINA TZANI 112 GIL ZABLODOVSKY 118
Ahmet Arslan Los Angeles, USA
Ahmet Arslan was born in Taburoglu village, Kırsehir, Turkey. He studied primary education in multi-grade classes (students from age 5 to 10 were together), and he did his secondary and high school education in Kırşehir. He has graduated from Selçuk University’s Visual Arts Education Department in 2011 with a degree in Art Education and he is currently pursuing his MFA in Visual Arts at Sakarya University. In 2013, Ahmet was accepted by The Orpheus Centre, a foundation in England that provides education in the arts to disabled people, where he worked one school year as an Assistant Art Teacher in their exchange program. He lives and works in Los Angeles and Taburoglu. Ahmet is currently working on his master’s thesis, entitled ‘’Understandings of Drawing and its Reflections in Contemporary Art, and Drawing as a Form of Expression’’ The thesis examines and analyzes how the status, importance, and methods of drawing have changed in parallel to the ever-changing perception of art from the classical era to contemporary art.
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Briefly describe the work you do. My practice revolves around how the status and importance of drawing in art has changed over time. Drawing has left the limits of the paper’s face, and is starting to be used in several multidisciplinary areas; I like to work at the intersection of these points. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I am a Kurdish person who is from Turkey and has just moved to the US about four months ago. I received my BA from Selçuk University’s Visual Arts Education Department in 2011 with a degree in Art Education and I am currently pursuing my MFA in Fine Arts at Sakarya University. Travel--moving between cities and countries--has played an important part of my life, and I associate this with the line in drawing. As I travel, I explore and digest new lives, and learn as much as I can see; I think a line does the same thing when you draw. It moves around the paper, explores, and is always learning. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? Art has became more political and activist in contemporary era. Art is now within society, and it scrutinizes individual issues. I also believe art has become easier for society to understand--there are some who think that, to understand contemporary art you need a high level of education, but I think art has become more honest and relevant, and embraced society. Art is the most honest thing in the world, and I think society needs that--this is their common ground.
What is the most challenging part about working with traditional media? I think, if you work with a traditional media such as drawing, you are responsible to the past and the future. To continue innovating, but to also honor its history. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Not a comparison, but I would like to say three artists whose work I look at admiringly: Francisco De Goya, Odd Nerdrum, and Kurdish artist Sener Ozmen. What are your future plans? “We plan, God laughs.”
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instagram.com/axarslan
Kareem Berjaoui London, UK
I’ve come to learn that photography is a great medium to portray ideas that you want people to see, especially when you’re not capable of doing it elsewhere. For me, it’s a great exercise in independence and expression, but ultimately a good way of selling a piece of your mind. My work to some degree is an investigation of clashing concepts and it’s foundation lies in the ‘What If?’ As a generally curious person, I’m always interested about bringing existing visuals together to reveal new truths, perceptions and even build upon current themes. By challenging current subjects with my photography, it allows the viewer to gain an understanding of my thoughts towards these subjects and my objections, in the most strikingly visual way possible. As a fan of arts and crafts, I like to employ hand made props and backdrops to aid this. I think the use of practical effects gives a sense of rawness to an image, which helps bring out the message it’s trying to convey. My relationship to my photography is personal as it is a constant reminder that I can always do better. I can always improve my skills, my narratives and my production values to higher standards in order to constantly bring something new to the world and more importantly, to myself.
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Briefly describe the work you do. In your opinion, what does photography mean in contempoFor me my photography is a great rary culture? exercise in independence and expression, but ultimately a good I feel like the landscape of phoway of selling a piece of your tography has changed so incredimind. My work is an investiga- bly much in the last decade or so. tion of clashing concepts and it’s For better, or for worst, I’m still foundation lies in the ‘What If?’. undecided about that. I believe My curiosity leads me to bringing that initially photography was existing visuals together to reveal an exploration of beauty where new truths, perceptions and even as now it seems to be more of build upon current themes. As an exploration of vanity. Before, a fan of arts and crafts, I like there so much more reason and to employ hand made props motivation to discover new things and backdrops to my work. about mankind. Photographers I think the use of practical would find new ways to bring out effects gives a sense of rawness to the best out of their subjects to an image, which helps bring out display things we’ve never seen the message it’s trying to convey. before. But now we have people publishing books of their selfies. Tell us a little about your back- The sudden ease of accessibility ground and how that influences of this technology feels like its you. being exploited just so people can find fame in a much easier way. Initially I went to study graphic The use of a photographer almost information design at university. feels redundant when the subjects My father was a freelance graphic can just sell themselves at the designer and I thought that may- click of a button. be I could continue in the steps of the family trade so to speak. Aside from learning what I can about Name three artists you’d like to that business, he also dabbled in be compared to. a lot of photography and I learned quite a bit from him. But I found At the risk of sounding rude, I more love in photography than I would probably rather not be did in graphic design, as it felt too compared to anyone, especially static to me. The musical influenc- at this time. I feel that the more es I was introduced to as a child you get compared to others, the from him really helped me find my higher the expectation to deliver edge in my work. Studying graphic similar works. By doing so, you information design required you to don’t get to establish your style or get messy sometimes and I really character. I need to be able to say employ that workflow into my pho- to myself that I’m working to my tography. I love to create things by own high standard, to create piechand, be it costumes, a backdrop es that identify me as an individor a simple prop. These are all pre ual artist. I have my inspirations determined and designed before but there so varied that I don’t I take certain photos. It’s like the know who I bounce off more from. same way I would create a tem- I’m more focused on trying to find plate for a page, would be the same out who I am first when it comes way I have to create the template to my work than whom I’m trying for a photo. It’s all design. to be more like.
How would you describe the art scene in your area? The art scene in my area of Wembley,London is pretty much non-existent to be honest. You’ll have the once every blue moon local community festival but nothing other than that. It’s a shame because you have a lot of very talented individuals around here and no outlet to show their work. Like me, we’ve had to resort to just using the Internet to push our stuff out. But at the same time, living in London, it seems that only certain areas have been designated for the arts and that’s where you would go to showcase. Anywhere else barely garners any attention for anyone to make a name for themselves. What advice can you give to those who are just starting out in the arts? First things first, I think it’s important to know your medium. Find your weak spots and turn them into your strong ones. To accept that you will always need to learn new things is very important because it’s that knowledge that turns a boring piece into a really good one. Don’t compromise on something you think is ok. Learn what you need to, to make it better. Secondly, I think it’s good to struggle sometimes. The challenges and obstacles you come across are good for you as it will motivate you to make your work better and the payoff will be all worth it, even if it makes you broke. What are your future plans? Fornow,I’mcontentwithsharingmywork everywhere and every outlet I can find. I would definitely love to do more photography showcases around London. But I do eventually want to move onto bigger projects, explore avenues I haven’t yet and possibly try creating art installations that I can display around the world. Ideally I just want to be employed specifically for the style I’ve developed over the years and make a bigger name for myself.
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www.mniak.com
Chris Boyko Atlanta, USA
Bizarre, strange and unusual; each painting unveils the hidden reality within the mind. The subconscious is constructed like a giant web, which as a whole creates an individual. If one were to examine each individual piece, they would realize it’s composed of multiple ideas, memories and feelings which are constantly shifting. We are animated beings, meaning our subconscious is animated as well. It’s this shift within our subconscious that changes our perception of reality. It’s why each of us can respond differently to a multitude of situations. Using automatic painting techniques, my mind enters a meditative state. As I begin to follow the strings of the subconscious web, the organic forms develop within the painting. One form leads to another, like a trail of thoughts. It’s as if my mind and the paint are in sync with each other. As I explore my own mind, gaining an understanding of myself; I’m also gaining an understanding of the forms.
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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I prefer exploring all aspects of human nature; leaving nothing off limits. I’m constantly observing behaviors, functions and responses. Filtering my observations through my subconscious; I relate moments along with experiences aged into memories. As a result, I’m able to identify uncommon correlations. I then translate the newly discovered revelations using visual representation. In your opinion, what does painting mean in contemporary culture? The digital age has given us an ever-changing social media outlet. We value the ability to instantly voice our opinions through various platforms. However it’s less impactful when presented in an expressionless medium. Alternatively, there’s a personal quality found within painting that cannot be mimicked online. Exemplifying dedication and craftsmanship has the ability to empower the concept. When enticed, the painting is bound to be thought provoking for the viewer. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. I’ve always admired Francis Bacon, Salvador Dali and Hieronymus Bosch. Each artist pushed the creative boundary, signifying their distinct artwork. I strive to achieve the same by delivering originality in my own style. My goal is to form compelling concepts while also being ascetically pleasing. How would you describe the art scene in your area? From super realism to non-objective and everything in between; the Atlanta art scene welcomes everyone. Plenty exhibitions, festivals and public art projects occur throughout the year. Galleries like Kibbee present entertaining exhibitions each month. The Atlanta Dogwood Festival always attracts a large crowd for artist. Those specializing in public art projects need to check out the Atlanta Beltline. We also have the High Museum of Art which I defiantly recommend visiting. What are your future plans? Currently I’m participating in exhibitions across the country. Please feel free to check out any of my upcoming exhibitions at www.boykoart.com. I would love for you to stop by the exhibition closest to you. I look forward to sharing my work with others.
www.boykoart.com
Zoita Delia Calinescu Bucharest, Romania
My art reflects what we are, what we have and what we had lost. I am a painter but I express myself throughout diverse artistic means: performance, video art, installation, and photography. My inspiration springs from social environments, and, as a result, I am analysing my perceptions over the life, identity, and individual freedom. I feel all the colours in my chromatic palette reduced to white and black. I pay tribute to black for my knowledge and to white for my sincerity over this world. My art is balancing between miniature and monumentality, figurative and textural, vibrant messages and subtility.
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communism was rather brutal; I was only 8 years old when I discovered moderate hunger caused by food rationing and how limited my liberty of opinion was, hand in hand with the official propaganda of continuous socialism progress. The whole society was silently vibrating to all these social treatments. Such experiences matured me and influenced the way I choose subjects for my projects. I am free in my creativity, constantly testing various mediums and experimenting. I love organic art; one can easily observe this in my latest photography and picture-installation project, Ongoing happiness. I do performance as a way of freeing my soul, and happening, because I love people and the way we can work together. Painting is my main preoccupation and video continues to be an experimental loop for my sending messages to the society. All these mediums determine my profile me and shape me differently each time. They represent a clear statement of my continuous evolution, every second by second, and of the way my inner vibration reaches other people. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? When, how and why started your art practice? Before elementary school, I grew up at my grandparents’ house, in a small Romanian village called Tudor Vladimirescu. I remember my grandmother’s beautiful, white hands, drawings for me. Her first drawing for me represented a horse. I was 5 years old then and that was the first creative act I’ve ever experienced. The house was traditional, made of clay and wood, and had green ceilings, doors and fences. The porch was the place where I first started drawing. From there, I studied and began to draw animals, flowers and birds from the courtyard. Later on, I moved back with my parents in Galați city and with some fluency, I continued studying arts in highschool and afterwards, in university. What is your creative process like? The focus of my art is given by themes referring to what people are, have and had lost. The 1980’s Romanian
Art in contemporary culture becomes more and more a formula of social interpersonal communication, a mechanism through which diverse creative communities converge more and more towards a common space of interaction. People begin to communicate, by expressing their ideas spontaneously, embracing the concept of community. In my vision, art has evolved into an organism constantly dividing itself, that lives now more than ever before on streets, in galleries, studios; anywhere. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to Mona Hatoum, Anselm Kiefer and Joseph Beuys. Mona Hatoum is a continuous source of inspiration for me regarding the expression of her artistic femininity, and her coherence in building up her entire artistic discourse. With Anselm Kiefer, I share the same preference for expressivity, textures and monumentality. Joseph Beuys is a model of originality and innovation.
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How would you describe the art scene in your area? The Romanian art scene is rather emergent. It develops a positive vibe and tries in this first social process of change to create its own opportunities. I find this evolution stereotypical and necessary, when looking at the way other artistic societies developed. I hope that the Romanian art market will embrace more the national cultural values and promote artists free of any prejudice. What are your future plans? In the near future I will expose in Brașov, Romania an installation of light, within AMURAL Installations Festival (31’st of August – 4’th of September). Further on, I will expose my latest project, Ongoing Happiness at AAF Accessible Art Fair in Bruxelles, Belgium (21’st to
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25’th of September). On the 30’th of September I will expose an extension of this project in NOD Makerspace in Bucharest, during the White Night of Art Galleries. At the beginning of October I will participate with Moonlight, a video project, in the exposition organised by Guerrilla Zoo “Modern Panic VII” in London, UK. Starting from January 2017 I will start Master in Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins College, London, UK and will continue my collaboration with Artigon, gallery with which I already had an exposition in London, in August 2016, at Hundred Years Gallery. I plan on developing my studies over organic art, and enlarging the area of experimenting over my painting. I will continue to create installations and finalise Shapes, a performance project.
www.zoita.ro
Jana Charl Los Angeles, USA
Exploring a variety of media and techniques around testing the boundaries of what defines contemporary art, especially the blurring of the traditional lines dividing craft, commercial and fine art, characterizes my creative process. Reclaiming found objects with their inherent histories adds another layer to my narrative. The challenge to capture the human form and psyche has been my longest enduring fascination. Incorporating figures in my work is an intention for association, to personalize matters which have been analyzed abstractly. I stylize the curves that distinguish and define the sexes. By concentrating on minimal forms, I express universal experiences to encourage accessibility and engagement. I am a passionate storyteller inspired by current issues to evoke thought on perceptions and biasing preconceptions. The key themes weaving my artwork together are feminist issues, perceptions of women’s roles, identity and gender relationships. I represent words with graphic bars in order to focus on the visual experience, allow for personalized interpretations, and circumvent language barriers. _________________________________________________________________________________ Jana Charl’s creative process involves delving into different media and techniques, disregarding conventional hierarchies, to convey visual stories. She is a native of Los Angeles, where she resides, and is a dual US-Swiss citizen. While receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Art, from the University of Redlands, she studied at Waseda University, Tokyo, for one year. She continued her studies at UC San Diego’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies before moving to Zurich where she was in her first group exhibition. Since 2013, Jana has had 34 exhibitions and been featured in 12 publications globally. Her work is collected internationally, and is part of the Yuko Nii Foundation and Brooklyn Art Library collections.
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Briefly describe the work you do. Exploring a variety of media and techniques around testing the boundaries of what defines contemporary art, especially the blurring of the traditional lines dividing craft, commercial and fine art, characterizes my creative process. Reclaiming found objects with their inherent histories adds another layer of meaning and humor to my narrative. The challenge to capture the human form and psyche has been my longest enduring fascination. Incorporating figures into my work is an intention for association, to personalize matters that have been analyzed abstractly. I stylize the curves that distinguish and define the sexes. By concentrating on minimal forms, I express universal experiences to encourage accessibility and engagement. I am a passionate storyteller inspired by current issues to evoke thought on perceptions and biasing preconceptions. The key themes weaving my artwork together are feminist issues, women’s roles, identity, and gender relationships. I represent words with graphic bars in order to focus on the visual experience, allow for personalized interpretations, and circumvent language barriers. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I was born in Los Angeles, where I currently live; however, I am a dual US Swiss citizen and have lived abroad in Nuremberg, Germany; Tokyo, Japan; and Zürich, Switzerland. The experiences living and assimilating to various cultures has influenced both the themes and style of my art. The focus on the female identity is derived, in part, from growing up with three sisters. Also, both of my grandmothers were feminists; one was an activist and the other a multi-talented swimsuit and textile designer. At a
young age, I built projects in my father’s wood shop where he also introduced me to acrylic painting. As a teenager, he taught me how to solder silver for jewelry-making which sparked my subsequent interest in welding steel sculptures. Art and storytelling have been the threads woven into my life since early childhood. Although, I was encouraged to pursue a career in medicine, to follow in my father’s footsteps, I rebelled and explored a broad liberal arts education, focusing on interdisciplinary studies, particularly art and psychology. My curiosity and desire to study and analyze human behavior has been an integral part of my artwork. Moreover, crossing the boundaries of disciplines has defined my current creative process. Encouraged by my art studies mentor at the University of Redlands, California, I attended Waseda University, Tokyo, for one year. Nonverbal communication trumped verbal which created the perfect environment to focus on a largely visual experience. I was especially inspired by patterns and color combinations. Later, I dropped out of the University of California at San Diego’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies to live in Zürich and work in advertising. While living in Zürich, I was introduced to polymer clay and was invited to be in my first group exhibition at Ars Futura Galerie, where we created 1000 polymer clay sculptures. Upon returning to Los Angeles, I continued exploring new avenues of expression and added welding metal to my repertoire. Fortunately, I have access to a ranch’s shop, including all tools and equipment, along with a scrap pile for inspiration and materials. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? The relevancy of art is characterized by its impact, which can be personal or universal, instant or lingering, and
with a life that is temporary or timeless. Furthermore, the ability of a work of art to communicate an experience to our senses defines it. In contemporary culture there exists an eclectic amalgamation of “new” and conventional which is not limited by past paradigms but rather an assimilation of a variety of elements. The exploration of innovative materials and forms of expression test the boundaries of what defines art. In this state of flux, the conventional and hierarchical labels are still prevalent even when they do not suit current practices. I believe art is a platform for dialog regarding contemporary culture and its effectiveness is not limited to being showcased in traditional settings. Art draws attention to current issues, perceptions, prejudices, injustices, varying perspectives, all in order to deepen one’s understanding of the times. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. The first is actually a category of artists, the anonymous ones that are unknown or unrecognized; however, their art links past to present, which is the significance I would like my work to attain. Specific examples that have influenced me are the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf figurine and the Etruscan statuette Ombra della Serra. Niki de Saint Phalle’s Nanas have been an inspiration for my stylization of the female form. Growing up immersed in a culture and era that has represented the ideal woman as unnaturally thin, and where natural curves have been underrepresented in fashion and the media, I also choose to intentionally exaggerate and celebrate the curves. Moreover, the fact that she practiced across disciplines in her exploration of women’s roles. Alberto Giacometti’s elongated interpretations of the sexes have inspired my depictions. In addition, his process of working and reworking materials as evidenced in the end products. And
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a more obscure aspect regarding his sense of perspective: that objects in the distance are actually small. I have created a great deal of small works and visualize them as being large. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Currently there is an overabundance of activity with new galleries, museums, and outdoor venues for exhibiting artwork in Los Angeles. Smaller galleries struggle to be relevant in the art market as it becomes a more saturated and competitive one. Although there are a lot of opportunities to exhibit, it is truly difficult to stand out. What advice can you give to those who are just starting out in the arts? Actively engage in discussions about your artwork and others’ works. Pursuing a career in art truly requires a lot of self-confidence and perseverance. Believing strongly in a sense of purpose and maintaining your passion are essential. Rejection is a factor in an artist’s life and it is not synonymous with failure; be vulnerable and take risks. Overall, experiment, explore, and stay curious. What are your future plans? At this time, I am waiting for the notifications regarding my submissions for the following: a 3-month artist residency in Tokyo; a temporary installation in Glendale, California, titled “Venus of Adams Square” (http://vimeo.com/178079167, password: Charlart); and my Faena Art Prize proposal “Tables, Chandeliers, and Selfies” (http://vimeo. com/177848439, password: Charlart). More information can be found on my website, www.janacharl.com. As I challenge myself by exploring various means to creatively communicate themes, I will seek out opportunities for experiential installations and to reach a broader global audience.
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www.janacharl.com
Cedric van Eenoo New York City, USA
Cedric van Eenoo is a visual artist, musician and filmmaker. He is affiliated with Manhattan Graphics Center; SciArt Center of New York City; Brooklyn Arts Council and the Artists Rights Society. His art is exhibited at the Katonah Museum of Art; Hammond Museum; Brooklyn Art Library; Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Queens College Art Library; Pratt Fine Arts Institute; NAU Art Museum; Hong Kong Visual Arts Center.
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Rich, rhythmic abstraction defines painter Cedric van Eenoo’s mesmerizing creations. The artist seeks the wild and authentic, and hypnotizes us through his deft ability to conjure the essence of his subject within his white painted works, allowing our minds to migrate freely through these subtly ornate creations. An earnest search for truth and purity pervades the works, which refresh us in their delicate exquisiteness. K. Maraney, New York City, NY, USA
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www.vaneenoo.com
Dick Evans Santa Fe, USA I seldom begin a painting with any particular image in mind. I often start by simply loading a brush with a color of paint that appeals to me at that time and making a stroke on the canvas or panel surface. As I react to the form of that stroke, the way it divides the canvas, the weight of the stroke, the emotional impact, I lay down the next stroke, either in the same color or in a different color. The entire painting evolves in that manner, in a series of reactions to the previous collection of actions. Throughout that process the visual and emotional elements that I have collected during my lifetime of observation, as well as, I suspect, elements that are in the genetic evolution of the human species, all play a part in determining each new step. Ultimately my paintings are simply explorations, interpretations and expressions of the world around me and within me. Now, I will say that I do love the New Mexico landscape. I will say also that I love to look at just about any landscape or cityscape or room interior or the food on my plate! That is what I do. All that information is continually filed away, sometimes only reappearing years later. I often don’t even remember a particular inspiration when I am painting. Then sometime later I might see something in the landscape that will make me exclaim, “Oh yes, I painted that last year in such and such a painting, something like this must have inspired that work.” _______________________________________________________________ Dick Evans was born in the “Land of Enchantment,” New Mexico, USA. Having grown up in a rural farming community in the panhandle of Texas, he had no exposure at all to art until he started college. Fortunately he was required to take drawing and design courses as he started his supposed major of architecture. He soon realized architecture was not right for him, but also that he loved ART! As he progressed through an advertising art program at Texas Tech, he realized he was more interested in the Fine Arts, and transferred to a rich art program at the University of Utah, where he obtained a BFA in Drawing and Painting, and went on to obtain an MFA in Ceramics and Sculpture. After completing college, Evans began a university teaching career.
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Briefly describe the work you do. I do abstract paintings, with lots of gesture and brushstroke and color, loosely based on landscape, or non-objective in their entirety. They are explorations, interpretations and expressions of the world around me and within me......... which are ultimately the same. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I was born and raised in the American Southwest. I have spent a great deal of time outdoors in dramatic landscape. I’ve always been visually active and have acquired a lifetime of keen observation of the physical and mystical world around me. That storehouse feeds the images that emerge on the canvas in somewhat equal parts What is the most challenging part about working with traditional media? I would say that the most challenging part about working with traditional media is the same as working with any media: make art that is personal, universal and relevant. Medium is far less significant than statement. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. I am in awe of the compelling mystery in the work of Albert Pinkham Ryder, which I relate loosely to the psychological aspect of the more contemporary artist, Anselm Kiefer. I am intrigued by the remarkable design quality of Milton Avery.
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And finally, I am forever indebted to the destructive/creative philosophies of the great American ceramist, Peter Voulkos. How would you describe the art scene in your area? It’s been said that Santa Fe is the third largest art market in America. My wife (sculptor Susan Stamm Evans) and I decided this was our first choice of a location to pursue our art careers after I left University teaching after twenty years to become a full time artist. The art scene is tremendously diverse, ranging from Native American artists following many generations of tradition, to the latest digital and conceptual expression. My own work is somewhat in between, and there is no shortage of artists working in that area as well. What advice can you give to those who are just starting out in the arts? Work in the studio as much as you can without forsaking time needed to explore the work of other artists and the visual world around you. Take enough time to have fun, to energize the senses. Don’t try to figure out what work to do to sell, but rather be willing to work to do what is needed to sell the work you do. Being true to oneself is a clichÊ for a good reason. What are your future plans? I plan to make my art as long as I feel engaged in the process and feel I am learning something about myself, and the world around me.
www.dickevansart.com
Susan Stamm Evans Santa Fe, USA
I have an ongoing fascination with fragmenting faces: paring them down. I like to keep the expressions to the quietest possible. The eyes are still, or unseen, only the mouth is open – a moment of a breath, or sigh, or in anticipation. I often choose to omit the eyes, those “windows to the soul”. Without eyes the face is less individual, more universal. We all seem to have an attraction to partial faces: eyes hidden behind sunglasses or shadowed under a hat. There is intrigue in a face with no eyes. Information is withheld, and there is an engaging mystery in that.
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When, how and why started your art practice? I have always known that I have a need to make things and that I wanted my career to be in art. I assumed it would be in painting, but in college I took a class in ceramic sculpture and had an inspirational teacher (who is now my husband of 40 years). I was smitten by clay and working 3 dimensionality. It seemed to be the perfect medium. I love the tactile pleasure of manipulating the clay and the huge variability of outcomes. I was very lucky and sold a lot of the work from my MA graduate show and I then got offers for gallery representation, which launched me into a full-time art career. As I look back it was all amazingly fortuitous. What themes do you pursue? I am continually drawn to figurative work. I have enjoyed doing architectural pieces, but no matter what imagery I explore, I end up returning to the face. I finally just accepted that as who I am and what I do. I use the figure because it is such a universal image, and one that immediately involves the viewer. We can’t
help but relate in some way to a human form. My intention is not to depict any particular person, nor even suggest a specific narrative. I attempt to capture a gesture, or the feeling of a moment, which will evoke a personal emotional response in the viewer. I want to set a stage where viewers are drawn in and create their own narrative. I see my work as dealing with emotions. It’s not about the big dramatic moments but the small, inward, everyday emotions because I feel that those are the most universally recognized and felt. How has your work changed in the past years? I began by making small, delicate, porcelain figures. They were very quiet and introverted. Once we moved back to New Mexico, and I had access to art foundries, I began exploring casting in bronze - and that blew my world open. The work became larger and bolder. Later I focused more on just fragments of faces, with only a hit of expression. My intent is still to explore the quiet emotions, but with the larger bronze work the visual impact can become “in your face”. Now
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my newest faces are large and much looser. They are made of a series of bronze “threads” weaving in and out. The surface is open and varied, partially solid and partially drifting away. It feels as if it flows in and out of space, perhaps suggesting a person that is here, but one that cannot be completely known. I think we all feel that way about ourselves sometimes. All of my pieces, small or large, are hopefully reflections of things that we all might feel. In your opinion what does art mean in contemporary culture? I learn things about myself from the art of others, as well as from the making of my own work. There are so many more pressures and influences on people now. We are bombarded by imagery and stimuli trying to influence us – to sell to us. But, when something is created as art, as a personal expression, it makes me stop and ponder it a bit more. Art engages me and I am forced to find my own relationship to it. I find that exploration of someone else’s vision to be so enriching, it’s a bit of a mind reboot. What do you Like/Dislike about the Art World? It is a lot of work to get one’s work exhibited and sold. I spend more time on the documenting and promoting of the work than I can spend on the creation of it. What are your future plans as an artist? I have been very lucky to have so many opportunities to show and sell my work. But, that can also be a bit of a trap. I don’t want to loose sight of the importance, and the joy, of trying new things and just playing in the studio.
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www.susanstammevans.com
Christina Geoghegan Groningen, Netherlands Create paintings and sculptures of landscapes through multimedia exploring the psychology, atmosphere and ambiguity of colour and and stillness. Landscapes that make us feel with sentimental and imaginative attributes. Using the elements in nature to create scenes of Nature. It’s about capturing moment of time in an unknown perspective. An emotional landscape that is still.
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Briefly describe the work you do. I create paintings and sculptures of landscapes through multimedia exploring the psychology, atmosphere and ambiguity of colour and stillness. Using the elements in nature to create scenes of nature. Drawing the connection of subject and material closer together unifying them. it’s about capturing that moment of time in an unknown perspective. An emotional landscape that is still. I want to liberate landscape from time and perspective. Symbols translate a form of communication of understanding from the subjects most basic form, yet without existing in reality. I mean to combine symbols that expose a moment between reality and surrealism. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I am from Ireland and grew up in the countryside and it’s has had a great influence on my perception and artwork. I love nature, the feeling it gives. The weather in Ireland can be temperamental so the sky is dramatic, It’s familiarly unique every time the sun rises and sets. The ambience of the hills in the landscape coincides with the light. It’s wonderful to watch it ever changing. That has a huge influence on my work, being curious and observing my surrounding, the feeling a place can give so it depends where I am . I read a lot of books and that influences can influence what I do.
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In your opinion, what does painting mean in contemporary culture? “Creativity is exceptional associate memory” Daniel Kahneman. I recently came across this quote while reading Kahnemans book, ‘Thinking fast and slow.’ Painting has this role in contemporary culture, as our memories and associations broaden so does the meaning of painting Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Mark Rothko J.M.W. Turner Olafur Eliasson How would you describe the art scene in your area? The Netherlands is quite explosive. Ideas, movement and material, there is a lot of freedom for a broad range of experimenting. What advice can you give to those who are just starting out in the arts? Work hard, know what you want to say and what you represent, this may change, be ready to adapt, working hard can create opportunity. Communication is important, find out as much as you can from everybody Everyone is involved in art and can be involved in it’s process of change
christinageoghegan.com
Nirvana Geuvdjelian Herrera a.k.a.
Nirvana SQ Tepoztlán, Mexico Nirvana SQ’s art works explore contemporary scientific and philosophical concepts through different levels of photographic abstraction, along sometimes with punctual text pieces. Her work creates bridges between intellectual abstraction and perceptual abstraction, exploring constantly in this manner, the ability of imagination as an approach of many, towards understanding. Her photography draws strongly from her philosophical and scientific inquiries and interests, making a twist on Wittgenstein’s intentions as a core locus: “that of which we cannot speak, we must remain silent thereof “ but... we must find ways to show, – specially in the case of theoretical concepts that shape our worldview in current times. So, how can we imagine (make-image-of) highly technical concepts of different sciences and branches of contemporary thought without having the theoretical baggage these notions require to be understood? This is the main question that moves her to her create; it motivates explorations from the artistic stance that art must be constantly stretching and opening our understanding of our time and place, not only individually but as a species that constantly recreates its view about itself and the world.
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When, how and why started your art practice? Back in the summer of 2007, I visited some friends in England while I lived in Toronto. There, a photographer and good friend of mine gave me as a gift a little digital camera, as I was often borrowing his cameras and latter asking for the photos. I since I was young I had had quite an interest in photography but never had my own camera before. I instantly started to experiment freely with it, non stop! At the time, I was working on an essay in grad school about the “conceptual jump” during the scientific revolution in the field of optics, mainly about the works of Kepler and Descartes in contrast to previous optics theories from the ancient Greeks and the Arab world; and the role that the Camera Obscura played in the (rather difficult) acceptance of the notion that the image arrived at the eye upside down and reversed. Having a camera to play with while thinking about the foundations of modern optics was an unexpected turn, and photography quickly took over my time, eyes, and mind: it became a way of thinking about (and representing in peculiar ways) theoretical issues that I was studying at the time, and any other philosophical idea that was around my mind, and therefore, playing in a purely empirical full-manual experimental way with both camera and software, I discovered I could make visual metaphors with which I could see what was merely in my head before in a more theoretical manner… and I have kept on doing it since. Why did I start my practice? That is the more complex question. I had a lot to be doing at the time academically and I was very busy, however I think I was lacking some sort of cognitive output for what I was doing –and I really needed that. So when I got into photography, I really feel into the rabbit’s hole, so to speak. I would spend hours photographing the corners of my room during the winter in every shutter speed, in every mode combination, in every option I could think of, edit light, shadow, and color afterwards, teaching myself
what I could do. I started I guess partly because of chance, and partly because I needed some more perceptual stimuli as a complement for the intellectual aspects that interest me. What is your creative process like? For me it has a lot to do with what I am thinking, reading, or researching. When I have a specific project in mind, one third of my process is filling up my mind with ideas, theories, graphs, notes, and anything else about the particular topic of the project. I many times make a conceptual map of the theoretical relations between the main concepts of the theme, and guide myself with it; this part takes quite some time and pretty much does not involve my camera. Afterwards, once I find I am thinking a lot about the topic, I take my camera with me All the time Everywhere: I search for images that I find in my surroundings but that come from my mind and thoughts, I search for moments that make both sides of my brain click. Afterwards, in the last third of my process, I edit digitally light and color to emphasize perceptually the conceptual abstraction I see in the photograph, and many times write a text that goes along with the image and hints at the theoretical cues in the image. Other times, when I do not have a particular project yet in mind, I just observe and observe and observe. I think observation can be a very active occupation, I do not mean contemplation, I mean observation in which one makes conscious a great deal of the visual information that is being taken into the mind throughout the eye, and this information is digested, worked on, questioned, played with, stored, and taken out again. Sometimes it can be hard cognitively when the surroundings are very cluttered, full of very diverse things going on at the same time (take any given afternoon in Mexico City for example, or the 30 minutes from darkness until the sun is shinning in the Sierra jungles of Mexico), so I have been finding ways to “tune” my observation to the surroundings to some extent, so I don’t get too overwhelmed; nonetheless, if I have my
camera and have nothing else to do –the sensation of free time is crucial for me– I often get a sense of euphoria and end up with full memory cards in no time. From there it is time for “choose and edit mode”, which I enjoy tremendously, and finally into writing text, printing and mounting. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? I think the arts –I must take the plural form as I find each one to have its very own map of paths, languages, and intentions– are part of the building blocks of any culture, because they are an expression in one way or another, about the diverse cumulus of behaviours, events, people, subjectivities, rules, ideas, resources, situations, and realities that make up the rather overarching and ever growing notion of culture. As culture accumulates and becomes more complex, the arts have more and more to express about in diverse manners. I know this is rather vague in a sense, but it is very clear that art always makes itself present wherever people are, sometimes it is storytelling or poetry, forms of music and dance, murals or architecture, cuisine and textile design, theater, painting, all sorts of sculptures; as I said before, the arts are very plural activities, and in contemporary culture(s) there are more and more paths opened and intersected by arts. I think the Western big notion of “The Art of The Culture” is both being enriched and questioned by the multifaceted form of globalization that we all live in different ways currently, that is no news. Therefore, we can see, and to some extent even experience, how arts have very different roles in societies depending on aspects of the society’s history, economy, beliefs, problems, etc. So taking a look at the arts with a wider definition and horizon, allows us to peek better into a society’s specific reality. So, art turns into a window of sorts towards a multiplicity of realities and, expressions about those realities. However, sociologically, I think the arts remain caught in a two-fold state: it either is an object of luxury, speculation,
Art Reveal Magazine
and almost fetish; or it is trivialized as something decorative, entertaining, or merely to consume, as if these qualities and ways of treating it were mutually exclusive, and furthermore, as if they were the main purpose of people wanting art in their lives. I wish more spaces and contexts exist, where the arts are not so quickly labeled, consumed and, either fetishized or trivialized so quickly, but rather where there is time and space to digest, respond, interact, question and even allow people and other artists reply to them is they feel so inclined; I am not saying this does not happen, but that there should be much more of it. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. I really have never thought about this, comparing artists is tricky, as a comparison context must be made; and also I never started out thinking about myself as an artist, but rather as a philosopher of science exploring other media and other ways of expression. I shall leave comparisons to be made by those who see the lines of comparison better. This, of course, does not mean that my work is not influenced by artists, along
with scientists, philosophers and realities, very much on the contrary: my work is influenced by a large and diverse amount of subjects, methods, techniques, and theories from many disciplines in a way I probably cannot fully see nor explain. Furthermore, I grew up surrounded by art books and art making, as my father is a painter and I’ve spent lots of time in art studios, I am sure lots of influence happened there too. How would you describe the art scene in your area? The art-making scene is lively; all sorts of people make so much art here in Mexico, sometimes I think it is something in the air. I move around on a regular basis between Mexico City and the small town of Tepoztlán, the art scenes are very different. Mexico City always has so many art shows, concerts, theater, etc. going on, that I very rarely can attend all the events I am interested in. Mexico City, as the capital I guess, is the more contemporary art scene of the country, lots of experimental works can be found; however I think it becomes also a closed circle that is difficult to approach without previous connections
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and implicit know-how’s. In other places where I’ve lived, there is also a lot of art being made, but much less space for it to pour into society and the public, however, it seems that lately there are efforts from art-lovers towards some change happening in this aspect, yet still not enough for it to flow freely. What are your future plans? I am currently beginning a project for a net art website about the central notions of Quantum Mechanics, from an artistic angle, in collaboration with a good friend, philosopher, programmer, and scientist German del Río. It is a project that I’ve been brewing slowly inside my head for some years, and I am very excited to be able to start making the pieces and work along with German’s skills and views. I am preparing to exhibit hopefully by the end of the year the photography set “Infotropía: Visualizing Information Theories” along with the photography book of the work, that I made in 2014-2015, and of which some pieces are shown here in the art reveal magazine. Also I am currently working on a photography series about the everyday unexpected intersection of botany and architecture in spaces of Mexico City.
www.nirvanasq.com
Fiorentina Giannotta Dipignano, Italy
Her personal world is inhabited by historical figures or ordinary people, always iconic. The characters are chosen according to the degree of irony that can lead naturally to dress with lace, buttons, ribbons and bows helps ... and I take inspiration from great painters, from novels and the fiction, always with a feeling of benevolence towards these my figures betray a sense of emptiness, of rebellion and above all imperfection. Processed in a too colorful space, with industrial paints and brushes for ceramic, they characterize her works in very original way.
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When, how and why started your art practice? I attended art schools, but as an adult I decided to study architecture, in fact, I graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Florence, for over 20 years I have mostly practiced the profession. Then, nearly 10 years ago, also because of an important disease, it has arisen a kind of uneasiness, that brought me to draw. What is your creative process like? I have a passion for books, fiction, the stories in general, I love reading Jane Austen books, biographies of saints, of navigators, of historical figures, I do many sketches on post it and then rework them in large format. I prefer to work on square canvases, using industrial automotive coatings and decoration up to capacity with long brushes, from the ceramist. I find inspiration in everyday life, the stories develop in my mind based on my interaction with the fictional characters, history or literature. Personally, I shy to take me seriously, and everything I do believe it is of uncertain completeness. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? Contemporary culture is a chaos of experiences, affirmations and negations, the man gives the opportunity to go further, as a result, the art provides that any kind of vision, using any technique or means can have equal dignity. Anyway purpose of art is the supreme excellence, in fact the concept of the art means that it is a thing done well,
as well as the concept of “The Art of War” brings excellence in strategy. To this question I find it appropriate to recall a famous saying by Gio Ponti: “It is not the cement, not wood, not stone, not steel, the glass is not the strongest element. The most resistant material is art. “ In conclusion, the art, today, in my opinion, should trigger evolutionary processes in of humanity thought, assuming new paradigms such as ethics, harmony between peoples, and the conservation of nature and the planet. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. I do not associate in my work, unfortunately, no artist of the past, I would love to have inherited some talent from Beato Angelico, Pisanello or Piero della Francesca, sin, as far as I’ve enjoyed the view nothing has come to me. How would you describe the art scene in your area? They leave a decay in Italian artistic heritage of the most important in the world, and maybe you think the company (except the few institutions) give impulse to experiments and innovations? In the national identification does not correspond cultural and economic support policies for art production. What are your future plans? Participation in an exhibition dedicated to the poem of ‘”Orlando Furioso” by Ludovico Ariosto, of which 2016 celebrates v anniversary of the first printing. The resumption little things of mail art and experiments with colored resins.
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www.fiorentingiannotta.com
Arja Kärkkäinen Helsinki, Finland
Better let the works do the stating, huh? I like what Brecht said in his Threepenny Opera, loosely translated; the morals will follow the bread, or: as long as there’s bread, the moral will follow. Sometimes I think about money and art, and hope to make some money out of art, but then I look what kind of stuff the money attracks and I feel great gratitude towards the Scandinavian “distrupution of income” or however the system that provides me my survival requirements should be called nowadays, and I get drawn into this terrifying inner discussion about my total futility in most social areas. Where I’m nowadays a bad artist, I’m also a previously failed worker, and even more terribly failing in being a woman, I have no interest towards marriage institution -you name it, I bet there’s something in my generation that has to do with selecting ones wars but if not even that, then what? It’s pretty much about having to represent something nowadays, so I rather say nothing since I really don’t have an agenda greater than that I love exploring art and the different opinions and views about life and situations it carries along -and records for later! I believe one can only talk from ones point of view, so I also believe the work inevitably exposes my point of view, too. Hopefully even something more general I necessarily don’t notice myself. Maybe I could come up feeling something that encapsulates details of these times?
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When, how and why started your art practice? Convincing myself that making art is a good thing too quite a while actually. I had always studied to be a cloth designer and that was the only thing I thought to do when I was younger. I felt that it was something I’m fairly good at so I should make a job out of it. I aimed to work with the larger mass production companies I had always found interesting. I didn’t think I’m anyhow artistic, on the contrary I was curious about the business structures and how much could be done for the environmental questions and all that. Then I worked for a few companies, just enough to get stuck into the system, or even figure what the system was, and then figured how everyone is pretty much running from the responsibility of things that seem to be going on, no matter what. Something changed as I noticed that my “professional” word doesn’t cost anything at all: I had no authority or then it just wasn’t worth saying things aloud. All of a sudden I was pretty pissed off!: why to keep running if one doesn’t know what one’s running for? Or even from! I used to paint for 15 years as a hobby and finally in 2012 I decided to give art a full-time chance ‘cause there were no more things to loose somehow, and it was perfect! Finally I felt confident enough to make art because I knew the amount of work needed to be done and I expected nobody to much care or appreciate it. Becoming confident was a weird process...it was a positive realisation after a total surrender somehow. Maybe I became adult enough to start playing again? Because not many things have been too “serious” after that. I got into the art school and started exploring things that came out. I dropped
painting quite soon after and fell in love with video installation, since it’s a perfect tool for the storytelling-kind I’m into. What role does the artist have in society? I’m especially interested in artists merging from other fields or combining professions, because of my own background of course, artists with knowledge from different areas. After all I’m interested in how they provide information, interpret from a point of view that’s not familiar to me, repackage something in common for someone else to understand too. Somehow I feel that’s what artists should do, no matter the topic: to show a viewer their own life and surroundings in a new light? It’s like looking at yourself from another perspective, not only frogs looking at birds or vice versa. That’s why I find “my feelings-based” art difficult sometimes. If it has nothing to do with the viewer... all people are not artists and sometimes art goes too complicated and even meaningless because it’s too far from the “real life”...well, it’s just uninteresting without shared interests. And nowadays artists don’t need to sell art. They write plans etc, get funded. They circle in their artist circles. Sometimes it becomes too visible and I start feeling that an artist should be someone who looks outwards and steps out once again. If a society is a car, the artist needs to be the horn? What’s a pile of horns with no car under... I think it’s important that people wouldn’t need to visit a separate “artist territory” and not understand anything, that’s something extra nowadays. Extra level of separation. Artist mind could be similar to any, everyone doesn’t need to be mad, but the outcome is the thing! I think an artist is in her or his element if the audience is a bit
alert if there will be an insult or a laughter. Not much should be predictable. That’s the privilege and pain of it: to constantly maintain a sort of Tourette, or to be stupid or brave or whatever it is that helps to say aloud what one sees. No matter if it’s the hand that feeds you slapping someone else, artist’s responsibility is to bite. Tell us more about your film “Think double, triple, always, too much, never” I wrote a poem-thing named “Think double, triple, always, too much, never” somewhere in 2014 and didn’t know what to do with it. It was so long and confusing that I thought, oh lord how much I suck, I cannot show this to anyone. I stopped both writing and painting for a rather long while. Meanwhile in 2015 I saw Samuel Beckett’s amazing monologue “Not I” performed by Billie Whitelaw and found the rhythm of speech mesmerizing: that’s how most human beings must sound inside their heads. All the time listening to it I felt like replying; me too, me too... At that time I read Elfriede Jelinek’s books and discovered prose poetry. Before that I was trying to push plots into my writings too heavily and it never worked out. “Think double” was poetry in its purest form and it totally repelled images I tried to stamp on it, all in vain. I had no idea how to use the material that kept coming out the wrong way! A poem is nothing without an image, and an image is nothing without a poem and I couldn’t figure a combination. This one day then, I happened to notice that I’ve been living in similar rooms for almost ten years. Why there always has to be white walls, right? In galleries, homes, offices...everywhere! Maybe it’s just a Nordic thing but I find
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white spaces rather disturbing. It’s a very creepy colour, something to do with being sick and helpless. The walls running after me-idea came when I was moving my stuff between these two almost similar spaces. We have this expression in Finnish for one to be overly full of thoughts: to have a city of Hamina going on inside ones head. Doesn’t really translate but lot of times I feel that there literally are four white walls inside my head and I’m only peeking out from the mail slot... Plus how weird is that, that people are moving between almost identical rooms. Why did they leave in the first place? Just to return, or what. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Helsinki art scene is quite small, as entire Finland is, but that’s the charm of it! -most of the times... I like that there’s not overwhelmingly lot of things going on but just enough happening. Just the right amount for one to keep an eye on. Anyway, people travel so much nowadays that it’s hard to tell what’s a fixed part of a certain culture or a city anymore, but if I’d try, I’d most likely notice that successful Finnish artists have returned home only after getting famous somewhere else. Maybe we are such a small country, not enough audience, or maybe there’s a different way of understanding success? Either or, the culture funding situation is getting very problematic. Could be that too. Lots of money is being cut away and it’s not very obvious what “they” are suggesting for an alternative. At least I have no idea! It’s like guiding a blind for a good purpose but not knowing where you’re actually heading at and then when it’s too late to admit that you’ve lost the
track half an hour ago, the other one still keeps following and one has to continue leading because the blind wouldn’t anymore where he’s at, you’ve got his trust in you, and so both are lost and have to follow the leader and the leader has to follow the blind. You know how the politicians put it. Complicated! It feels that the confusion is especially apparent in the art scene: something they’re cutting from here, appears elsewhere. That it’s not very forward-thinking running down the culture education at this point, but then again, art is such a beast that it will find a hole anyways. It has to, that’s the whole point. I try to think this could be a good thing. Okay, positive sides? I really love the summer exhibitions in Finland! That’s when the countryside, more remote places, get people travelling back and forth and lot of folks who normally wouldn’t go see art, visit these smaller exhibitions. Everything doesn’t have to be massive and still the artistic level can be excellent. Midsummer Film Festival in Sodankylä proves the same for a movie equivalent. It’s small, but the atmosphere is one of a kind. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Ok, it’s easier to answer to the question of whom I look up to so here we go: Keren Cytter is one of my favourite art-storytellers. I find her works at the same time difficult and easy to follow. The repetition creates a suitable mess that both attracts and annoys me -I feel like a fly buzzing around a light bulb, not knowing if I’m annoyedly doing that or not, if I’m heading somewhere or not. Before getting to know to her work, I used to feel inpatient watching video art. Then I sat in her ex-
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hibition for a full day and tried to look for a start or an ending from the stories until I figured that’s the thing I’m doing wrong. I hate getting bored watching too slow stuff! I always feel like fast forwarding or at least looping. In her work the proportions are somehow suitable for my taste. Talking of which, Ryan Trecartin’s Valentine’s Day Girl doesn’t need fast forward either. Erkka Nissinen and Anssi Kasitonni of the Finnish video makers are great. And what it comes to the humorous stuff, I find something in common with Roman Signer’s pieces. Laughter is the most serious cry? And just for the sake of overdoing the answer: Stan Douglas and Ed Atkins are amazing too. What are your future plans as an artist? My main focus currently is to find a job! I’m looking for a daily job to pay my bills again and maybe when I can afford it, get angry again. I’ll continue writing and collaborating with great people, but I feel that something is making me wait hell of a lot. Maybe in the end I’ll find more of nothing! I’m just happy every time something comes out and proves that I’m not yet done. That I’m not still happy and need to keep looking for something. I feel like working an ordinary job strengthens my will to make art, too. Maybe because I like hiding. It’s important to have something very basic going on for not loosing the grip of reality somehow... Whatever the reality is one wants to hang on, anyway! I didn’t have time to work properly for a while and instantly I felt to have lost a dear lookout spot. Things start to slide towards distortion very easily! Maybe my plan is to learn to tolerate the unsteadiness better if I don’t find a job?
www.cargocollective.com/arjakarkkainen
Licca Kirk Atlanta, GA, USA
My name is Licca Kirk. I’m a watercolorist and paper artist residing in Atlanta, Georgia. I am a graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design with a BFA in Sequential Art. My work is a grasping of the ethereal in a playful and whimsical way using layered paper to create three-dimensional scenes. I am inspired by nature, decay, imperfection, and a strong sense of wonder. My medium is watercolor, paper, and wood. I gravitate towards natural mediums; this is why I incorporate wood to give my paintings the relief or three-dimensional quality they have. The layering is in reminiscence to old animated films. Each piece is a watercolor illustration and hand cut then meticulously layered. The work is delicate in the same idea for which I approach the world: A simplicity in enjoying and echoing life.
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Briefly describe the work you do. My work is a mix of paper relief and watercolor. Each piece is handcut and layered to create three-dimensional scenes. Some take on the feelings of dreams while others are based off nature on my own thoughts. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I grew up in the woods of Northeast Georgia and later moved to Atlanta, Georgia for college. Despite a new love for the city, I always long for trees and the open space of the countryside and often appreciate the little bits of moss in the sidewalk or take in the changing of the leaves. Thankfully, Atlanta seems to love their trees, too, and the city is full of nature itself. My mother is Filipino and my father is American, so I grew up in a culturally mixed household. Both had a love for travel, and we often spent time visiting my mother’s family in the Phillippines when I was much younger and even until recently. Those trips and all the historical excursions have always left the impression of myths & legends and inspired the story teller in me. I hope to possibly incorporate more of that heritage and cultural folklore in the future as it does inspire me but hasn’t quite blossomed. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? It’s still about the people, and it’s about their feelings and thoughts. It’s what is on our hearts and minds; often, we use it it to voice these thoughts. A single brush stroke, a decisive graphic, or even the most flourished of paintings have the voice of their creator or creators. When we can’t speak loud enough to be heard, sometimes it helps to let the visual reverberate. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. There are many artists, contemporary and classic, that I admire, but I hope to and always strive to be my own. There is no doubt that artists and
creatives will inspire eachother in their own webs of novelty, and we all will draw heavily from one, two, three, or more animate or inanimate lives in our lifetimes. I share a similar style with many contemporary artists, but we always seem to bring a little bit of ourselves along within the petals and folliage. However, for the short and simple answer, my favorite artists are Hayao Miyazaki, Zdzislaw Beksinski, and Claude Monet. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Atlanta, Georgia’s art scene is striking and full of wit. There are many muralists and many local crafters, artisans, and artists alike. The muralist tend to be more noticeable on the forefront, but all the local artists bring a vibrancy to the city. There is a lot of personality here, I feel. There is also a strong Free Arts Movement which brings a lot of artists, professional and amateur, to spread their love or art around the city.
What do you Like/Dislike about the Art World? It’s a bit contradictory and has lots of movement. Everyone is always creating and growing, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but it’s nice to breathe in the energy, occasionally. I meet so many people through it. I am a person, like most artists, who seem to value their solitude highly, but in those few moments of being surrounded, you find your bearings in this ocean of thought. Most people need most people. What are your future plans as an artist? To grow with tenacity. I enjoy putting myself out there, and with every step there is a new perspective, a new path. Sometimes, multiple paths become visible, and I get to learn about myself through them. I get to learn about what I want to say: How I want to speak.
www.komorebisan.com
Terri Lloyd Los Angeles, USA
Terri Lloyd is a self-taught artist living and working in Los Angeles. In the late1980s she accidentally landed a computer graphics job and spent the next 25 years in commercial art working as a graphic designer. Volunteerism and community arts projects remain a prominent part of her activities. In 2010 she founded The Haggus Society, a non-profit feminist arts group for women over the age of 40. Lloyd currently devotes much of her time to a fine arts studio practice and has exhibited her art in exhibitions across the U.S. and Europe. Her work has also been featured in a variety of online and print publications and catalogs. She finds inspiration in Manga, classic cartoons such as Herriman’s Krazy Kat, surrealism, conceptual art, branding, advertising and Gracie Allen. When not in her studio, Terri can be found tending to the needs of 4 cats, 2 raccoons, 1 boisterous macaw and a very patient husband.
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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you?
ters of delivering the punchline to the Cosmic Joke.
Born 1960, California, USA Self-educated
Zeitgeist.
I’m a San Francisco Bay Area transplant who has called Los Angeles home since 1980. Under the influence of a 1960s latch-key-kid youth, the circumstances of a working class life did not provide the conventional means to an art education or experience. I’m known to overcompensate for the lack of a formal education and say bombastic stuff like: “It has been challenging, but I refuse to let the institutions get in the way of my education. Knowledge is now available at our fingertips. There is no excuse for ignorance. Ignorance has become a choice.” I was introduced to the Apple computer in the 1980s and a career in graphic arts was born. Best advice I ever took was via my step-dad —also a designer and art director— who suggested that I get myself into publishing because computers were changing the world instead of worrying about art school. It paid off. At the age of 50 I retired the commercial arts aspect of my career to pursue a lifelong interest of fine art. I’ve never felt I fit in, anywhere, at any given time. There was and is always this sense of being the other. The crazy sister. The problem child. The wacky redhead. The anarchist. The outlaw to my in-laws. The slightly shocked and amused witness. I’d like to think I’m wrong and that this otherness is actually a very healthy sense of self. Dancing to the cacophony of my own drum-line —a herd of monkeys banging spoons on all the pots in the kitchen— I embrace my inner brat. She tends to ask honest and rightful questions. The Brat and I navigate an abyss which lies somewhere between Alan Watts and Hunter S. Thompson, mas-
Cue Carmina Burana. Tragedy and Comedy --or more aptly-- Lunacy and Tragedy are constants in my life and my work. If I were a book, I’d be “The World According To Garp.” I do not believe there is a purpose or reason for things happening. The universe may be ordered, but it sure as hell is unreasonable. Bang! Shit happens. The end. In addition, I am influenced by Manga, classic cartoons such as Herriman’s Krazy Kat, surrealism, conceptual art, branding and advertising, and Gracie Allen. Language informs much of what I do as a visual artist. I love wordplay and telling children lies, such as, “Monster Island is off the coast of Southern California.” The work I generate lives somewhere between Pop and DADA, with a twist of surrealism. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? I keep coming back to two thoughts. It depends on where I look, and, art defines us as much as we attempt to define it. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Let’s have fun and break some rules and go with four: 1. Citing the obvious, Rene Magritte. 2. This one is totally out of left field, Hilma af Klint. 3. Suzanne Duchamp, and maybe her brother. 4. Norman Conquest, the artist, not the event. How would you describe the art scene in your area? This is always an interesting question when I get it because it assumes there
is a central hub to my city. The funny thing about Los Angeles is “there is no there, there.” We’re a great big sprawling metropolis made up of many villages and little communities, each with its own flavor. For instance, Chinatown has a particular edge and bite that you won’t find in Culver City or Santa Monica. Downtown LA seems to be nurturing a fresh sophistication that hasn’t been seen before. From what I understand, there are at least 200 really interesting galleries in Los Angeles at any given time. I think that’s what makes the city so exciting. So, yeah, there is no there, there. What do you Like/Dislike about the Art World? I like things that most people don’t like. I like the business of selling art. The behind the scenes things. I like meeting art dealers and gallerists and talking to them about what they do and love. I love learning about why something is art, especially difficult art. I love meeting other artists, for the most part. I love a great mentor (I have one). I love that there are no hard and fast rules about “making it,” what ever that is. I love that a lot of what I’ve been told about the art world over the years is nonsense. I dislike working with people who are difficult, late, or unprofessional. I dislike prima donnas. I dislike unnecessary barriers. I dislike youth culture. I dislike capitalists and “the market” determining what is great art. I dislike a hard sell. What are your future plans as an artist? To keep working, keep pushing my creativity and skills. To maintain my relationship with my mentor who has really helped me to become a better artist than I ever dreamed. To work toward showing several bodies of work in commercial galleries, museums and other venues by 2018. Maybe produce another book. And to have lots of fun and enjoy the journey.
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www.terrilloyd.net
Teresa NuĂąez (Los Angeles, USA)
Los Angeles native photographer Teresa NuĂąez specializes in fashion and portriat photography. Having a true love of creating she continutes to grown and explore in an ever changing enviroment.
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When, how and why started your photography practice? I started dabbling in photography around 14 years ago, at the time I was in school for pre-vetrinary medicine. Having to take some elective courses, I thought photography sounded fun and it peaked my curiosity. The hands on process of shooting, developing and enlarging was a lot more work than I anticipated & the method to it all, from the idea to the finished project, was something I looked forward to. I just fell in love, shortly after I changed my major and explored more into the art world. Do You Think Of Yourself as a Conceptual Artist? I don’t think of myself as anything really, I just enjoy creating and however people want to perceive that is up to them. What art do you most identify with? Conceptual art does have some guidance on my style but many other genres such as realism, symbolism and surrealism do hold influence of their own. It depends on what the mood strikes. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? The meaning can be endless and I am sure this sounds like every other answer but to myself art in this culture and the next will always be an expression or outlet of ones feelings or thoughts. In hopes that it will come alive to just one person to gain that knowledge or envoke a feeling. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Honestly I just moved to a new state so haven’t really had a chance to explore the ‘art scene’. As of now the art I have been viewing is nature, which has been a really nice change of pace coming from a bigger city. What do you Like/Dislike about the Art World? I love in the world of art your inner most feelings of rage & pain or love & happiness can be expressed without a single word spoken. When there is a positive there is always a negative, for myself its more dealing with a level of portentousness at times. I think it comes down to what you put out into the world is what you get back, Im not much into the scene of it more into the creating of it. What are your future plans as an artist? Now that I am in a new location I am really looking into doing much more work outdoors in nature and excited to get back into using film again.
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www.nunez-photography.com
Hugh Schock Fallbrook, USA
I am interested in how as humans we contain our own unique sense of individualism. Using a variety of acrylic paint, collage, and pen, my illustrations explore and challenge our unique perceptions while we find joy in the freedom of thinking for ourselves. While some viewers appreciate the detailed black line work or block coloring, others find themselves laughing at the randomness of my choice of subject matter. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hugh Schock was born and raised in southern California where he still resides today. As a child, he grew up in a secluded area so he immersed himself in cartoons and began to imagine and draw his own characters. He would draw bizarre creatures and offbeat faces that drew a lot of demotivating criticism from those close to him. Discouraged at first, Hugh used that response to inspire his work and he continues today to create beautifully unique characters and themes that portray the dark, lonely feelings people don’t like to acknowledge, in a light-hearted, humorous way.
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Briefly describe the work you do: I create faces, characters and creatures using a mix of acrylic paint, magazine clippings, Mod Podge, and pen. I like experimenting with different mediums and I’m mixing it up pretty frequently, so my artwork and how I execute it is always evolving. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you: At a young age I noticed the unrefined, simplicity of cartoons so I was inspired to create art of my own and I began drawing my own goofy and eccentric characters. Growing up, I’ve acknowledged that I have always been able to draw real-life portraits and scenery, but I
thoroughly enjoy creating images that you don’t see in the real world. I’ll take elements from everyday images and collage them with unusual protagonists, so it’s as if you’re seeing into another realm. Personally, what it comes down to is to not over think things and keeping it simple. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? We live in a user-friendly world where everything is only a click away. While being able to share your work with anyone and everyone is an invaluable tool, in today’s culture there is an App for everything and it’s beginning to take the allure out of creating art.
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Everything I create is hand made and I’ve had several people ask me what program I used to create my pieces. Though I’m flattered, I wonder what that mindset will create in the art community because as artists whether digital or traditional, you put a lot of time, thought, and energy into your work and for it to be dismissed or labeled in an instant because it appears one way versus another is disconcerting. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to? Clive Barker, Nick Blinko, and Satoshi Kon are an inspiration and I’d be humbled to one day reach their ability. How would you describe the art scene in your area?
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a very limited art community that appeals to its retired population. That’s why I gravitate to the near by metropolitan areas to pursue my art endeavors. What advice can you give to those who are just starting out in the arts? I would advise them to put themselves out there no matter what. Push yourself outside your comfort zone, you’ll eventually meet people who enjoy your work and who will support you. What are your future plans?
I plan to continue to grow as an artist, pushing myself I live in Fallbrook, California, which is halfway be- to do better, and to continue to experiment with other tween San Diego and Los Angeles. Fallbrook itself has forms of art.
www.instagram.com/h.schock
Michael Trozzolo Toronto, Canada
The Factory Worker, 2016, Photography The Factory Worker is a photo based series expressing the effects of mass consumerism and capitalism on the people producing the world’s products, the factory worker. It exhibits the tragic incidents’ factory workers deal with and explores society’s obsession with consumerism and detachment from spirituality. In this series, Buddha is the factory worker. His teaching of spirituality and detachment of desire are lost. Buddha has been exploited for commercial gain, thus suffering the consequences. __________________________________________________________________________ Michael Trozzolo is a visual artist based in Toronto, Canada, primarily working within the photography and film medium. He has a BFA from OCAD University. Using self-portraiture, coupled with highly constructed and digitally manipulated imagery, Trozzolo visually simulates society’s unattainable desire for an idealized reality. During those times when these desires are unrealized and melancholy sets in, hope comes into place. It is this moment of hope and despair which Trozzolo’s imagery aims to create. Within his work, Trozzolo connects these desires and hopes with the political, cultural and social dynamics which are prevalent in today’s world.
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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I’ve always been a very creative person, and have always enjoyed making art in many different mediums. As a result of this, I’ve been able to combine many types of artistic mediums into creating my images. There is a theatrical element to my work which I think comes from my drama background. My passion for fantasy, religious iconography, and global issues have definitely had an impact on my work. Overall, I see my images as photo-based, digitally painted collages, as opposed to simply photographs. In your opinion, what does photography mean in contemporary culture? I think photography has become incredibly important to contemporary culture. It’s no longer just a tool to
capture a moment or document a life, it’s really become a tool to help us define who were are, express our desires and aspirations, and a tool to help us project an idealized image of ourselves to the world. In regards to the art world, I think photography has become a very important art form. However, I think it’s still not as valued as painting or sculpture, possibly due to the ease of reproduction and a traditional idea of what art is. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Three artists that have influenced me greatly and I wouldn’t mind being compared to are Cindy Sherman, Miles Aldridge, and Wong Kar-wai. I love how Cindy Sherman has used herself in the majority of her images and created hundreds of different characters. I find that fascinating. I love the stylistic qualities, elegance, and glamour of Miles Aldridge’s photos. Although his subject matter tends to be serious, there is a comedic
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element in his work which I love. Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love and 2046 films are absolutely gorgeous, and romantic. The aesthetics, cinematography, music, and simplicity of these films have inspired me greatly with my work. How would you describe the art scene in your area? The art scene in Toronto is quite diverse with many galleries, museums, and art fairs. Every week there are gallery openings exhibiting work by local talent as well as international artists. Since Toronto is such a diverse and multi-cultural city, the art scene tends to reflect that.
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an outlet to share important social, political, and global issues in experimental and non-traditional ways. Like any sort of institution, it brings people with common interests together. I dislike the trends that exists in the art world. I think art should never be trendy or fashionable and it should alway push boundaries. What are your future plans as an artist?
My future plans as an artist are to continue to produce art work. I’ve been working primarily on photo-based projects, but would like to start working with different mediums such as painting and sculpture. I have a few ideas for short films which I’d like to see come to fruiWhat do you Like/Dislike about the Art World? tion, as well as an idea for a feature film which I’d like to write and direct. I plan on exhibiting more locally I love the creativity, freedom of expression, and di- and internationally, as well as participate in an artist versity of the art world. It gives artists a voice and residency.
www.michaeltrozzolo.com
Chris Tuff Falmouth, UK I am an international, award winning Producer, Director, Writer and Photographer living in Cornwall, South West England. Working mainly in commercials my work has won more than 50 international awards including gold, silver and bronze awards at the New York International Film and TV festival, The US film festival, Questar, Mercury Awards and IVCA Awards. ‘By age nine I was taking my own photographs, with an ancient Kodak No1-A folding camera that belonged to my Grandfather,’ processing the film myself and making prints in my Father’s darkroom.’ ‘Growing up as the son of a Landscape Photographer I was accustomed to spending hours, days, sometimes weeks accompanying my Father on photographic expeditions, often to windswept, wild and remote locations. This was time, more often that not, spent waiting. Waiting for the sun, the clouds and shadows to fall into place; and sometimes if they did not, not a single frame of film would be exposed - the moment just did not arrive.’ Chris has a BA in Communications Studies from Goldsmiths College and an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University. He has written five screenplays and published several short stories.
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Briefly describe the work you do? “Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer, and often the supreme disappointment.” Ansel Adams Growing up as the son of a Landscape Photographer I was accustomed to spending hours, days, sometimes weeks accompanying my Father on photographic expeditions, often to windswept, wild and remote locations. This was time, more often that not, spent waiting. Waiting for the sun, the clouds and shadows to fall into place; and sometimes if they did not, not a single frame of film would be exposed - the moment just did not arrive. My exposure to the raw power and beauty of the landscape at a tender age has had a life-long influence. My images are a visceral contemplation of both the clash of elemental forces and their primal, spiritual symbiosis.
For me landscape photography is about revealing, evoking the spirit, or capturing the evanescent mood and moment of a place - its power, drama, beauty or serenity, whatever I happen to feel about it at that instant.
tographer any more than owning a laptop makes you a great novelist. As with all artistic mediums, photography is about the ability of the artist to convey what they think, feel and see.
What does photography mean in contemporary culture?
“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” Ansel Adams
Photography is about capturing a moment and more moments are captured now than at any other time in history. 1.8 billion images are uploaded to Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Snapchat, and WhatsApp every day. More than ever our lives are defined by photographic images – the ubiquitous, narcissistic selfie, shots of pets, friends, family, what we eat, drink, where we have been etc. it is almost as if it didn’t happen or exist unless it is captured in a photograph. The process and the gratification is instant and the technology is accessible to all, but having a camera phone does not necessarily make you a great pho-
Photography has always been driven by technology and new technologies bring new creative possibilities and sensibilities. As a result photography has become more diverse as a medium from Lomography to complex digital manipulation of images. It has also been embraced by an ever growing number of artists and its place and importance in contemporary culture and art has never been stronger. As Charlotte Cotton, the Photographic Curator and Writer says ‘the medium has admirably managed to maintain its integrity, its intensity, and its vital independence’.
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Three artists I would like to be and artistic heritage, amazing light art world and fine art photography compared to and an inspirational landscape. in particular is work where understanding of the image is not possible This is a very difficult question. What do you Like/Dislike about without a written or verbal account There are so many artists and pho- the Art World? to give it context and meaning. If an tographers whose work I love and image does not convey meaning on admire. It feels arrogant to compare Having been a film-maker for most its own and is not capable of being my work with people who I regard of my career I am a relative new- interpreted on its own terms it someas the grand masters of photogra- comer to the Art World, or more how fails as an image. phy and art but three artists who specifically the world of fine art have had an enduring influence on photography. My return to my roots What advice can you give to those my work and whose work is both in- in photography has been a creative- who are just starting out in the spirational and aspirational are: ly liberating experience - it relies on arts? Turner captured the motion and nothing more than me and my camdrama of the sea and light like no era as opposed to all the necessary My advice is to develop your critical other, his work has been an influ- encumbrances of film-making. skills as well as your creative skills, ence since the moment I first saw his a great artist is rarely satisfied with paintings at the Tate Gallery as an In my experience there is a willing- their work – self doubt is as imporawestruck, open mouthed child. An- ness to embrace and nurture new tant to the creative process as self sel Adams who elevated landscape talent in the Art World and I have belief, but should temper it, not diphotography to an art form and the many people to thank for their sup- minish it. superb transcendental minimalism port and encouragement, photograof Hiroshi Sugimoto phers, artists, curators, gallery What are your future plans? owners, magazine editors etc. WithHow would you describe the art out them I am not sure I would have My plan is to continue what I have scene in your area? pursued my art with the same vigour started – to create images, experiand belief. ment, succeed and fail but always The art scene in Cornwall is vibrant with the aim of producing better and and diverse – it has a great creative One of my pet dislikes about the more emotionally engaging work.
www.christuffphoto.com
Christina Tzani Igoumenitsa, Greece
Every painting incorporates a unique visual perception which leads the viewer to a personal coclusion based on their own aesthetic perception. The artworks intetionally engage the spectators eyes so that they can perceive the artworks’ conceptual approaches by choosing the most dominant principle according to their own visual criterion. The viewer is called to acknowledge their own deeply ingrained assumptions of aesthetic and empirical perception indicating that this is a continuous process of definition and question. The artworks symbols predispose the ontological and conceptual substance of the meaning intervation, as it is comunicated from the artists mindset towards the perciever. The subject presentation influences the viewer’s interoceptive sensitivity by revealing the motive of the artworks’ painting actions in direct connection to the viewer’s ego. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Christina Tzani is a graduate of University of Western Macedonia School of Fine Arts, Florina, Greece. From 2010 to 2015 she studied Studio arts with Harris Kondosphyris and Thomas Zografos as her supervising professors. She has participated in many exhibitions worldwide as well as in solo exhibition ‘Tender Wound’ in Dublin, also in group exhibitions as “Fresh ‘15: Happy Accidents”, “Biennial Castra 2015”, “Fid Prize 7” and “7th Bienall of Students of Fine Arts Schools of Greece”.
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Briefly describe the work you do. My artwork makes references in child abuse in order to sensitize the viewer, reinforcing the sense of guilt for apathy, as he enjoys the aestheticism of colors. The artworks give the sense of isolation, repulsiveness and abandonment as well as the individual characteristics of the form fade out on the chiseled skin and on the injured existence using either ink or oil paints. Parts of the forms appear unfinished underlining the drama of fragmented forms. The intense and powerful reds are describing the moment of human despair and the physical erosion as opposed to cool colors that indicate the absence of life and they cover something horrible prevailing indifference and bitterness. Injured and bleeding lips undermining the abuse of basic entrance food. Through body decomposition the artworks are located somewhere in the middle of the concept of beauty and ugliness confusing delimitation. Two concepts so interrelated as life and death, such as beauty and ugliness. Perhaps the beauty of the color became the overall sense of beauty in the artworks aside the ugliness of their atrocities. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I was born in Athens and raised in Igoumenitsa a small provincial town in northern Greece. From an early age, like most children of my time I was fond of painting. Graduating from Arta’s Technological Educational Institute, Faculty of Animal production, art started to grow internally as a need for deeper expression. I took preparatory lessons for the entrance exams and got accepted at the Fine Arts School of Florina from which I graduated in 2015 (with Honours) having Harris Kondosphyris and Thomas Zografos as supervising professors and painting as my main field of study. In my opinion, an artist’s past is becoming an inspiration for their art, interpreting any experience in a variety of different ways. Action is developing based on the initiatives and expressed in a dialogue with the viewer’s critical thinking expressing the inner world. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? Art means liberation, expression and perception. It is a way of life and revolution. As its limits are in a con-
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tinuous expansion, we can see many interesting Challenging art // thought provoking art that that nowadays is treated differently from the global art scene, being integrated into everyday life carrying subliminal messages and denouncing the social phenomena. Long involving social changes are continuously shifting the artistic creation, breeding a deformation into arts. Through its artworks, every artist expresses his own reality and life experiences, externalizing their feelings and pursuits. Through art we are being offered a chance to break one’s personal limits and expand our given time limit clarifying a personal existential identity. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. With all due respect, I’ve always believed to the unique nature of the artists and i kindly disagree with their comparison. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Nowadays, we can see great endeavors to be made regarding art promotion in the Greek art scene. Several artistic projects take place in a difficult and demanding environment, thus the artistic creation is directly linked with the decisive contribution of the socio-political conditions of the country where the artist lives and works. The art serves as a powerful tool for social change, affecting the masses. What advice can you give to those who are just starting out in the arts? I strongly believe that emerging artists must trust in two basic values that will lead them to self -improvement. They must have patience, so they can insist on their purpose and dreams with their instincts as a unique guide as well as they must support their creation with passion and total dedication. What are your future plans? I would like to keep expanding my knowledge and art practice in any possible way. Also traveling in other countries meeting other artists would be very crucial for me. In September 2016 I have an upcoming solo exhibition in KH5 Gallery in Zurich.
www.christina-tzani.com
Gil Zablodovsky Bat Yam, Israel
“You don’t need eyes to see, You need vision” Working now as a graphic designer & new media visual art in video medium, as I believe we are in the world of new collaborations, and making ourselves (the creators) all that is necessary to know about the future, integrated design is my future for moving forward, learning new techniques, Mechanisms and more. making it to the front by making design art projects.
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Briefly describe the work you do. Video artist and visual communication designer working in the field of design-art. Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. Finishing these days my master degree in integrated design in HIT, my bachelor degree i finished in 2011, in the filed of visas communication and education at seminar kibbutzim since then working in the video art medium combining graphic design and photography elements through theses years meeting new people each and every day from another fields of creativity challenged me to find a link and a connection how to build bridges together and not apart. In your opinion, what does art mean in contemporary culture? I believe that art is the voice beneath the surface of those who don’t have the stage, the place or the opportunity to confront with realty as is.
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Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Anish kappor, Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Very bubbly, because we live in an area, in the middle east, that everyday something from the political side or from security side happens, we are very up to date with everything that happens so there is an urge and an almost energized power that push us to make everything in a right here right now attitude. What advice can you give to those who are just starting out in the arts? Try without fear, make things happen its like a karma working together you do something and it influences on all the rest. What are your future plans? Getting into new mediums, making artifacts and installations and exhibiting and traveling around the world.
www.facebook.com/zablocreate
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