INSIGHT Magazine | Volume III | Issue 1

VOLUME III | ISSUE 1 WWW.ONEFOKUS.ORG/INSIGHT

Founded in the summer of 2003

by Alma Davila-Toro and Atiba T. Edwards, F.O.K.U.S. support artists and audiences through events such as workshops, concerts, art shows and our magazine, INSIGHT. F.O.K.U.S. creates a continuously growing community where the arts strive as we believe the arts enable people to rise above barriers in society.

F.O.K.U.S. expands the view on what is considered an art and raises awareness to the beneďŹ ts and need of creativity.

CONTENTS

Volume III | Issue 1 02 Letter From the Editor 03 Street Style 04 Forever Foxy 08 Sights and Sounds of Jamaica 12 Nothing Standing in Her Way 14 The Many Portraits of a Man 20 Solus 27 Life Acrylic 28 Black Sand on Concrete: A Performance Art 36 Recession Art 40 Route 6 41 Glow Shapes at Preschool 42 Infinite Playlist Chapter 1: Curated 44 Cover art: Haitian Generals Street Style

Art

articles / Q&A

Photograpy

poetry

F.O.K.U.S. CRU

Infinite Playlist

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER / ATIBA T. EDWARDS

Atiba is a perpetual visionary that likes to do art in the dark since it is easier to see the true light.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / MAYA POPE-CHAPPELL

Maya Pope-Chappell is a freelance writer and multimedia journalist from Oakland, California. She currently resides in Brooklyn.

EDITOR / ALLISON MARITZA LASKY

Allison is an Assistant Director of a Preschool in downtown Brooklyn. She is working on a masters in public health and is a participant in other non-profit work.

LAYOUT & DESIGN / JEFF ALBERT

Jeff is a creative type whose favorite questions are Why? and What if...? In that order.

CONTRIBUTORS / ANEICKA BOOKAL / EMILY CARMEN / ATIBA T. EDWARDS / MEGAN FINNEGAN / ALEJANDRO GUZMAN / MOLAUNDO JONES / ALLISON MARITZA LASKY / LARRY LOPATA / MAYA POPE-CHAPPELL / BUD RAMSAY / ALZO SLADE / VINEETH THOMAS WWW.ONEFOKUS.ORG/INSIGHT Questions and comments can be directed to info@onefokus.org Submission inquiries can be sent to insightsubmit@gmail.com All advertising inquiries can be directed to ads@onefokus.org INSIGHT is published by F.O.K.U.S. Inc.

All rights reserved on entire contents. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of F.O.K.U.S. or its subsidaries.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Volume III | Issue 1

2010 opened with a devastating earthquake that destroyed much of Haiti and killed hundreds of thousands of people. The images that came out of the region days after the 7.0 quake showed suffering in its rawest form— piles of mangled bodies, survivors covered in blood and dust, and portions of lifeless bodies pinned beneath the rubble.

The cover image, “Haitian Generals” by Alejandro Guzman, evokes the strength and resilience that continues to flow through the blood of Haiti’s people. Guzman created the series of drawings based on recognizable photographs of Black revolutionary leaders such as Toussaint L’Ouverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Georges Biassou. Using art to look at the social, cultural and political history of Haiti, Guzman says he hopes the drawings will encourage people to look to the past as inspiration for how to rebuild Haiti.

Inside the first issue of Vol. III, is a Q&A with Emmy-nominated illustrator Wayne Coe. Coe speaks to his recent venture into sand painting, an art inspired by old school male porn ads. This issue also features dope photos of solitude from Alzo Slade, a heartbreaking, but triumphant autobiographical story by Emily Carmen, and more.

As you thumb (or click) through the pages, you’ll also notice that we’ve given this issue a bit of a facelift, complete with new features and a colorcoded layout. Let us know what you think about the new look and the content by sending us a message at info@onefokus.org.

Maya Pope-Chappell 2 | INSIGHT

Photo by Maya Pope-Chappell

Street Style: Grayed Out

Rebecca Turbow Soho Gallery

Forever Foxy Words and art by Molaundo Jones “Forever Foxy” is an ode to the indomitable Pam Grier. The first time I saw her was in the classic Blaxploitation era film “Coffy.” With her gun in hand and stylized expletives, “Foxy” was always ready to show men that she was not to be taken for a joke. And she always looked so good while doing it. I hope that people who view the work can feel her power, intensity, beauty, and rebelliousness. This oil painting on canvas is a life-size composite referencing two iconic photographs of Ms. Grier. It is my first painting of 2010.

4 | INSIGHT

Forever Foxy Oil on canvas, 30"x40" Atlanta Studio Molaundo Jones is a painter currently living and working between New York City and London. He has an MFA degree in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) and has most recently exhibited in Brooklyn's Skylight Gallery. His work can also be found in the collection of Maya Angelou. www.molaundo.com www.vimeo.com/molaundo

Photo by Ely Key

Photo by Ely Key

Photo by Ely Key

Sight and Sounds of Jamaica Words and art by Bud Ramsay My paintings are inspired by the sights and sounds of my native Jamaica and the colorful memories of my times spent there in my youth.

My mother always had a garden and my father was a florist, thus 8 | INSIGHT

my use of vibrant and vivid colors.

The darker colors represent the violence and struggle I witnessed in the midst of such beauty.

Bud Ramsay is a singer/songwriter and founder of FYRE Zone, an organization established to work with inner city and at-risk youth with a passion for music and the arts. He resides in Brooklyn, New York. Check out his site at www.fyrezone.com or contact him directly at budramsay@gmail.com

“Colors of my Mind”

“Faith and Hope”

“Island Home”

Nothing Standing in Her Way Words by Emily Carmen 2003 was the year I almost died.

My heart rate had plummeted enough for me to black out. For five years, I suffered from extreme pains in my limbs, which made it impossible to walk. My weight dropped drastically to a nearly life threatening low. Finally, after being repeatedly misdiagnosed and almost having to have a pacemaker put in, I was diagnosed with Porphyria, a rare metabolic disorder. Little did I know that the frustration and fear of my disease would inevitably show me my strength. Porphyria, my kryptonite, reconnected me with my one true love—music—a love that would neither fail nor ever leave me.

Seven years ago, I was forced to leave Berklee College of music and return home because of my health.

The decision meant putting my life and dream of being a composer on hold. For five years, I was in and out of hospitals and extreme pain. I found solace in listening to my favorite artists, subconsciously taking notes of the musical composition 12 | INSIGHT

and the innuendos in their lyrics that would inspire my own. How Freddie Mercury established simple piano melodies within the harder rock tunes of Queen songs, or Kurt Cobain’s guitar and harsh singing style as he verbalized the pain I could no longer describe. Mercury’s lyrics to “Keep Yourself Alive” and “Who Wants to Live Forever” made me not want to give up, while Cobain’s “Something’s in the Way,” triggered a deep longing I had for my violin.

As my body’s healing ensued, my guitar became my physical and emotional best friend, leading me to write my first recorded song “Something’s.” I composed the track in the studio my father built for me in our basement. There, within the comfort of my own home, I could strum the cords of my guitar, play my violin, mess around with the electric drum kit and SONAR recording software.

“Something’s standing in my way / so instead I think today / that I’ll just walk away,” were lyrics I wrote born out of my frustration with my

Photo by Maya Pope-Chappell

Emily Carmen

disorder and how I wanted to just give up and let go.

“Something’s” became my public service announcement to the world—how we sell ourselves to be what others expect or intend for us to be, all the while forgetting about ourselves—an experience I know all too well having lived through Porphyria. My disease forced my being to confront its capabilities, passions and most genuine identity.

My voice, through a pitch shifter, ended the song with the words, “Game Over,” conveying life’s identity as a game we have control over in the moments we trust and own ourselves.

Being a Porphyria patient was a boon to my renewed passion for music. Each of my songs come from my deep rooted fears, disappointments, enlightened moments and internal processes that collaborated in helping me realize that I could depend on music to get me through tough times. Music was my best friend that helped me when “something” was “standing in my way.”

Emily Carmen is a composer, songwriter, lyricist, musician and performer who creates original music in her home studios located in NY and LA. www.EmilyCarmen.com EmilyCarmen@gmail.com

INSIGHT | 13

The Many Portraits of a Man Words by Vineeth Thomas Rays of the sun caught the Brooklyn Queens Expressway on a chilly fall day as I approached a small photo studio on President Street. The studio is home to Victor Giganti, a Brooklyn-based artist whose difficult journey has never diminished his zest for life.

A photographer by profession and passion, Giganti always has a smile on his face. On entering his home, photographs on the walls wrestled for attention. One black and white photo showed a group of kids in Cuba, one of them pulling a piece of gum three feet from his mouth.

Another was a coy glimpse of a 14 | INSIGHT

bride snapped on her wedding day.

A third, in color, had a ruggedly handsome man fixing visitors with an intense gaze.

Giganti walked around his small apartment explaining his work. “I think that I’m a born portrait artist,” said the 66-year-old.

Giganti’s voice had a youthful quality to it, which sat unusually with his weathered face, smooth scalp and glasses. A stool greeted me just like another subject of Giganti’s shoots.

The scene came to life as I experienced how a photo shoot worked.

The clicks of the shutter were interspersed with the photographer giving instructions about what he wanted to see.

Photo by Ely Key

Photo by Ely Key

PhotoPhoto

by Victor

by Ely Giganti Key

Vineeth Thomas

The subjects that appear in front of Giganti’s lens are diverse, ranging from criminal lawyers to street hustlers. One particular subject, lawyer Nicholas Wooldridge, is a yoga enthusiast like Giganti.

Photographs of Wooldridge show beautifully intricate yoga poses with his body off the ground balancing on his hands.

Even though he has done it only a handful of times, Wooldridge said posing for Giganti was special. “It’s easy to connect with him,” said Wooldridge. “He is able to really capture you as a person—the reality of a person. It’s not an artificial pose. The photo shows whoever I am—who I think I am.”

It was relatively easy to get Wooldridge to pose since they were friends for a while before Giganti asked him to step in front of the lens. But what about the street hustler with a violent, drug-riddled past who agreed to go nude for the camera?

“When he comes here, all of his anger at the world leaves him and he turns into this other person,” said Giganti. “It’s the magic of art.

We work as artists together and he transforms.” Giganti said he could empathize more with such subjects because of his own personal struggles through the years.

One of the near-insurmountable hurdles arose at a time when he 18 | INSIGHT

was still trying to discover his form of artistic expression. In 1974, he was hit in his right eye with a champagne cork and lost his retinal vision permanently. One day, not long after that, he had a life-changing experience.

Giganti was out driving with a friend over the George Washington Bridge in New York City, and his friend had a pair of binoculars. “I was listening to some fabulous music, I looked out through the binoculars and I saw a composition for the first time,” said Giganti. He realized he was composing a photograph in his mind and continued doing so long before he ever held a camera.

“My reason for buying a camera after recomposing the world through binoculars was to have some evidence of what it was I was seeing. The change of perspective and depth of field and the power of composition through a lens was exciting to me.”

Once Giganti started taking photos, people immediately saw him as an artist. “It was different back when I first began to photograph because everyone didn't walk around snapping away at every nuance in their life with cell phones and other capturing devices,” said Giganti.

“Photography had a more powerful impact because it took effort and intention.”

Embracing the shifting tides

Photo by Victor Giganti

Vineeth Thomas

through the decades has given Giganti more appreciation for photography and a thirst to learn new things. “It has trained me in another aspect of being alive, navigating the world.�

Vineeth is a freelance writer and student at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. He is an international student and has reported in India and the Middle East. www.thomasvineeth.com

INSIGHT | 19

Solus Words and photos by Alzo Slade The notion of solitude has a significant influence on my work. There is a certain freedom that I enjoy while in solitude that can give birth to both happiness and angst. When alone, I am left to the company of self. If I dare invite honesty into the conversation, I run the risk of learning things about my character that need to be adjusted. Solitude allows me to hear this conversation. The fundamental substance of growth is learning, which has mostly to do with listening. Although the ability to listen is important while among people, as I refine this skill in solitude it allows me to be better 20 | INSIGHT

with people and subjects that I photograph. I find myself increasingly able to listen to them when they are not speaking. Many times I will simply grab my camera and walk the silence of the streets. As I am walking, I shut up, listen and I only speak when spoken through.

Solitude is personal and mysterious.

For that very reason it would be an intrusion upon your freedom to read them if I described what motivated me to capture each one. With that in mind, it can be noted that the images you see here are a result of my fascination with solitude and the paradoxical relationship it has with freedom and despair. www.alzoslade.com

Photo by Ely Key

Photo by Ely Key

Photo by Ely Key

Life Acrylic Words by Larry Lopata Street mangled mysteries dissipate in the rising steam.

In the twilight there are few available to tell the tales Those that can carry expressions from shame to fame Their grin tips there hand and reflects times had Like the garbage those on the short side wish it to be cleared away While others wish to ride the feeling out to its fullest Mine is vested in the energy of the calm of now That brief moment when the city is caught waking up When the stage is being set for the next myriad of moments The living painting that is the city INSIGHT | 27

Black Sand on Concrete: A performance Art An Interview by Maya Pope-Chappell What do male porn ads, sand and pavement have in common? Wayne Coe. The Emmy nominated illustrator and Los Angeles native began sand painting last spring after being inspired by a series of drawings he did called “Artsploitation” on male porn ads from the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

Coe began squatting in front of museums and galleries using a few paintbrushes and black sand as a transient medium to recreate these ads with contemporary artists on concrete. The decision to do sand paintings he says, was a stark departure from his work as an illustrator creating film posters for movies like “Out of Africa” and “Back to the Future,” and title sequences for shows like “Storymakers” on AMC. I caught up with Coe, whose work has appeared on pavement from New York City to Switzerland, to find out more about his meticulous, yet fleeting form of art work.

28 | INSIGHT

Mpc: How did pavement become your medium of choice?

WC: As soon as I decided it was going to be a public activity, pavement was the obvious canvas in front of me. When I first did it [on pavement], it seemed very crude cause it has all these holes and valleys and when you drop sand, it drops into those and you can’t move it around with a piece of cardboard like you can on flat wood. You have to brush it out of those valley’s to control it. But over time, I’ve become completely used to that. It seems like a great drawing medium.

MPC: Where did you create your first public sand painting?

WC: My first sand painting performance was in front of Pacewildenstein in Chelsea [New York City]. I chose the gallery because they had a high profile Alex Katz show, an art star featured in one of my “Artsploitation” drawings. And the response was incredibly enthusiastic from a variety of communities. The entire local community was excited about

Photo by Jim Ryce

Photo by Terrenceo Hammond

Wayne Coe

this memory, this mythology I was resurrecting through sand.

MPC: You've compared advertisements to sand paintings. How are the two related?

WC: Advertising isn’t that different from sand painting. A studio will take 40 million dollars and pour it into posters, street ads, billboards, radio, TV [film] ads and in two months it’s all gone. So how is that so different than a sand painting.

For me, it’s kind of dystopian insertion of chance into artwork.

MPC: So you don’t mind people trampling through your artwork after you’ve spent 5 to 8 hours working on it?

WC: Well it completes the piece.

So it makes me feel good. People are standing around me towards the end of the creation of the piece and they are yelling “this is amazing. This is beautiful. They should make it permanent.” But as soon as I stand up, and cease the performance, suddenly people don’t see it at all and they walk right through it. So the very people that are cheering it, won’t see it if I’m not squatting down on the ground executing it. And they’ll erase it.

And it seems perfectly appropriate that they, whoever they are, the community, should be the one erasing this piece about transients of community.

MPC: Has anyone ever intentionally interfered with your sand paintings?

WC: Generally, there’s no interference or negative input at all. Except, there’s always the person that owns the building in front of which you’re doing it, [who] are never quite sure of what to make of it. Everyone expects me to be a graffiti artist. To etch it into the concrete. To spray paint over it. These were never in my mind. And it’s one of the first things I have to assure people of.

MPC: Speaking of the building owner, do you ever get permission to create art on the sidewalk or do you normally just set up shop?

WC: I find if I ask permission, lets say 1 in 10 people don’t like what I’m doing, if for any reason I happen to bump into that 1 of 10, they’re going to say no. And then what do I do? I know what I’m doing is good and important and also utterly harmless. So in a way, the resistance of the institution or the gallery or the artist, is way more a reflection of them then it is of me and what I’m doing.

MPC: Have you ever been harassed by the cops?

WC: Most police come by and they’ll inquire what I’m doing and they’ll inquire if it’s permanent. Soon as they see I’m sand painting, they think I’m a fool and they say “Have a nice day.” If a INSIGHT | 31

Photo by Maya Pope-Chappell

business owner calls the cops, and says someone’s doing something they don’t like, then it becomes a different issue. For some reason the police feel obligated to take action. And that’s what happened at Sotheby's [art auction house based in New York City] on auction night.

They threw five police officers at me [who] prevented me from completing my sand painting. And I got a ticket, [which] was successfully dismissed.

MPC: What’s the best part about 32 | INSIGHT

sand painting?

WC: The social interaction with the community. That’s one of the most important elements of it. It’s a beautiful way to get involved in multiple communities. All my work tries to draw attention to dissipated communities and show how they’re still alive now in the fine art world.

MPC: You’re normally surrounded by a mass of people who watch you as you create your sand paintings. What makes it so universally

fascinating to people?

WC: I think the content and the material is provocative, but not offensive. I think the skills to be able to do it in a semi-photographic fashion using sand out of a coffee cup and a couple paint brushes shows a very strong skill set.

MPC: What’s the motivation behind your look?

WC: I made the decision to dress like that for these performances [because] it has a specific impact

on people. I work on the pavement near the gutter and I want to differentiate myself from the other people I see on the pavement near the gutter.

MPC: Do you make money doing this?

WC: I haven’t figured out precisely how to make cash doing this yet.

MPC: Have you ever considered a tip jar?

WC: I don’t want tips. I don’t know INSIGHT | 33

Photo by Maya Pope-Chappell

what I would do with quarters and dollars and change. I want commission. This is very valuable work.

Right now I’m giving it away.

MPC: What makes for the best pavement pieces?

34 | INSIGHT

WC: No rain. When I did it at the porn location, 55th Street Playhouse, within 10 minutes right after I finished, it began to pour. And it began chopping up the sand painting like cheese. The droplets were literally cutting holes in it. It was

just wonderful. And there was some woman behind me like “Oh no!

It’s getting washed away! All that time!” And I felt quite the opposite.

I felt quite high because it seemed like a divine erasure as opposed to an earth bound erasure. That was

probably the funnest close to a performance.

Learn more about Wayne Coe at: Prostoryboard.com Waynecoe.com INSIGHT | 35

Recession Art Words by Megan Finnegan Reusing found materials is one way artists are coping with a bad economy, and Ian Trask is no exception—give him a sack of old belts, and he'll make a Christmas tree. Add on framed collages and bent-fork creations, and he’ll give you such an exhibition as he did at Recession Art’s Bull and Bear Market last December.

At 20-something, sisters Emma and Ani Katz founded Recession Art two years ago to provide local artists with an affordable venue to showcase and sell work. They also wanted to give the public opportunities to purchase original artwork without breaking the bank.

“People say it's a great idea,” said Ani, a Brooklyn-based photographer. “I don’t really love going to white box galleries in Chelsea [New York City] where somebody blares at you from behind the counter.”

36 | INSIGHT

Recession Art’s first show attracted over 200 patrons and featured a host of unusual objects from artists like Pamela Criscarfi, who fashions necklaces out of found objects, cobbling together antique earrings and parts of music boxes. “Everybody here is really committed to a whole reclaimed, re-purposed concept,” Criscarfi said during the event.

In comparison, Recession Art takes just 25 percent commission from sales, a significantly friendly cut compared with the 50-60 percent some large galleries collect. The ability to do this stems from their fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas, a non-profit organization that provides financial and legal support to its members and allows individual artists to benefit from non-profit status.

Adam Natale, Director of Membership and Program Development at Fractured Atlas, said budget cuts at

Photo by Photo Meganby Finnegan Ely Key

Megan Finnegan

the New York State Council on the Arts have hurt their members, but that generally he hasn’t seen donations decline. “Our membership has actually grown during the recession, with people realizing they need extra help during this tough time,” explained Natale who also noted that the tough economy is leading people who have lost work to turn to creative endeavors.

In some ways the survey quantifies what artists already know—about two thirds of artists work additional jobs; 71 percent of respondents find grants, fellowships or scholarships “very helpful” resources—but it also articulates an optimism that not all career tracks are experiencing.

Nathan Carter, a recent graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, is an example of this theory. He runs the wood shop at the university, and displayed his handmade woodwork at the event. While waiting for the market to recover, Carter said architects have to “find something else to do for a few years, which 38 | INSIGHT

Photo by Megan Finnegan

A report released by Leveraging Investments in Creativity came to the same conclusion as Natale. “Many artists are hopeful despite the economic downturn, because they see it as an opportunity to experiment,” stated the report in its preliminary findings of a national survey.

is ironically good for the arts. A lot of architectural people are very artistic.”

Recession Art’s next show in the spring has already received 70 art submissions for 15 slots—and the sisters hope it will continue to grow. “There’s no point in waiting for an opportunity to be given to us,” Emma said. “Why wait until the recession is over? Let’s just do it ourselves!”

Megan is a writer in New York City with an undergraduate degree in theatre. She is currently a master's candidate at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. www.meganfinnegan.com

Emma and Ani Katz at the Recession Art's Bull and Bear Market's show last December

Photos by Megan Finnegan

Route 6 Words by Aneicka Bookal If you kissed me on my cheek...my eyelids...would lips follow, breath mingling, palms caressing the underside of my thigh. I'd smile that secret smile.

Joy like this is meant to be secreted away, like movie tickets from first dates and love letters stained with lipstick and perfume. Way deep down it would curl in my chest like something living, so powerful that it would tickle me and I'd laugh out loud to myself on the bus and smile...

Aneicka is a grad student at NYU and resides in Brooklyn, NY. She can be contacted at aobookal@gmail.com.

40 | INSIGHT

A Bright Future Photo by Allison Maritza Lasky

Credit Title (Location) Description Credit Info

Infinite Playlist: Chapter 3 A Revolution Is Nothing More Than a Choreographed Dance Curated by Atiba T. Edwards It takes a brave soul to start a revolution just as it takes a brave soul to start a dance. On the latter, we've all been in this situation: at a party where everyone is wall flowering when suddenly a circle forms around one person dancing, whose energy is so infectious, it makes everyone else want to dance (think of how folks go from strangers to a choreographed dance team like the electric slide at wedding parties). A revolution, whether one of love, human condition, arts etc., takes a person with an energy and spirit so contagious, that it precedes any physical contact.

This energy gets the buy-in from a group of people who want to be part of this revolution. A revolution is started just like a dance, it takes the confidence of knowing that in order to start it, one will be alone on the floor.

Thelonius Monk – I’ll Follow You (The Complete Blue Note Recordings) Nina Simone – Revolution (To Love Somebody) “Singing about a revolution / Because we talking about a change / It’s more than just air pollution / Well you know you got to clean your brain” Erykah Badu – The Healer (New Amerykah, Pt. 1 [4th World War]) “You don't have to believe everything you think / We've been programmed / Wake up / We miss you” The Black Eyed Peas – Rockin’ To The Beat (The E.N.D.) “What is a band that can't really rock? / What's a MC that's rock on the spot? / What is a mic that ain't got no cable? / What's a DJ without the turn table? / What's a hot girl if she can't really dance? / What's electro without wearing tight pants? / What's a rhythm if it just don't bump?”

DJ Hell – U Can Dance feat. Bryan Ferry (Teufelswerk) “There's a world awaiting / way beyond the sea / How I love to travel / Baby will you come with me” Gorillaz – Rock The House (Demon Days) “Get funkier than funkadelic wearin’ pampers / While you eggheads is on 42 | INSIGHT

the wall preparing answers / Sharing transcripts while we over here / Dippin’ and dancin’ / Rhythm romancin’” Si Se – More Shine (More Shine) “More shine today / Let’s just say / things aren’t and always quite as good as they seem / So how good can they be” Sizzla – Rise To The Occasion (Rise To The Occasion) “Need no distractions, stay focused because it now begins / Got to achieve your goals and it so vivid / No crime, no killing, no confusion / Life is so real, no time for disillusion / Just like mom would say, love is the solution / Keep making music, you'll become a musician” dead prez – Last Days Reloaded feat. Onyx – (Turn off the Radio: The Mixtape, Vol. 2: Get Free or Die Tryin’) “Streets ain’t ready for no revolution / but neither am I / I’m at the club getting stupid / I ain’t got no time to think about whose oppressing me / I’m to ready to smash the first ... stressing me” Nina Sinatra – Bang, Bang (How Does That Grab You?) “We rode on horses made of sticks / He wore black and I wore white / He would always win the fight” Final Fantasy – Lewis Takes Action (Heartland) “The stony hiss of cockatrice has cast us into serfdom / I close my eyes, and spur Imelda down the mountainside / For a liberated Spectrum” Dizzy Gillespie – Things To Come (Dizzy Gillespie Big Band) Gnarls Barkley – The Last Time (St. Elsewhere) “When was the last time you danced / Then come rock with me baby / Dance with me darling / Step with me sweetheart / The world is watching” INSIGHT | 43

COVER ART: Haitian Generals Volume III | Issue 1

Alejandro Guzman From the series titled “They’ll Never Take It From Us,” 2010 Mixed Media on Paper The main concern of my art is the perilous state of our emotional life, narcissism, egoism, boredom, neurosis and existential anxiety. These terms struggle to characterize a life lacking in purpose, passion, enthusiasm, and the ability to communicate.

I believe that art and artists should aim to provide its viewer with the power to act.

Art should seek to communicate with the world at eye level—not just as outside critics, but also as equal participants. Applying this ideal to my own work, I hope that my art doesn’t just refer to democracy, but that it acts as democracy.

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My work responds to the changing nuances of every day life. Therefore, I get out of the studio to feel, touch and to be the seismograph of the social, cultural, and political reality that surrounds me.

This awareness dictates the working and conceptual methods of my art. Through painting, drawing, and collage, my art explores both traditional and contemporary processes of re-appropriation and formal manipulation of images. I bring together bits and fragments that can’t and don’t deliver a satisfying story in the end, but creates meaning by bringing unity to these separate things. My goal is to create art that responds to the world and to daily life at eye level—to restore the possibilities of the individual within the global world.