ARICA HILTON PAINTINGS
I Flow Like Water
“Since water is the essence of life, it too is a living thing. If we can learn to flow like water, to become water, we will understand the importance of the interconnection we have with all life.” ~Arica Hilton
Copyright © 2017 by Arica Hilton All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
I FLOW LIKE WATER PAINTINGS
any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
ARICA HILTON Front & Back Cover: Arica Hilton, I FLOW LIKE WATER - SHIMMERING POOL oil & recycled plastic on canvas (pages 26-27) Photo credit: Sarah Sidani
Printed in the United States of America
FOREWORD
Arica Hilton’s paintings are as lyrical as her poetry, and like her poems, they course naturally, beautifully.
The series titled I Flow Like Water is a prayer, a meditation, a celebration of life and beauty, of moving through life as smoothly as a river, through the rapids and the calm with equal ease. Recycled plastic in the pieces reminds us that time is relative and speaks of the permanence of things as well as the impermanence, through the transformation of one thing into another in the alchemy of existence. This work is at once modern and ancient, abstract and figurative. In it the viewer may see anything, lost in the emotions it conjures, floating on the gentle ripples of its colors and textures.
Susan Aurinko Exhibitions Chair Union League Club of Chicago
Arica Hilton paints topographies of the earth and the human psyche. In this evocative series, I FLOW LIKE WATER, metaphor
of
water
for
the
fluidity
of
life.
she uses the Water
holds
the
power to buoy and protect, but it can also engulf, or even drown the spirit, therefore concurrently represents the duality of existence.
Aesthetically,
these
paintings
conjure
ethereal,
dreamlike
geogra-
phy. They are romantic waterscapes. The media appears to float on the canvas, thus the notion of permanence is thwarted. Though these works reflect the essence of water and earth, they also evoke a cosmologic, astronomic, if not celestial terrain.
Her compostions reference the art
historical past of tonalism, luminism, and Romanticism.
But her subtle
interpretations are several layers removed from these traditions, and never rest on one particular artist or style. And like her myriad aesthetic inspirations, Ms. Hilton also embraces other genres, particularly poetry. Her paintings in fact, are the visual manifestions of her written poetry. Thus, her ephemeral
waterscapes
intertwine
with
the
geography
of
our
earth and our souls.
Dr. Sally Metzler Director, Art Collection Union League Club of Chicago
INTRODUCTION
Water, Flow and Revelation Water infuses the universe. It is there in the ice of comets that streak across the sky, vapor in the atmospheres of strange planets and in the gossamers of stellar nebulae light years away. But liquid water—water that flows readily across landscapes—is exceedingly rare. Our planet is the only place we know for certain where water freely exists at the horizon of earth and sky. Flow gives water transformative power.
Into the depictions of “flow,” she adds bits of plastic from her recycled water bottles and makes an environmental declaration about our obligation as stewards of the planet. Not only a visual artist, Hilton is a poet and author. When Italian artist Marco Nereo Rotelli staged the 2013 Divina Natura project that illuminated the Field Museum as a backdrop for a reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy, he tapped Hilton to collaborate on the performance. A former president of the Poetry Center in Chicago, Hilton enlisted her fellow Chicago poets in imparting a contemporary, multicultural air to Rotelli’s project.
Arica Hilton’s art is inspired by the movement and mystery of water, its elemental and ever-changing interplay with light and rock and air—and with our consciousness as humans. In I Flow Like Water, she brings a remarkable exhibition of her work and this theme to the Union League Club. Hilton is an internationally acclaimed multimedia artist who is president and curator of the Hilton Asmus Contemporary Gallery in Chicago. Hilton’s work has been exhibited across the U.S., Europe and Asia. “Since water is the essence of life, it too is a living thing,” Hilton said. “If we can learn to flow like water, to become water, we will understand the importance of the interconnection we have with all life.” Without water, there is no life. Without life, there is no consciousness. Without consciousness, there is no art. Without art, there is no revelation. And here, Arica Hilton is the instrument of our revelation. Her paintings are an emotional and spiritual dialogue with water, light and motion. Some evoke languid Romanticist pools or raindrops falling in a garden. Others seem like abstract visions of stellar regions. Is it a river? Passing clouds? The wheeling arm of a galaxy? But don’t they all somehow spring from the same well?
Her new book, Spirit of Ecstasy—The True Meaning of Wealth, will be released early next year. Hilton searches for the bonds that connect all things in nature. In this pursuit, her fascination with the stars is evident in her projects Multiverse and Where Stars Are Born. And the journey leads once again to universality—and water. “When a star dies, it basically recycles itself into various types of nebulae and other stars. Many of the elements that comprise a star are basically the same elements in our bloodstream,” she said. “Learning how the universe works led me to paint water, because water is the source of life.” ~Gerould Kern
PREFACE
I FLOW LIKE WATER The most revered thing on earth is water. Not only because it is vital to survival but because it is the essence of life. When we look at the chemical composition of the universe, we learn that water exists in a variety of forms, whether it is ice or vapor, from planets to comets to interstellar clouds. Water comprises 70 percent of the earth’s surface and 70 percent of our bodies. Decades ago, I recall we were aghast that anyone would have the audacity to take this natural gift and actually bottle it for sale. But then, I learned that bottled water has been around since the 17th century. The trouble with today’s bottled water, unfortunately, is that since the 1970’s, the bottles have been made from a petroleum product, polyethylene terephthalate, which requires a large amount of fossil fuels (oil) to make each bottle. Plastic has become a blessing and curse to our society. This collection was inspired by my ongoing fascination and respect for water and our environment which has been an integral part of my life and work for quite some time. I created a series of paintings infused with recycled plastic water bottles that I actually drank from and collected. As an artist, I feel the need to address issues in the world through my art and writings that will hopefully bring awareness to people who do not know about a particular subject, such as the serious problem we have created with the billions of pounds of plastic weighing down our oceans. It has been said that humanity’s plastic footprint is more dangerous than it’s carbon footprint. It is sad that we are unintentionally destroying our environment. Our earth is a beautiful place. It is our home. As evolved beings, it is our duty to be the caretakers of our planet and to educate those around us. This series of paintings is a gentle reminder of the value we should place on our earth and ourselves.
arica hilton interview by elysabeth alfano
EA: Let’s start from the beginning. What was it like
It becomes a conversation that travels from my canvas to the collector’s wall and life. We become connected. I have be-
to be born in another country and come to America
come part of them. It is a way of carving your name, maybe your soul, onto something more than just your gravestone.
at a young age. How has that shaped the Arica I am speaking to today?
EA: How does being an international artist influence your work?
AH: I have very few memories of that time period. It was quite a traumatic experience being plunged into a country, a culture, with no bearings, nothing to fall back on. Much of that period has been dormant in my mind. So I think I needed to make new memories. I have never believed that our lives are predestined by the event that happened before or that we do not have the ability to change our circumstances because of one choice or another. I believe in free will, that we can choose our path the way we want to design it. I believe in the power of vision, perhaps that’s why I am an artist. Being born in another country has given me a platform to create the person I am and choose to be. It does not define me, as I feel that our definitions change each breath we take. We think new thoughts and we can become any of the thoughts we
AH: Perhaps because I have traveled so much, I am able to see not only on a local level, but moreso on a global level.
choose. But the one thing I do believe is that we have to truly “believe” in the possiblity of those thoughts.
The beauty of the world. The tragedy of the world. Life, death, destruction, human beings killing one another for what,
Otherwise, we disappoint ourselves.
for a piece of this earth, for a belief that their beliefs are more important than your beliefs? It maddens me sometimes to see that in thousands of years only a small percentage of human beings have evolved into peace seeking individuals.
EA: As a self taught artist, how did you come to discover your voice in painting?
If one is an empathetic person, it can be quite painful to see the utter madness and suffering in this world. So if you ask me how does it influence my work, I suppose I want to create something that touches, reaches people into a higher con-
AH: It began with my poetry, actually. I have always wanted to illuminate my words, illustrate my words, I
sciousness. I don’t paint my interpretation of beauty because
wanted the words to come to life. I wanted to be able to see the words, in shape, texture, color. I learned to
want to hide from ugliness and suffering. I paint and write be-
work in many mediums that surface when it is necessary for the life of the painting. At times, the oil seems
cause I want to reach for light, and in doing so, I hope it helps
to flow off the brush. Other times, the oil base turns into a collage with photographs I have taken, or, as in
others reach for that which they long for. It is very much like the
my sculptural mobiles, a variety of mediums from mirrors to piano wire to crystals to styrofoam and plastics.
poem I wrote for the Field Museum light and sound installation
These materials come together organically. Almost as if they are telling me, this is where I need to be.
using a canto from Dante’s Inferno as the base. The poem was about murder, corruption, deceit and eventual rebirth.
EA: Do you paint for you or for the outside collector? How do you see the response from collectors to your work? AH: My paintings begin with a thought, a vision. Sometimes a picture I see in the sky or the water. My process involves channeling my thoughts through my brush, paint or whatever materials serve my purpose onto a canvas or words on a page. Each piece I create is a communication, a language. I cannot speak for other artists, but for me, art is a powerful connection to our own inner depth and to another. I think many of the people who collect my paintings want something outside of themselves yet, inside of themselves. Many of my collectors use my paintings as a meditation.
Can you surrender to stillness? To light? To sound? Reach for higher ground? Return passion to compassion? Be a rose in remorse? There is a way to swim out of the ninth circle of hell, I tell you. There is a way....
I
EA: Let’s talk about the world.....religion...human beings....Do you feel your works are of a religious or spiritual
Leonardo Da Vinci because his brilliance was not only in one arena, but in everything. He was an engineer, a
nature and what do you hope that the viewer receives from your work?
mathematician, a physicist, an inventor, a sculptor, a musician, a botanist, a writer AND he was an artist. I am
AH:
My works delve into the intercon-
nectedness of human beings with the universe. What I mean is that we should
in awe of such brilliance. So many people think that a person can only do one thing in their life to do it well. That may be true for many. But there are those of us who want to do so many more things. Maybe that’s why I love Leonardo so much. I studied architecture, became an interior designer, I have had galleries more than
realize we are not just some piece of
half my life. I am a poet, an artist, a dancer. People ask me how I can do all these things. My response is, “How
meat, a physical body that eats, sleeps,
can I not?” All of the things I do unfold when necessary. Marco Nereo Rotelli talks about the “Intimo Umano“
procreates. We have a brain that is an
the innermost depths of the human heart. He states that it is something that is private and individual, yet can
instrument for thought, for energy that
be shared at the same time. This is what I strive for. When you create something powerful, you can look at
is transmitted to other human beings, to
that and say, wow, I did that. You can say to yourself, I lived my life and I accomplished something.
the outside of our physical bodies and out somewhere into the world, the uni-
EA: Where does love enter into your works, your life?
verse. I attempt to address the various dimensions of life.
In quantum physics
there are numerous dimensions of space/ time. If I can tap into any of these dimensions through my work by simplifying the nature of nature, then I may really and truly have accomplished my goal. It is not always possible for me to get there, but when I meditate, which is nothing more than conscious breathing, it helps my mind to reach for that muse to guide me towards my creativity. I reach for the history of how we came to be on this earth. My show “WHERE STARS ARE BORN” came from my search for my roots. Again we go back to being born in another country and moving to the United States as a child. When I learned that a nebula is a maternity ward for stars, that all the elements in our bloodstream were the
AH:
My work IS LOVE! All we have to do is go deep
within ourselves and feel where it resides. For me, love is paramount in order to be truly happy, and when I say that, I mean that I need to be in a state of love through my work, through my relationships. One of my favorite quotes is by the writer, James Baldwin, “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” EA: What is on the horizon for you and your work?
same elements that created a star, I realized that there is so much more to our lives than we can possibly know. If more human beings saw themselves relative to a star, there would be less violence and destruction in this
AH: More paintings, exhibitions, poetry. Touching more
world. There would be nothing more than awe for the wondrous nature of humanity and how we came to be.
and more people through my art. Again, James Baldwin said it best when he wrote: “The precise role of the artist, then, is to illuminate that darkness, blaze roads through vast forests, so that we will not, in all our doing,
EA: Which artists have most influenced your work and why?
lose sight of its purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more human dwelling place.”
AH: As for poets, I would say Pablo Neruda, Rumi, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rabindranath Tagore and my ancestor, Muhiddin Ibn Arabi....They write about love in a way that leaves me with a feeling of completeness. When I was
Elysabeth Alfano, executive producer, creator and host of The Celebrity Dinner Party with Elysabeth Alfano,
a young girl, I read a poem by Neruda that began with the line, “Your breast is enough for my heart and my
is an award-winning media personality, content producer and host. She has been bridging the gap between
wings for your freedom.” These lines have stayed with me from the moment I heard them. Although I forget
entertainers, influencers, celebrities and the public for over 20 years. She writes for numerous magazines
many things, I cannot forget these lines as they have become ingrained in my psyche. The 13th century poet/ mystic, Rumi wrote a poem called ONE DAY LIKE RAIN. That poem inspired one of my most successful painting series As for artists, I would have to say, JMW Turner because of his perfect expression of light.
and newspapers including The Huffington Post, is a live host for WGN Radio and has produced and hosted interviews for NPR’s WBEZ.
I FLOW LIKE WATER - LILY POND oil on acrylic with LED lights 42 x 36 inches 106.6 x 91.5
CASCADE I 2017 mixed media on canvas and wood 10 x 17 in 25.4 x 43 cm
CASCADE II 2017 mixed media on canvas and wood 10 x 17 in 25.4 x 43 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - SILVER 2017 mixed media on canvas and wood 10 x 15 inches 25.4 x 38 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - GOLD 2017 mixed media on canvas and wood 10 x 15 inches 25.4 x 38 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - WHITE SERENITY 2017 oil, gesso, recycled plastic on canvas 22 x 58 in 56 x 147 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - UNIVERSE 2015 oil with recycled plastic and spray paint on Belgian Linen 68 x 62 in 173 x 157.5 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - RED/GOLD 2017 oil on canvas with recycled plastic and spray paint 36 x 36 in 91.5 x 91.5 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - SHIMMERING POOL 2017 oil on canvas with recycled plastic and spray paint 24 x 48 in 61 x 123 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - SERENITY 2017 oil on canvas with recycled plastic and spray paint 30 x 30 in 76 x 76 cm
I FLOW LIKE WATER - BLUE/SILVER 2017 oil on canvas with recycled plastic and spray paint 24 x 48 inches 61 x 123 cm
WATER/HOPE II 2017 oil and recycled plastic on canvas and wood 16 x 12 in 40.5 x 30.5 cm
WATER WORLDS II 2017 oil and recycled plastic on canvas and wood 12 x 16 in 30.5 x 40.5 cm
ONE DAY LIKE RAIN VI 2017 oil and mixed media on canvas and wood 11 x 15 inches 28 x 38 cm
arica hilton biography
“I have never believed that our lives are predestined by the event that happened before or that we do not have the ability to change our circumstances because of one choice or another. I believe in free will, that we can choose our path the way we want to design it. I believe in the power of vision, perhaps that’s why I am an artist.” Multi-media artist Arica Hilton was born on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. As a young girl, she studied architecture and design and has worked as a gallerist, interior designer, poet and artist since 1985. Whether it is visual art through paintings or the poetic expressions of language and music, every aspect of Arica’s life is geared towards one form of art melding into another. Much like the Luminists, the poetic art movement that captured light as it moved across the American Landscape, Hilton’s works are inspired by the European Romanticists who depicted cool waterscapes reflecting nuanced skies. She uses that as a springboard, not necessarily concerning herself with traditional landscape.
In addition to numerous private collections, Hilton has been commissioned to create monumental paintings for various public art uses. Her 6 x 10 foot painting, Universe - Life Unlimited, was used as the backdrop for actress Nora Dunn’s award winning one woman play, MYTHICAL PROPORTIONS. According to Dunn, “Your painting became a character in my play.” The painting currently resides in the lobby of the newly built Seigle Outpatient Center of Sinai Health Systems in Chicago. Her most recent commission of a monumental 8 x 18 foot painting for the lobby of a LEED Certified Gold residential development in Chicago’s West Loop area has solidified her place in the public arts sector. In recent years, Hilton’s works have been exhibited internationally including an exhibition at the Beirut Art Fair and a solo exhibition of her paintings and poetry in Brussels, Belgium among others.
“As an artist my interest lies in the expression of the inexhaustible combinations of a visually aesthetic
In addition to her creative endeavors, Hilton launched a speaker series in the spring of 2016 by
and spiritual language that transcends worlds. Specifically, I explore free organic forms through the
partnering with organizations and tackling social justice issues which occur globally, nationally
layering and sensual deployment of color by evoking the rich spectral underpinnings of the simplicity
and regionally in seeking solutions to make our world a better place. She is the spokeperson for
and richness of the earth and its universal counterparts. There is no set agenda for these ideas, as they
Greenheart International, a Chicago-based nonprofit supporting a variety of ini-
are born of the immediate response of each brushstroke to another, catching the pure moment of ex-
tiatives that connect people and planet to create global change through volun-
pressionistic mixtures in harmony. The subjects evolve, transforming continuously in their meaning and
teerism, youth development, cultural exchange, fair trade and travel. Greenheart
complexity as the raw emotional presence that such techniques may evoke in the merging of hand,
provides educational opportunities and scholarships for children from the inner
paint, eye and words. Thus, like the tonal qualities in music, my poetry and paintings attempt to touch
cities, teaching them to care for their environment and become world leaders.
something universally significant in all human beings, that meditative state of seeking their own light in the reflections and elements of nature and the universe.”
Hilton’s paintings and installations are intricately woven with her poetry and three-dimensional materials (such as recycled plastic from water bottles) transporting them to the present while capturing a timeless quality that is ubiquitous in her works.
Hilton has been featured in Astronomy Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Crain’s Chicago Business, Huffington Post, Chicago Magazine, Michigan Avenue Magazine, Fine Art Magazine, Éclat International Magazine, Art World News and WomanScape among many others. Hilton’s works are in major collections throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.