a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g
Art For Our Sakes
SHOW ME MORE!! Marcus Pidek
This is the second of two articles about seven wonderfully creative artists I met at The Toronto Outdoor Art Show at the festival that took place last July. You are
also looking at a photo of Yair Stern’s Mokume USB pendants and Heather Rathbun’s mechanistic, kinetic Adjustable Sprocket necklace, from August’s article on their work. They didn’t fit in last month’s issue and I’m happy to show them to you now. Let me introduce you to Annyen Lam, one our extroverts in the group. She showed medium sized framed pieces that seemed to fool the viewers into thinking the materials were all kinds of mediums - horse hair, thread - except what the really were – paper! But each work is a single sheet of paper with intricate cuttings by the hand of the artist that form intriguing designs and patterns which depend perhaps even more on the negative space than the solid and sometimes wistful shapes she creates. They draw the eye around and around, like a good design should. “I’m inspired by the movement of water traveling across the surface. The subject matter is involved in my own experience. The show went very well for me, I sold work. I love the chance to meet with the audience. Their reactions can be more visceral. I get a chance to engage. I never intended my paper creations to be something serious when I started. I’m happy with how it turned out – without pressure. I’m not one to do mediocre work, I always do my best.” “I started paper cutting by making cards for my friends. I used Japanese paper, it’s very thin. This strong paper allowed me to cut intricately, after I figured the composition. I went from gifts for friends to seeing paper as a different medium. The Japanese paper transforms our own outlook on shapes. Most people don’t believe my pieces are done by hand. It’s a very transparent process and yet people complicate their impression of the image because they don’t think it’s paper. One piece can take days to complete. Traditional paper cutting is always hand cut.” A multi talented artist, Annyen is involved in book art, stone lithographs, paper cutting, book binding and screen printing “I feel a visceral
attachment to art by hand on paper. I’m often fascinated by ideas which don’t easily settle in one medium. It takes time – a lot of experimentation. I can’t define an idea until I make it real in one medium or another.” “As an OCAD student, I was more excited about learning new things – it’s smart to keep the mind elastic. I loved the positive response in school, so many good moments.” Annyen hangs her designs in box frames, which have a space between the glass and the back. This emphasizes the three dimensional appearance of the paper creations because they hang away from the solid back. “People insist it’s something else. They overcomplicate the experience.” “I have a lot of trust in paper. The grain is not distinct. The blue piece is coloured from lithographic printing. The blended colour was
FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING
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