bluebee magazine

Issue Nº 1 Autumn

Emerging Artists

15 Art gallerist Luca Temolo Dall’lgna talks about the shifted collector’s market and other opportunities for emerging artists.

Art Collectors

32 Sculptor Norman Mooney examines the fundamental nature of all reality, including the relationship between mind and matter.

Art Curators

64 Writer Sara Jiménez Molina reflects on the gender stereotypical challenges of growing up and the difficult step to let go. bluebee •M a g a z i n e •

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bluebee •Magazine•

©Blue Bee Gallery BlueBeeGallery.com Editor:

Stefan Finsinger

Creative Director:

Virginia A. Avendaño

Editorial team:

Linda Bertolissio

Cornelia Bent

Jean Mora

Contributor:

Sara Jiménez Molina

Artwork in Cover:

Sally West -Fragment of

“Beach Blueys” - 2018

Daniel Loreto

Marketing Director:

Stefan Finsinger

Contact:

Stefan@BlueBeeGallery.com

Printer:

Mixam UK Ltd.

bluebee is available as digital magazine on BlueBeeGallery.com or as printed version for £21.

The magazine was printed on fully recycled paper to reduce the impact on the environment.

Editorial material and opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Blue Bee Gallery or the publisher. Blue Bee Gallery and bluebee magazine do not accept responsibility for the advertising content. Paid for promotions are clearly highlighted with the phrase “Featured Artwork” or similar. Please email Stefan@BlueBeeGallery.com for any comments or complaints.

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Editor’s letter

I am very proud to present the first edition of bluebee.

Yet another art magazine. Nobody has waited for it; however, we are keen to support Emerging and Raising Artists from around the world. Give them a platform to present a small glimpse of their artistic work. And isn’t there always room for another inspirational collection of visual soul food.

In this issue, we will discuss the sometimes lonely and stressful job of being an artist; how too much self-confidence can hinder your artistic career and that a shifted collector’s market brings new opportunities for emerging artists. It’s important to have your own style and don’t be a slave of the art market.

Throughout history, how many brilliant artists have come and gone without us even knowing their existence. The featured artists want to make a difference. Most of them aim to replace words into visual artworks, filling the empty space with detailed drawings, abstract paintings, sculptures or carefully choreographed photography. Others use words as the sole source of their artistic expressions.

Where lies the line between real “me” and virtual / artistic “me”? Some say that that’s where 100% of the fun culminates. The viewer is being asked to look at and engage with the artwork rather than the sometimes short lived attention span of our generation – a goldfish has a longer attention span than humans.

Themes range from theoretical physics, the struggle on the way to sport victory to the pattern of nature. These wide ranges of themes don’t contradict each other but live harmonically amongst each other; as society should do without prejudice and stereotypes.

As mentioned, we only grant a small glimpse into the artistic work and thoughts of the artists. Each of them has more to say and sometimes, referenced artworks aren’t displayed but invite the reader to explore more.

Go and explore. Art is fun.

Stefan Finsinger Editor in chief

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Index

9 bluebee Meetups

17 bluebee Artists Feature

63 bluebee Something Else

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Carina Lindmeier

12

Anna Pennati

15

Luca Temolo Dall’lgna

18

Loribelle Spirovski

26

Marcus Davies

19

Carlos Delgado

27

Julia Deptula

20

Cameron Lings

28

Burcu Urgut

21

Argile Plaids

29

Sabrina Guichard

22

Kateryna Borovschi

30

Nadav Drukker

23

Stephanie McGowan

31

Carmen Martini

24

Julie T. Chapman

32

Norman Mooney

25

Erica Entrop

34

Sally West

64

Sara JimĂŠnez Molina

36

Pelle Cass

46

Tamibe Bourdanne

54

José Cacho

38

Abdellah El Haitout

47

Sebastián OrtizMenchaca

55

Won Young Chang

40

Stefan Finsinger

48

Sherrie-Leigh Jones

56

Bo Cosfranz

41

Angy Avendaño

49

Luís Augusto Siqueira de Oliveira

57

Olga Casanova

42

Tatiana Sereda

50

Nina Zdanovic

58

Simone Webb

43

Barry Camps

51

Jose de la Barra

59

Lucas Zimmermann

44

Ryan Lee Boultbee

52

Keri Kimura

60

Ai Sato

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Tomasz Mikutel

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Caribay Marquina

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Joas Nebe

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bluebee Meetups

bluebee is always keen to hear what people in the art world have to say. It doesn’t matter, if it’s art curators, collectors, critics, artists or just art lovers.

Everyone has something to say, but most people won’t listen to them.

We met three brilliant minds. They may be not well known globally yet, but this makes their advise even more intriguing. Here they share some of their thoughts and opinions on the art market and give advises for emerging artists.

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Carina Lindmeier

bluebee and Carina Lindmeier met up to talk about how social interactions and networks can lead to new opportunities and possibilities.

Carina is an illustration artist from Austria. Her style is influenced by music and typically features people, animals or plants. She paints digitally as well as with traditional material like ink and watercolours.

Making art can be a lonely and stressful place. Self-doubt or too much self-confidence can hinder your artistic career and a reality check amongst other artists can level you out. Carina is part of several organisations, including the Women Who Draw, Backlab Collective and the Guild of Illustrators. “If I have a creative block or crisis, I always can

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fall back on this network to support me. But, we are also there for each other to bounce ideas and to support each other, if someone has an exhibition or event.”

There is a saying in Austria “Through talking, people come together” and new things happen.

Carina explained that cooperation and networks are very important in her artistic life. She recommends to network as much as possible, not only with artists from your own field, but as well as with artists from other areas. She loves connecting with artists from food and fashion

There is a saying in Austria “Through talking, people come together” and new things happen. industries and enjoys collaborating with them.

Although Carina exhibited her work internationally, most of her success comes through the internet. Instagram is one of her main channels of raising awareness.

Potential clients get in touch with her to commission artworks, and she also finds that it is a way of communicating with influencers and other artists.

Carina has a strong social media presence and recommends that you try and be present on many networks, such as Instagram and Behance, but it does takes time and effort to keep them alive and

to monitor them. In the beginning, stick to a few ones and do them correctly rather than spread your effort too thinly.

Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge. It will come back to you.

And don’t stress yourself to get as many followers and likes as possible.

It’s more about whom you know – quality over quantity.

Ordinary People

Bored

More than just a number

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Anna Pennati

bluebee met up with Anna Pennati to speak about being true to yourself and the importance of art gallerists.

Rose La Rosa Di Schrodinger

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Rose New Moon

Anna is an artist who lives and works in Italy. She is an established artist and has sold her work all over the world. She is shy and modest, but knows what she wants. Anna’s advice to emerging artists is don’t be too over-confident. Don’t think you know it all. Be modest, observe, learn and soak things up like a sponge.

Anna started with figurative paintings. After the 2006 show in London, her style became more and more abstract. Her current work is all about the Rose – not only the floral element, but also astronomy, alchemy and other areas where this symbolism is used. She has the urge to return to more intimate paintings.

In previous times, it was common to have a painting in a small ornament or book. Nowadays, some museums urge the artists to have 20 meter paintings which can be viewed by 100s of people at the same time.

Don’t think you know it all. Be modest, observe, learn and soak things up like a sponge.

Smaller pictures need the close connection and you can feel the energy of a painting. Some emerging artists think that they must paint big to be successful and sell well. This is not always the case.

Anna says that it is important to be true to yourself. Don’t be a slave to the art market. If you feel the urge to try a new style, although your old style is selling well, do it. It may not sell from the beginning, but only if you listen to your inner voice and the urge to produce the art you really want to represent, then good things can happen. Therefore, the relationship with art curators and gallerists is important. They should never force you to do anything nor change your style to cater to the wider art market. Pick your galleries

Rose Suprema Dea

carefully, and do this step when you are ready for it.

You can’t promote and sell your own work as effectively and still have enough time and effort to produce good work. It is of course important to have a website and social media presence, but the selling is better left to art gallerists. Jeff Koon is a good marketer; his artwork is debatable.

However, finding a good gallery is difficult and sometimes it takes some accommodation to find the common ground. Her advice is to be beware of artists traps.

Besides being creative, artists should not only be self-aware, but business aware in order to be successful.

Rose Hortus Conclusus

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Luca Temolo Dall’lgna

bluebee met with Luca Temolo Dall’Igna at ON House art gallery in Milan to talk about the shifted collector’s market and other opportunities for emerging artists.

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Luca is a former museum art curator and currently runs a few art galleries in Milan. One of them is ON HOUSE – a “flat of the future” - which is for the established artists in his portfolio.

His own art gallery is Almach Art and the other venues cater more for a cultural meaning and he just had a successful pop up art exhibition of emerging artists in Milan.

The stereotype of an art collector is old and wealthy but it is starting to evolve a little. It starts to open up to the mainstream, not only the superrich. People at a young age (18+), are starting to show interest in art and seeing the potential future monetary value of owning a piece of art.

They may not purchase a €100,000 painting, but will look at investing up to €5,000. Their riskier nature in art collecting means that emerging artists with a lower price tag may have the chance to sell sooner than in the past.

Especially the US and UK lead the market in supporting emerging artists with art investments. Italians grew up with their masters, and 60%

of the old artworks like Caravaggio, Michelangelo, etc. are in Italy. But even in Italy, around 50% of all art sales are contemporary.

When asked about how he picks new artists for his gallery, he was very clear that he is not interested in hobby artists. His view point is that the artist needs to have a passion to do this full time. Someone who starts out and can’t live off their artwork. However, if they hadn’t produced 100 pieces of work so far, they aren’t even on the consideration list. Picasso sold his art for five years on the streets of Barcelona before he gained traction.

Luca thinks that art degrees may hinder brilliant and extroverted artists to flourish and develop their own voice. However, this doesn’t mean that artists shouldn’t know the basics. Abstract artists shouldn’t hide behind their art style just because they don’t know how to paint a portrait or landscape.

Last word of advice from Luca, “Don’t see fellow artists as an enemy, but as an opportunity”. There used to

be the Jamaica Bar in Milan, where established and emerging artists met. They would bounce off ideas of each other, which opened new horizons and enabled them to grow as artists.

Nowadays, wannabe emerging artists rely too much on their close relatives and friends who obviously love their artwork. However, if it comes to the real artworld, they may not stand a chance – if they don’t have the money, for example, to buy themselves a spot at the Venice Biennale.

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bluebee Artists Feature

We travelled the world to discover new talents, but feel that we still only scratched the surface of the industry.

Every artist is as individual as a snowflake, with their style and urge to artistically transport their message to the wider audience. We tried to give a glimpse of their thought processes, but as mentioned before, we always encourage you to explore them further.

The following artists are only a small selection of our creative director and editorial board. Some of the included artworks may be controversial, however other brilliant minds may have not made the shortcut for this issue.

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Loribelle Spirovski Sydney, Australia

Through Loribelle’s practice, she has come to foster a relationship with space that is in many ways a mindful meditation, where the challenge is to always approach space, as though for the first time, as through a child’s eyes. The figures are rendered as androgynous; this is something that emerged organically throughout her process. With backgrounds that lean towards minimalism and symbolism - where space is never ‘negative’, even when it is empty - the aim is fixed on capturing the freshness and energy of a sketch.

The Candidate - 2019 - Oil and Acrylic on linen

The ingenue - 2019 - Oil and Acrylic on linen

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Carlos Delgado Toronto, Canada

Focusing on capturing the subtleties of the tension of daily routine and a deeper human expression, Carlos’ work becomes not only a social commentary, but also a societal reflection of how we create the world around us and our role within it.

Through playing with colour, contrast and texture, this series further explores the human expression, emotions and feelings by focusing in on one person, a facial gesture or a specific look.

Shadows- 2019 - Oil on canvas

Sweet potato - 2019 - Oil on canvas

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Open - 2019 - Carved pine, steel and stone

Cameron Lings Scunthorpe, United Kingdom

Driftwood is characteristically unique, yet likely, never to be found or recognized. This body of work compares this to our human importance. Throughout human evolution and psychological progression, unaccountable amounts of people have come and gone without us even knowing of their existence. Like driftwood, we are distinctive and independent from one another. Yet in our world,

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the chances of us being lost at sea outweighs the potential for us to possess significance on a larger scale; to be found, recognized and ultimately remembered among the billions that co-exist among us.

Argyle Plaids San Diego, United States

Having the ability to discover meaning or unfold a pleasing ocular experience within a happenstance marriage of colour, shape and subject matter are everything to Argyle.

It’s where 100% of the fun culminates, and art is fun.

Hodad Vibrations - 2018 - Paper on card stock

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Katerina Borovschi Valencia, Spain

Where lies the line between real “me” and virtual “me”? And is it there at all? We can safely say that today the Internet has become an essential social laboratory for experimenting with human personality, its reconstruction and development.

Ambiguity: identity in the virtual space - 2018 Digital photography, 3d graphics

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Erecting subside - 2019 - Mixed Media

Stephanie McGowan Galway, Ireland

As technology continues to advance, Stephanie becomes more concerned about the lack of empathy and human connection. We are distracted and clouded by virtual reality, the physical is but a fading memory. This is why in this work, she endeavours to create illusive and immersive environments that allow you to be in the moment, even if it’s only for a split second. A reflection of contemporary society, colliding worlds and forgotten ones too.

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Adagio Azul - 2019 - Mixed media on panel

Julie T. Chapman Montana, United States

Julie’s most recent explorations involve using polymer (acrylic) in an organic, fluid fashion and then bringing out the subject, normally animals, with oils. This type of painting is exciting, but also difficult. Her approach in these works is also driven by a sense of frustration and sorrow at humanity’s loss of connection to one another, our environment, and our animal brethren…therefore, the fragmentary treatment of her subjects is a reflection of that fractured relationship.

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Purple line - 2017 - Acrylic on canvas

Erica Entrop Los Angeles, United States

The viewer is being asked to look at and engage with these seemingly mundane moments rather than the social norm of casting a passing glance. In many of Erica´s paintings, there is an individual who is recognizing the audience, further dissolving the fourth wall and making the viewer a participant in this ordinary, but layered and textured moment of life.

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We were close ones - 2019 - Oil on canvas

Marcus Davies United Kingdom

The viewer is being asked to look at and engage with these seemingly mundane moments rather than the social norm of casting a passing glance. In many of Erica´s paintings, there is an individual who is recognizing the audience,

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further dissolving the fourth wall and making the viewer a participant in this ordinary, but layered and textured moment of life.

Twisted ribs and strwberries - 2019 - Oil on canvas

Julia Deptula Warsaw, Poland

Do not be afraid of being exhausted.

Do not be afraid of new connections.

Stop duplicating patterns. Stop putting yourself in comfortable situations. In rejecting the universal sense of subjects and situations, Julia sees a dance of figures,

completely new qualities and a fervour of colours.

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Burcu Urgut Istanbul, Turkey

Burcu aims to replace words with images, filling the surface with many detailed drawings and turning it into a one-page book. It is about visualizing the character and the story like an author does. More than just a still moment in time within each painting. Many layers and details are telling the life and narrative of the subject matter. The meaning behind the displayed painting is to show Nikola Tesla’s genius, forward-thinking mind as well as him being so “naive” for choosing to use all his engineering knowledge on helping a disabled pigeon to fly again.

AC/DC (Tesla) - 2015 - Acrylic and ink on wood

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Sabrina Guichard France

The distinctive features of the mountain turn into almost abstract, coloured and textured geometric shapes. These images question both the mountain and the human perception of it. The aesthetic experience of the mountain is reduced to the simple surface, almost epidermal, gathering a nonexhaustive sum of its shapes and various upsurges.

Alpine boards - 2012 - 2018 - Photography

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Nadav Drukker London, United Kingdom

The defect series follows the development of a research project on physics in the presence of a defect, a region where some physical properties change. Some of the formulas written on the stoneware pieces turned out to be incorrect, as research progressed.

However, the final results of the research are published in an industry journal.

Defect - 1 - 2016 - Glazed stoneware

Defect - 4 - 2017- Glazed stoneware

Defect - 11 - 2017- Glazed porcelain

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La Chercheuse - 2019 - Acrylic on burlap

Carmen Martini Baltimore, United States

“Most of her paintings represent a constant in Carmen’s work: form and colour. Both come together to create an abstract illusion. She is interested in the combination of contrasting colours that become an idea that makes sense.”

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Norman Mooney New York, United States

Norman Mooney’s sculptures and drawings explore the natural world through a physical indulgence in the making process? He fabricates giant ‘flowers’, precarious ‘seeds’ and colourful ‘stars’ from cast aluminium and glass. He draws with a flame torch, and the results are at once meditative yet ephemeral, his sculptures fierce, yet tangible.

These contradicting parallels are the essence of how Norman addresses what lies between the physical and the metaphysical. The sculptures search for the inertial frame of reference that examines the fundamental nature of all reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, appearance and substance.

Norman introduces a kinetic interaction with the viewer, which is in constant flux, evolving, repeating, appearing and disappearing in the densely assembled works. He directly asserts a relationship of trust with the materials he utilizes, catapulting the viewer into a heightened sense of awareness, while at the same time evoking an intimacy with nature. He invites the viewer to experience the floating presence of the physical form, where natural light falling onto the works facilitates an existing presence.

Norman challenges our relationship with nature, by referencing the universal synergy that he finds in the space between volume and void.

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Walflower Nº 1 - 2010 - Cast aluminum with yellow pigment

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Sally West Sydney, Australia

Sally aims to document her environment through a visual language. The composition is organic, directed by the positioning of the surfers in the waves and swimmers enjoying the beach between the surf life-saving flags and patrol. Her expressive application of oil paint depicts the water currents and water depths.

You can admire her representation of the waves breaking on a beach, pushing water towards the shoreline.

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Australia day Beach bondi (26.1.19) Plen air - 2019 - Oil on canvas

Beach Blueys (16.6.18) Plen air - 2019 - Oil on canvas

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Futures Tennis from Baseline, Thursday court 6 - 2018 - Composite photographs

Volleyball at NEU - 2018 - Composite photographs

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Pelle Cass

Brookline - Massachusetts, United States In the re-shuffled time of this series of composite photographs called Crowded Fields - play prevails over the competition, the stands are empty and the fields are full, whole games are shown out of sequence.

Pelle rearranges the archetypes of sports into new patterns.

He tends to think that the narrative of sports - the struggle on the way to victory - is too simple to be interesting. On the other hand, Pelle has heard of sport contests referred to as manufactured meaning, and that seems kind of remarkable. Pelle often feels, as he is working on these pictures, that he looks so closely that somehow he understands something about the heart of the world. Not true, of course, but Pelle may know something about how a photograph records something.

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Untitled - 2013 - Diptych mixed media on canvas

Untitled- 2017- Mixed media on canvas

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Abdellah EL HAITOUT Rabat, Morocco

The superposition of different material and paint highlight the themes of concealment and transparency with mixed media, such as acrylic, pens and ink. Abdellah loves the challenge of a collage as well as the possibilities that are opened up in front of him, the work of the torn paper, crumpled or ripped and glued up pieces of paper.

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Wing- 2018 - Glicée print on Hahnemühle German Etching Paper

Stefan Finsinger London, United Kingdom

The carefully choreographed structure of a wing-like form is gently disturbed by the imperfection of the seemingly hasty scribbled elements.

The minimal nature of this piece allows the unconsciously supportive power of the background colour to take control.

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Ipomoea - 2019 - mixed media on cold pressed paper

Angy Avendaño Buenos Aires, Argentina

This painting deals with the fact that death is all around us. We need to live in co-existence with our own foreseen future and perhaps even change course to invite the topic to become a companion on our journey throughout time.

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Tatiana Sereda Kaliningrad, Russia

This piece may reflect on the emotional struggles of modernday women and the reflection of the expectations of society in the immediate surrounding. However, by drawing attention to a seemingly surreal, but detailed depicted element in the ‘off the centre’, the observing protagonist has enough time to study and understand the beholder, before they had had time to do the same to her.

I can become everything if I want- 2019 - Watercolor on paper

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Barry Camps Antwerp, Belgium

Barry Camps tackles large dimension thoughts as well as the question of space, mathematical configuration of existence and chaos theories. The artist introduces the black stain as unknown behaviour of the personal universe, which leads toward light rays and colourful codes that we as spectators should follow and selfguide toward poetic salvation.

Untittled - 2018 - Acrylic and enamel paint

Untittled - 2018 - Acrylic and enamel paint

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Ryan Lee Boultbee United Kingdom

A small sketch series focusing on conveying isolation, loneliness, and depression through a minimalist drawing style. The artwork follows a single character through dystopian landscapes and abandoned settings.

The viewer is left to ponder the questions of what, where, how, and why.

Wastelands - 2019 - Drawing on white paper

Wastelands - 2018 - Drawing on orange paper

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Tomasz Mikutel United Kingdom

Life is too short to indulge into temptation to try to break into a territory taken over by photography for a long time. Loose and confident brushstrokes emerge into a passing scene in front of us. A hint, a glimpse, a gentle depiction of the presence.

The ostrich - 2017 - Watercolour on hot pressed paper

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Nostalgia - 2018 - Photography

Unity - 2018 - Photography

Tamibe Bourdanne London and Oxford, United Kingdom Tamibe applied his storytelling skills to extract some knowledge from the streets, land and its habitants. The artist experimented with colours, in order to provide a real feel of the context he was in and to give more depth to the photographs.

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Shared Vulnerability - 2017 - Photography

Sebastián Ortiz - Menchaca San Juan, Puerto Rico The art project attempts to merge the documentary practices of photography and performance to relate to the body to the lived-in environment. We aim to understand the somatic relationship with space, emotion and action. So far, the

artistic explorations in Puerto Rico, as a result of the hurricane, have not yet focused on the intersections for the body and the traumatized space.

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Foot on the mountain - 2018 - Cellulose transfer and UV protection on Japanese Paper

Sherrie- Leigh Jones Brighton, United Kingdom

Drawing inspiration from romanticism, the sublime, science fiction and nature, Sherrie’s work transcends the past, future and present offering of a means of escapism. The artist is interested in creating a journey through vast, imagined landscapes exploring the

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uncanny, often found in abandoned buildings and land, endless woodlands and places of natural phenomena and wonder.

Cosmology - 2013 - China ink on paper

Luís Augusto Siqueira de Oliveira SãoPedro da Aldeia, Brazil

This work is the fruit of a long exercise on the limits of production and reproduction of images, in a dialogue between authenticity, originality and re-producibility from the Benjaminian thought. It concerns a type of development of the underground spiritual theme that casts a glance

at the spasm, the astonishment, the enlightenment and some possibilities of existence. It is always a matter of trying to make something beyond present appearances and to capture the lines of force that constitute something between the cosmic, the sublime and the ethereal.

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Alberto Jr - 2019 - Acrylic on canvas

Nina Zdanovic Tokyo, Japan

This artwork is a reference to the past, a glimpse of a memory, an emotional connection to the artists’ family, who is 10,000 km away.

The in other paintings normally dominating joyful pink colour is reduced to detail in this picture, grabbing the attention of the

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beholder and giving them a focus to start their exploration of the depicted situation.

Siluetas femeninas - 2019 - Oil on canvas

Jose de la Barra Peru

Jose freely travels his stylistic project, without stopping in corseted disquisitions. The magic surreal prevails, although the image is harmoniously supported by borrowed airs of figurative realism.

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Keri Kimura Southwest Harbor, Maine, United States Keri is interested in the way that nature has a type of handwriting that combines pattern and chaos; the way that the veins of leaves are mirrors of one another and the anarchy with which they are carried and laid down in a breeze; the way it is obvious when this type of handwriting has been disturbed, when humans have disturbed the balance.

Grillo - 2018 - Acrylic on board

Guadiana - 2018 - Acrylic on board

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Caribay Marquina Buenos Aires, Argentina

Caribay´s art is a mirror of who she is; there is a tight connection with her personality and the things that she believes in. Like most women in general, Marquina feels highly influenced by their struggles, their power and their amazing trend styles.

Her style is colourful, a bit loud and very feminine.

Wild - 2019 - Digital paint

Not Ok- 2019 - Digital paint

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José Cacho Mexico

The spectator is challenged to enter the artwork to accompany the woman standing in reflective positions, peacefully observing her surroundings. The screen is full of symbolism that is represented both in the image itself and in textures, colours, transparencies and the brightness of the scene.

Abrazo - 2019 - Mixed media on canvas

Es lo que quiero - 2019 - Mixed media on canvas

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Won Young Chang New York, United States

Won’s work is the record of the moment gone. Her artwork normally shows the scene of ruins, natural disasters, dark forest, a cat looking at the artist, etc. - but crushed, blurred or exploded.

The One - 2019 - Watercolor and acrylic on paper

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Lustres 3 - 2019 - Acrylic on canvas

Bo Cosfranz London, United Kingdom

Bo’s artwork has a tension between organic and geometric parts. The motivation for exploring this theme is the idea of creation through constraint. This means that, although it might seem counterintuitive, everything in our world

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is created by rules, including physical laws, our thoughts, and the framework of society.

Olga Casanova London, United Kingdom

Just as we put on clothes to protect our body, we create shields to protect ourselves from the world, before we go out of the door. We all build these protective shields unconsciously, creating a character based on what we think will fit into our society. In effect, we stop ourselves from being who we are.

Protective shields - 2019 - Analog Collage

What I cannot see- 2019 - Analog Collage

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Grace II - 2017 - Glicée print on Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl

Simone Webb Marlow, United Kingdom

Whilst floriography was very popular in the 18th century, with the Victorians sending flowers to portray their feelings or intentions, the language of flowers has evolved into something much more multifarious than ever.

Simone wanted to focus on

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depicting flowers with positive connotations - something she feels is much needed, considering the world’s current events. Each piece hints to a gentle reminder that if we stop to take in our surroundings, there is always something injecting positivity into our everyday lives.

Traffic lights - 2013 - Photography

Lucas Zimmermann Weimar, Germany

The possibility that light is ’visible’ in fog fascinates Lucas. The unknown hue of blueish light is like the fog hidden for the human eye, but photography shows us things we otherwise overlook, such as a simple traffic light on the street. An all

known object that produces a strong effect in an unnatural situation with a simple photographic set-up.

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Brown wind - 2019 - Digital illustration on photography

Ai Sato San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

There doesn’t need to be a rigid concept, from which to build a work. Ai wants it, to be honest, to unleash the invisible, revealing the inner unknown vision to some tangible form, which transcends the boundaries of the figurative.

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Dark Places series - 2017 -2018 - Collage Animation

Joas Nebe Staufen im Breisgau, Germany

By turning his film cabinet of curiosity into an intriguing jigsaw puzzle of hybrid geometric patterns, Joas Nebe teases the viewer into accessing his game. He believes: “Riddle games of this kind spark creativity and pass on the role of the artist to the viewer.”

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bluebee Something else

While visual artworks engage with the beholder in a dialog of substance and interpretation, the written word invites us to a completely different dimension.

Visual art can be viewed for a long as the beholder wishes. Stories hold the reader hostage until their final words have been said. The final message has been communicated and the reader has the full picture of what the artist wanted to express.

But this also makes it interesting, no two people will experience the world they enter through reading alike.

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Sara JimĂŠnez Molina Argentina Sara responds to the immense and constant desire to investigate new ways of expressing ourselves, and to contribute to understanding the world in an effort to inhabit it through words. The multilayered interpretation of the following piece invites the reader to revisit their own gender stereotypes, cultural subtlety and see the world through the eyes of a child.

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To Jada Sirkin

Luciano R

Luciano Sebastian Rodríguez knew he had a long name, but he had intended to make sure it fits fully onto the badge of the Boyscouts Camp uniform, even if he had to write it as little as ants. The last time he had put Luciano R, instead of his full name, had been in the holiday camp last year, and because of that, he had been mistaken almost every day with Luciano S, an effeminate boy who was always bullied.

This year, Luciano R had asked to go to the School’s Boyscouts Camp for the first time, instead of the holiday camp. His mom, who at first was not very sure, had told him that if he was afraid at night she wouldn’t go pick him up. Are you sure you want to stay overnight? She had asked him again and again. He thought so. “What’s going to happen, Mom? In any case, I have my flashlight, the one that grandpa bought me, and that I put on my forehead, like miners.”

The camp’s bus was picking them up at school by noon, but he was ready since the morning. By the time they arrived, it was early, so Luciano R sat on the floor of the parking lot behind his mother’s minivan to wait.

She was waiting by his side, but she did not want to sit beside him. From where he sat on the floor, he listened to her chat with another parent who wouldn’t shut up for a second.

Several times Luciano R wanted to ask her for a pen, because the one that he had was running out of ink, and he barely managed to write

“Lucia” on the pocket of his yellow backpack. “Mom, do you have a pen?

Could you lend it to me? Mom?” Since last year, he had the habit of naming everything, because at the holiday camp things always went missing and afterwards it was not known where they were.

But he was not going to leave the backpack marked like that. No way!

Worse than being confused with an effeminate boy, it would have been to be confused with a girl. “Mom, do you have a pen?”, he insisted. “Mom, mom, mom, mommy, I need a pen.”

Neither his mother nor the other parent would shut up for a second, and several times they had scolded him for interrupting the elders.

At that moment, Luciano R heard the bus horn approaching and jumped up. By then, his mother had already been released by the other, so he wrapped his arm around her belly, and lifted his backpack from the floor to run to the bus. When he grabbed the strip from his backpack, he realized that it had a bug stuck on it, and he immediately released it. It looked like a worm. He had never seen worms at school before, perhaps it was there, because he had been sat near a sewer, and then the worm would have come out and walked to his backpack, as the bus was so delayed.

His mother grabbed a stick from the floor and carefully removed the worm from his backpack. “That’s it”, she said and kissed his hair. “What’s

that, mom? A worm?” “I think it is a leech”, his mom replied. “It is like a worm that likes blood.”

Luciano R was not very affectionate with anyone, but something about being saved from the leech, and having to spend nights away from home, made him feel this time he had to hug his mom tightly, maybe if he was afraid at night, he would remember that hug and maybe had no need to be picked up. Then Luciano R hugged her tightly.” Bye mom!”, he yelled and ran away.

All the children were in line and went up to the bus one by one. As he advanced in line, Luciano R kept checking his backpack to make sure no other worms had come to the camp with him. His mother had just told him how those worms were called, but he had already forgotten.

As he looked at the backpack, he noticed that it was still marked with the name “Lucia”, then when he went up to the bus, he stopped for a moment to ask the driver for a pen. The man looked grumpy.

When he saw him properly, Luciano R immediately regretted asking him for something. He was very skinny and had eye bags as if he was a vampire, or rather a ghost. “How am I supposed to have a pen, kid!”, he said. “Hurry up! The night will catch us on the road!” The other children that were behind him pushed Luciano R and made him fall into the bus aisle. A thunderous laugh stunned him and his ears began to

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burn as if they were set up on fire with shame.

As soon as they left, the other children had already started throwing a rubber ball from side to side. The guiding teacher who was sitting as a co-pilot was chatting with the ghost and didn’t notice anything.

Luciano R looked out the window as the houses and buildings passed by.

He remembered that when they had just moved from grandpa’s house, just outside the city, he thought all the buildings were hotels. He was little, of course, now he knew they weren’t. Every once in awhile the rubber ball hit him on the back of his head, but he chose to ignore it. His mom had told him that it was the best way to deal with those children this way and that eventually, they will get tired of bullying him. Luciano R thought that in case he returned to the holiday camp, he could advise Luciano S. The next year maybe if he came back for sure, he was going to tell him.

It had been a while since the rubber ball has stopped, and Luciano R eyes were almost closing. It seemed that the other children were also falling asleep, as if they had become tired, just as his mother said, of the rubber ball, of songs, of Barbies, and now they took advantage of the calm of the bus. The ghost also took advantage and smoked a cigarette, being careful to smoke through his window, although Luciano R could smell the smoke entering the bus again. It must have been because of the speed they carried, as something in the traffic made the ghost stop suddenly and Luciano R opened his eyes. It was already night outside, as the driver had said. He thought it was surely his fault for asking for

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a pen. He did not like cars at night, he was more afraid of them than sleeping alone, and more so as now, it had started to rain. Luciano R closed his eyes to try to fall asleep again. That was also a bit of advice that his mother gave him every time they returned from visiting Grandpa, and he was so scared that he started to cry. His mother told him to fall asleep. That when he woke up he was going to be at home, in his bed, safe and clothed with his Spiderman blanket. Luciano R had chosen to leave it at home, just in case they gave everyone blankets at the camp, he wasn’t going to be the only one that has cartoons on it. Theirs were sure to be a single colour, blue or green, boy’s colours. But now that he could not sleep, and it was still raining outside, and it was already night, in the absence of Spiderman, he hung on to his backpack as if it was his pillow.

Between asleep and awake, Luciano R dreamed that the bus stopped at a village just before arriving at the camp and that a bunch of leeches with backpacks climbed up and sat in the free seats. At first, the leeches entered one by one without doing anything to them. Then when there were no more seats available for all of them, the leeches started to stick onto the arms and faces of the children, and they all began to cry and scream. The ghost driver did not react but had his head glued to the steering wheel, who knows if he was hiding the smoke or if he was asleep.

Luciano R at first laughed at those children who had laughed at him for falling down in the bus aisle. Some of them seemed asleep as the ghost, others kept screaming all covered in blood. Luciano R stopped laughing.

He looked at them from above, as if he was now on the roof of the bus. Everything was all blood and backpacks, and the laughter and the screams were slowly fading away. A bright red light blinded him.

When he opened his eyes, Luciano R noticed that it was daylight again.

A woman who appeared to be his mother was standing at the side of the road with other people. A blue blanket covered her shoulders, it would probably be the blankets from the camp, he thought. Beyond, lying on the grass, were some of the backpacks of his mates. In the background, he saw that the bus was upside down as if hooked on a device that it seems to Luciano R like it was a transformer. Then he first ran to look for his backpack, checked and checked among all the yellow ones until he found the one that said “Lucia”. How lucky no one had noticed. Luciano R lifted the backpack from the ground, checked that it had nothing stuck on it and, when he turned to take it to his mom quickly before anyone saw it, nothing could be seen. Neither the bus, nor the transformer, nor the lady with the blue blanket.

It was no longer daytime.

Luciano R felt lost.

He thought about grabbing the miner’s flashlight from his backpack, but it would be better to do what his mother said. He closed his eyes to fall asleep. Surely, when he woke up, he was going to be at home, in his bed, safely, and clothed with his Spiderman blanket.