Suboart Magazine #6, July 2023

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Suboart Magazine July 2023, #6

Practice. Practice and repeat practice. Every day, one must work. It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 50. Now that you’ve decided to be an artist, you’re definitely young enough.

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Interviews

Page 6 Floral Introspection with Camille Kouassi

Page 22 Finding Our Hidden Feelings with Mahdiyeh Afshar Bakeshloo

Page 46 South Asian Talent & Natural Treasures with Aamina Hammad Hashmi

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Finding Refuge in Surreal Spaces with Ailyn Lee

Page 80 Art meets Craft meets Design with Leonie Burkhardt

Page 96 Create & Destroy wih Mina Katebi

Dear readers,

Welcome to Suboart Magazine July 2023, Issue #6. I’m happy to share with you some of the world’s most talented and promising emerging artists from the fields of photography, textile art, sculpture & installation, drawing, collage, video & mixed media art, painting and digital painting.

As unique and diverse as their backgrounds, artistic curiosities and practice may be, they do have one thing in common: all of them deserve to be given a platform to have their work seen.

Tell your friends about them! And thank you for your interest in our magazine.

Featured artists

Haley Sessoms.......................14

Georg Bohle...........................16

Yael Braha.............................18

Kathryn Blommel...................20

Susana Capucho.....................30

Martina Buiat........................32

André Rita............................34

Wictor Doarte.......................36

Natalie Bradford....................38

Merel van Erpers Roijaards.....40

Adam S Forsythe....................42

Joe Black Ardy.......................44

Courtney Lee.........................56

Gaia Giongo...........................58

Amanda Arru-tea...................60

Randall Steinke......................62

Shannon Rae..........................64

Maria Cazzato........................66

Tiffany Nickel........................68

Raina Jia...............................70

Legal notice and image credits for full page images: page 118

Juyi Mao...............................88

Lucia Gardiner.......................90

Sue Greenfield.......................92

Pablo Andrade Cortes.............94

Robin Raznick......................104

Sara Baker Michalak.............106

Maya R. Zuniga.....................108

Patrick Duggan....................110

Jeff Elkow............................112

Ksenia Sokolovskaya.............114

Marc Chicoine......................116

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Name Name Name Get in touch with NAME: Instagram: Name - Suboart Magazine- 6 -
I see my work as an exploration of the bizarre and our relationship to norms. My aim is not to create beautiful portraits, but to create intriguing artworks that make you stop and think.
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Iris protecteurs, 2023 Self portrait, 29,7 x 42 cm

Camille Kouassi

Hello Camille, it’s a pleasure to have you. My first question is, as always: please introduce yourself and what you do briefly, and tell me how you got into art in the first place.

I am a 26 year old visual artist based in Western France. I’ve always been attracted to Art. As a child I drew a lot with my twin brother, but it took me a long time to find my own way of expressing myself. I have anxiety problems, and Art has always been vital for me, like an indispensable air bubble.

I read that you studied communication and then you did a formation as a florist. Now you are a professional photographer. How did all that come about and how did you “end up” being a photographer?

Yes indeed, I did beat around the bush for a long time before I dared to create work that was my own and show it to others. As a child, I was a good student, so I started studying to get into a top business school, where I did a bachelor’s degree in communication. But I felt out of place.

Then Covid came along, and I decided to train as a florist, to do something more creative and manual. I then discovered the potential of the plant world, for which I have a great fascination. As the florist trade is highly codified, I felt the need to create for myself, away from the commercial and repetitive aspects of the craft. Little by little, I began to explore mask and portraits, which had to be immortalized. That’s how photography and my staging of portraits came to be a form that particularly spoke to me.

Your work is not only strongly related to flowers, but also to masks and the human act of masking and reinventing ourselves. Could you please talk more about this and your work in general?

Yes, these are themes that are very close to my heart. I think my fascination with masks comes from my African origins. My parents’ house in Northern France was decorated with masks, and I’ve always admired them, finding them mysterious. In fact, with masks, we’re dealing with the spiritual, the intimate, but also the universal and the links that make up life in society. I think these notions

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Floral Introspection
Self portrait by Camille Kouassi

influence me in my work. I like my photos to be narrative, inviting inner dialogue and introspection. I’m very interested in the notion of metamorphosis, the capacity of the self to evolve, to rebuild itself, to be in motion. I see my work as an exploration of the bizarre and our relationship to norms. My aim is not to create beautiful portraits, but to create intriguing artworks that make you stop and think.

rich way of dialoguing with viewers, to use your body and face as a canvas.Self-portraits give you a lot of freedom, it’s like being the conductor and the chamber musician at the same time.

Is there any specific series you’d like to speak about?

Yes, at the moment I’m working on a series of self-portraits entitled “Panic Attack”, which revolves around the tension between the organic and the synthetic. This alludes to the opposition between nature and culture I mentioned earlier.

Would you mind sharing your creative process with me?

Another very interesting statement you made about your work is that you want to “question the notion of “Nature versus Culture” so rooted in Western history and place myself in a more peaceful relationship with nature.”

Yes, I’m trying to question the assumption that humans are superior to all the other constituent elements of nature. I think this idea has structured our relationship with the world since Rene Descartes in the West, and I think it’s a vision of the world that can prove destructive in the long run. By bringing these two notions together, my work proposes to open up new avenues of reflection. I believe that the aesthetic I propose is an incitement to question our place as human beings.

You work a lot with portraits and also self-portraiture. What fascinates you about it?

I think it comes from the fact that I like to be autonomous in my work. I find that self-portraits allow a great deal of autonomy. What I also find interesting is that self-portraits require a form of performance. And I find that very interesting, especially as we’re talking about themes like metamorphosis. I’m also influenced by the work of artists like Cindy Sherman, which I find very powerful because you have a face that you recognize throughout the work, as if there were a pact with the viewer. I think it’s a very

My process is both spontaneous and thoughtful. Sometimes images flash into my head, and sometimes I need to take notes, read, document myself, especially for the series. I often start with an element, its strength, its colors or its symbolic power. I create and set the scene, then take photos until I’m satisfied with the result. Finally, I edit, but I try to keep it sober, because I don’t like images that are too edited.

Your pictures are very colourful. Some photographers prefer black & white images as they feel that colour can be a distraction from the content of the image. What do you treasure about working with colour & has there ever been a time when you considered working in black & white?

I’m very attached to colors. It’s a language in its own right and I like to play with it. I admire photographs that have succeeded in developing a language and style in black and white. But for the moment, I don’t think black and white is my sensibility. Indeed, colors are distracting, but for me it’s positive.

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“I like my photos to be narrative, inviting inner dialogue and introspection. I’m very interested in the notion of metamorphosis, the capacity of the self to evolve, to rebuild itself, to be in motion.”
“I like the idea of the viewer being drawn in by the colors to look deeply and linger on the image, a bit like when you look at a very colorful abstract painting.”

Can you think of any helpful advice that you’ve been given and that you’d like to pass on to other emerging artist?

Don’t let the fear of being misunderstood get the better of you. Also, leave room for imperfection. I think that like the artist, work evolves, you make progress, you experiment. You have to give yourself the right to try, I think that’s essential.

Any emerging artists you’d like to recommend?

Megan, a Montreal-based painter whose work I love. (https://www.etrangevallee.com/)

And last question : What are your hopes for the future?

I hope to continue to grow as an artist. To be able to talk more easily of my works because I find it a very difficult exercise. Also, I’d love to take part in an artistic residency, which sounds like a very interesting experience.

Get in touch with Camille: www.camillekouassi.com

Instagram: @thegirlunderthebaobab

Coeurs d’Artichaut, 2021, Portrait photography, 29,7 x 42 cm (up) // Are u ok?, 2023, Self portrait, 21 x 29,7 cm (right side)

P. 12: Tulipes Solitudes, 2023, Self portrait, 29,7 x 42 cm // P. 13: A Monster Called Lilly, 2021, Self portrait, 29,7 x 42 cm Page 7: Iris protecteurs, 2023, Self portrait, 29,7 x 42 cm

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Haley Sessoms

About Me

I am an artist from a small town in Virginia; however, I am currently studying photography at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Primarily focusing on black and white, my images range from conceptual and abstract to landscape and nature portraiture. My work goes beyond photography, as I practice film, painting, and poetry. Themes of softness, home, grief, and nature carry through many of my media. Materiality is important in the work, as I ignite these emotions through textures both natural and artificial. Influenced by nature, home, and identity, I hope to explore the solitude of remaining rooted and connected to our environments.

Artist Statement

Opacity. Ambiguity. Illusion. Who I am is infinite. I am constantly changing and will forever evolve into someone new. This collection of self portraiture explores, through materiality and layering, the intersection of identity and preconceived notions of self. From the translucent fabric obscuring my body to the material layered and ripped away above the image, I am never fully revealed to neither the audience nor myself. The clawed-away paper mirrors this obsession of knowing oneself while also depicting a serenity that lies within oblivion. This phenomenon of identity is so beautifully and undeniably out of reach; why spend forever trying to chase it? These images represent the chase as well as the surrender to living within the torn edges that make us who we are. Finding the beauty in opacity has helped me find the beauty in the unknown.

Get

Instagram: @moriijade

Next page: Opacity 03, 04 & 05, 2023 Photography Collage, 6 x 6in This page: Opacity 01 & 02, 2023 Photography Collage, 6 x 6in
in touch with Haley:
https://hsessoms.myportfolio.com
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Georg Bohle

Biography

After graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2007, Georg Bohle worked as a designer of furniture and public space for Studio Makkink & Bey in Rotterdam. Since the fall of 2010, his main occupation is drawing. Georg Bohle works on a growing series of imaginary city- and landscapes. Bohle has done residencies abroad, including at the Tokyo Wondersite in 2011, in Prague in 2013 and in the Rocky Mountains in 2014. Bohle has received working grants from the Fonds BKVB / Mondriaan Foundation. The drawings by Georg Bohle are shown regularly in the Netherlands and abroad.

Artist Statement

My work is a study of agglomerations of form, and its changing meaning in a living environment. When does a shape come into being in a network of lines in the process of drawing? How does its meaning shift in relation to other elements of the composition? This quest results in works which find simulacra in the bulges and hills of floating islands, where form and texture fuse to create biomorphic masses that are both still and alive at once.

Get

Instagram: @bohlegeorg

Landscape 29, 2019, 77 x 69 cm. Fineliner and coloured pencil on paper

in touch with Georg: www.georgbohle.org
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Landscape 56, 2023, colored pencil on paper, 90 x 65 cm

Yael Braha

Biography

Born in Italy and daughter of refugees from North Africa, Yael was raised in a visually abundant environment that shaped her love for composition, aesthetics, and visual arts. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from the European Institute of Design in Rome, and a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema from San Francisco State University. Her past multidisciplinary background – from graphics design, to cinema, to metal fabrication and installation – informs her recent focus on ceramic work. In 2021 she was awarded the Multicultural Fellowship Award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).

Statement

Yael creates functional ceramic work with bold and stylized surface designs that focuses on optical and geometrical illusions, patterns and tessellations. She uses lines and curves to distort and add dynamism to the surface, and uses seams and negative spaces to create contrast and tension within a form. The surface patterns reliefs add a tactile experience when the work is held, touched, and used. She is excited to continue to fire her ceramic work in both atmospheric and electric kilns, and to advance her explorations surrounding the synergy of forms, surface design, and materials research.

Get in touch with Yael: www.ceramics.yaelbraha.com

Instagram: @yaelbraha.ceramics

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Tableware, 2023, ceramics, 25 x 25 x 3 cm Cups, 2022, ceramics x 10 x 10 x 10 cm Pyramid Vase, 2023, ceramics, 35 x 5 x 5 cm (left) Demi Platter, 2023, ceramics, 30 x 25 x 3 cm (right) Tray, 2023, ceramics, 45 x 19 x 9 cm
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Slanted Vase, 2023, ceramics, 10 x 25 x 10 cm
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Kathryn Blommel

“Coming of age during the rise of 4th wave feminism, along with the reckoning of the Me Too movement, I witnessed deep-rooted, systemic misogyny unfold across social media on a global scale. These events have compelled me to explore gender-oriented prejudice and violence, specifically towards women.Toxic power dynamics, both public and private, not only affect women’s perception of themselves but also change the perception of women within the ever-present patriarchy. In order to address the complexity of this reality, I often intermix hyperrealist figures and objects within surreal scenes. Artists like Barbara Kruger and Dylan Eakin entice me to work in inventive ways that showcase my passion for feminism and realism, while Miles Johnson inspires me to incorporate neo-surrealist aesthetics to express the very real and genuine emotions, we humans experience.”

Biography

Kathryn Blommel is a 20-year-old artist currently based in Minneapolis, MN, where she attends the University of Minnesota-Twin-Cities studying fine art. She started drawing at the age of 16 and knew it was exactly what she needed to pursue in her life. Throughout the years, her art has engaged with notions of feminism that depict the effects of an ever-present patriarchy that plagues our social structures. In 2022, she had her informative essay, “Perpetual Cycle of Misogyny” published alongside her art in the Yale Journal of Art and Art History. In the future, Kathryn plans on receiving her master’s in fine arts and continuing to pursue a career within the arts field.

Get in touch with Kathryn: https://kathrynblommel.wixsite.com/kathrynblommel Instagram: @kathrynblommelart

Look What You Did, 2023, 43 x 30” Page 21: Love From Somebody Else, 2022, 30 x 22” Charcoal and graphite on paper (both works) Enigmatic, 2022 Charcoal and graphite on paper, 20 x 15”
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Finding Our Hidden Feelings

Mahdiyeh Afshar Bakeshloo

Hello Mahdiyeh, to start with, please shortly present yourself and tell us how you got into art, especially photography.

Hello, I am Mahdiyeh Afshar Bakeshloo. I was born in 1995 in Tehran (Iran). I learned photography in an academy for two years when I was 18 years old. I never thought that I would become a photographer or go into art because my family wanted me to go into a more serious profession like engineering. In my country, artists do not have many fans and are not supported. Maybe it can be said that they live a hard life. My mother introduced me to art since I was a child. I didn’t have many toys. My mother tried to make paper toys for me with simple tools. I also learned from her and made things that I liked. I remember I used to make the eyes of my paper doll with the plastic shell of pills, I used to make high-heeled shoes with cardboard, I made a telescope for myself with a shoe box, I made a solid with a yogurt bucket and…

I would not throw anything away! I loved strange things. I made things that could be seen in a new way with every day and with cheap items. My interest in disposable items started here because they were carefree, without intermediaries, and free. In my opinion, the beginning of art should be easy so that the mind can create freely. It started here for me. Although my father was against my entry into photography, I can say that he introduced me to cameras. Since I was a child, I showed interest in new photography tools and learned without realizing it. But not seriously! I didn’t want to be a photographer at all! But at the age of 18, after a difficult event in my life, I started photography. I was able to show my feelings where I wanted. (I mean photography). For me, photography was like a safe room where I could think, feel, imagine. So I took a photos.

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“The beginning of art should be easy so that the mind can create freely.”
Self portrait by Iranian photographer Mahdiyeh Afshar Bakeshloo

You are a Fine Art and Conceptual Photographer, and I read that you have been influenced by surrealist painters such as René Magritte and Salvador Dalí. Please tell us more about your work and what fascinates you about conceptual photography.

My photos are mostly in black and white because I think the absence of colours will create a new world that is unreal while being real. I mostly photograph single photos, because I think that a single photo is a completely different world and the number of photos reduces its story power. In my opinion, what makes a connection with a work of art is the message we see in it. My view of art is a free and confusing view. I always like my audience to see what they like in my photos. Maybe someone will cry after seeing my photos and maybe someone will laugh! I love this quote by René Magritte: “Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see…” Art for me is like a pit of unknown depth. Everyone will see some depth of this pit. Maybe that’s why I like surrealism because it is endless and uncertain. But it makes sense at the peak of confusion. A message that is tied to time. I mostly photograph single photos, because I think that a single photo is a completely different world and the number of photos reduces its story power.

In your biography I read you saying, “Each of my projects describes human emotions such as sadness, loneliness, confusion. I try to make viewers find their hidden feeling in my photos.” Maybe for you it is obvious, but could you please tell me why that is important to you?

In my opinion, what keeps a work of art alive is the connection of time with that work of art. I always say “life is short, art is long.” For this reason, I like my art to flow in people’s lives, because I may die one day, but I like my art to flow in time, because the existence of art does not belong only to the artist, but to its audience who have kept it alive. I don’t want my art to be only for me because here a dead end happens. There will be no dialogue between the audiences. It’s a one-way path and that’s why I want the flow and dialogue to happen by finding the hidden feelings of my audience in my works. This is where art will not only belong to me and will belong to people and time.

You not only photograph, but you also manipulate your pictures. When and how did you start with photo manipulation and what does it offer you artistically speaking?

In my opinion, photography is a dream in the form of reality, because you can turn unrealistic dreams into reality with pieces of reality. I have been interested in creating new things since I was a child, and perhaps the easiest place to create them was in the form of photos. In my opinion, shifting the truths can create a new message. By changing the head of a person with an apple, you can give a new meaning to the apple and a new meaning to that person! This is interesting! It’s like putting a new page in the middle of a printed book and changing the story. It is the same for me. I like to make a new story of reality.

Is there any work that you’d like to talk about more in detail?

Yes, I’d like to talk about “Just like humans”. Man and his contemporary feelings have been & are one of my most important concerns throughout my life. How can I display the important human dimension called “Emotions”. Emotions that flow only inside enter the material world and show themselves mostly in inanimate objects. Let’s look at the story from the opposite point of view, taking emotions from humans and giving them to objects to bring them to life. Just like a human, it sits in the place of its body parts, blends with it and sometimes even becomes one with them. I try to cut the bodies into pieces, combine them with objects and define them in a new and metaphorical way. The bodies that are fragmented share their position & reality with the surrounding objects through the photo. In this way, the body can be broken & penetrated to reveal the true meaning of “Emotions”.

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“The existence of art does not belong only to the artist, but to its audience who have kept it alive. I don’t want my art to be only for me because here a dead end happens.”

Most of your pictures are black and white. What do you treasure about black and white photography?

In my opinion, limitation and dependence. In black and white photography, you need both colours to display an image, and these two colours make sense together. Black with white and white with black. In my opinion, the multiplicity of colours in the image destroys the meaning to some extent. Maybe having two keys is better than having thousands of keys to turn on a light.

Many may think that I participate in competitions or exhibitions for fame, but in my opinion, in order for a work of art to be seen, it must be accessible, it must be criticized, it must be seen. I want them to criticize my work, I want them to discuss it because my art is not just for me.

Is there any future project or plan that you’d like to share with us?

One of my dreams is to connect my art more with time. As a result, I am looking for this connection in my photos and I am trying to show this in the form of a combination of photography and art.

Do you have any advice for emerging artists at the very beginning of their career, especially photographers?

Could you please share some of your creative process with me, how your pictures come to life?

Dreaming and mental imagery is one of the most important things that I usually do. I usually see or hear a part of the truth around me and then I close my eyes for a while and imagine it and try to change it or continue it. I write a kind of mental story. I always have a notebook with me where I draw my mental pictures. Sometimes I accidentally create pictures by combining several existing facts. In my opinion, the dream that we see in our mind is a series of infinite images that can accidentally create a story that seems real even though it didn’t happen. I also use the same technique.

First I fill my mind with images and facts around. Second, that allows them to be combined. Third, I turn them into photos.

You are very young and you have already been very successful with your photography; you have received many awards and praise for your work, published a book, participated in many exhibitions. If okay with you, I would like to look a bit behind the curtains: what does that mean to you and does that influence how you approach your work?

I always suggest to young photographers that they first know themselves and try to photograph from within themselves like self-portrait. Because photography is a bridge between us and the outside world, and what will make us different is the difference between each other’s existence. I always say “I am made of my art and my art is made of me”, so you have to start from yourself first.

Any artists or photographers that you’d like to recommend?

As for photographers, I’d like to recommend Edward Weston and Man Ray. When it comes to non-photographers, I recommend Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali.

And last question: What are your hopes for the future?

I always wanted to be a part of history and influence it. That’s why I chose art because it is permanent. I would like to be able to leave my works as one of the most influential works in the world in museums and books. It is there that I will always be alive even if I die. I hope photography will enter a new stage and change the world.

Get in touch with Mahdiyeh: http://mahdiyehafshar.com

Instagram: @mahdiyeh_afshar

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“The subjects should be the main goal of a photo and the colours should define their message. I think it is better that the messages are limited but strong.”
Spectator, 2022, black and white photography

The same different me, 2023, black and white photography Page 27: As someone else, 2023, black and white photography

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Unwanted, 2022, black and white photography

Page 28: Between, 2020, black and white photography

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Susana Capucho

About my work

Originally from the Portuguese countryside, I moved to Lisbon where I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Communication Design at the Fine Arts University. As my design career progressed, I felt a strong desire to expand my artistic side, prompting me to return to academia - this time, to enroll in the Masters in Arts program in Drawing. There, I delved into the captivating world of Scientific and Natural illustration. Currently, I am enjoying life in the vibrant city of Berlin.

Get in touch with Susana: https://art.susanacapucho.com

Instagram: @pickawildwallflower

studies,

All works charcoal, dry pastel and graphite

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Capucho Amaryllis Blooming, 2023, A4 (right side) Flower 2023, A4 (below)
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Bat flower (Tacca chantrieri) Graphite, A3
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Martina Buiat

Biography

I was born in Trieste, a beautiful city by the sea, in the north-eastern Italy, in 1982. From an early age I loved both the arts and sciences. I drew, played the piano and sang in a choir and at the same time cultivated my great passion for science, up to my Ph.D. in physics at the University of Ferrara. I work as a science communicator and museum operator. During the first covid lockdown in Italy, I found myself at home without a job and, to calm the anxiety of that period, I started embroidering old photos and postcards, discovering a new passion that has never left me. My works have taken part in various exhibitions and, combining my passion for embroidery and dissemination, I have begun to hold various paper embroidery workshops, in order to spread this particular technique.

To me, embroidering on paper is a form of meditation. I started doing it to keep my mind busy during the lockdown, and I discovered an activity that relaxes me and gives me great satisfaction. It all starts with the search for photos or postcards in the antique markets. Then I look at them, thinking about how to bring them back to life, with a touch of color or a phrase, using cotton, silk or metallic threads depending on the effect I want to obtain. Often the photos have a dedication on the back, and the oldest ones can be over a hundred years old, so I find myself daydreaming about the story of who wrote them.

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Edvige, 2021, silk embroidered photo, 13.5 x 8.7cm Page 32: Past love, 2022, silk embroidered photo, 12x9 cm The tree of memories, 2021 Mixed media (silk embroidered photo), 12.5 x 9cm Get in touch with Martina on Instagram: @la.mamola

André Rita

“I do not consider myself an illustrator, I consider myself perhaps an observer with the luck of having a hand that accompanies my gaze. As a young artist, my influences rise mainly from my experiences, but do not only come from them. Everything that crosses my path, and on which I lay my eyes on, has the ability to influence me in some way. Each one of my creations goes through a self-critical reflection, nevertheless, the work process gains its own freedom, since my whole journey to the final result is completely unexpected, in the sense that I myself am surprised by the ultimate creation. It is easily noticeable that everything I create, or almost everything, emerges from architecture. The search of the self is deeply connected to my obsession with fictionalized houses and cities, which are entirely linked to the sense of my own identity.

In my work, from a more intimate and personal point of view, there is a rejection of perfection, of canons, and even of reality as we know it. My houses, therefore, are imperfect beings, uninhabitable, impossible, imaginary, utopian, but authentic, and hence a mirror of my body and my being. Currently, and with the creation of André Rita Atelier, I have developed a more introspective work, escaping the expectations that may exist, keeping in mind that the reason I started drawing was because I felt there was something I wanted to manifest to have a greater understanding of myself and how to coexist with the rest of society. In the future, I seek that my houses find a common space between reality and fiction, opening paths and possibilities for me and for all. Finally, having reached my 30ies, I have the privilege to have my working space, located in downtown Porto, surrounded by a beautiful view that reminds me of my drawings”.

Get in touch with André: https://andrerita.cargo.site Instagram: @andreritaatelier

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Collection of Houses, Fineliner pen on kraft paper (240g), 40x100cm Page 35: The Encounter, 2022, Fineliner pen on kraft paper (240g), 100x70cm André Rita was born in 1991 and is based in Porto, Portugal. He holds a Bachelor in Communication Design from ESAD Matosinhos.

Wictor Doarte

Biography

My name is Wictor Doarte, I’m 25 years old and I live in São Paulo Brazil. In addition to having a degree in Photography from Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID-SP), I am a Designer and Illustrator. I draw since childhood, and I’ve always explored ways to bring my ideas to life. In my illustrative art, I like to focus on minimalism and the abstract, always bringing floral forms with warm tones and earthy colors. I like to play around with textured brushes to bring a sense of closeness and tact to each art. Combining colors and shapes, I like to assemble, like a jigsaw puzzle, paradisiacal and relaxing landscapes, trying to materialize a feeling, or just a dream.

Get in touch with Wictor on Instagram: @oi.doarte

Just kidding, 2022, 31 x 43 cm (right side) All works digital illustrations with textured brush

Kids’ room, 2022, 31 x 43 cm Page 36: Romantic, 2022, 31 x 43 cm

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Vacation,
31
Dear
2022
x 43 cm

Natalie Bradford

Biography

I am a mixed media artist originally from Royal Oak, Michigan. I graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine art with an emphasis in print media. My work focuses on memory, temporality, and nostalgia through collage, image transfer, and hand sewing on paper. I have exhibited locally in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Ypsilanti, Detroit, and Lansing, as well as internationally through PxP Contemporary Gallery and Away Art Gallery. My work has also been included in various international publications such as Candyfloss Magazine and Le Monde newspaper. I’m currently based in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Get in touch with Natalie: https://linktr.ee/natalie.bradford Instagram: @natalie.bradford

Only memory in my brain, 2023 Collage on paper, 8x10

You love her, you love her, 2023 Collage and embroidery on paper, 8 x 10

My work explores the ways in which our memories undergo natural changes as we age and the process of trying to hold onto those precious moments of people and places that we love and want to remember forever, but lose bits of them through countless retrievals in our heads. Every time we recall memories from our long-term memory, in particular, some of the information either gets lost in the retrieval or our brains fill in small gaps with other memories, resulting in a slightly different and ever changing “false” memory. My grandmother’s slow descent into dementia has inspired my mixed media work which consists of several decades worth of family photos, letters, and other vintage ephemera. I use them to reflect on the fleetingness of memories, temporality of life, and the ramifications a disease like this can have on a family for generations to come. Now that she’s gone, I’m left with only my own memories of her and the now “lost” stories behind family photos/letters that I wish I could ask her about, but will never be able to.

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Dearest, have you forgotten me- even from last fall, 2023 Collage and embroidery on paper, 8 x 10

Merel van Erpers Roijaards

Biography

Merel van Erpers Roijaards is a Dutch costume designer and artist who is based in The Hague. She studied painting and printmaking to do a masters in scenography after that. Combining the knowledge gained in those courses and a deep love for theatricality, she started working as a costume designer as part of her artistic practice.

Artist Statement

Merel van Erpers Roijaards is a costume designer, visual artist and scenographer whose works always revolve around the human body. She creates wearable pieces, garments for (public)space, photography, ceramics, performance and everything in between those mediums and mixed together. Trying to challenge conventions around youth, beauty, and gender, she found wearable art is her language. Lately, she discovered what possibilities photography can offer for the creation of worlds that her artworks and costumes can exist in. Current fascinations include: skin, ageing, wedding practices, bodies, the abject, camp, head and face coverings, girliness, the line between fashion and wearable art, and her close friends and grandma who always pose for her.

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Untitled, 2022, Analogue photograph of mask Page 40: Ben, 2022, Analogue photograph
in touch with Merel: www.merelroijaards.com Instagram: @merelroijaards
Venus, 2021, 120cm x 200cm Analogue photograph printed on textiles
Get

Adam S Forsythe

Biography

Adam S Forsythe is a British artist born in Bristol in 1981. He attended university in Brighton where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. His practice is concerned with human narratives on the edge of society and often features ghosts, monsters, and strange cryptids. Through his work, Forsythe explores the darker and more mysterious aspects of the human experience, delving into the unknown and the unexplained. His pieces are thought-provoking and haunting, inviting viewers to question their own perceptions of reality and to consider the unseen forces that shape our world. His work has been exhibited throughout the UK and in Europe.

Artist Statement

As an artist, I am fascinated by the power of storytelling and how it shapes our understanding of the world around us. I explore this through my paintings, which feature monsters, cryptids, and aliens. By depicting these creatures, I aim to challenge viewers’ assumptions about what is real and what is imaginary. At the same time, I draw on traditional storytelling techniques to create narratives that comment on contemporary themes and issues. In addition to these traditional techniques, I also incorporate AI tools into my practice, which allows me to generate new perspectives and imagine artificial folklore. Through my work, I invite viewers to engage with their own stories and beliefs. By blurring the lines between fact and fiction, I aim to create a space where the imagination can roam free, and new possibilities can be imagined.

Get in touch with Adam: https://adamforsythe.studio

Instagram: @adamforsythestudio

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For the leafy gent, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 85 x 100 cm Page 42: Loveland, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 80 cm (left) Green Grin, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 76 cm (right)
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Joe Black Ardy

“In my art I enjoy the process of recontextualising photographs through collage, building up fictional scenes, deities, and ceremonies from images of reality. I am aiming to create a world that is next door to the one we inhabit, visually similar and familiar, but subtly strange and different. My influences include the magic realism of the authors Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Haruki Murakami and the afro-futurism of the musician Sun Ra. I travelled extensively around the world in my early 20s visiting religious and culturally important sites in India, Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, this alongside my experiences of the utopian idealism of the rave and festival scenes in the mid-1990s has had a profound impact on my work.”

About

Joe Black Ardy, 47, is based in Worcester. He has a BA (Hons) in Visual Communication (Photography) from Birmingham Institute of Art & Design (1994-1997) and a MA in Digital Media from London Metropolitan University (2006-2008). In 2004, he won the Apthorp Prize for young artists.

Get in touch with Joe on Instagram: @gnosticcollage

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Fungal Altar, 2023, Analogue Collage, 35 x 60 cm Romanesque Babel V1, 2023, 58 x 80 cm Page 44: The Onsen at the Temple of the Reflective Relics, 2023, 56 x 80 cm (both analogue collages)

Aamina Hammad Hashmi

South Asian Talent & Natural Treasures

Hello Aamina, thank you so much for being here to answer my questions. First of all, please briefly introduce yourself and tell me about your beginnings in the arts.

My name is Aamina Hammad Hashmi, and I go by “Poday Wali”, which means Plant Lady. I am a Pakistani visual artist, and plant enthusiast, who works in a variety of traditional and digital mediums while exploring artistic ideas like conceptual photography, flat-laid sculptures, embroidery, and other creative ways to express myself as a woman and artist. From a young age, I’ve been blessed to have travelled all over my beautiful country and witnessed its plethora of cultures firsthand. This experience undeniably impacted my growth as an artist and has helped me find my voice of expression.

From there, how did it evolve and how did you end up being a professional artist?

I started working as a freelance artist quite early on and took on a variety of creative projects that ranged from commissioned artworks to mural art for local establishments. It was a challenging experience at first, but with enough projects under my belt, I found my own way to creatively express my ideas through social media. This is what eventually led to my “Poday_Wali” page, and I’ve been working with different clients through that. I also pursued my formal education in Fashion Design during my professional career. I’ve incorporated a lot of what I learned during this degree program in my character creation and costume design, which was quite helpful.

You are not only an artist, but also a gardener, with nature influencing your artistic work to a great extend. Please tell me more about that and your work in general.

I took on gardening a few years back to improve my general and mental health as a form of self-therapy. It wasn’t something I took seriously until recently when I actually started gardening myself. I couldn’t believe how beneficial it was for not just my health, but my creativity as well. There is no way I can fully give back to nature, but we can take concrete steps toward its preservation and growth.

I’ve always made a conscious effort for my work to have a deeper association with our culture and nature itself. I’ve been able to represent these by combining them with art, and most of my characters are insects that are usually looked down upon with scorn and indifference. I want my work to bring people closer together and give back to this beautiful land and its inhabitants by following a sustainable lifestyle. This is only possible if we’re made aware of everything our local wild and plant life has to offer, and I want to aid the effort of bringing back the long-forgotten practices our indigenous tribes created.

You create beautiful, detail-rich paintings and also work a lot with photography. What fascinates you about each

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“I’ve used my art to raise awareness and show appreciation for nature, and everything it encompasses.”
*****

of these techniques and is there any that you prefer over the other?

I believe that as artists we need to remain open to different forms of creative expression. Art, no matter what it is, influences other art forms. It’s a symbiotic relationship, and my work in different mediums inspires my creative photography, and vice-versa. I like creating detailed work because it allows me to not only express more in a small space, but I want my audience to feel as if I’m telling them a story. Every single piece in my paintings is deliberately placed, and it brings me a lot of joy when I find viewers commenting on different aspects of the same artwork.

cally passionate about at the given time.

Your work also delves into the complexities of identities, particularly those belonging to women and marginalised communities. Why is it important for you to speak about that in your work?

The women of South Asia are incredibly talented, and it’s why you’ll see a recent renaissance of artistic expression from this corner of the world. Women from my nation have a wealth of art to share whether it’s in the form of handicrafts, paintings, embroidery, textile, or metalwork, but it’s often those with power, wealth, and influence that get the spotlight. I think it’s important for me to highlight the cultural trinkets, and local handicrafts in my work to give credit where it’s due and educate as many people as I can about what our local artisans create. Women especially are exploited, undervalued, and ridiculed for expressing themselves. It’s a sad reality, and one I hope to combat with my art and expression.

Similarly, my creative photography relies a lot on props and characters. This is where my love for gardening, and costume design techniques that I learned during my Fashion Design degree, came into play and made me more aware of our local biodiversity. I find myself constantly fascinated by the insects, flora, and fauna that took home in my humble garden. I take pictures, create artwork, and creative photography to share with my audience. I created characters based on the unique features of these supposedly hostile creatures, and combined aspects of my creative photography, and costume design to highlight these “creepy crawlers” using my creative lens. I wanted my audience to see what I saw in these beautiful beings, and what other way than through the combination of the different mediums I’m proficient in? I adorned these characters and personas with jewellery and handicrafts of our nation’s artisans and shared these photographs with my audience.

I don’t exactly favour one technique over the other, because as I mentioned, I like to work on a variety of mediums at the same time and find opportunities to combine those as well. This also helps a lot with art blocks because I can always switch between something I’m more artisti-

As a creative person, I believe we owe our artisans a great debt, which we can only repay by giving them their rightful spotlight and encouraging women to embrace their creativity. This is why most of my characters are women too. 70% of my audience are women, and I believe that expression of femininity, no matter the gender, is a big part of my creative expression.

Is

there any series that you’d like to speak about more?

Recently, I had a chance to exhibit my Reincarnation series that I’m quite proud of, in collaboration with WWF pakistan. I’ve combined techniques of flat-laid sculptures with creative photography and composition to create these fantastical creatures by arranging leaves, twigs, and other decomposed materials found in my garden. At its core, the

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“I believe that as artists we need to remain open to different forms of creative expression. Art, no matter what it is, influences other art forms.”
“The women of South Asia are incredibly talented, and it’s why you’ll see a recent renaissance of artistic expression from this corner of the world.”

series is about understanding death, how we never really die, and how our bodies become nourishment for other living beings. It’s like how trees that have stood here for hundreds of years rely on nourishment from other beings that have passed on. Maybe becoming a snack for some bugs isn’t all that bad, you know? We all need something to munch on. The series is a celebration of life, becoming a part of something bigger, giving back to mother earth, and acceptance of death and what’s beyond. I had a great time creating this series because I used materials that I was collecting for months, and preserving those took quite the effort. I’m hopeful that it allows the audience to see the beauty of life and treasure its existence. I also hope it brings comfort to those dealing with the immense loss of their loved ones.

You are not only an advocate for women, but also for environmental awareness and social change. I wondered if you usually try to get a certain message across when you create a certain piece or if you like to leave space for the viewer to have their own interpretation?

Most of my work is usually open to interpretation. I believe that the audience should be respected enough to make their conclusions about what I share. It’s important for my art to not limit the creativity of interpretation. There have been times when I need to be a bit more blunt, especially when my work is speaking about a specific, or serious matter, but that’s usually a rare occurrence.

A follow up question in regard to your activism through art: what has been your experience with it, do you feel that you are able to reach people and bring about change?

I’m always learning and growing as not just an artist, but a person too. To be able to speak for someone, I believe we need to listen to them first. I’ve been lucky enough to have an audience that is open to different ideas and is always receptive to social, and environmental causes. My experience with this has been incredibly positive, and I’ve learned a lot from the diverse communities in my audience. I still have a long way to go, and a lot to learn but I’ll always speak about things I’m passionate about. Ultimately, my goal is to always raise awareness about

our local biodiversity, and I’m lucky enough to have an audience that engages with me on a daily basis. They ask me for tips related to gardening, and identifying insects, and plants, and I’ve seen many members of my audience grow their own gardens with what they’ve learned on my page. This reception continues to motivate me to become an even better educator, and hopefully inspire people to be more conscious about their environment.

Could you please your creative process with me, from an idea to a finished piece or series?

Since I work within a lot of mediums, no one way works in the creation process of each art piece. Fundamentally though, I don’t try to force ideas to come to me and allow those to naturally form. This is because I don’t want my work to feel artificial, but instead have some meaningful origin. I keep an art journal as well, where I write any ideas I have and recommend other artists to do the same. It’s not always possible to work on the idea immediately, which is why a journal comes in handy. This also helps with art blocks and further refinement of existing ideas. After that, it just comes down to patience, technique, and adapting to the right discipline for each particular artwork.

How is life as an emerging artist for you where you live?

I won’t lie, but it’s been rather difficult. Our country’s economic situation is in turmoil and people don’t have money to invest in their daily needs, let alone art. It’s hard to ask people to support you financially when they can’t even support themselves. It’s why so many artists, including myself, have been dealing with international clients, who can often question our ability to work simply because we’re from a third-world country. I hope things can get better, and international organizations can sup-

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“I’m always learning and growing as not just an artist, but a person too. To be able to speak for someone, I believe we need to listen to them first.”

port artists here. There’s a wealth of endless talent here, which is being wasted, and it’s very sad to see how many artists leave their profession just to make ends meet.

What are you currently working on?

While I don’t have a particular project I’m working on, I’ve been exploring the world of illustration and picture books. I’m fascinated by this form of media and want to learn as much as I can so I can contribute to it as well. I do have a few things planned for future content related to this, which I hope to unveil in the coming months.

Any fellow emerging artists you’d like to recommend?

There are so many artists I’d like people to check out from

all sorts of artistic genres and styles. Here are the Instagram pages of a few whose work I love: @manonahill_ ouo, @nalelai, @pakkhee, @artbytaqwa.

And my last question, as in every interview: What are your hopes for the future?

My hope is that our country’s dire state can improve and artists can professionally work locally and take our artistic expression to the next level. I hope that people can become more receptive to the work our local artisans create and become closer to nature. All of these will take a long time but I’m hopeful, and committed to these causes, and hope my peers are too.

Get in touch with Aamina on Instagram: @poday_wali

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Beautiful Head
4,
13.3
54
55: Beautiful
Series
2021, 15.8 x 13.3 inches (up) & Beautiful Head Series 3, 2021,
x 16.8 inches (right side) Page 52: Collector, 2020, 13.3 x 17.2 inches Pages
&
Head Series 2, 2020, 12.3 x 16.2 inches & Beautiful Head Series 1, 2020, 13.3 x 18.8 inches All pictures are photographs
There’s a wealth of endless talent here, which is being wasted, and it’s very sad to see how many artists leave their profession just to make ends meet.
- Aamina Hamma d Hashmi (Pakistan)

Courtney Lee

Courtney is an emerging, self-taught Canadian artist based in Vancouver, B.C. She creates acrylic paintings inspired by human connection whether that be over food, drinks, travel or a combination of all three. Courtney has had a paintbrush in hand since she can remember and being creative has always been a part of her life. In the last year of her psychology degree, she took an elective on Baroque art. Thus began her obsession with Carravagio and an appreciation for still-life paintings. One year later she moved to London, UK and spent 2018 exploring the rich art history Europe has to offer and of course, eating delicious food. After feeling isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic and almost losing a parent to cancer she hopes her art celebrates human relationships and highlights the moments we often take for granted.

A Little Taste of Syracuse, 2023, acrylic, 11 x 14” P. 57: My First English Breakfast, 2023, acrylic, 10 x 13” Inflation, 2023, acrylic, 11 x 14” Get in touch with Courtney on Instagram: @courtneycarolineart
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A Day In Nazare, 2023, acrylic, 11 x 13.5”

Gaia Giongo

Gaia Giongo took part in the European vocational training program “Leonardo da Vinci” in Cork, Ireland, where she has been trained in creating sculptures with recycled materials. In 2017 she attended a fanzine course at the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum in Rovereto, Italy. She wrote and illustrated the book “The Lazy Magician”, a feminist reinterpretation of classic stories, using the collage technique. In 2022 she won the call for artists of Cheap Festival, Italy, exhibiting a collage poster on the human’s ineffectiveness to tackle climate change. Since the beginning of 2023 her collages have been selected for the following international publications and exhibitions: the Mobile Library Magazine, Volume 3 issue 1, curated by The Aerogramme Center for Arts and Culture; the Oltre Collage Fanzine, issue 6; Spaces, Places exhibition, curated by Nohat, 28 April - 3 June 2023, Broadway Gallery, UK; Art Artwork Gallery and Magazine, issue 2.

Fun, 2023, mix media collage, 35 x 50 cm

Page 58: Not your entertainment, 2023 analog collage, 35 x 50 cm

Gaia Giongo uses analog collage as the main medium. She combines black and withe images with colorful ones to explore human needs, feelings and contradictions, often through a feminist lens. Her art-practice moves from a reflection on both a personal and a collective dimension of the struggle: on the one hand, the exploration of daily-basis little battles, the individual research of sense of life, the ironical and fail situations; on the other hand, the investigation of more collective fights, as human rights and equity. Both the dimensions explored, the personal and the collective one, are addressed through a critical sense, making emerge contradictions and conflicts. Her practical approach usually starts from a singular image, or a piece of it, that evokes a concept matching her interests, to broaden its meaning through an aesthetic re-elaboration on and with paper.

Get in touch with Gaia on Instagram: @gaia_giongo

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Hey Sirs, 2023 Analog collage, 25 x 38 cm

Amanda Arrou-tea

Biography

Amanda Arrou-tea , or Mandi Oh as known for her murals, is a Basque artist based in Berlin. Having most of her studies and knowledge on the backstage of art, 7 years ago she decided to be in front of cameras and paint. Just paint and try to educate through her Mermaids. During these years she has been part of numerous Festivals in Spain, France, Mexico and Germany and a dozen of galleries around the world have represented her work in Art Fairs and exhibitions in USA, UK, Greece, France, Mexico, Austria, Germany and Spain. She now works in her studio in Berlin painting private commissions and murals and creating her own projects.

Artist Statement

We are living in a world of fast and easily reachable information. A World of changes, of multiple points of view. An era of new theories and truths. And with all the overwhelming data comes the misinformation, fake news and half- truths. In this blazing panorama we need to talk about feminism too. But I will keep it simple with the feminism that speaks of equity, of recognizing talents regardless of sex, religion and beliefs. The one that believes in equal opportunities. The feminism of women who do things, of being the subject and not just the passive object. Of being at the helm of important projects and activities, focusing on that wild woman we all know, at peace with nature and the one who runs with wolves. The one who fights and does not give up. The mother, the daughter, the sister, the lover, the boss. That one we have all been at some point in our lives but forgot how to remain so. I will honor that brave and wild woman that we all carry inside us, who rules without beauty canons or stereotypes to comply with and has a clear and strong voice.

Just A Gasp, 2023, Oil On Canvas, 40 cm Page 61: Calad Hort, 2021, Oil On Canvas, 80 x 50 cm
in touch with Amanda: amandaarroutea.com / Instagram: @mandioh
Bebí Agua De Cenote, Oil On Canvas, 80 x 80 cm
Get
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Randall Steinke

Artist Statement

Once I have an image I then work to make the composition fit into a coherent image, with shapes and composition. That process involves interpreting and creating a harmonious image. Color is not a factor at this point in the artwork but colors do start manifesting themselves. I begin to interject color onto the shapes which always results in other colors reveling themselves. For me every artwork is a conscious experiment that lays the foundation for future experiments.

Biography

U.S. artist Randall Steinke fell in love with painting in college when he had painting and art history classes. He has painted ever since and has recently turned his passion into a profession. Some of his most recent exhibitions include: “Roadtrip”, Juried Group Show at 40 West Gallery, 2023, “COLOR 2023”, Juried Group Show at 3 Square Art Gallery, 2023, “The Outsider Show”, Group show at Pirate Contemporay Galley, 2022, and “The Other Art Fair” Virtual Edition, Saatchi Art, 2022. Steinke lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

Get in touch with Randall: www.rsteinke-art.com

Instagram: @steinke_randy

Young Girl Telling a Story, 2023, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40 Page 63:: Boy and Fish, 2023, Oil on Canvas, 30x40 Woman and Window, 2023, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40
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Shannon Rae

Biography

I’m Shannon Rae, a self-taught emerging artist born in 1993, driven by an unwavering passion for art, animals, and the great outdoors. After a break from painting, my love for animals led me to work in veterinary clinics, finding solace and fulfillment. However, the call of the paintbrush remained irresistible. In 2021, supported by my husband and family, I fully immersed myself in the art world. With a distinct style reflecting my adoration for nature, I capture its essence through realistic portraits and abstract forms, combining imagination, passion, and skill. As an emerging artist, I embark on an exhilarating journey of self-discovery and growth, constantly pushing creative boundaries, exploring techniques, and refining my skills. My unwavering commitment to my craft is fueled by a profound love for art and nature, propelling me towards new artistic heights.

Artist Statement

I embark on each artistic creation armed with nothing but a paintbrush, a vibrant tube of acrylic paint, and an indelible emotion that grips me. The start of my paintings is an intuitive process, where I draw inspiration from the assortment of colors found in nature and the allure of intricate structures. Once an idea forms, the true exploration begins, characterized by uninhibited experimentation. As I progress through each artwork, I carefully build the palette, guided solely by what resonates within me.My creative journey becomes an immersive exploration of my own mental landscape, a therapeutic outlet to navigate the intricate labyrinth of existence. Each piece serves as a testament to my artistic expedition, where emotions are transformed into tangible expressions on canvas.

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Sacrilegious blooms, 2023, acrylic, 16 x 20” The garden shigh as hope, 2023, acrylic, 16 x 20” P. 64: Floral enchantment sembrace, 2023, acrylic, 8 x 10”
Get in touch with Shannon: www.iamshannonrae.com
Instagram: @iamshannon.rae

Maria Cazzato

Biography

Maria Cazzato is a mixed-media artist based in Boston, Massachusetts. She is currently pursuing a BFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and a BA in Political Science from Tufts University. Cazzato’s work uses the nude female body to create visualizations of ‘corporeal altars’ or the theory that one’s body is a place upon which rituals, worship, and damnation take place. Body dysmorphia, body checking, and the imagery generated by both are referenced throughout her process. She creates paintings and prints that simulate alienation from one’s body. Corpulence is classified as both a diseased state and a moral threat. As such, the fat female nude acts as a cultural barometer with which we can examine external and internalized weight stigma. Cazzato’s renderings of unwieldy torsos, robust thighs, stretch marks, and cellulite are all distorted and pushed to the extreme in an attempt to provoke anxiety and self-examination.

Statement

The way we perceive our own bodies is never simple and finite, but informed by multiple angles fighting for our attention all at once. My understanding of my body changes drastically from day to day, angle to angle. ‘Body image’ is a buzzword typically cast under a girlish, adolescent lens. There’s a societal assumption that if we collectively dismiss something as trivial or superficial, we’ll be able to give it less attention. I am interested in the cognitive dissonance that happens when we know a preoccupation with beauty is self-destructive, and, despite knowing better, we still can’t look away. Drawing the viewer in with sickly sweet, overindulgent color palettes makes the figures too eye-catching to ignore. I ornament figures with saccharine colors and sparkles to reconstruct adolescent angst into overstimulating eye candy that demands attention. The result is firey, sparkly skin that begs to be poked and dissected.

Bathroom Altar, 2023 Oil and iridescent paper on unstretched canvas, 4x6ft Page 67: Wasteland, 2023 Oil and iridescent paper on canvas, 22x36in
in touch with Maria: https://mariapcazzato.wixsite.com/maria-cazzato Instagram: @maria.cazzato.art
Strawberry Legs, 2023 Colored pencil and crayon on paper, 14x17in
Get
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Tiffany Nickel

Biography

Tiffany Nickel is a self-taught figurative artist painting body and sex positive art. Her work is influenced from a background in somatic work, sex and body love coaching, and kink education. She explores the body as an expressive language. She often finds inspiration during kink events, expressive movement and somatic experiences. Her artwork is entrenched in self awareness, expression and radical acceptance. Tiffany has curated and hosted 6 exhibitions in collaboration with businesses such as ColorUp (a multi-use healing space), Studio Friction (a sex positive shibari club), GRACe Studios (a Creative Community and Studios for artists), Museo De Las Americas (an art Gallery) and other. These events raised funds for non-profits and domestic violence safe houses such as Latina Safe House, The Initiative, RAINN, Planned Parenthood, PeaceWorks Inc and more. Her work has been featured in, Colorado Springs Gazette, Outfront Magazine, Babes Who Hustle, Lady Boss International Blog, and more.

Statement

My figurative paintings represent real women, explore all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and differences of the female form and sexuality. We live in a society that teaches women to hate and loathe their bodies and sexuality. We teach them that their pleasure is for the consumption of others. My work directly combats these paradigms through the provocative proposition that every nude body is worthy whole and complete just as it is. With each passionate brush stroke and color used, I aim to evoke the reminder that the female form and her sexuality is the most breathtaking view on earth. The colors and illustrative nature of my paintings facilitate an unhindered appreciation of the feminine form without the shame or judgment that might be present in the day-to-day interactions with self or others.

Get in touch with Tiffany: www.barenakedtiffany.com

Instagram: @barenakedtiffany

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Feeling Myself, 2022, Digital Panting That Bitch, 2022, Digital Painting Page 68: Bound, 2022, DigitalPainting

Raina Jia

My name is Raina and I am a recent graduate with a BFA from ArtCenter College of Design. I am currently based in Orange County, California. Prior to ArtCenter I was trained to come in for graphic design, however I decided to switch to illustration because I was always drawn to images, how they are both personal and universal, and how color, shape, composition can build tension and emotion. I love reading, traveling and exploring different art techniques in my free time, these activities have shaped my artistic style as well as who I am as a person.

“I am an illustrator passionate about telling unique stories from an unconventional perspective. Influenced by surrealism and contemporary design, I combine different techniques, both analog and digital, to create artworks that capture raw emotions and engage diverse audiences.”

Get in touch with Raina: https://www.rainajia.com

Instagram: @Rainyraearts

Intersection, 2022, 30 x 44 inches

Fieldtrip, 2023, 47 x 90 inches

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Colorpencil and Photoshop painting Color pencil and photoshop painting The No Brainer Artshow, 2022, 32 x 48 inches Page 71: Gouache and photoshop painting
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When I began to share my work with others, I found it was amazing to be able to empathize and communicate through my art, and this inspired me to continue these conversations.
- Ailyn Lee
(South Korea / U.S.)
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Back Stage Props, 2022 Solid wood, wood stain, stone clay, thread, oil, canvas, 14H x 11W x 3D inches

Finding Refuge in Surreal Spaces

Ailyn Lee

Hello Ailyn, to start with, let’s go back in time. How did you get into art in the first place?

When I was little, I spent a lot of time in my mother’s studio. My mother is sculptor, and she renders the human figure in ceramic and bronze. My earliest memories of engaging with art are making cups and small objects with clay in her studio.

After that, how did you become a professional artist?

I was always a shy student who drew in my notebooks at the back of the classroom. When I began to share my work with others, I found it was amazing to be able to empathize and communicate through my art, and this inspired me to continue these conversations. I decided to pursue my passion, studying at the School of Visual Arts. I was invigorated by the diverse community of artists, sharing ideas and working across a variety of media. I began working

across different media, including sculpture, painting, video and installations. Living in NYC with so many galleries, museums, and other artists inspires me everyday.

I read that your practice is inspired by your experience coping with chronic insomnia and anxiety, and that to escape these chaotic feelings, you began to dream up surreal, theatrical situations. Could you please speak more about this and about your work in general?

I was born in South Korea, and came to the United States when I was 14. Upon entering this unfamiliar environment, I began to experience anxiety and insomnia for the first time. In order to escape this discomfort, I began to imagine surreal spaces that allowed me to escape my reality. This experience became not only a coping mechanism, but also a source of inspiration for my artwork. Like creating sets for a play, I visualized a stage that I filled with symbolic items, including relics of my grandmother’s

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Ailyn Lee, Self portrait

antique shop and my mother’s sculpture studio, scenes of my early important and happy memories. The process of recreating these symbols is like a talisman, keeping me safe no matter where I am. I represent this imaginative process in my art practice through sculptures, installations, and short films.

Any emerging artists you’d like to recommend?

I am so glad to introduce Hanna Washburn, a fellow graduate of the MFA program at SVA. Using recycled textiles, Hanna creates playful and intimate hand-sewn sculptures. Please check out her website: www.hannawashburn.com and Instagram: @hanna.washburn.

You work with different techniques, such as multimedia sculptures, installations, and short films. What fascinates you about each of these techniques and is there any that you prefer over the others?

While my sculptures, installations, and videos are different media, they are each pieces of my practice that fit together and interact with each other. Each component is different and necessary in realizing a project.

Would you mind sharing your creative process with me?

My overall process is: 1. sketch out ideas, 2. construct sculptures, 3. install sculptures in the space, 4. create a short film using my works as a backdrop. Due to my interdisciplinary practice, I spend a lot of time researching media and materials that can best suit my project. Varied textures, transparencies, and material methods can be used to express different narratives.

Is there any specific series or work that you’d like to talk about more in detail?

Good Shoes Take You to Good Places, 2022 (see barcode).

Good Shoes Take You to Good Places, 2022, is a surreal black-and-white short film created late at night in my apartment using my sculptures as props, including the sculpture The Dreamer Box, 2021. With this film, I guide

viewers into my private place full of symbolic clues that might unlock the key to my insomnia. These layered surreal scenes include hands reaching out from the wall, a sculpture that is moving its eyes, and an animated version of myself. In this work, I meticulously create an enigmatic and dreamlike atmosphere to offer a hypnagogic state of consciousness, which occurs right before falling asleep.

Can you think of any helpful advice that you’ve been given and that you’d like to pass on to other emerging artist?

Artists can make a better world through their thoughts and ideas. Always remember, you are a magician!

Is there any current or upcoming event or project that you’d like to speak about?

Currently, I am working on a project that combines found furniture with the human figure. I make body parts in stoneclay, which I intertwine with cabinets, drawers, coat racks, and other items. I completed three works in this series this year: Break a Leg, Are You Decent?, and Nighttime Routine. These works will be on view in October 2023, my solo exhibition at A.I.R gallery, Brooklyn, NY.

And last question: What are your hopes for the future?

I have received a lot of support from friends, communities, and arts organizations. I would love to someday build an organization that could help other emerging artists, and create opportunities for them to share their work. I would also like to thank Suboart Magazine for this interview. It has been great to share my work with you!

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Get in touch with Ailyn: www.ailynleeart.com Instagram: @ailynlee_
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Moon Room, 2022, Solid wood, wood stain, stone clay, thread, oil, canvas, 14H x 11W x 3D inches Left page: Nighttime Routine, 2023, Stone clay, found drawer, wood stain, acrylic, thread, 3.5H x 16W x 13D inches (up) Morning Routine, 2023, Stone clay, acrylic, epoxy, soil, 3W x 2Hx 2D (down)

Hi Leonie, to start with, let’s go back to your beginnings in the arts. How did you get into art in the first place?

Since I was quite young, I always wanted to be a fashion designer, I spent much of my time drawing fashion sketches. Later on, I did an internship at a fashion company but it didn’t turn out as quite what I was looking for. I wasn’t much interested in what becomes of the fabric but rather in how the fabric itself is made and that was how I first heard about textile design.

I have been studying textile design for the past 6 years, since 2016. I did a BA and MA, and during my studies I did a lot of different projects, all located between design and art, even though they always leaned a bit more in the direction of art rather than functional design. I never really considered myself an artist, though. Now that I’ve finished my Master’s degree and went public with pieces I’ve made during my studies, I got a lot of feedback that is mostly coming from the artworld. So, right now, I consider myself more of an artist and I call myself artist slash designer. It was a bit unplanned with a very nice turn-out which I enjoy.

Art meets Craft meets Design

You explore the craft of weaving. When did your interest in weaving arise and what fascinates you about it?

In my BA studies, we all had to take weaving classes because it is a fundamental skill in textile design. Quite soon it turned out that I loved it and I was also pretty good at it. Then, after all the mandatory courses were completed, most students dropped weaving except for me - I was really passionate about it. I felt it was an interesting craftcomplicated but with such a simple looking outcome, plus weaving has such a long history and is very rooted in the development of human society. Working with weaving just really intrigued me.

In your practice you emphasize textile qualities such as material compositions, rich textures, and vibrant colors. Can you please speak more about that and your work?

I work at the intersection of textile and object. Usually when you weave, the result is a flat, rectangular piece of fabric. Out of curiosity I kept on working on the question how to weave a three-dimensional form, something that

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Leonie Burkhardt Leonie Burkhardt photographed by Daniel-Banner. Picture credits for artworks: page 118

is more of an object rather than a flat rectangle. Because, when you get a rectangle as a piece of fabric, you usually have to cut and sew it to create a three-dimensional form such as clothing or upholstery. So, the question for me was, how can I create three-dimensionality during the weaving process? I worked a lot on this question and I developed - and keep on developing - these abstract objects which are defined by their structure and colour. I enjoy doing color work and as a textile designer it’s fundamental to work with colours and textures. I learned more about three-dimensional work, about statics and balance, but I also included these very traditional textile design qualities such as colour, textures, and material compositions. I like to fuse those different things.

Did I understand you right that you actually weave something three-dimensional?

I weave it with a shrinking yarn, so, when the textile is coming off the loom, I’m heating it with steam and it shrinks. So, the only cutting I do is to cut it off the loom, and I’m not doing any sewing. I’m programming how it should be shaped through the shrinking yarn and then I steam it with a conventional steamer and it shapes itself within seconds. Even though I’m trying to plan the form that I want to have at the end, it’s quite random what is happening. Sometimes the yarns behave differently or I messed up something in regards to programming but then it turns out as happy mistakes.

Working with textiles and weaving is such a hands-on practice. Could you put into words how it makes you feel and what you like about it?

My brain is very connected to my hands. I think that a lot of people who work with their hands would say that. I’m thinking through my hands and to me thinking is better when I’m in motion, rather than when I’m still and silent. It’s a process of thinking for me. Hands-on practices can have a lot of different layers to me. In my development phase I sketch a lot, I try to feel the yarns and I weave little samples. However, in most of my works I work with industrial machines, so there is actually not much physical weaving in it. Sometimes I miss it but I also appreciate the

industrial process, of course. I think it’s a good combination to have a hands-on practice and also the digital way of working. I feel that the two complement each other.

Do you use the industrial machines for any special reason or it just happened?

The main reason is that the industrial machine is way bigger and faster and for those reasons, it gives you so much more possibilities. That’s what I appreciate the most. With hand-weaving, I could do the same things but that would take a lot of time. I researched three-dimensional weaving for almost two years now and it wouldn’t have been possible the same way without an industrial loom. Yet, I still feel very drawn to doing things with my hands. I think it’s a give-and-take. The industrial production gives me ideas that I then bring to life while hand-weaving little samples and the hand-woven samples, in return, give back to the industrial weaving. It’s a good synergy.

I wanted to speak with you about design vs. art in your work- does it feel differently to you to work in one field or another and is there anything that you treasure about design that visual art can’t offer you and vice versa?

I think a lot about design vs. art and where I’m putting myself and my work. I think it’s a very difficult question. In April, for example, I exhibited at Milan Design Week and I exhibited my pieces among other amazing design projects that were quite functional design objects such as lamps and chairs. My pieces worked in this context as well and showed the variety that design can be, but a lot of people approached me and said, “Oh, this is beautiful, but what does it do?” As my objects don’t have a function as a lamp does, for example, I don’t quite fit into the traditional design context. Then again, I don’t feel that I belong in the art context 100% either. I’m a bit inside of those two contexts but not fully in either of them, but it’s something that I actually enjoy a lot. Being in the art context, the design context, and the craft context at the same time. I take a lot of different things from these different areas. The most interesting part for me is the different reactions from the audience depending on the setting. I get a lot of feedback about what other people see in my work and

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that’s always different depending on where my pieces are exhibited. That’s a very interesting part of my practice.

You said that you don’t feel you belong 100% to the art world. Is there any specific reason for that?

It probably has to do with the fact that I do textiles & textile is quite new and reinvited into the art world, I feel. Textiles used to be not demonstrated as much in the art world as it is now or in the past five to ten years. Traditionally, textiles are very connected to function. But it might also be that I feel more like a designer because that’s my educational background. I can’t quite describe it. However, I do appreciate being more & more “art” (laughs).

Could you please share your creative process with me?

For sure. So, usually, an idea comes from curiosity, thinking “What if?” What if I do this or that or how can I bring a certain idea to life? As I said before, I sketch a lot, doing paper samples of whatever I have at home, which are so many things. I’m very much influenced by things that surround me, by objects that I find- it could be pretty much anything. Then, I usually go more into the material and have a closer look at what kind of material could be of benefit here. I then also dig deeper into what I want to create. Colors are also a big aspect of my work. I work, in general, digitally and analog and try to see my work from different perspectives. And then it’s a lot of experimenting, failing, and trying again. That’s my process; a lot of back and forth.

I wonder if you ever think, “I want to create a piece in this or that colour”, for example something red or blue?

Not really, I rather think in terms of, “I want to do something bright or something pale.” It’s more based on a feeling than on a certain hue. When I studied for my MA in Sweden, the dark winters made me need to have rich colors, as shiny as possible, and I feel that when I exhibit my works, people are very attracted to the colors, too. They would see it from afar and decide to go close because of the pretty colors and then they’d get drawn in and have a closer look at the piece and see that it’s textile. Since my

pieces are more artistic, I don’t have any color restrictions as happens with products. I am allowed to go crazy and lay out my feelings in colors.

What are you currently working on or is there any upcoming event that you’d like to share with me?

In the means of exhibiting my work, I was in Paris last week at Salon Révélation which was great. In July this year, I’m going to exhibit another project that I have developed together with Jojo Shone at the Textielmuseum in Tilburg in the Netherlands. I’m looking forward to that. And I’m also working on ideas and developing some more aspects, but the past half year has been rather about publishing my work and bringing it among people which has kept me busy.

Is there any advice that you’d like to share with fellow emerging artists?

Stay true to yourself. A lot of people have opinions, not all of them are valid. I used to struggle with being afraid of making- you shouldn’t be. Just do it. I still have to tell that to myself sometimes.

Any fellow emerging artists you’d like to recommend?

Yes, in Paris, in Salon Révélation I saw another textile artist who I really like, Sarah Hô (@sarah.ho__). I adore her pieces; they were very intricate & I felt emotional seeing them. It was very nice to go closer to them. I’d also like to recommend my study colleague Felicia Hansen (@felicia_oh), who you interviewed for your Online Magazine. She’s my partner in crime, we try to make it in the art world together (laughs). I appreciate her & her work a lot.

And last question: What are your hopes for the future?

I’m just excited about upcoming projects & about what the future holds for me. I hope I’m still going to have fun & joy in the work that I’m doing for many more years to come.

Get in touch with Leonie: www.leonieburkhardt.com

Instagram: @leonie.burkhardt

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Juyi Mao

Biography

Juyi Mao lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He earned his BA from Painting department of Xiamen University and an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art with focuses on new media art, critical theory, and cinema study. Mao is a grantee and awardee of the United States Artists, the New York Foundation of the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Queens Council On the Arts, Artists’ Fellowship, NARS Foundation. His work has been featured in publications including Modern Weekly.

Statement

My works are in various modes from low-resolution to 4K, and from found images to performance art as expanded cinema. I have always been drawn toward the alchemy of moving images and sound. Using mixed media art installation, I query the relationships of people, space and objects within contexts of contemporary life and socio-political conditions.

Get in touch with Juyi: https://www.maojuyi.com Instagram: @juyi_mao
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Untitled Solo Project, 2018, Video installation, dimensional variable
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A Message from the Last Summer, 2021, video art, 1920 x 1080 (up) Whispers of the Mind, 2022, photography, 61 x 92cm

Lucia Gardiner

Statement

Much of the subject matter of my work stems from the idea of the recontextualization of Kitsch. Though Academic Artists originally identified kitsch as ‘low art’, I believe it has adjusted into a post-modernist experience that dares to make fun of itself while exploring the concept of blind joy. I am innately inspired by mediums that have found themselves at the low end of the material hierarchy. By creating from what I can find and what I have, I am able to connect with my intuitive nature for mark making. I feel art at its best is resourceful.

Enemies To Lovers, 2022, Collage, 12 x 20 inches Page 90: Dropped, 2021, Collage, 11 x 14 inches

Biography

Lucia Gardiner is a mixed-media artist with a primary focus in printmaking and Collage. Much of her work centers on the examination of preservation vs. deterioration as well as society’s relationship with tradition and womanhood. She is currently based out of Hammonton, New Jersey.

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And The Winner Is..., 2022 Collage, 11 x 14 inches Get in touch with Lucia: https://www.luciagardinerart.com Instagram: @Luciagardinerart

Sue Greenfield

Biography

Sue Greenfield is a Hampshire, UK, based Fine Art Photographer. Fascinated with how people express themselves and move within their own landscapes, she is interested in memory, absence and presence and the notion of hauntological disruption. This interest was sparked by a walk through Creech Woods in Hampshire. She later came across the almost forgotten role that the woodland played in 1944 in sheltering hundreds of soldiers waiting embarkation for the Normandy D Day landings. There is no trace today of what took place there. But the notion of landscapes layered with hidden histories gradually disappearing from our collective memory intrigues her. Using archival material, photomontage and collage she considers landscapes layered by history: events and experiences, often forgotten or hidden deep within our collective memory.

Artist Statement

These images are from “When the sirens were going”; a remembering of the treks people made across the city of Portsmouth, SE England, during World War Two, seeking safety from bombing raids in tunnel shelters cut into the side of Portsdown Hill. How did it feel to make those nightly treks? To spend the night in those shelters? A chance occurrence during the Covid-19 pandemic led me to create this work. I realised my lockdown walks coincidently followed part of those wartime treks; my walk and those treks permeated with a sense of threat and the need for refuge. This narrative recalls those wartime treks using photomontage and collage to evoke the fragmentation of daily life on the home front, separation from family and loved ones, the presence of danger, sometimes unseen, but which also echoed within our lives during the pandemic; the sense of the past haunting the present.

Get in touch with Sue: https://www.suegreenfieldphotography.co.uk Instagram: @photosueg

Thoughts of home, 2021, photomontage

You need to take blankets, 2021, photomontage Page 93: Homecoming, 2020, photomontage

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The Pharmacist 2022, 2022 Oil On Canvas, 48 in x 60 in

Pablo Andrade Cortes

Biography

Pablo grew up in the generational push for S.T.E.M. and started his academic career studying engineering. Mathematics was a forte of his and even though it was never the vision, it became the cornerstone that developed him as the eristic fine artist today. He successfully achieved an associate’s degree in studio arts in 2020 from Polk State College before graduating from Florida Southern College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, concentration in oil painting, education, and mathematics.

Get in touch with Pablo: https://pabloandrade-cortesbfa.godaddysites.com/ Instagram: @pacos_studio

Statement

Burnout is common and widely experienced across most age groups. No matter how grounded an individual might be, they may still have been exposed to stress. Given my experiences of struggling to find a clear direction in life, I document differ

ent perspectives of burnout that persist as societal issues amplified through the COVID-19 pandemic. Each piece uniquely displays a progression in style and atmospheric perspective, individually influenced by various movements in art history; however, inspired by French impressionist artists such as Édouard Manet and Realist painter Gustave Courbet, the palette and technique walk the line of rejecting traditional academic paintings by defying customary representations of everyday subjects. In my series, viewers are confronted with the stressful realities of various individuals, and even though we may not personally experience these roles, I invite them to establish and reflect on a possible role within each piece and con

template the themes.

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The Educator 2022, 2023 Oil On Canvas, 48 in x 60 in

Mina Katebi

Create & Destroy

Surrounded by art from the start

I was born and grew up in Iran. I am 37 years old. I am an Iranian painting graduate. My interest in art began in my childhood. My father was self-taught in calligraphy, music, and singing. I grew up in that environment. My art education was like pieces of a puzzle coming together over time. Growing up with my father. Growing up in a historical city. Every day, I would go to school by the side of historical works, historical passages. I would spend hours reading in a section of an old library. The old carpets and my grandma’s hand-woven carpets were a world of color and design for me. With my fingers, I would follow the spirals in the carpets. From one spiral to another, I would travel. As a child, I would replicate the designs and flowers in carpets in my drawings. I would decorate my school assignments with flowers. I studied Iranian painting in

college. I worked in various art workshops. In the calligraphy section, I worked in a private museum. All of these were just pieces of a cohesive whole.

Iranian Carpets & Spirals

My work is heavily inspired by Iranian carpets, Iranian painting colors, Iranian motifs (such as the spiral) and patterns. Piece by piece they formed my understanding. The spiral movement is from multiplicity to unity. Movement towards the center, inward, towards light and awareness.

Create & Destroy

The main idea behind my paintings is to create and destroy. To acquire and lose. I start building my paintings

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Mina Katebi in her studio

one day and the next day I tear them down. Every day, I perform an art performance. It’s like an observation and meditation. In the end, a creation is made. I scratch my paintings, cover them, paint over them again, and make lines. I write coded words that only I know. Scratching reveals new layers, design over design. In my painting style, I accept every crack and flow. I consider my mistakes as a transformative event and accept everything. My paintings are like the sun in my life. Whatever happens, whatever event occurs, they rise and set every day. If I don’t find a painting opportunity one day, I write down my ideas on a small sheet, sketch my designs or at least I doodle in my notebook.

working on a large-scale exhibition of Iranian-inspired compositions in painting. My next project is a mixed media collage that combines all the paintings and calligraphy that I’ve created on paper, which I then glue to a natural canvas, and work on it with organic materials.

Moving forward in passion everyday

Why I paint how I paint

In the first section, I said that my artistic life came together like pieces of a puzzle, and led me to this point. I also had an unsuccessful experience in my upbringing. I lost my child three days after giving birth. I felt as if I had failed. I destroyed the paintings that were in front of me, making them all lines and clean. I had the feeling that I had to survive. I hit my hands and feet to survive. I started to destroy the paintings that were coincidentally all classical, putting myself in the tradition. I was scratching designs because I was scratched. I had learned to live with pain because I had been hurt. I had been kicked out of my own framework. Rightly, I am my paintings and my paintings are me.

I am currently focused on…

…several projects. I am working on a mixed media project that involves using non-recyclable materials that are produced unnecessarily in everyday life, and using them as a painting medium. I paint with natural and organic colors that I make myself on top of the medium. I am also

Practice. Practice and repeat practice. Every day, one must work. One must solve the problem with painting, and one must live with painting. I once worked on one of my paintings while on a train because I was not calm or in place. I opened my suitcase and painted for several hours in a cup. I’ve always been with my paintings. Some days I don’t know how to move forward with my painting. I don’t have any vision of the final goal. But I can only see the next step, just one step. Only move forward in that one step. Move forward and move forward passionately. It doesn’t matter if a certain gallery works with you or not. Just work and don’t worry about revealing your talent. Whenever you can create a new and valuable work, museum managers and galleries will come to you. In his book “Steal like an Artist,” Austin Kleon writes about copying. He says start by copying what you love, copy, and copy and in the end; you will find your own copy. He says to steal the thinking behind the style. Break the rules. Create new things. Make the world a happier place. It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 50. Now that you’ve decided to be an artist, you’re definitely young enough. Trust in your own taste and perception. And don’t think that the ups and downs of the art world are just for you.

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“My paintings are like the sun in my life. Whatever happens, whatever event occurs, they rise and set every day.”
Get in touch with Mina on Instagram: @_mika.studio
“Only move forward in that one step. Move forward & move forward passionately.”
Untitled, 2021, Mixed media on canvas, 49 x 54 cm (up) Erosion, 2021, Mixed media on canvas, 45 x 10 cm Next page: Saqqa khaneh, 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 175 x 75 cm

Page 100: When she sleeps, 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 180 x 90 cm

Page 101: All, Nothing, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, 92 x 150 cm

This page: Hamsaa, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 112 cm

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You don’t know how to love me, 2019, Mixed media on canvas, 84 x 113.5 cm (up) - 102 -

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Robin Raznick

Biography

Robin Raznick is a versatile artist & arts educator who works in oil, acrylics, and clay exploring the colors, and textures of the natural world, translating them into thickly impasto’ed paintings and ornate ceramic vessels. Raznick’s paintings are influenced by Impressionist artists like Claude Monet, Expressionists like Vincent van Gogh and Joan Mitchell, and contemporary painters Jennifer Bartlett, Allison Schulnik, Anselm Kiefer & David Hockney. Her unique style is articulated in the undulating surfaces, dynamic mark-making, and unabashed use of color. Raznick’s intense relationship with nature is communicated in the large scale, visceral intensity of her paint and clay surfaces. She holds a BFA from the California College of the Arts, and an MA from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Raznick has exhibited widely in both museums & galleries, is a Kipaipai Fellow and has participated in residencies in Israel, France, and Lancaster, CA. Robin currently works and resides in Coachella Valley, CA.

Statement

The stories I tell are about relationships and observations of the natural world and the wonder and resilience of the earth. I’m hopeful my approach lends itself to contemplation regarding the priorities of our society and perseverance of the planet. The work is representational through an emotive and abstracted lens. Soils, small bugs, creatures, sticks, rocks, feathers, nests, ceramic shards, and fabrics are incorporated into the painted surfaces. I push the texture by combining materials to create contrast and variety. Clumps of paint are scraped from palettes, squeezed from pastry tubes, and smeared with hands, and the face of the paintings are sometimes 2-4” in depth. There’s an inevitable decay in the work as part of a life cycle, and over time the oil paint will crack and the surface will undergo changes, so that organic material may gradually fade away into the land from which it’s come.

Instagram: @raznick_studio

Kipaipai Forest, 2022 Oil Paint, Mill Valley Soil, Forest Debris, Feathers on Canvas, 48 x 90”
Get in touch with Robin: https://www.robinraznick.com
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The Nest, 2023 Oil Paint, Nest on Fabric, on Canvas, 36 x 36” Borrego Dreamin, 2021 Oil Paint, Anza Borrego Soil and Rock, Metallics on Canvas, 60 x 60” Prairie Hope, 2022 Oil Paint, Tennessee Soil and Rock, Bugs, 60 x 60” Hope Springs Eternal, 2022 Oil Paint, Lizard, Beads, Desert Soil, Metallics on Canvas, 60 x 60”

Sara Baker Michalak

Biography

Sara Baker Michalak holds a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology’s College of Fine and Applied Arts and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Humanities/Geoscience) from SUNY Fredonia. She exhibits her artworks widely, including at The Collage Garden in Seville Spain and other international collage installation events. Additional exhibitions include Unconnected Yet in Kolkata, India; UnfoldingObject in Concord MA; Art That Matters To The Plant in Jamestown NY; Corporeal Gestures in Portland OR; the American Craft Museum in New York City; the Burchfield Penny and Albright Knox galleries in Buffalo NY; the International Small Art Show in Atlanta, Georgia and Cleveland Museum of Art. Her work is included in Collections at MERZ in Sanquihar Scotland, the Ontological Museum, Santa Fe NM and Burchfield Penny in Buffalo NY.

Statement

“My collage works reflect a view of the natural world’s beauty and its ephemerality: the tangible that clearly defines nature’s forms, and the fluid forces that animate it. I most often begin with recognizable imagery that references land/water/ atmosphere -- what’s observable in the nature. What I feel in it guides the work from there – the layered complexity and interdependence of all that makes the environment whole and fluid; nature’s cyclical processes of birth, growth, decline and return; planetary life and its vast time scales; and what’s happening at the interfaces between the natural and built environments. The abstractions that emerge in much of my work is a blending of these. The series ‘Letters Looking for a Language’ references our troubled times and human discord in the struggle to communicate and work together for the planet’s wholeness and common good.”

Get in touch with Sara: www.sarabakermichalakart.com

Instagram: @SaraBakerMichalak

Letters Looking For A Language, 4, 2022 AnalogCollage, 8 x 8 in Letters Looking For A Language 8, 2022 Analog Collage, 8 x 8 in
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Letters Looking For A Language 6 & 9 (up) Letters Looking For A Language 2 & 1 (down) Analog Collage, 2022, 8 x 8 in

Maya R. Zuniga

Biography

Ever since I was a child I was always painting or drawing, and as I grew older I decided I wanted to make art my life. When I was in high school I was an editorial cartoonist for my school newspaper and won a national award for one of my drawings. After this I finally took an art class where I was able to really let my abilities blossom, and this is where I also decided I like to make art that made people feel understood and made projects based around mental illnesses. In high school I also won a Make West Covina Beautiful poster making contest, and won Outstanding Senior in fine arts for the years of 2018-2020 in my school. Now that I am in college I’m learning ways to improve my skills, learning new mediums and how to improve my art’s look in general.

Get in touch with Maya: https://mayazumarz02.wixsite.com/marz-art

Instagram: @art.on.marz & @ayammarz

Artist Statement

I am an illustrator and artist of color who creates art in a growing variety of mediums, ranging from traditional to digital. In my works I like to tell stories based on my own experiences or others; all with the intention of helping others feeling less alone in the world, to help some appreciate the beauty in life and to try and look at things in a positive way. To tell these stories I usually like to use certain colors, objects, subjects, metaphors and flowers/plants. Additionally, in my most personal works I like to use plants and flowers not only for aesthetic reasons but mostly because I associate them all with different meanings and messages. With other works like portraits I try my best to reflect the subject I am painting, with the environment, how they are represented, colors, and details that represent them.

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Pruning Season, 2023, Digital illustration, 11x17” Temperance, Templanza, 2023, 9x12” The Moon, La Luna, 2023, 9x12” (page 108) Both acrylic paintings

Patrick Duggan

Patrick Duggan (b.1990) is an artist from Brisbane, Australia. He began exhibiting in 2017, throughout various locations in both Melbourne and Brisbane. Patrick first expressed his creativity with music as a teenager and shifted to visual art in his mid 20s, believing it represented his inner world more accurately. He explores his sub conscious mind, intuition, and feelings and converts them into abstract expressions via various mediums.

Statement

His upbringing was one that left a sour taste in his mouth for years on end, until he decided to face it, understand it, and in doing so embark on a journey of transformation. This was the point that art came into his life. He suddenly had a new scope to see, a firm trigger to pull, on all the trapped and concentrated feelings that had engulfed him for the majority of his young age. Depression and social anxiety, as well as the off shoots of these, such as loneliness, alcoholism, and the process of transformation itself, are pivotal reference points that he chooses to explore and develop into his artistic approach. Through his work, Patrick intends to visualize our suffering as an opportunity to find or to create a wholeness inside ourselves that will make a substantial impact on the world.

Get in touch with Patrick: www.patrickduggan.art Instagram: @paddydugganart

Lazy Rage, 2022, Mixed media on canvas, 90x90 cm (up) Midnight Magician, 2022. Mixed media on canvas, 60x60 cm Self Sabotage, 2020, Mixed media on canvas, 24x24 cm P. 111: Focus, 2022, Mixed media on canvas, 120x90 cm
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Jeff Elkow

Biography

Jeff Elkow is a city planner, photographer and street artist based in Toronto, Ontario. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jeff has always been an avid wanderer with a fascination for cities and how they work. Jeff’s photography grew out of these interests developing a unique style of abstract and experimental street photography.

My photography is an exploration of the urban environment, highlighting the neglected, strange and overlooked. My photographs are heavily altered, surreal and psychedelic, with a particular focus on the garbage and waste inherent to our daily lives. I seek to recycle these scenes into something bright and new, to create playful and abstract images barely reminiscent of the original streetscapes captured.

Get in touch with Jeff on Instagram: @jayvelcro

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Dream Weapon, 2023, photography (up) Two Steps from Heaven, 2023, photography (down) Escape Velocity, 2023, photography P. 112: Bending to the Lash, 2022, photography

Ksenia Sokolovskaya

Working in oils on large canvases, Ksenia’s works immerse the viewer in the world of mythical creatures, sad characters, people, and animals wandering through nameless landscapes. Ksenia describes the process of creating each image as a rush of nostalgia and melancholy. She paints under some kind of intuitive impulse that knows something that the artist might not. This vagueness of intentions allows Ksenia to work both with brushes, and a palette knife, and with her hands, and fingers on a large canvas or manipulate the amount of oil paint, applying it either in a flat layer or in a large mass on the canvas. Applying layers of oil pigment to the canvas with her fingers allows Ksenia to be as close as possible to her paintings, to merge with them through the paint, demonstrating its organic nature and creating a feeling of closeness between a human and art.

When the figures and images of Ksenia appear in front of a person, they may ask the viewer to look into their eyes, to be understood. Her characters need to be understood without question or explanation. Ksenia sees her characters in dreams, sometimes she comes up with some details in the course of work. She finds many characters in fairy tales of different peoples of the world, in books and myths, and in legends. Many flowers and plants can be found in her latest works. It is a symbol of tenderness and longing, these are tears, tears of joy and sadness at the same time. These vivid paintings speak for themselves, depicting images that seem to arise from a mysterious fairy tale or from a fantasy film, from dreams, and in some way from the viewer’s own feelings. Ksenia’s paintings are based on fantasy, dreams, and strong feelings that bring an alternative world to the canvas, a world of freedom and love, but at the same time sadness and loneliness. Her work focuses on nostalgia, melancholy, devotion, and tenderness in touching scenes that create space for salvation and healing.

About

Born in 2002 in Moscow, Russia, lives and works between Moscow and Tbilisi. Ksenia works in oils and acrylics on large formats, and lately she has been paying a lot of attention to color and watercolors. Her work is associated with love, tenderness, revelation, but at the same time with pain, melancholy and sadness.

Get in touch with Ksenia: https://www.behance.net/sokolovskafa96 / Instagram: @patrisiart

Hope, 2022, oil on canvas, 150 x 70 cm Page 115: Russian princess, 2022, Oil on Canvas, 105 x 160 cm
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Marc Chicoine

Marc Chicoine is a visual artist & dancer based in Brooklyn, NY. Marc received his BA from Chicago based Northwestern University in Cognitive Science & Communication. He moved to NYC in order to pursue freestyle dance & further develop his creative ambitions. Marc designed for the education technology sector, before returning to school to receive an MFA from the Pratt Institute. Marc’s paintings focus on corporeal experience. Both technically informed & raw, his work bridges the universal with the intimately psychological. Marc has exhibited across the United States. Showings include the Pratt Institute, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, and the East Village Art Collection. In free time, Marc moves his feet, being a long time practitioner under renowned House dancer & teacher Sekou Heru. Marc believes that his movement practice is integral to his visual work. Both systems of expression bridge technical prowess with improvisation irrespective of emotive outlet.

We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.

- Proverb from Tokushima

“As a painter and freestyle dancer, my work is driven by a deep appreciation for our bodies. Heavily inspired by embodied cognition and the research of pioneers such as George Lakoff, I believe that bodily narrative and sensorial perceptions are responsible for how we conceive of and engage with every aspect of our lives. Cognition, emotionality and the metaphors we live by are all married to our bodies. When creating visual narratives, be it with brush or on the dancefloor, I strive to bridge the universal with my own intimate psychosocial experiences. This thread remains consistent irrespective of emotive outlet. A strong directive of my visual work is to challenge viewers to reassess the integration between mind and body. I aim to inspire them to consider how they ~wiggle~ through this life.”

Get

- Suboart Magazine -
in touch: www.mwc.design / @marcchicoine
Name Fear of the Shadow, 2023, Acrylic, Oil Pastel, 48x36” (up) The Eternal Punishment Of Prometheus, 2022, Acrylic, 34x48” (left page)

Visit our online magazine: www.suboartmagazine.com

Join

Image credit cover image

Camille Kouassi, “Tulipes Solitudes”, 2023, Self portrait, photography, 29,7 x 42 cm

Image credits for full page images

Page 78: Ailyn Lee, “Break a Leg”, 2023

Stone clay, found cabinet, carved wood, wood stain, acrylic, mirror, epoxy 35H x 35W x 23D inches

Page 79: Ailyn Lee, “Are You Decent”, 2023

Stone clay, found coat rack, acrylic, wood stain, epoxy, jute twine, 80H x 20W x 15D inches

Page 83: Leonie Burkhardt, “Green Shades”, 2022, weaving, 15 x 22 x 25 cm

Page 84: Leonie Burkhardt, “Orange Curve”, 2022, weaving, 15 x 22 x 17 cm

Page 85: Leonie Burkhardt, “Radiant Pink”, 2022, weaving, 80 x 80 x 45 cm

Page 86: Leonie Burkhardt, “The Vessel Collection”, 2021, weaving various sizes (up)

Leonie Burkhardt, Woven Forms Collection, 2022, weaving, various sizes (down)

Page 87: Leonie Burkhardt, “Yellow and Green Serpent, 2021”, weaving, 15 x 15 x 62 cm

- Suboart Magazine- 118 -
Editorial
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. Design, editorial & writing: Ulrike Nina Seidel. July 2023, Lisbon, Portugal. us on Instagram:
@suboartmagazine
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