GoldFoil Magazine - ISSUE 11 - ALIENation

GOLDFOIL ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Maksim

Koloskov

Drawing Cabaret Couture and the work of Celine Kwan

JOHN HUI

AND THE ARTIST IN A PANDEMIC

ISSUE 11

SEP 2021

Our Mission

At GoldFoil magazine we work with new and emerging talent within the fashion industry to bring you incredible content, interesting interviews, different points of view, and much more.

We believe that we are always able to do better, to expand our horizons, to learn and experience more.

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Editor notes A few months ago we met with John Hui for the first time.

He is a London-based artist with an array of talents, and this is where our conversation started. With every single time we met our concept expanded as he realised his creative freedom, and I am now proud to finally share our collaborative work in this issue called Alienation. This word is oftentimes associated with artists however, the stories he was trying to convey with this project were not about the artist’s struggle or how an artist is a loner most of the time but rather the collective experience of all of us living through the pandemic.

The photoshoot is accompanied by a really exciting interview which dives deeper into his experience and his journey as an artist and an online creator.

There are five scenes each of them portraying a different side of these characters that we built, starting with the artist, moving onto the Zoom pandemic which shows this half suited, half dressed with only underwear character in a zoom call. The third one is about this utopian environment where the character lives their life through social media and is literally glued to their phone. The fourth concept is dealing with loss in a pandemic which is carefully explored through his personal experience. And the final one is of a character handling addiction - dynamic and packed with symbology, it is a piece we are really proud of and one that definitely deserves more attention.

Thanks to the incredible team we had we were able to achieve exactly what we had envisioned and without them this massive project would not have been possible: Photographer: Frederick Wilkinson @fw_photo Art Direction: John Hui @johnhui93 @johnhuiart Model: John Hui @johnhui93 MUA: Tina Khatri @tinakhatrimua Nails: Lukas @nailedbylucas Producer: Deyvid Dimitrov @davidoffsal We hope you enjoy absorbing these creatively charged pages as much as we enjoyed making them possible. And thank you for your continuous support!

Deyvid Dimitrov Editor

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Table of contents 8

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Lina Bonda - Photographer

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Interview with John Hui - Shaping an artist

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SKN-RG - Skincare

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Delcasso - accessories

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Jessica Pan - Womenswear

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Drawing Cabaret Couture - live drawing

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Maksim Koloskov - Interview

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LINA BONDA

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Lina is a Massachusetts-based photographer. She graduated university studying communications and she had the opportunity to intern at a small film production company which reaffirmed her passion for film and photography early on. ‘’From the beginning, we wanted a desert, apocalyptic type of vibe. We wanted the photos chaotic, but simple at the same time. We knew the desert background would also make a perfect contrast to the bright pop of colors used. Some of the clothing as well as the chair are vintage which helped give a bit of a retro feel layered in.’’

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Photographer: Lina Bonda @linabondaca Model: Makayla Dillingham @dillyonce Stylists: Lina Bonda Makayla Dillingham MUA: Lina Bonda Makayla Dillingham Assistant: Tyler Sass

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I wanted to

use photography, fashion, make-up, nail art to create a visual journey and tell a story and depict how Covid has changed our daily lives. I wanted to highlight the paradigm shift in all of us.

The photos are my way of documenting these experiences in a surrealist but personal and sincere way. What I wanted to do was to create these abstract moments that everyone can relate to but in a way that is unexpected and make people think about the things that we have yet to have the time or courage to face and deal with.

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Photographer: Frederick Wilkinson

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Model: John Hui

JOHN HUI SHAPING AN

ARTIST My work is recognising trauma and finding beauty in those difficult moments, and providing a space for change.

and I feel blessed to make art, there’s so much pain that accompanies it. When you’re an That’s a great question, thank upcoming artist that needs to you for asking! To be totally find a way to maintain what honest, I don’t really know. you do, and trying to expand I wanna say I feel great but while also trying to pay rent, there are so many things in afford to eat, and enjoy life in the back of my mind that keep the current climate, it can be me away from being happy and content. And it’s hard to figure out what they are exactly… very soul crushing.

I tend to focus on problems rather than things I have, which I think is a symptom of modern Long story short, it has been a crazy, unstable rollercoaster ride, but it’s something that day society.

I have embraced and get to take pride in now.

I think a lot of people feel this, especially with I’m grateful for being able to make art and the pandemic, the whole experience is a col- being able to do this interview, and the pholective trauma, in a way, we cannot go back to toshoot we did together was such an amazing how we were before. There is such an angst experience. I just want to keep making art and that comes with just living now. Seeing how I think that’s what will keep me motivated and the economic structure is failing so many peo- positive about the future. I really want to stay ple in so many aspects, it’s hard not to think in that zone. about how unsustainable our current lifestyle is. I think that when you spend so much time thinking about survival or paying next month’s rent, it’s hard for anyone to think about art, let alone making it. So, when you asked me how I am, even though I am happy

How are you today?

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How would you introduce yourself?

I am an artist, a painter, designer, a vegan, Virgo, an activist (I think), I’m a YouTuber, a producer, a model. I am from Hong Kong, I’m 27, I am a gym rat, I’m gay or maybe bisexual, I don’t really know, but most importantly, I hate labels!

When did you realise that you wanted to become an artist?

When I was in kindergarten, I was in love with drawing and painting but I never thought about it as a profession when I was at school. When I graduated from art university - I went to Chelsea College of Art in London, I did fine art - I just thought that, firstly, art wouldn’t make money, and secondly, I didn’t think I was smart enough, or rather, I didn’t know the world well enough to be able to make works that would address it in complex and intellectual ways, so I just decided to go for graphic design. I thought that it would be the middle ground between being commercial and creative.

Needless to say - I was wrong. I was just following orders that didn’t satisfy my desire to be creative, and I was just floating in life with a comfortable salary.

The pandemic was a turning point for me, a much needed one. It forced me to rethink my life and what was actually most important that I would put as a priority in terms of career and passion. I know that there is one thing I can offer the world - it is my work as an artist and my point of view about a world that belongs solely to me.

The moment I stopped thinking about being paid a monthly salary and decided to risk it all - giving up a stable life, was the moment I realised I am an artist.

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Who are influences?

your

biggest That idea lost traction after a

Lady Gaga has been my all-time inspiration in many different fields. She’s kind of similar to me, she does not identify with labels or business sectors. She is an artist, an activist, she acts and received an Oscar, and many other awards for her work. To not be limited by an industry, or by a particular label, or by how the public perceives you, is the biggest freedom she has taught me. She is always changing her public image with what she does.

Let me be more specific - she does what she wants to do, not what the public or her management team wants from her. That is what I aspire to be. I want to be able to use whatever I can offer to the world and make art that has a timeless impact on it for the better. Art that is not based on trends.

What do you aim to say with your art?

It took me a long time to get to where I am, in terms of what I am trying to investigate with my practice.

At the beginning I was focused on the aesthetic and creating my style - the black and gold aesthetic. The more I repeated the style, the more I thought about the possible reasons as to why I was painting in that style and how I could use that visual language to articulate issues that we are facing in the world through speculative storytelling.

while, it felt impersonal. So now, I am focusing on my relationship with those issues and questioning where my beliefs come from.

Since I am on the internet and social media all the time, It was obvious to me that mine as well as many other people’s perception of the world is based on pop culture - films, computer games, social media. I actually wrote my dissertation on the digital image, so it makes sense to tie it back in.

I am really passionate about my current work. It combines an image of a slaughterhouse mixed with pop culture references. So, I have these banners that you see on porn websites that say ‘’Asian sluts, message to f#*k her’’. I also have Gucci pattern sewn onto a cow with anime eyes that has been killed. Around it there is an Instagram live layout, you know, with likes, and comments, and the ‘Close’ button across the top right corner.

I don’t want to give away too much on why I created the painting but it touches on the fetishisation of animal products and the idea of Asians in pop culture imagery. It is a sort of investigation into my belief system, of how the digital image has informed me about the world as a person, and how it has shaped the world. In a way it is about focusing those influencers and clashing them together. I think this process will reveal the nature and the agenda behind the creation of these images.

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What is your favourite subject and do you to make money from making art - it just felt inauthentic. have a muse?

I think my favourite subjects are mostly underrepresented people or things, or even animals. I see art as a form of activism. It puts in view things we, as a society, neglect or choose to ignore and not see.

How has your art changed over the years?

I suppose it is more to do with my relationship with art rather than the medium that I use. Because when I started, I only know that I enjoyed the physicality of making things, right? So, art at the time meant making pretty things to me. Then in university, there was the idea that artists are supposed to be anti-capitalists - if you sell your work or if you’re a sell-out then you don’t deserve any respect. And my work at the time was created intentionally not-commodifiable, like performance art and digital, in order to respond to that. Then when I graduated, I just knew there was no way I could make money from it. I actually did not want

But then during the pandemic, I wanted to turn my passion into a business so I was doing a lot of commissioned portraits. I realised people don’t want to pay that much money for what I was doing.

The money I was getting did not justify how much work it actually took to create those portraits. So, it was yet another turning point for me. I was in a weird mental space comparing how much I earned working non-stop to the average salary. It really killed my passion.

I had a bit of time to reflect. I knew that I wanted to make an impact but not money. These commissioned pieces weren’t doing either. So I have arrived at a point where I would only make art with the intention of mobilising people’s perception on things that we need to talk about urgently, in hopes to influence positive change.

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Walk us through your painting process?

I usually start off by making a collage on my computer, combining different elements together.

Then I would make a small painting just to test out colours, composition and all the technical aspects. After evaluation, I would move on to a larger size canvas and to focus more on experimenting with mark making and seeing what works. Once I am happy with everything, I would make it into a large-scale work.

It is a long experimental process for the most part.

It’s about figuring out the right feeling of a piece of work and recreating the image that I have in my mind.

What is your favourite medium to work with?

I think oil is definitely my favourite. It is the most challenging of all mediums I’ve worked with. It is unpredictable and incidental but it’s gorgeous once you find your way of making it work. That’s the beauty of the medium. It forces me to not be so judgemental with what I’ve created, just letting things be and not allowing my mind and impulses control my actions. It’s something that I carry to other aspects in my life.

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When you are not painting, what else do you like to do?

I go to the gym. I like to cook and eat healthy. I like to meditate, read books. I would see friends and go for walks in nature. Watch a film or a documentary that would enrich my life with knowledge. I like to sing, even though I can’t sing. It’s my fantasy to become a pop-star, which is like every gay’s dream! In general, I like to take care of my mind and body. Making sure that I’m kind to myself and listening to my intuition.

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Photographer: Frederick Wilkinson @fw_photo Art Direction: John Hui @johnhui93 @johnhuiart Model: John Hui @johnhui93 MUA: Tina Khatri @tinakhatrimua Nails: Lukas @nailedbylucas Producer: Deyvid Dimitrov @davidoffsal

Do you have a goal you want to achieve with your art?

I want to be represented by a gallery that I believe in, and vice versa.

I want to be able to reach an audience that gets what I do and entertain the discourse that my work is touching on. I want to be able to expand my creativity into different fields, especially with my modelling career.

I want to combine the two together and make statements that my art alone cannot make. Using my body to articulate ideas in a different way, which is exactly what we’ve done with our photoshoot.

I wanted to use photography, fashion, make-up, nail art to create a visual journey and tell a story and depict how Covid has changed our daily lives. I wanted to highlight the paradigm shift in all of us. The photos are my way of documenting these experiences in a surrealist but personal and sincere way. What I wanted to do was to create these abstract moments that everyone can relate to but in a way that is unexpected and make people think about the things that we have yet to have the time or courage to face and deal with.

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SKN-RG

SKN-RG is a British and independent skincare brand which uses a unique Quanta technology - a high-speed vibration method which collapses the cell to release the full benefits of the plant creating an optimised extract, free from harsh, degrading cold processes, high heat or solvents.

The founders Over a decade ago, SKN-RG was founded by entrepreneurs, expert therapist and business developers Deborah and Robert Scott. Their unique partnership and collaboration sparked the latest innovations that shaped the future of SKN-RG Nature + Science.

Ethics and sustainability SKN-RG's innovations are created in-house from a laboratory, located on the picturesque coastline of Essex, England. Nestled between areas of outstanding natural beauty, it is where the SKN-RG team takes inspiration from this untouched paradise, merging organic chemistry with cutting edge scientific results to incredible effects.

Their products come directly from a laboratory that uses 100% solar energy.

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LUMIERE MOISTURISER 30ml / 1.01 fl. oz £39 The Lumiere Moisturiser, is from their latest Evolution Collection and uses an intuitive Blue Diamond Plankton extract to protect the skin against blue light technology.

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ULTRA MARINE COLLAGEN NIGHT CREME 50ml / 1.75oz £65 Ultra Marine Collagen Night Creme has been developed to give unrivalled overnight skin radiance. Specially selected actives weave their way through this formula to target and treat the signs of ageing at a cellular level, clinical actives reduce pigmentation, whilst enhancing collagen production at the epidermis as you rest to reveal complete overnight rejuvenation.

CELLULAR REPAIR MOISTURISER NORMAL + COMBINATION 50ml / 1.69oz £49.50 Cellular Repair Moisturiser created by cult facialist Deborah & Robert Scott, features the SKN-RG Organics Signature blend of Therapeutic Organic Botanicals chosen specifically to address normal to combination skin types while lifting, firming and defusing reactive skin occurrences. Skin feels nourished. Comforted, moisturised and protected whilst the hands of time are smoothed away effortlessly.

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HYDRA VEIL 3-1 TONER + ESSENCE + SERUM 30ml / 1.01 fl. oz £45 Say goodbye to traditional toners and discover a new generation of gel toning that delivers the ultimate skin perfection.

Discover deep action with the latest groundbreaking “Supertoner”, the latest addition to the Evolution® Range.

Developed by dynamic duo Robert & Deborah Scott, who have captured the power of Isotonic Active Tree Sap. At its base beats the heart of Platinum Water rich in bacteria busting elements that reduce pore size. Teamed with “the” finest botanicals and actives, including Salicylic Acid Liposome. Suspended in vegan-friendly (plant-based) pure Hyaluronic Acid to give fullness to the skin – get total confidence – why compromise?

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DELCASSO Jocelyn Delcasso is the designer behind Delcasso. A graduate of the prestigious Duperré school in Paris, Jocelyn interned at Mary Katrantzou, Louis Vuitton, as well as the knitting factories of Chanel and Hermes, before starting Delcasso in 2019.

These fashion accessories are designed in a Mediterranean and urban spirit. They celebrate a recognizable and authentic design, a universal love for color and stripe. The collection makes visible the preponderant place of the awning fabric in our daily architectural environments. It is functional and creative, in line with our lifestyles and our different needs.

This editorial questions today's youth through the prism of 1970s aesthetics.

It features a colorful youth from an affluent class enjoying the sunny days on the "French Riviera".

Similar to a closed circle with its own codes, these young people are distinguished by their unique and assertive stylistic language. Punctually savvy in terms of fashion, a "beachwear" spirit is creatively interwoven with Delcasso's original DNA: awning fabric.

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JESSICA PAN

The model embodies the secret mistress that is being worn by her lover. She is trapped in this piece of jewellery and is unable to detach herself and highlights the passion and dangers of the lovers’ eye. The imagery is shot to be dreamy and ethereal whilst embodying the passion and dangers of the lovers’ eye.

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Credits Set design: Matthew Lawrence @mglawrence_ Model: Amaris GilliesJ @amarisjamaris MUA: Claire Steinmetz @clairesteinmetzmua

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Drawing Cabaret Couture Drawing Cabaret Couture was created by model and professional dancer Janet Mayer and artist & set designer Matthew Lawrence. Together they collaborate with some of the finest and up and coming designers and fashion creatives to bring their fabulous live drawing classes to your working space. Their concept has proven very successful especially during the pandemic and that’s when it grew in popularity, as more and more creatives needed a sense of normality and a new inspiration. Matthew designs and builds the most dynamic sets to accompany the designer featured that week, while Janet with her adrogynous poses and flexible movements brings the garments to life. All accompanied by a very carefully curated music playlist as well as a narrative promoting the designer and creatives involved.

tion from this incredible visual experience. By taking part in such a creative and social immersive event as Drawing Cabaret Couture, you will have the opportunity to meet many other creatives, as well as learn of designers and artists you might have not come across before, you will see your artistic skills improve and you will gain more clarity, and feel more relaxed.

After each class Matthew and Janet do an editorial photoshoot which is shared with their Patreon supporters, and we have the incredible honour to show some of their images, and the artworks that some of the artists create on a monthly basis.

This month I joined Drawing Cabaret Couture in a colourful and energetic take on classic womenswear with Celine Kwan. Exploring the designs through a 2 hour online drawing class, complimented by a beThe classes have already gained a huge global follow- spoke set design by Matthew Lawrence, and clothes ing of professional artists and illustrators as well as modelled by Amaris GilliesJ - a professional dancer those who simply just want to immerse themselves in and model. this unique new drawing experience.

When taking part in a two-hour art class online, you will immerse yourself into a fantasy world, letting go of preconceptions. You will have the opportunity to focus on colours, shapes and movement from the comfort of your home studio while taking inspira-

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INFLATABLE fashion with eline KWAN

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Throughout the pandemic, we often find ourselves stuck in our living rooms and reminiscing about the small details of normal life that we used to take for granted. However, it is important that we do not forget about the everyday beauty that surrounds us. ‘In my final collection, I have created a living room utopia; a celebration of the beauty and joy that can be discovered in our immediate surroundings at home.’ CELINE KWAN Her collection draws inspiration from famous product designs and furniture of the 1960s and ‘70s.

She goes on to explain ‘I have been inspired by the work of Joe Colombo, Verner Panton and Eero Saarinen in particular, since they did not sacrifice function for aesthetic value.

I have carried this principle into my designs by creating garments that look beautiful while being worn and can also be admired after they are taken off.

My goal is to produce transformative clothing that is functional in unexpected and humorous ways, whether it is being worn to an elegant dinner party or proudly showcased in a living room. Garments that dramatically transform, inflate and change shape to create a sense of drama will challenge the norms of functionality in clothing and will allow me to capture the beautiful shapes of furniture that I admire so much.’

Credits

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Set design: Matthew Lawrence @mglawrence_ Model: Amaris GilliesJ @amarisjamaris MUA: Claire Steinmetz @clairesteinmetzmua

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Artwork by Peyton Dixon 'Who me'

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Anna@annacarlyle_draws Carlyle Gamine 15X15cm Pencil, marker and fineliner

Violet 30x30cm Pencil, marker and fineliner

Betty Southerland @besoart444 16x12in Watercolour

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Cecilia Lehar

@cecilialehar

30.5x29.9cm Gouache and ink

Felicity Cormack @cormackfelicity

Pastel and watercolour 30x41cm

Pastel and watercolour 30x41cm

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Digital drawing

Emanuela Mae Agrini @maettina Digital drawing

Isher Dhiman @isherdhiman

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Transformation 1 30x42cm Watercolour

Transformation 2 30x42cm Watercolour

Jean Warner

@jean_warner_art

Arrival Digital drawing

There you are Digital drawing

Loni Mills @lonstar

Glove Love 28x21.7cm Ink,brush and inktense pencils

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Maksim Koloskov @supermalevich

Amaris 40x31cm Watercolour

Daydreaming 40x31cm Watercolour

Peyton Dixon @peytondixonart

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Keeping afloat in a modern world Digital drawing

Vanessa Lee @resetreality

9x12in Mixed media 9x12in Mixed media

Sun Docherty @sundocarts

Candy 30x41.5cm Watercolour

Sweetie 30x42cm Watercolour

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Susan @susan.tye Tye Lost in a fantasy world 21 x 29.7cm Felt tip and graphite

Taryn Lee @tarynleeartist

Shape-shifter 11x14 Watercolour

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In a room of her own, reading 21 x 29.7cm Oil pastel fineliner and graphite Watercolour

TeresaReinalda @teresareinalda_9modernmuses

Deflated 6x6in Digital

Seated 6x5in Digital

Amaris with Celine Kwan glove 1 30x42cm Pastels

Vanessa @vanessalawrencexx Lawrence

Amaris with Celine Kwan glove 3 30x42cm Pastels57

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MAKSIM KOLOSKOV An interview with the artist of the month Maksim Koloskov is a talented illustrator who is passionate about advertising and architectural illustration. His architectural art has won numerous international awards, and his work has been featured across several platforms and publications.

This month we have the opportunity to talk with Maksim and get to know his work and process in better detail.

Hi Maksim! How are you today?

Hi Deyvid, I am good, getting ready for a family trip to Spain, Asturias, where my wife is from. Looking forward to exploring the mountains and of course painting.

Could you please tell us a bit about your work? Are you a selftaught artist or did you study art?

I guess I am both, I did attend a local art school in Russia when I was a teenager, but I spent more time drawing on my own. Studying in Moscow Architectural Institute (MArchI) definitely taught me a lot. It’s a very old school with strong academic training in drawing and painting, but I found a lot of it boring and learned a lot from a good friend of mine, who was already a skilled artist.

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What is your favourite medium to work with?

Do you have a favourite artist, who is it, and what do you like about their work?

Throughout my life I worked mostly with watercolor, but not limited to it. Past several years I’ve been drawing a lot with ink. In general I prefer to work on paper. Back in the days in Moscow, me and my friend would go to grocery stores to look for different types of paper that they used for wrapping produce. I doubt that paper was acid free.

Tough question, as I can talk about so many artists.

Out of old masters I like Francisco Goya, especially his prints and drawings.

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Among living artists that would be Welsh artist Ralph Steadman, I can look at his work for days.

He is direct, unapologetic, true to himself and doesn’t fuss around

What is your favourite piece of art you have created, or what art piece are you most proud of?

Before the pandemic I did several large works based on old negatives which were found in an old suitcase at a dumpster in Moscow. There were these old portraits of soviet jet pilots on one negative, so I did my own take on it and merged both positive and negative in my work. I like this work not so much as an art piece, but more as a work with which I connect many thoughts and stories that I developed while drawing it. I was thinking about the pilot, about a person who took a photo, or who made the helmet, or pencil with which I was drawing and so on.

What inspires you, do you have a ritual which helps you get creative, or perhaps you have a muse?

I am spontaneous in my work and in my thoughts, so most of my work is rather fast, catching the moments, but I made a rule to draw at a time I feel I need to draw or sketch something, if that will take only a minute, it’s still better than not doing it. I always have a sketchbook and basic drawing tools with me. Last several months I’ve been hooked on weekly drawing Zoom sessions with Drawing Cabaret Couture based in London. Janet Mayer and Matthew Lawrence put together incredible sets, featuring new fashion designs and more. These sessions give me a good structure and plenty of inspiration.

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What is a piece of advice you would give to your younger self who is looking to become an artist?

Stop playing around and admit to myself that I am an artist. Not thinking of yourself as an artist gives you a reason not to work hard or take it seriously.

Where can people find more of your work?

My Instagram account is the most current @supermalevich I also have a website that needs to be updated: www.maksimkoloskov.com

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Jessica Pan Lover's eye

@goldfoilmag www.goldfoil.eu