Everyone has a story to tell and deserves to be heard.
- Mohadese Movahed
Tania LaCaria - 6 -
Andrea Berner - 18 -
Carlos Vergara - 22 -
Camille Theodet - 24 -
Jess Gooding - 26 -
Carlyn Westerink - 28 -
Anicée Romanias - 30 -
Isabella Vella - 32 -
Natasha von Braun - 34 -
Kristen Flynn - 44 -
Luca Levai - 46 -
*** Mohadese Movahed - 48 -
Taylor Bamgbose - 58 -
Cat DM - 60 -
Daniel Howden - 62 -
Mana Mohammadi - 64 -
Page Hall - 68 -
Emma Coyle - 70 -
Julieta Tetelbaum - 72 -
Chloe Jean Brown - 74 -
Shari Weschler- Sumo Bunni - 76 -
Ilana Goldstein - 80 -
Jumana Motiwala - 82 -
Varvàra Fern - 84 -
Alex Pariss - 86 -
Kiera Ariano - 88 -
Laura Martelli - 90 -
Justin Tuttle - 92 -
Ssuuna Frank - 94 -
Ksenia La Hun - 96 -
John Mobolaji - 98 -
Vern Martin-Ivie - 100 -
If you have any inclination to dream bigger, to seek more love, more joy, more happiness, more adventure…I would encourage new artists to do exactly that, in whatever way feels best.
- Tania LaCaria
Through an Abstract Expressionist aesthetic, Italian-Canadian artist Tania LaCaria (b. 1985) explores the concept of paradox and how conflicting realities can exist at the exact same time while focusing on themes based in gender, sexuality, social structure/class systems, body politics, love and relationships. In our interview we talked with Tania about her passion for abstraction, sharing the narrative of a piece with the viewer through writing, and the gift of starting over in your midthirties.
Hello Tania, for people who are not familiar with you and your work, please present yourself shortly and tell us how you got into art in the first place.
My name is Tania LaCaria, I’m an emerging abstract artist from Ontario, Canada. I have always been a creative person and loved painting. My high school art teacher even created an art class just for me because I had exhausted all the art classes available to me and just wanted to continue creating. She inspired me to pursue a fine arts degree, which I did, and then somehow, life got in the way. I went back to school for interior design in order to start my own design consultation firm and ended up taking a 16 year break from making art while I focused on traveling the world and building my interior design business.
In 2021, I returned to canvas-based works and built a home studio to make art a part of my
everyday life. I started to paint again, officially and consistently, after I divorced. For me, it took a major life change to remind me that I had cast aside parts of myself that used to be important to me because I had prioritized other people and projects in my life. I had the opportunity to start over in my mid-thirties. At first this was daunting, but I also recognized the opportunity to start over as a major gift. I knew art had to be a serious part of my new life, and I have been painting professionally ever since.
You explore the concept of paradox and how conflicting realities can exist at the exact same time. What interests you about the concept of paradox?
I am fascinated by paradox – it’s a reminder to me that life is not black and white, there’s a lot of grey area. In the past, I had the tendency to see
things as finite: right vs. wrong, good vs. bad, love vs. hate, success vs. failure. It’s a very limiting way to live and doesn’t provide much opportunity for excitement or humanity. As I’ve developed a stronger understanding of my creativity and spirituality, I’ve been thriving in the grey area.
For example, I’ve been thinking about how there’s no such thing as failure…which means there must be no such thing as success. What if every perceived failure or success is just a life experience and it’s a matter of perspective that identifies an occurrence as positive or negative? I’m sure readers can think of a personal situation in which a perceived failure felt shameful or disappointing, but ultimately led to a new opportunity that spurred a success. That feeling, that there can be joy as a result of pain, is the type of paradox I like to explore in my work.
the big chapters.
You focus on themes such as gender, sexuality, social structure/class systems, body politics, and love & relationships. Why have you chosen to focus on these themes?
I believe these themes are important topics that are relevant to everyone in everyday life. My art is about me and my life, but it’s also a way for me to connect to others by presenting the idea that while we’re all unique individuals with our own stories, there is a lot of overlap in our experiences. My art has allowed me to share parts of myself that I used to keep hidden. By allowing viewers to see parts of me for who I am, I am hoping to give others permission to recognize the parts of themselves that they thought should be hidden as well. A lot of my work is presented through the theme of love & relationships because I believe it is the primary theme that connects us all. We experience our own gender, sexuality, social standing and body politics through the relationships we have with ourselves, but also through the relationships we have with others.
When it comes to my art, high contrast interests me because it mimics my life: the ups and downs, the two extremes, but also, the many strokes, markings and colours in between the big gestures that draw a connection between the two ends of the spectrum. I believe that all life occurrences and relationships are somehow connected, even if the connections are not noticeable at first, the connections come into focus in hindsight – a beautiful reminder to go with the flow in the moment while things crystalize before clarity sets in. Recognizing and exploring how paradox plays a role in my life has allowed me to see the beauty that exists in the space in between
Misogyny is often disguised as love, which is why it’s so easy to accept oppression, because it is presented as being for the recipient’s benefit. I am navigating this world from my own unique perspective and experience, but I feel so grateful that my experiences as a woman, both “good” and “not so good” have been shared by other women. These themes allow me to connect with others, which brings me hope. I have found peace in knowing that I am not alone in my challenging or beautiful experiences as a woman, and I want to share that with anyone who wants to listen.
“I aim to visually communicate my conflicting emotions through juxtaposing shapes and colours in my work.”
What fascinates you about abstraction and if there has ever been a time when you considered working figuratively?
When I first began my artistic career, I was a figurative painter. I often found myself wondering “what should I paint?” and that became an exhausting question. Throughout art school I would build paintings around collections that were rooted in women’s issues and how the patriarchy has set up the entire population for oppression for its own benefit. When I decided to get back into art in a serious way, I began by drawing. Getting back into being a creative after taking such a long break is not like riding a bicycle – it’s like going to the gym after a serious injury. The creativity does not flow easily, ideas feel disjointed and awkward. The drawings were a good start, but one day I decided to pour Indian Ink on a piece of paper for the fun of it. The more I tried to manipulate the paper to create a desired outcome, the less control I had over the outcome…and somehow, this process became intoxicating. Coming out of covid, having been extremely burned out (physically and emotionally) by the business I was running at the time, and after such a painful ending of my marriage, I was eager for an outlet that afforded me some freedom in a way that felt bold and exciting.
Abstract Expressionism is a language to me. People who resonate with my art speak that language. They can feel my work. Abstract work doesn’t need to be understood, it needs to be felt. I learned that I’m attached to the *experience* of creating a painting. I have no attachment to the final outcome. The expressive process calls on my entire body. Abstract art allows me to fully live in the moment of pure expression and intuition, and I can just run with whatever my heart and body need to communicate at the time. Now, I never have to ask myself “what should I paint?” because it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that I am actually painting. All I have to do is show up.
When looking at your paintings on your website, every painting has its own description. Is it important for you to get a certain message across to the viewer with these descriptions?
Yes, I want viewers to know the story that I am telling with each piece. I use my art as a way to connect with other people and find the descriptions of my paintings have made this process easier. I used to struggle with the idea of sharing the meaning or inspiration behind a painting – thinking that the painting can just stand on its own without needing a description, but I have decided that the narrative is very much a part of the creative process for me, and I can’t deny that. My art is a way for me to share my thoughts, beliefs and feelings with others in order to form connections.
In the past, viewers have been drawn to the visuals of my work, but then reading about the painting helps them form a deeper connection to the work, which means in some way they have formed a connection to me as an artist and as a person. My
“I had so many emotions that I was unable to verbalize, but I could finally demonstrate them through art – through splattering, pouring and dripping paint.”
painting descriptions have sparked conversation –not always positive – but conversation nonetheless, and that is important to me.
Any upcoming project that you’d like to talk about?
I recently had the amazing opportunity to work in 3D. I created an 8 foot x 6 foot tall light-based sculpture for a winter festival and it was so freeing to be able to work in a new format. I had a great team that pushed me to think outside of my comfort zone, and I grew so much as an artist. Now, I am unable to think exclusively in 2D work, and I love how wild that is to consider. The new format literally changed my brain and how I think about expression. The entire experience was an incredible opportunity for growth, a real gift.
I have a new collection that I am working on that is combining abstraction with figurative work and also involves a strong component of sculpture. I’m exploring the experience I have had as a single woman in my mid-30s who is childless by choice, and how my sense of value as a woman who has not chosen to reproduce has been viewed by society, especially in the dating world. I am ready to push myself even further this year and bring up some topics that make some people uncomfortable and present these ideas in a collection that stimulates all the senses – it will be more than just a collection of paintings.
I’m excited and feel nervous at the same time, which is exactly the type of feelings I get when I know a project is worth pursuing. The paradox of knowing what I need to do vs. having little direction on how to actually do it keeps me inspired. I am looking for the perfect space to present this collection in
2024. A space that celebrates women and sexuality, doesn’t shy away from gender issues and is large enough to accommodate various media. The entire collection is such a departure from my painting work. I am bursting with excitement and trying to stay focused so that I can allow the joy I feel about pursuing this project overcome the self-doubt that comes with trying something new.
And last question, is there any advice that you’d like to share with fellow emerging artists, especially those at the very start of their career?
I am hardly in the position to be giving advice as an emerging artist myself, but I think it’s good advice to encourage anyone, emerging artist or not, to take risks. I would encourage anyone to invest in themselves, to start the project you’ve been putting off, to change careers if it feels right – no matter your age or stage in life – to take the chance on changing your life for the better.
I spent a lot of my life living by the rules, and it served me well for the most part. But not living by the “rules” has been wildly exciting and invigorating, and I have experienced so much joy as a result. I think taking risks is seen as reckless, because it’s always safer to play it small. But if you have any inclination to dream bigger, to seek more love, more joy, more happiness, more adventure…I would encourage new artists to do exactly that, in whatever way feels best. Seek more. Playing it safe is more likely to lead to regret than trying something new will, and I don’t think anyone has time for regrets.
www.tanialacariastudio.com
Instagram: @tanialacaria
visually communicate my conflicting emotions through juxtaposing shapes and colours in
That feeling, that there can be joy as a result of pain, is the type of paradox I like to explore in my work. I aim to
my work.
- Tania LaCaria
Just Forget It,
Love Letters (To My Exes)(up)
Love Letters (To My
I would encourage anyone to invest in themselves, to start the project you’ve been putting off, to change careers if it feels right – no matter your age or stage in life – to take the chance on changing your life for the better.
- Tania LaCaria
Andrea Berner (b. 2000) is a Norwegian still-life photographer based in Oslo. Her photographic approach is inspired and reflected by her surrounding objects, casting thoughts and testing concepts about the way we live. Through different visual narratives, she explores the unpleasing and forgotten qualities in our food and everyday objects. By changing and isolating objects from their usual context, with curiosity and focus on their visual characteristics, Andrea works to question our understanding and associations tied to our surroundings. Her visual universe is significantly influenced by vibrant colors and a mixture of organic and man-made materials.
andreaberner.no / Instagram: @andrreacam
Page 18: Untitled, 2022, Still life Film Photography, 30 x 40 cm
Page 19: Me And My Dog, 2022, Still life Photography, 20 x 25 cm
Page 21: 19 EVERYTHING I HATE AND LOVE IS DEEP FRY, 2021, Still life Photography, 30 x 40 cm
Stilllife Photography, 20 x 25 cm
Stilllife Photography, 20 x 25 cm
Carlos Vergara (*1989 in Barranquilla, Colombia) is an Artist based in Vienna, Austria. Since 2016 he has been studying Fine Arts Photography at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In his work he positions himself in the periphery of different scenarios, trying to de-velop a language that deals with the self and the other, the here and the there. Through various techniques ranging from photography to collage, sculpture and installation, he questions how we adapt to an ever-changing world in an attempt to materialise empti-ness, absence, and other concepts that allude to identity and melancholy. Using various methods such as covering, hiding, overlaying, deleting and erasing, Vergara attempts to bring these ideas into the space and to the viewer, inviting them in to a moment of interpre-tation. It is precisely this confrontation with the Other that interests him most in the entire artistic process.
https://carlosvergara.co
Instagram: @carlosvergaralab
My work is influenced by the classical works of the old masters through art history, that I twist to represent my current ideas. I am mainly working with airbrushed acrylic and pencil. I am exploring the characteristics that the airbrush has to offer, in between brut and fine art, to mix a classical style of representation with modern codes and techniques.By creating a juxtaposition between past and present, I propose a sarcastic and provocative vision of what was considered appropriate, sacred and beautiful in art history, and create new stories from what has existed.
Through my work, I explore the sensuality, the erotism and the beauty that can be found in the fetish scene and the tattoo scene, in which I take a lot of inspiration from. I am looking to elevate the underground culture to the same status as classical art by focusing on a gesture, a look, a behaviour, an atmosphere that I can find in a reference. I am playing with the original story to create a new one, by adding or changing elements of the piece. I am often adding fetish masks and tattoos, to suggest a new interpretation, playing with identities and roles, as they show as much as they can hide. I intend to propose a more or less subtle clash between underground culture and classical art.
Instagram: @camille_theodet.art
Jess Gooding is a Filipino born British/American artist and designer. She’s based (mostly) in New York. She studied Communication Design at Parsons School of Design in New York and began to cultivate a desire to create non-traditional communication devices that blend her love for graphics and fine art. Jess has worked under Jack Pierson to design a book for his opening show in Turin Art Week, and finds herself inspired by artists like Jack who use space and type to tell stories about human nature and the worlds beyond it. Jess’ first group show was exhibited earlier last year with Mōcana Mama art group at Ideal Glass Studios. She currently has work on show at the Red Hook Winery, located in Brooklyn.
Untitled, 2022, Oil Pastel on Bristol, 8.3 x 11.7 in Next page: Order, 2023, Oil Pastel on Bristol, 8.3 x 11.7 in
I am a fan of whimsey, big bold colours and shapes, as well as fine details that suggest movement. In my work, I try my best to embody these two scales, and with them I am often trying to discover new abstracts to reflect my inner worlds. A lot of the imagery I play with I feel pass through me in hypnagogic/meditative states. I find that this can be both exciting and unnerving. The great joy for me comes from depicting these feelings via forms that appear familiar and true to whatever I’ve just experienced. There’s echoing back to source here. It sounds a little mad but the majority of my original sketches are done in the dark or dim lighting ! Oil pastel and graphite pencil are two of my favorite mediums, for the varying levels of command I am able to have over them (very little and quite a lot, respectively). As my practice develops I would love for my creativity to be something that inspires shifts in perspectives and the opening of minds.
jessgooding.com
Instagram: @jessbegooding
Carlyn Westerink (b. 1995 in Kampen) connects the strange reality with our ruthless nature in the form of detailed yet dreamy drawings. She looks at the world with a thoughtful look. With searching eyes she looks under every paving stone; “There is much more to see under our ‘observable’ world, there is a whole universe full of ignorance and that fascinates me. “It inspires and gives her harmony that there is pure chaos under our feet instead of the visible complete control we live in today. The guiding principle in Carlyn’s work is to let the viewer ‘get lost’ in her image and let the spectator wander in their own head.
In 2022, Carlyn obtained her BA Illustration Design at ArtEZ University of the Arts. In addition to working on commission, she finds it important to enter into interdisciplinary collaborations. This varies from giving workshops at schools, forming collectives and being part of a progressive gallery, where the artistic climate is viewed under a magnifying glass.
www.carlynwesterink.nl
Instagram: @ carlynwesterink
My name is Anicée. I am 42 years old. I live and work in Brussels, where I studied Fine Arts in the early 2000s. I grew up in a Belgian suburb. Walkman and fluorescent training. Parents too young, too damaged. My unconscious hides deep down the paternal incest and the maternal complicity. Traumatic amnesia. Three decades later, I remember. A waking nightmare. Marathon therapy, at the pace of a sprint. I have healed most of my wounds. I am currently in court.
My artistic work is inseparable from my healing process. When the veil of amnesia lifted 6 years ago, it washed away the solid ground beneath my feet. Art was my island of peace in the midst of the chaos. I first drew the birds I observed in my garden. I traveled to Peru in 2017. Obsession for the magnificent Amazon, our mother to all. I have been painting it tirelessly ever since. I just finished writing an autobiographical novel. In parallel to this text, I made a series of paintings based on photographs of my childhood of which you can see an overview in these pages.
Isabella Vella is a painter born in Toronto, Canada. After obtaining a high-level secondary education in the visual arts, she studied at McGill University in the Geography and Environmental Science faculties to build upon the environmental themes embedded in her paintings. She has shown work in both public and commercial galleries in her native Toronto and Ontario surroundings, as well as galleries and exhibitions in New York City and the Albright Knox Museum in Buffalo. Her work has been featured in several publications and media outlets, including House & Home Magazine, the CBC, and A5 Magazine.
Acrylic paint and natural pigment on canvas, 20 x 30 inches
Next page (up): The Balcony on Garnier, 2022
Acrylic and natural pigment on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
Acrylic and natural pigment on canvas, 20 x 30 inches
Next page (down): Collecting Kisses, 2022 Acrylic and foraged pigment on canvas, 48 x 60 inches
Vella’s practice combines painting and drawing, utilizing various media including ink, natural forged pigment, acrylic, and gesso. Her materials’ textures and opacities produce a flat-plain image where narratives can emerge simultaneously. Inspired by her academic background in human geography and the environmental sciences, she borrows from the folklore embedded in her personal heritage to manufacture stories of past and present climate endurance. Her paintings often explore imagined heroines amidst a wealth of mismatched objects, patterns, and scenery specific to modern human interaction with the natural environment.
https://www.isabellavella.com/
Instagram: @isabellagvella
Since her early childhood days in Moscow, Russia, multifaceted visual artist Natasha von Braun has been engaged in creative endeavours. After several years of creating dolls from various materials, Natasha felt the desire to go beyond this particular genre and became interested in Contemporary Art- the starting point for her internation career as an artist. In our interview with Natasha we talked about her passion for sculpture and installation, the benefits of meditation for art and life, and why being honest with yourself might as well be one of the few advices you need as an emerging artist.
Hello Natasha, for those who don’t know you, please tell us a bit about yourself and your work.
I am an artist working in various directionssculpture, installation and, more recently, video. Sometimes also a participant in international exhibitions of contemporary art.
My works are so different that it is impossible to describe them in general terms. For example, when somewhere it is required to show works that most express the author’s style, then for me this is really not an easy task, because my style consists of art objects that are very different in their form - equally I make sculptures, installations, videos. Another example, if I were painting girls with acrylics on canvas, then I would say I paint girls with acrylics on canvas. But I can’t even say I work
with ceramics, because equally I work with plastic, mixed media, and my recent work is made of papier-mâché. That is, it will be: I do this, that and that, and many other things. And all this together expresses my author’s style and makes up my work.
In your artist statement your write “Awareness of responsibility and comprehension of the starting points of this human, world, cosmic chain reaction, which goes very, very far, relying on intuition and dreams as a genetic and metaphysical experiencethis is the basis of my artistic method.”
I think we are all responsible for our actions in one way or another. Understanding this makes life meaningful and creative. Sometimes it is really difficult to make decisions and it is not always clear what is good at the moment, people tend to doubt
and compare themselves with others. In this case, I prefer to rely on intuition. This applies not only to life situations, but also to art.
I know that some people think my work is dark (sometimes I get such messages and comments), but I know that I never put anything like that into what I do. I have works about overcoming darkness and moving towards light, but something gloomy as an end in itself seems to me just pointless. I think it is common for someone to see the dark where there is none, or is it just a kind of signer that says “light in that direction!”, this is how they feed their personal gloomy worldview in general. In fact, I don’t think that I and those who are looking for darkness in everything have at least something in common in the perception of art. It’s like seeing a door and a light behind it and not even trying to open it. And what’s behind the door - the infinite space, about which you quoted from my artist statement.
It’s quite difficult to talk so simply about some almost sacred things that I consider to be genetic and metaphysical experiences. It is easier for me to convey this in my works because nonverbal contact is more extensive than words about it.
I also read that since childhood days, you’ve felt the values around you being destroyed. Has creation and art been a way for you to cope with problems and loss throughout your life?
I can say that being creative in childhood is a great distraction from the hardships of the adult world. I immersed myself in everything I was into. Creativity energized me, while people only took away my energy. To some extent, this is still the case. I have
been practicing daily meditation for almost five years. At some point it became necessary, being an artist in the world is also stressful. In fact, I consider it one of the most important decisions in my life. Meditation stimulates art and opens up an endless stream of ideas, while at the same time helping to be more resistant in life situations. But in my childhood, I didn’t know anything about meditation, so I “defended” myself from the world by delving into creativity.
I wanted to talk with you about your dolls…
As a sculptor, I started with dolls, which is probably why this form has partly been preserved in my art language. For several years I created dolls from various materials from paper to porcelain, participated with them in many doll exhibitions. Then I felt desire to go beyond this genre and I became interested in contemporary art, diving into it with my head. This gave me a much larger set of tools for expressing my feelings and thoughts. Now I use all the skills that I have learned throughout my life, such as animation, cinema, dolls, sculpting, painting, sewing, writing, etc. Yes, from time to time, someone calls some of my sculptures “dolls” and at first, I confess, it annoyed me, but then I changed my attitude towards this and even became curious. In that case, I hope I have been able to greatly enrich the term “doll”.
Would you mind sharing some of your creative process with me?
Oftentimes, I start with fast sketches; I think, quickly sketching something, I make notes. Sometimes I immediately know what kind of material it will be – plastic, clay or papier-mâché,
or mixed media, etc. Sometimes it takes time to figure out what material is better to convey what I’m going to express. Sometimes, my work may look like a walk in the park (I really spend a lot of time in nature, it gives me a boost of energy). But when the state of readiness comes, I take up the sculpture. The work is revealed in the process. Working on it, you understand yourself more deeply and the idea has more facets. This is the most amazing part of the making. When the work is done, I try to take good photos, this is also an important part of the process, this is what most people will see.
Your preferred mediums are sculptures and installation- what do these offer you compared to two-dimensional techniques?
I don’t know why, but two-dimensionality quickly bores me. No, I adore watercolor and I had a period when I made some quite good, as it seems to me, series of works. But I return to sculpture and installation again and again, although they are often more difficult to create and require large physical and material costs. Volumetric work captivates me. This is something that can be bypassed from all sides, felt, this is something new in this reality. I remember from childhood, my mother brought a lot of colored pencils and a lot of paper and notebooks from job. I drew non-stop, but for some reason, the same thing. In sculpture and installation, I can be really diverse and that’s a fact. I would like to repeat my two-dimensional experience one day, although such a material as watercolor requires lightness and cannot be done differently with it. Now I’m trying to put my three–dimensional objects in a movie - how many dimensions are that already?
You were born and live in Moscow. How is the art scene there?
My first works going beyond the usual doll were immediately noticed by a popular American magazine and published on several pages with interviews. Then I was invited to participate in the largest contemporary art exhibition in Germany. At that time, I was very actively sending my portfolio to Moscow galleries and museums, but there was no interest to me. Therefore, after a while, I stopped sending out my portfolio and just went where I was invited and where they wanted to see my work. Then there were foreign interviews, publications, solo exhibition in South Korea, big project of the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art in Munich, where I participated with emerging and established contemporary and street art artists.
At the moment, I live in Moscow, here is my home and art studio. But I don’t know much about the current art scene here, however paradoxical it may sound. Perhaps those who complete some educational programs more easily join the local art scene, but I am absolutely not a party person. It was clear that in order to be noticed it was necessary to complete some local contemporary art courses, I thought and... chose English language courses. By that time, my installations were already of a high level, and they were being written about. I try to be honest with myself, otherwise I just won’t be good at what I do. I don’t know what is next, but I feel I’m on my way.
Is there a current or upcoming project that you’d like to share with me?
I’ve finished another sculpture and I’m going to
dive into a new project. It will be a film in which I will combine all my skills and artistic research. I have been preparing material for this project for three and a half years and there is a lot of exciting work ahead. It will be a very relevant time and a very important movie for me, and I hope for many people. This is how I would like to see myself. The genre is close to science fiction, but essentially neorealism.
Any advice that you’d like to share with emerging artists, especially those at the very start of their career?
When you are young, everyone around your wants to give you advice. Many emerging artists often go through doubts, especially when they are among more experienced artists, and some advice can be very upsetting. I know this very well from my own experience. Before accepting or rejecting, perhaps you should think about how the person who gave the advice treats you? Based on this, you can understand what these advisers really think. There is such a brilliant Soviet film, “Cinderella”. The main character, Cinderella, made a rose from silk and offered it to her stepsisters. They looked admiringly at the rose and said: “what ugliness,
what bad taste.” So, my advice is to just be honest with yourself. And if it works, then just listen to yourself.
Any emerging artists you’d like to recommend?
I am so immersed in my work that in recent years I have rarely followed other artists. I think this is even normal for many who are equally immersed in what they are doing. There is so much on the internet that if I start watching everything, I simply won’t have time for my work. Sometimes I see something interesting at exhibitions, but to be honest, I can’t remember any specific beginners right now. Probably, social media makes our way of assimilating information, including visual information, very fragmented, indeed.
And last question, what are your hopes for the future?
There is a dream to open my own art gallery outside the city, in nature. Such a gallery and place for meditation, where art and nature coexist harmoniously.
https://natashavonbraun.com
Instagram: natashavonbraunartist
Image Descriptions:
Next page: All you see, 2022, Ceramic, H 14 x W 14,5 x D 19 cm
Page 40: Madonna Napoletana, 2022, Ceramic, mixed media, H 17,5 x W 19 x D 14 cm
Page 41: Sweet Utopia, 2022, Ceramic, D 25 cm
Page 42: Soul, 2022, Resin, mixed media, H 92 x W 34 x D 23 cm
Page 43: Dalai Lama said that the fate of the world will be decided in the coming years, 2020, Resin, mixed media, H 100 cm
I was born in regional Queensland, Australia. Living on a farm and being the mother of two young children has forced me to feel the mortality of life and take notice of my immediate environment. I have a bachelor’s degree in visual art and secondary education, and I am currently studying a master’s degree in Creative Arts. I have taught art in high school for ten years and have been a practicing artist for six years. Art has always allowed me to play in a ‘grey area’ of life, where I feel free to create an embodied approach to visual communication. As a contemporary artist, I utilise both old and new printmaking techniques to create works that investigate and communicate my identity. I am particularly drawn to investigating facets of motherhood, beauty, decay, and life cycles through found objects I find in my direct environment, and through appropriating past artworks . My art practice serves to stimulate my thoughts and feelings of transcendence- a moving between worlds, whilst foregrounding the abject nature of the human body and its destiny to return to the earth.
kristen-flynn.com
Instagram: @kristen_flynn_artist
Luca Levai is a London based multidisciplinary artist with practices ranging from fine art to textile art. With a BA in Fashion Design and an MA in Textile Design for Performance at University of the Arts London, her curiosity for various forms and the merge between different mediums and disciplines in connection to the human body, has been in the center of her practices. Originally from Budapest, Hungary, she lived and practiced in many countries over the world, from Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Australia and the UK, each influencing and shaping the evolution of her art. She is currently living and working in London as a mixed media artist as well as a textile artist for film.
My practice focuses on large scale collage based semi figurative paintings, exploring the intersection of our human and emotional body, our contained and rich inner worlds in connection and isolation of the external world. The abstract figurative collage based bodies represent the many emotional states of the human body, the physical containment of emotions, self awareness and connection to the many layers of our own inner „universe”. The pieces are a glimps into a moment in time in a soul’s inner emotional dialougue.
www.lucalevai.com
/Instagram: @luca.levai
Born in Tehran, Iran, Mohadese Movahed graduated with a BFA degree from the University of Science & Culture in Tehran and an MFA from the University of Regina, Canada in 2019. In her studio practice she uses the power of visual rhetoric, borrowing elements from her memories, culture & current surroundings to transform socio-political narratives to allegorical imagery. In our interview with Mohadese, we talked about her beginnings in the arts, the element of the wall in her paintings, and why painting, as one of the oldest forms of expression, has the potential to stay relevant to the global issues of our time.
Hello Mohadese, to start with, I wanted you to take us back to your beginnings in the arts, and to how you became a professional artist.
I have been interested in art and painting since I was a kid. When I was twelve, I asked my parents to sign me up for an art class where I learned the foundational skills of drawing and painting; I suppose, that’s how it all started. I began my artistic journey by studying Graphic Design and changed my major later on to Fine Arts as I wanted to create my own world and have 100% freedom and creativity in art-making; I did not feel that the realm of Design was a good fit for me. After finishing my undergrad studies, I gave myself a few years to explore my language in painting before attending MFA school.
Could you please briefly explain the main themes and elements of your practice?
Having grown up in an oppressive society, along with the experience of displacement, led me to shape a new semiotic system in my work; through creating unconventional compositions and juxtaposing contrasting elements, my work attempts to provide distinct visual experiences while investigating the multidimensionality and complexities of my lived experience as an Iranian woman living in diaspora. Juxtaposing contradictory elements such as concrete walls, holes/bullet holes, blood and graffiti with serene ponds, trees and plants, in my work, I attempt to confront notions of trauma, violence, horror, oppression and crudeness against elegance, resistance, beauty and resilience.
In your statement you write, “In my practice, I am interested in investigating the psychological and psychosocial dimensions of life in oppressive societies to emphasize the capacity of art and, specifically, the medium of painting as a way to be engaged with the surrounding realities.”
Due to the popularity and accessibility of a wide variety of digital and technological-based mediums in contemporary art, painting is usually considered more commercial and decorative and less as a medium to be able to engage audience critically. I believe that painting, as one of the oldest forms of expression, has the potential to stay relevant to the global issues of our time and move beyond being merely beautiful or marketable. The numerous possibilities offered by the realm of 2D constantly challenge me conceptually while self-consciously examining the act of painting and drawing.
I also read that your new body of work displays the contradictions and complexities of your lived experience as an Iranian immigrant. How has art helped you personally in this experience, and more generally speaking, would you say that art can be a tool to overcome difficulties?
Art-making, with its therapeutic and selfexpressive qualities, can be an effective tool in helping individuals alleviate psychological difficulties and traumas. For me, art is a method of thought in which I explore my psychological state and investigate the socio-political realities that have formed my identity.
charcoal drawings in which you have emphasized the bodily existence and visibility of female bodies under religious patriarchy. Could you please talk a bit more about these works?
In my practice, I am highly influenced by my dayto-day experiences. When the protests began in Iran, I strongly felt that I needed to make artwork about this feminist revolution to record this historic and monumental event through my lens and visual language. Woman,Life,Freedom revolutionary movement is the riot of bodies imprisoned for more than four decades since the Islamic revolution and under the rule of the mandatory Hijab. In theocratic regimes like the Islamic republic in Iran and the Taliban in Afghanistan, Female bodies have been subjected to violence and oppression to become invisible in society. In these charcoal drawings, I have depicted nude female bodies to desexualize female bodies since, under the Islamic ideology, women’s bodies are considered corrupting and, therefore, in need of control. I have depicted these bodies united and revolting to destroy everything on their way to liberty.
One of these drawings is “A Dope Religion Teacher”. In the caption of this piece, you talk about women who oppress other women. It is a critique that I haven’t come across in public often, as the general status quo is that men are the oppressors and women are the victims. Could you please tell us why you chose to create this work and why you think it is important to raise this issue?
Since September 2022 and the beginning of the Woman,Life,Freedom revolutionary movement in Iran, you have been working on a series of large
Life in Iran under the Islamic government has two distinctively different sides; Public and private life. The government enforces a strict set of rules
and obliges the citizens to follow them when they are in public. Leading this dual life for women is even more challenging as they live under highly restrictive rules. The drawing “A Dope religion Teacher” attempts to criticize women who play an essential role in a patriarchal society by imposing their religious ideology over anyone who fights for free thinking.
Some of these women also deal with this duality; due to their job or source of income, they act as they are dictated. Under religious patriarchy, everyone is a victim, even those with the same beliefs and mindsets. The liberation of bodies leads to the freedom of mind and a society where everyone can grow and flourish.
You released another charcoal drawing of a naked woman in a hijab and commented: “Hijab is inherently discriminatory; it’s not culture nor women’s empowerment! In a free world, you have the right to veil or not, but glorifying Hijab behind the name of diversity only supports the oppressors to kill, torture and rape women for simply wanting to be free from it!” I find this message very important as I have the feeling that, indeed, the Hijab is glorified or at least over-accepted in the name of diversity in the West at times, while at the same time, women in Iran and many other Islamic-majority countries struggle to get rid of it and fight their oppression. Could you talk a bit more about this?
Hijab is invented by men to subjugate women since controlling women’s minds is only possible through owning their bodies. Islam, like any other religion and system of beliefs, must be criticized and questioned. Not criticizing Islam behind the
name of “diversity” and “Islamophobia” only gives the radical Islamists more power and legitimacy to enforce the inhuman rules on women in Islamicmajority countries! It is the time for western societies to further their knowledge of the Middle East’s multifaceted cultures and layered identities to start acknowledging middle eastern women’s fight against Islamic Ideology.
I also wanted to talk to you about the element of the wall in your works.
The element of the wall in my work as it plays a significant role in my most recent paintings. The brick and concrete wall element in my work is depicted as a metaphor for oppression, blockade and a political battleground between government murals and dissidents’ messages. In totalitarian societies, walls are utilized predominantly by the authority to propagate its ideology and influence the populace for predetermined ends while they become the tribune for dissidents to express social concern and political criticism; Shifting the power dynamics, dissidents change the possibility of oppression to a threat against authority through reclaiming the streets.
During the recent months since the Woman-LifeFreedom revolution, Iranian streets have even been increasingly dominated by dwellers to disseminate new revolutionary values. The first layer of my paintings displays metaphorical juxtapositions referencing life’s psychological and psychosocial dimensions in oppressive environments. On the image of the walls in the second layer, I combine mediums of collage, painting, drawing and graffiti to create satirical and ironical situations to reference the deep dualities, disparities and
hypocrisy inherent in ruling systems.
More of a practical question now: could you please share some of your creative process with me?
I believe an artist’s work is the image of what they regularly consume daily. My ideas usually come from my lived experiences and daily influences such as literature, poetry, hiking, and visual research. Researching art history and contemporary art inspires me continuously in my studio practice.
After thinking about an idea for a few days, In the studio, I usually start with a couple of b&w thumbnail sketches to experiment with the different compositions. I use oil pastel, coloured ink or gauche to try different colour palettes before working on the final painting. In my work, I combine mediums of collage, painting, drawing, text, graffiti and use materials such as modelling paste, Cold wax, Liquin Impasto, spray paint and a mix of oil and acrylic mediums to experiment with imitating the texture of cement, concrete and tar.
Painting and drawing are very physical, hands-on processes. In today’s world, many artists opt to create digitally. What does creating manually offer you that working digitally couldn’t?
When exploring similar themes and concepts, the realm of digital and analogue painting can share many similar possibilities and be used as complementary mediums. Not only working with
physical and tangible materials is a distinctively different experience for me as an artist, the physicality of a painting, the process being evident in it, and the fact that a painting is hand-made or machine-made also significantly impact the visual and aesthetic experience of the viewers. For me, the process is as important as the final product; the experimental possibilities, unplanned accidents and the materiality of the different painting and drawing processes shape the final piece and affect its content and meaning.
Any advice that you’d like to share with fellow emerging artists?
Everyone has a story to tell and deserves to be heard. Stories are important as they create connections between us all and give the audience a place to practice imagination. Be brave and confident in expressing your ideas and narrating your thoughts. Believe in the power of consistency and how it leads to growth. Never stop exploring new techniques and themes to find your unique visual language.
And last question, is there any fellow emerging artist that you’d like to recommend?
I’d like to recommend Samaneh Salehi Abri (@abri_ samaneh) and Neda Moradi (@neda84moradi).
Get in touch with Mohadese: www.mohadesemovahed.ca Instagram: @mohadese_movahed_art
Taylor Bamgbose is a self-taught visual artist and certified life coach based in Indianapolis, IN. Working at the intersection of art and mental health, her vibrant figurative paintings invite the viewer into a space of reflection and empower them to explore the inner world of their thoughts and emotions. In the four years she’s been working as an artist, she has completed three major bodies of work; Verses, State of Mind, and Deal With It. Taylor’s work has won several awards, including “Best of Show’’ at two juried competitions. In 2022, she was awarded the Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship through the Indianapolis Arts Council, as well as selected for the Hoosier Women Artists Program. Taylor’s paintings have also been featured in several art publications, including Create! Magazine, I Like Your Work, New Visionary Magazine, Arts to Hearts, and Divide Magazine.
I’m Fine, Everything’s Fine, 2022 Oil and Acrylic On Canvas, 20 x 20 in Sit With It, 2022 Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 48 in (next page)
As an artist and life coach, my primarily goal is to shine a spotlight on the inner world of our thoughts and emotions. For many of us, this world functions in the background of our lives. Focused on the external, we don’t even notice it’s there until we begin to bump up against invisible barriers—relational tension, anxiety and self-sabotage, feelings of aimlessness or apathy. These moments are an invitation to explore the hidden world buried within—the world full of unconscious beliefs, suppressed emotion, and unexplored truth. The world teeming with learned patterns, unmet needs, and a deeply-entrenched terror of never being “enough.” It’s scary to open the door to this world and to see the shadows inside. But it’s the place most in need of healing. My hope is that my work creates greater awareness of the thoughts, feelings, and behavioral patterns that limit and liberate us, and empowers the viewer to experience their life more mindfully.
www.taylorbamgbose.com
“Currently, eighty-three percent of the world’s population lives under light-polluted skies. In my illustration series “Save Our Stars,” I transform my photography to probe light pollution’s impact on our lives. I vividly illustrate beloved landmarks worldwide, as they would appear with clear, bright skies. I wish to use art as a bridge to raise awareness about the importance of preserving our natural environments for historical, cultural, and scientific reasons and our sense of well-being and place in the broader universe. An artist can be a great agent for change in society, either because we do it militantly or in subtle ways. Art and societal change go hand in hand. As artists, we continuously tap into our creative energy, and we can help society find practical solutions to hard-pressing problems. My artistic outlook on life cultivates a sense of awe, finds beauty and inspiration in unexpected places, and connects dots that haven’t been connected before. Art allows me to materialize my emotions, aspirations, and dreams.”
Cat DM is a digital artist born and raised in Medellin, Colombia. Now residing in North Carolina, USA, Cat seeks to inspire curiosity and exploration through her unique mix of photography and digital illustration. Working from her Durham-based studio, Starstruck Creative, she mixes architecture, science, sustainability, and travel to invite viewers to connect with the greater world around them.
Instagram: @starstruck_creative
Daniel Howden is a reduction linocut artist based in York, United Kingdom. Self taught in linocut since 2012, he later studied BA and MA illustration at Liverpool John Moores and Manchester School of Art, respectively. In 2016 Dan received the Anthony Dawson Young Printmaker of the Year award at London’s Bankside Gallery, and in 2021 won the Publishing Award at the RE International Original Print Exhibition. Most recently, he was shortlisted for the 2023 Fen Ditton Contemporary Printmaking Prize. Dan has worked with clients such as Volvo/Vice DE, Dr. Martens and Medium down the years, producing animated and editorial linocuts, but is currently focused on exhibiting his work further afield.
www.dan-howden.co.uk
Instagram: @ dan.howden
I’ve always approached linocut the way you would a jigsaw puzzle - separating a drawn block of linoleum into parts, before positioning and printing these back together again to form a larger image. The end result isn’t necessarily something that resembles a linocut - but it is; it’s an extremely analogue approach and everything is registered and rolled by hand. Like any difficult puzzle, this arduous way or working often requires weeks to complete and the amount of registrations, coupled with the tiny margin for error, mean editions rarely surpass 10. I started Autumnal Series in the midst of 2021 whilst I was off work with stress. I wanted to cheer myself up, create some imagery that encapsulated my favourite season and keep myself busy. For possibly the first time, I made some work that was primarily for myself, and as a result the subject matter became a lot more jovial and fun. Something I inherently love, but hadn’t had the gall to attempt before.
“As an Iranian, the subject of women’s life freedom is of great importance to me. I recently created a series of posters for the women life freedom movement, with the aim of raising awareness and promoting gender equality in my country and beyond. Through bold graphics and powerful messages, the posters convey the urgent need for women to have the right to make their own choices, to live free from violence and oppression, and to have equal access to education and employment. I hope that I can contribute to the ongoing struggle for women’s rights, and inspire others to take action and speak out against injustice.”
Instagram: @st.mana
Mana Mohammadi, a 23-year-old design student from Germany, has found her passion and strength in photography. With a keen eye for composition, lighting, and color, she has honed her skills to capture stunning and emotive images. She approaches each project with creativity, curiosity, and a desire to tell a story through her lens. Mana’s ability to connect with her subjects and bring out their personalities is a testament to her excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Through her work, she seeks to inspire and evoke emotions in her viewers, making them see the beauty and complexity of the world around them.
Page 66: Headgear, 2021, Photography
Page 67: WomenLifeFreedom, 2023,
Page Hall is a photographer based in Columbus, Georgia. Her interest in photography began in high school at her local university’s continuing education photography class. After attending Savannah College of Art and Design she received a fine art degree in photography from the University of Georgia in 2011. She is trained in film and digital processes. In 2013 Page started photographing weddings, spending ten years working in the wedding industry. She learned from dozens of other photographers and worked over 125 weddings throughout the southeast. In 2022 her focus shifted back to art and exploring new projects. She’s interested in memory, abstraction, and natural light. Page draws inspiration from complicated histories, modern art, podcasts, learning Spanish, and a variety of other sources.
https://pagehallphoto.com / Instagram: @pagehallphoto
Untitled XX from RiverSeries, 2022, Photography, 12”x 8” (up)
Untitled VII from River Series, 2021, Photography, 12”x 8”
Emma Coyle is represented by Helwaser gallery on Madison Ave New York. A recipient of 2019’s International Art Market’s Gold List Award, Coyle has been working within art for over 20 years and been based in London UK since 2006. Her Pop figurative work focuses to push ideas and produce accomplished paintings of a Fine Art standard using process and execution of ideas.
“I produce strong imagery working with carefully selected images, and then starting with drawings continuing through to painting. I use large size canvas to embrace the strong colours and line throughout my work. Through my style of painting I mirror the present and reflect on past art movements. My paintings embody the power and strength of imagery, to forward and contemporise Pop art. Currently I work within themes such as minimalism and abstraction. I see myself developing my work through the variety of contemporary media images that I use taking inspiration from NYC 1950’s Pop Art forwarding art history movements.”
https://helwasergallery.com/exhibitions/emma-coyle/ linkedin.com/in/emma-coyle-185187a0 https://www.artworkarchive.com/profile/miss-emma-coyle
Julieta Tetelbaum (Buenos Aires, 1990) is a queer film director, cinematographer, screenwriter and choreographer based in London & New York. Her short films entitled “The Misfortune of Femininity” (2020) “Wake Up! It’s Yesterday” (2021) and “Black Chalk” (2022) are part of the official collection of the Library of Congress of the Argentine Nation, have been officially selected at international film festivals and have been screened in several cities around the world.
The main themes of my work are gender, feminism, childhood, violence, intimacy and sexuality. I am convinced that memories are akin to movies, I start to remember and everything becomes a movie... when I remember I learn to film.
https://www.iulietatetelbaum.com
Instagram: @julieta.tetelbaum
Chloe-Jean Is a Contemporary Artist born in 1999 and raised in the North East Coast of England. In 2021 She acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art at De Montfort university (Leicester) leading her to now live in the East Midlands as an Oil Painter. Although Chloe specialises in Oil Paint, she does often work with Graphite and Charcoal. Chloe spent a lot of time outdoors as a child and has always found herself feeling grounded when in nature. Leading towards adulthood her eyes opened to the disruption of natural landscapes, simply due to our needs and wants as human beings. She has now found herself passionate about the preservation of the planets natural ecosystems so that they can be enjoyed for many other generations to come.
www.chloejeanbrown.com
Instagram: @chloejeanarts
My Latest body of work is named “Natures Empire”. Natures Empire Is an ongoing collection of works that explore the abstractness and fluidity of nature, by observing the natural world in both loose and specific ways. I Identify those which survive of the land and influence the beauty of the decreasing fauna that surrounds us. I paint nature in a Semi-Abstract manner and the subject of the piece is painted realistically. The abstract backgrounds are influenced by a combination of natural shapes and elements I see when on walks and from images of the biomes the subjected insects are found in. I point an artistic magnifying glass onto the insects and creatures that primarily influence the growth and development of landscapes across the globe, providing a closer look at the vibrancy and introcacy that we sometimes can’t see. Overall, I aim to create art displaying the beautiful way I view our planet and because Planet Earth really Is Natures Empire and we just happen to live within it.
Shari Weschler (b. 1970), branded as Sumo Bunni, is an American figural narrative painter, illustrator and photographer who exhibits nationally and internationally. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, with concentration in painting and art history. While attending MICA she studied drawing, printmaking, and gelatin silver photography. Her exhibition history includes over thirty solo and forty group shows and has been published extensively. She is an avid collector of fine art and masks. She was the founder, owner and director of Coastal Contemporary Gallery founded May of 2018 in Newport, Rhode Island. The gallery represented over thirty exceptional national and regional artists and collaborated with independent curators. Her business won Best Of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Monthly 2021 for Contemporary Gallery.
Facebook & Instagram: @SumoBunni
Weschler has served in various positions including board member, curator, co-curator, juror, consultant and portfolio reviewer for other prestigious galleries, associations, and collaboratives. Residing in Providence, RI, she is currently employed as Executive Assistant to the CEO of a corporate consulting firm, while also offering private artist coaching services such as writing, installations, archiving, studio visits and portfolio reviews.
Her work focuses on unveiling the multiple levels of human and humanness. Her goal is to create visuals that push into new realm and transcend obvious assumptions. Passionately interested in quantum mechanics, the psyche, theater, animal nature, technology, communication, and ancient history these elements are found unraveling within her imagery. Illusion and truth travel in unison - as an artist, Weschler feels it is essential to reveal some of those intertwining moments.
I started collaging during peak quarantine, at about twenty years of age, as a meager attempt to piece together fragments of my life that felt so disconnected, so scattered. I found so much potential in the abstract objects and shapes that all began to stand out to me, and how such seemingly adverse and antagonistic elements could be so carefully pieces together so that they flow, seamlessly depicting a message or an idea. Collage gave me an outlet to create - it caused me to slow down, to be present with myself and my art. It not only gave me the tools to truly depict my intentions, but it has made me content to just play around, with no purpose or goal - to view my art as more of a free flowing act, piecing together a puzzle you just have to believe will fit together.
I have come to feel very passionate about a myriad of things - collage, music, skateboarding, and plant-based cooking, to name a few. I see overlap in nearly all of these categories on a daily basis, and I am fascinated by the potential of morphing my passions into one, creating through such a wide, multidimensional lens. I have always been a big advocate of just how deeply connected and intertwined so many facets of our human experience are, and these connections seem most stark when we remain present, when we truly open our eyes and observe. I now see collage all across New York City, where I currently reside - in parks, in nature, in the way the posters get ripped off and disheveled in the subway stations - collage, in its most natural form, is truly everywhere.
www.ilana-goldstein.com / Instagram: @rip__me__up
Next page: IF I MAY, 2022
Paper collage on canvas paper, scanned & edited, 8.5 x 5.5 in
Jumana Motiwala is an artist and designer based in Mumbai. A furniture designer by profession, she is deeply passionate about creating furniture with unconventional materials, unique forms, and emotions. Investigating the social and cultural contexts of everyday objects, the furniture is designed to be thought-provoking. But the most guiding influence in her work is the constant interplay of feeling and reason through an intuitive process. She fervently explores the capability of furniture beyond their functionality, and instead as a metaphor for mental stimulation.
This project is a contemplative journey influenced by the major themes of anxiety, failure, friendship and love that have been a great part of the past year for her. Do objects have personalities? What happens when an object from the surroundings of a person imbibes their personality? To explore the answers to these questions, she transferred her experiences into chairs, making them one-of-a-kind self portraits that are a direct reflection of her emotions. The chairs are made with stoneware. The malleability of this material works well for intuitive hand movements.
Instagram: @jumana_motiwala
She has struggled with anxiety through most of her life. It is the starting point of the series. The shadow-like cloth conceals the true personality of the chair underneath it. Around the seat and back is a cage, that symbolizes the trappings of an anxiety-ridden mind. The knives represent the sharp thoughts that make it unable to get out of the chair.
Life in Chairs-Anxiety, 2022 Stoneware, 105 x 105 x 145mm (first row)
The chair is the person in this concept. A curled up body with a bent back is what failure looks like, according to her. The chair is sitting on a sloppy ball which speaks to the mess of life, meanwhile the blue is a direct representation of the expression ‘feeling blue’.
Life in Chairs-Failure, 2022 Stoneware, 95 x 95 x 145mm (middle row)
Through the hardships of anxiety and failure, her friendships and love have helped her heal and become a better person. This is why the chair is designed to be laid back. Each element symbolizes special friends through objects that remind me of them - the frame is the melting clock from The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali. The monsterra leaves represent the painted walls of a favourite holiday home visited on weekends, and the blanket is a symbol of cozy conversations in a safe space.
Life in Chairs-Friendship, 2022 Stoneware, 125 x 125 x 85mm (last row)
Varvàra Fern is an artist and a sculptor. She was born in 1999 and grew up in Moscow, Russia. She entered Moscow Academic Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov where she studied classic and figurative art. Varvàra got a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and studied sculpture at PAFA (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). She is currently studying at Matser’s program at PAFA.
My art is strongly inspired by my own travel experience, and it reflects the beauty I saw in the forms of road landscapes during my journeys. My art is focused on both the emotional and physical aspect of the travel experience. My own voyages taught me that travel does not just bring a person to a different place; it also makes a great impact on one’s emotional condition. I therefore dedicate my artistic attention to portraying people during their journey in physical space, as well as traversing from trauma and loss to harmony and fulfillment in their spiritual dimension.
https://www.varvarart.com / Instagram: varvara_fern_art
Born in 1983 in the suburbs of Paris, Alex Pariss is a painter, visual artist and graphic designer. His influences are forged through multiple observations that have oriented him for some years towards the Optical and Kinetic Arts. His concepts are distinguished by a proliferation of forms and lines that he intertwines with fractal and psychedelic figures, to execute various projects.
www.alexpariss.art
Instagram: @alexpariss.art
No title 12, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 146 x 86 cm (up) / No title 11, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 100x100 cm (down)
Ariano’s explorations with found objects began by seeking new surfaces to paint on, starting with vinyl records. This quickly grew into a fascination with patterns present in domestic spaces and led Ariano to create works from the contents of a home. The ornamentation applied to these objects, somewhere between kitsch and pastiche, shields against commercial aesthetics of interior décor. The building blocks for Ariano’s visual exploration exist in the inherent familiarity of objects and their purpose. A disconcertion comes with the recognition of the regular, now remoulded and presented in a way yet unseen. Ariano’s work evokes the nostalgic sensibilities of an antique captain’s chair, the unclear story played out by silhouettes behind a frosted window, the conflicting sensation of rough-but-soft wool against your skin. Domestic textures, a fabrication of fantasy, and the uncomfortable abundance of objects spilling out of our lives.
www.kieraariano.art
Kiera Ariano is a multidisciplinary artist living and working on the unceded territories of the ləkʷəŋən and WSÁNEĆ peoples (Victoria, BC, Canada). She will graduate with a BFA (Hons) in Visual Arts and a minor in Professional Communications from the University of Victoria in spring 2023. Ariano’s art interconnects media—combining found objects, video, textile, painting, collage, and generative animation. Her most recent work explores domestic space through installations of altered-artifacts and video projections, invoking textures that hover between quotidian familiarity and uncanny discomfort. Ariano describes her practice as process-oriented, material-informed creation. Working with found material, whether that is discarded furniture, scratched records, or textile scraps, allows Ariano to create sustainably but fundamentally serves as a source of inspiration. The objects become the canvas and allow patterns to be translated across media from one piece to the next. She considers each of her works to be a form of collage.
Red Rug, 2022
Hand Punched Yarn and Upholstery Samples, 49 x 36 in
Laura Martelli aka LaGrotesque is an Italian painter and illustrator from Florence, Italy. She studied Illustration at “The Sign” Comics and Art Academy in her home town, after three years of working and studying in the beautiful Venice. In her artworks resounds all the places she have been to, the people of her life (especially women, as modern goddesses), music and movies she is passionate about. She is a singer songwriter and her art is always influenced by her music and viceversa.
I work on different topics but my latest research is about “inner locations”. An exploration through the colorful and melancholic settings of our Dreams and expectations. The series of paintings I’m working on now is called “American Cream: a trip to the inner Place to Be”. This paintings are what I like to intend as a visualization of soundscapes, they are inspired by some song lyrics, contemporary american literature, and cinematic scenes.
Instagram: @la.grotesque
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Justin Tuttle was raised by a single father within a banal cultural setting in Northern California. Studying psychology and neuroscience in college he attempted to counter an environment that produced a void in his selfhood and identity. Post graduation understanding “what”, “how”, and “where”, identity exists, he struggled to answer his own praxis of selfhood. Completing his Masters of Architecture (21’), investigating the convergence between homelessness and mental illness, he discovered collage as a powerful expression of narrative. After receiving first place for his thesis work, Justin’s practice as an artist continues to grow. He has exhibited in multiple galleries throughout Oregon and Washington, has been published in multiple art magazines, and volunteers as a graphic designer for Playground Gallery, a pop-up art gallery in Portland, Oregon. Justin currently works as an architectural designer, artist, and fabrication lab manager at the University of Oregon.
Dreamer’s Flight, 2021, Collage, 12 x 12 in Next page: Stepping out of the melted bowl of soul, 2021 Collage, 8.5 x 11 in tuttle.design / Instagram: @tuttle.design
My practice begins with the necessity of catharsis. I do not have preconceived notions of what the collage piece should be beforehand. The process of discovery is intentional as an artistic method and cathartic process for me. My collection of work typically touches on topics of mental stability, discovering selfhood, political injustices, and rootedness within geographic regions, attempting to bridge concepts of self within a sociological context. I believe my collages are surrealist in nature, blending “common” seen imagery with an abstraction of an idea. In some cases, the piece requires large amounts of interpretation from the viewer, with the intention of “meaning” being created through the viewer’s own perspective. This participatory act steers away from interpreting art as “wrong or right”, but rather as they internalize it, hopefully bolstering their connection to selfhood by discovering a “meaning” for themselves.
Born to Escape, 2021, Collage, 15 x 15 in
Ssuuna’s artworks have been featured on the Omushana clothing line based in Washington DC. He also exhibited his artworks in several galleries, including Kako Gallery in New Orleans in 2020 and a group show in Brooklyn, New York, titled “Facing It Together.” And he is currently represented by Masaka Gallery in Plot 12 Birch Avenue, Masaka.
Human and music, 2022
Mixed media on canvas, 60 x 60 cm
Ssuuna Frank born 1996 in Masaka town, Central Uganda. He was interested in drawing and creating from an early age, and in 2018, he started painting with acrylics. Painting helped him escape the negative perceptions in our society associated with youth who are not employed outside creative fields. In 2019, he met Masaka-based visual artist Joe Bukenya (Las Palmas Art Gallery), who gave him the opportunity to share a studio with him. This introduced him to contemporary art, and he experimented even more with color and form in his paintings and collages.
Being mentored by Ugandan international mixed media artist Collin Sekajugo helped him master his art style and learn more about the contemporary art world. American visual artist Keith Oelschlager also inspired him. As a self-taught visual artist, he created an art center called “Olympusy Arts Masaka” to give other creatives a chance to manifest their talents.
Ssuuna’s artistic practice is focused on ruminating on daily existence, culture, and the history of humankind and its surroundings. Through observation, he try to depict the things and thoughts he observed, rendering these observations as beauty. He experiment with many artistic mediums, but his particularly keen on painting and collage. He merge the two mediums to create his artworks, and his latest works are inspired by the timbre of traditional music instruments, deeply ingrained in our African culture and modern music.
Instagram: @ssuuna_f
My boombox, 2022
Mixed media on canvas, 60 x 60 cm
Ksenia La Hun (b. 1994 in Saransk, Russia). Lives in Mexico City, México. She began to have an interest in art from a very early age. Ksenia graduated from Bande à Part Film School (2013-2016). Until 2017 she dedicated herself to photography, travelling through Europe and North America with her projects. In 2018 she started in the plastic arts. La Hun exhibited her paintings in her first individual show “Who am I?” in 2019 at Free Machine Gallery (Mexico City). Later that same year she began working with the installation using recycled and natural materials. In the period 2020-2022, Ksenia went to Oaxaca City to learn new techniques from local artisans and artists.
I get most of my inspiration from ancient folklore around the globe. It all begins when my grandmother used to tell me stories from Greek mythology when I was a kid. In addition, I combine heroes’ journeys with oneiric world. I like to have psychological talks with my audience throughout the symbols and ideograms. When it gets to the technical part I like to work with large formats. I feel that this way there are no limitations to the boundlessness of a mind. I like to work on the floor, preparing my own canvases and getting lost as a child in the imaginary world. I work with different materials combining and mixing them in one piece. Nevertheless, I give my preference to oil as a base for most of my work.
Mobolaji John (*1995) is a visual narrative artist born and living in Lagos, Nigeria. Mobolaji is a graduate of the Lagos Yaba College of Technology and majored in Painting. He was also trained by painting masters such as Mr Akintunde O. John and Mr Abiola.
Mobolaji’s works portray the search for a bright future by young Africans, their beauty and lifestyle relating to their environment. Through his pieces, the artist explores the difficulties, dreams, ambitions, goals and struggles that young people face in life to achieve success. Each works tells it’s own unique story. Through them, we can see the beauty of young Africans and their struggles, working to overcome adversity, be it financial, social or cultural, while highlighting their perseverance, resilience and determination.
The colour red, which permeates his works, plays a key role in the collection. It represents the passion and strength of the young people portrayed, who are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Moreover, the artist decided to use red as it is a vibrant and striking colour that captures the viewer’s attention and makes the works stand out.
He has participated in a few exhibitions, local and international, which include Modhafest Virtual Exhibition 2020 (USA), The Juneteenth festival Exhibition 2021 (USA) and Art is Wealth virtual Exhibition (Vivid Art Gallery Nigeria).
https://www.afrikanizm.com/en/artists/mobolaji-john
Instagram: @mobolajijohn
Vern Martin-Ivie (they/them) is a neurodivergent, queer, fat, artist, culture worker, and activist based on Algonquin Anishinaabe aki (currently known as Ottawa, ON, Canada). They create collages and graphic art about queer politics, social issues, identity, nostalgia, and self-affirmations. Vern has experience sitting on a literary arts jury for the Cultural Funding Unit of the City of Ottawa, and making the promotional poster for the 2022 Ottawa Dyke March. They are currently studying to continue in the arts and culture sector, supplemented by their work placement with the Ottawa Arts Council, and their experience working with the local transgender rights organization TIB Ottawa.
https://www.vpackart.ca
Instagram: @vpackart
Everyone has a story to tell and deserves to be heard. Stories are important as they create connections between us all and give the audience a place to practice imagination. Be brave and confident in expressing your ideas and narrating your thoughts. Believe in the power of consistency and how it leads to growth. Never stop exploring new techniques and themes to find your unique visual language.
- Mohadese Movahed
Dear artists, thank you for allowing us to share your beautiful, intriguing, and meaningful works in our magazine.
Yours, The Suboart Team
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www.suboartmagazine.com
Instagram: suboartmagazine
Image credits for full page images
Page 77: Shari Weschler. Sumo Bunni “Little Red”, 2019, Acrylic on Linen, 40 x 30 inches
Page 78: Shari Weschler. Sumo Bunni “Venus”, 2016, Acrylic on Linen, 40 x 30 inches
Page 79: Shari Weschler. Sumo Bunni “18Rabbit”, 2017, Acrylic Canvas, 40 x 30 inches
Page 101: Vern Martin-Ivie “I am Whole”, 2023, Analog Collage, 7.5 x 9.75 in
Page 102: Vern Martin-Ivie “Im Always Just A Flight Away”, 2023, Analog Collage, 7.5 in x 9.75 in
Image credit cover
Tania LaCaria “Blah Blah Blah”, 2023
Acrylic ink poppy seeds on canvas, 58”x 46”, Love Letters (To My Exes)
Editorial
Suboart Magazine Issue #4, April 2023
Copyright artists, authors, Suboart Magazine. All Rights reserved.
Suboart Magazine is produced and published by Suboart Magazine in Lisbon, Portugal. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means digitally or manually, including photocopying, recording, online publishing, or otherwise without prior written permission form the publisher, Suboart Magazine. All images have been provided by the artists. Interviews, edition and graphic design: Suboart Magazine
April 2023, Lisbon, Portugal.
