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In the studio with Iris Kojaman

In the studio with Austrian-based artist Iris Kojaman. We met with Iris to tell us more about the inspirations behind her practice, her ideal conditions for creating art, and what she hopes to explore further in the future.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

There were several times when I saw myself as an artist. As a child, a teenager, being accepted at the Art Uni and than again once after finding my artistic voice. It is a path and something I‘ve always been at the same time. 

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? 

I am from Vienna, Austria. A very historic place. My parents were raising me with the freedom to let me be. My mother was a teacher and my father an electric engineer. My mother also had a wool shop and my father an electric shop. I spent a lot of time  between the colours of all this wool and the workplace of an electrician. When I was bored I built things out of wood, nailed, hammered or filed  something. Or I painted, knit or arranged things new there. They even let me decorate the shop window according to my taste and style. I took the trust, the independence and urge to do what I want from my family/ from this time.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work? 

My mother offered me a big variety to experience different materials. She offered me a glimpse into the art world that I really needed. We went to museums, theater plays and she read to me a lot. In came my love for music. And I became obsessed with learning to play my instrument properly. I even went to music schools most of my young life long. At the age of 17 my art teacher at school (at the music school) told me that I have to do something with my talent for painting. So she provided me with different colours, paints and books. After time I found out what the right material for me would be and that indeed was a game changer. It can unlock a lot of potential if someone believes in you.

What’s the message of your work? 

To be present. My themes come from everyday life. A certain beam of light, a colour combination, a movement of a person or the absence of it all can lead to the urge to paint it.  Big areas of colour that describe the pictured scenery dominate the impression but at the same time it is clear that these fields are just the ladder hold to let the  illusion of dimension collapse. The main character in my paintings is the unnatural flat aera of colour that brings back the attention to the surface of the painting. No story is told and everything is happening at the moment we are looking at it. As if that stops the illusion from being a 3 dimensional image to taking it back to it’s ‘now, to it’s presence and origin. My themes are sourced in nature, in indoor rooms or at places where the human figure is missing somehow. But lately I try to place its presence back into the painting. 

Who and what are your greatest influences? 

The British Painter Tom Hammick had a huge influence on my work. I found out about him a few years ago. And through his work I fell in love with painting again.  I just looked and reflected for weeks and months. The simplicity of the pictured image, the love for his family, the essence of colour and the vitality to keep on painting for decades gave me a reason to paint. 

My own figurative painting style felt like it has come to an end and I had the feeling that I did everything I wanted to do with figurative painting. I needed a rebirth and I found it in the essence of colour and love. And later on my path in shifting more and more to abstraction. I owe him my world.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

The flowers and the arrangement of a Parisien florist-shop. The colours, patterns and colour combinations are magnificently inspiring for me.  I knew straight away I have to remember them and probably work with their selection of structure and colour. Plus a pile of sketches I made about 2 years ago and I‘ve totally forgotten about. Now the time is ripe for them. 

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I see the process of creating as a way of searching, researching you could say. And it is extremely positive to share these new ways of seeing with someone else. The paintings don’t work without people who can view them. Like sound that does not exist if nobody is receiving it.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practise?

I come from the figurative aera of painting. Unexpectedly, I walked more and more into the field of abstraction recently . My paintings still originate in the real world but transform into something else now. This condition was and is a big change in my practice and aesthetic. It offers me a lot of space, room and freedom in front of me.  

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

Ideally I have a lot of time ahead. That gives me the freedom of mind to put myself into the process of creating. I need this condition usually when planing and drawing for a new piece of art work. I‘ve noticed that it works best for me if I break the process of creating down into pieces.

Usually a new idea for a painting needs some time to take shape. From the moment of having the  idea to the moment of knowing exactly how to do it some time has to go by. At the moment I have about 5 paintings planned ahead.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your  works?

Stroked by the Thistle is a very important painting for me. When I saw the scenery I knew straight away that I have to paint it. It was a certain beam of light, with unusuall big thistles growing out of a wild garden. 

It happened to me several times that I knew at that very moment that something about it is important for my work. That I wanted to remember and then paint. Very often these paintings are milestones in my artistic practice. And so is Stroked by the Thistle. This painting in particular led me into the abstract world.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I hope to find out which role the human figure should play in my paintings. This is often my blind spot. The rest I trust in to come naturally.

Describe your work in three words:

Light, intensive and detached.

What do you listen to while you work? Is music important to your art?

There are periods of time where I listen to the same album over and over again. As if nothing else makes sense for a certain painting. That goes on until I‘ve almost overdone it. Alternated by silence if I have to concentrate a lot. Or if I need a break from input while creating. So I would say music is actually as important as silence for my work.

What is your favorite read?

What I enjoy reading at the moment is Sally Rooney’s books, a Biography of David Hockney and Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act.

My all time reads are Peter Høeg, the Austrian Author Michael Köhlmaier and the classic Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received (any quotes or mantras you particularly connect with)?

“Some days are like onion, some are like honey.”

It’s a saying my now husband sent me on a tough day I had while traveling the world alone, some years ago. Bed bugs, a difficult route and a broken camera are some of the things I still remember  from that day. He must have sensed that I sometimes forget that good and bad times take turns.

What makes you laugh ?

My best friend, pop candy and shouting out “hello” to sunflowers when driving by a sunflower field.

What makes you nervous?

Too many animals on one spot, some noises , a 2nd coffee a day and handling several things at the same time. 

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often?

I actually enjoy talking about my work and I like to picture my path from figurative to more and more abstract art. It is my personal liberation act and the window into my required craving to create art. An area where everything is possible and where intuition is key.

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time? 

Allowing a pet for my daughters, which we will pick up in a few weeks. Plus a more watery painting technique.

Is there anything you’ve been hesitant to try in the past but you’d like to this year?

To work on two different bodies of work in my two studios. Usually I bring paintings from one studio to the other one. But to work simultaneously on two bodies of work is definitely new for me. I want to keep working on my bigger paintings and more comprehensive body of work at my main studio but also start working on small paintings/drawings at my small City Center Studio for an upcoming solo next year.

Do you have any superstitions?

Manifestation through picturing something in my mind.

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

I would rather be surprised. I think to know what the future holds would make anyone loose all their spirits and passion.

What place in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

There is a walk nearby where I live, the local children call it the Rooster-Path since there is a rooster somewhere along the way. And if you turn off this path there is the most inspiring place I know. It is a former birch forest, with knee-high grass, lots of birds up in the air and a strange silence. It is the birthplace of my painting Wintery, Summery Daisy and I think I could make so many more originating there.

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

Astronomical discoveries in Physics. Since the JW Telescope is up in the orbit there is so many new discoveries that leave us stunning behind. Physics is my secret love. It gives me the feeling of understanding more about the meaning of life.

What is your relationship with social media?

For me it is most of the time very positive and inspiring. When I started painting some years ago, there were only books, word of mouth and visiting artists and exhibitions available as an input from the art world. Now we have the chance to learn about so many great artists around the world. See what they are working on, hear their thoughts and struggles. Since I am a curious person who needs a lot of input for my personal well-being, it is actually the perfect tool for me to learn, to grow and to stay awake in my mind.

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In the studio with Xixi Qian

In the studio with Xixi Qian, a visual artist whose works depict a botanical punk world, fully expressing the alternative spirit of punk culture that transcends societal norms. We met with Xixi to tell us more about growing up in Zhejiang, China, her ideal conditions for creating work, and an unexpected source of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

The moment I graduated from college, when people asked me about my career and work, I would say I was an artist. From the first day of my undergraduate studies, I created my work from the perspective of an artist. 

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? How has this impacted your work?

I am from Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China. From as far back as I can remember in kindergarten, I discovered my passion for drawing. I often participated in painting activities at school, which made my parents start to support me in developing my talent in painting. From elementary school to high school, I served as the publicity committee member of the school, responsible for organizing and participating in the publication of drawings and objects. These experiences gave me a strong interest in painting and I gradually formed professional knowledge. By participating in various competitions and winning awards, I have steadily built up my self-confidence. Therefore, I decided to embark on the path of artistic creation.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work? 

Ever since I was a child, though immersed in the academic subjects learning, my interest in art creation has never been stifled, the credit of which I suppose should be both given to my born intuition toward art creation and the faith instilled by my educational environment, which boasts the importance of personal striving, leaving little room for people to give up. This has shaped my character and made me always stick to my goals. I just answer to my inner calling and express my heart through artistic language. Gradually, my life goal has become my spiritual pillar.

During the RCA graduation exhibition, people from the Gatehouse Chambers Art Program took a liking to my work, invited me to participate in their project, and provided a sponsorship fee.  This gave me the confidence to believe that I could make a living through my art.

What’s the message of your work? How would you describe your aesthetic? 

My works create a botanical punk world, which is an artistic context constructed by myself. Punk culture represents a non-mainstream fringe culture that aims to transcend social norms and create a unique spiritual utopia. In my works, I use plant elements to extract mutually beneficial elements from nature to express the beautiful vision of cooperation and win-win in society. Taking my hometown Wenzhou as an example, I explored the phenomenon between economic growth and cultural constraints. My creations use plants as a medium to explore various rules and regulations in human society and reflect the complexity of tolerance and opposition. This exploration makes the plant world full of complex and simple beauty due to the diversity of human society. My practice focuses on the properties of rhizomes and fungi, explores the social dynamics of China’s second-tier cities, and interprets the relationship between socioeconomic culture and family, neighbours, and generations from a macro and micro perspective.

My purpose is to change this phenomenon. Even if it just makes people aware of this phenomenon, I will be satisfied. The motivation for creating is not only because I like to create, but also to solve the problems I face in real life, such as whether to stay in the UK or go back to China. This decision is influenced by a variety of factors including parental, familial, communal and intergenerational. So, I started from my family, analyzed my city and hometown, and tried to find an answer.

The purpose of this work is also to gain a deeper understanding of myself. Sometimes, I will read some sociological books as a way of self-psychotherapy (when talking about the content of my works, I will make reference to the books of anthropologist Mr. Xiang Biao). I think it’s treating the symptoms, not the root cause. At the same time, this work is also a criticism of my city (Wenzhou). Although I am not a politician or a government official, I try to offer solutions to this problem and hope that my artistic creation can have some impact. At the very least, I hope that those who have encountered similar problems will agree with me.

My aesthetics are heavily influenced by personal experiences. As Chinese, I like the elegant artistic conception conveyed by traditional Chinese painting. On the other hand, the capitalist society also influenced me, making me have an appreciation for Baroque and Rococo styles. My creative style incorporates these influences, resulting in a Chinoiserie style.

Who are your greatest influences? 

Mr. Xiang Biao, an anthropologist at Oxford University, had a profound influence on me. As a compatriot from Wenzhou, he can interpret this social phenomenon from an anthropological perspective., His views have greatly inspired me to think about the phenomenon behind this society.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

My work has been deeply influenced by Deleuze and Guattari’s book A Thousand Plateaus, which explores non-linear, polycentric, non-hierarchical thinking and social structures. Through this book, I have a new understanding of familiar social patterns. It explores nonlinear, decentralized, and nonhierarchical thinking and social structures, providing a theoretical framework for opposing centrism and hierarchy. In a way, I believe that’s what  my hometown needs to focus on.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it? 

No matter how the audience reacts to my work, I don’t mind, I am very open to any feedback. But I hope that the audience can think, feel joy or resonate when appreciating my works. Painting has this magical ability to touch people’s emotions and minds, and I hope that the audience will be touched in my works.

Therefore, my work is both abstract and figurative. In future, I hope that more people will have access to art to allow a wider audience appreciate my works. I know that there are still many people in the world who have never been exposed to art and I hope to bring them a beautiful experience.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practice?

When I was an undergraduate, I studied Fine Art in Chelsea. The school did not have a specific discipline, so I tried almost all media to explore my artistic language. However, in the end I returned to the original art of painting on paper. This is because I found that my parents know very little about contemporary art. I hope to the person I loved can also enter the world of art, so I chose to return to the most basic medium of painting, which is most acceptable for them.

My creative content is also influenced by my living environment. Because I travel frequently between London and China, I have lived in different environments and my family moved for many times. So, when I came to London, I chose some areas with diverse and unique interpersonal relationships as my residing location, such as the border between London’s zone one and zone two and three. These places make me feel a kind of “punk” feeling, and at the same time make me long to be close to nature, so I chose to live in a house close to green space. This choice of environment has had an impact on my creations.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

 In my opinion, the ideal conditions or catalysts for creating a “good” work include my personal control and improvisation. In the creation of prints, I need a very strong spirit of control, such as the time of acid corrosion, the number of aquatint rotations, etc., all of which require precise control. However, works created according to these regulations may sometimes lack surprise or special creative randomness. Therefore, I think that creating a good work sometimes requires the ability to adapt to changes, rather than abandoning the work directly. Sometimes, this randomness leads to some serendipitous results.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

Titled “String Vibration,” the artwork alludes to the butterfly effect, where small changes can trigger long-term chain reactions. I created a plant punk world based on the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing relationship between legumes and rhizobia to convey the concept of an economically beneficial system. By incorporating plant elements, I hoped to express the idea that although my hometown Wenzhou was originally a harmonious and picturesque city, the rapid industrial development in the past two decades has led to ignorance of cultural preservation and creation. Hopefully, my work can arouse local residents’ reflection.

Normally, people can appreciate the external beauty of landscapes, while having no access to their micro images. The plants I studied show very abstract forms under the microscope. So my work might impress people with its abstract style at the very beginning, kind of illustration-like.  Nevertheless, I do enjoy this abstract way of expression, because abstract things can stimulate more imagination.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I look forward to the future when I will be able to do more in-depth research on plants and stones and create more abstract works. These works are inspired by the landscapes of my hometown. I hope to use these works to express the relationship between clan relations, economy and culture, as well as the spiritual connotation behind them.

Describe your work in three words: 

Botanical punk, Utopia, win-win cooperation

What do you listen to while you work? Is music important to your art?

Usually I work in two stages: ideation and execution. During the ideation stage, I like to be quiet. In the execution stage, I like to listen to some literati talk shows or listen to audio books. This kind of listening environment helps me maintain a state of thinking and allows me to concentrate on my creation.

What is your favorite read?

I enjoy reading literary fiction and art books. Literary fiction stories fascinate me, while art books – naturally – stem from my interest in art where there is always more for me to learn.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Although not a specific suggestion, the life motto I have always believed in is “sincerity is always a nirvana, and so is painting”.

What makes you laugh?

When I create a work that surprises me, that kind of accidental masterpiece makes me happy. Since printmaking usually requires prior planning and control, I can’t help but laugh out loud when something unintended happens.

What makes you nervous?

Purposeful things usually make me nervous. However, I try to stay calm and approach everything with a sense of normalcy. I believe that the highest state of emotion is to maintain inner peace.

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often?

I don’t particularly want people to ask me questions frequently, I want people to appreciate my paintings. But I welcome any questions based on my work, as it would be a useful discussion of the logic behind my personal work.

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time? 

Recently, I tried to make some 3D models to show the concept of my work, and finally created a installation. I found that I have maintained my courageous personality. Even as I get older, I still maintain my exploration of new things and my courage to try.

Is there anything you’ve been hesitant to try in the past but you’d like to this year?

This year, I’m planning on making my own frames because frames are very important for showcasing my work. I intend to use metal (printmaking materials such as copper plate and zinc plate) and some electronic equipment to make a frame which can keep a unified style with my art work.

Do you have any superstitions?

I believe that science can explain everything, although there may be some phenomena in life that science cannot explain. I am curious about these phenomena and willing to explore them.

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

If I knew what was going to happen in the future, I would immediately call the smartest people in the world to find the best plan and make the future state of affairs the best. However, I don’t want to know in advance, because it is also very good to let nature take its course. Sometimes I don’t want to intervene in how things are going, because indeterminate intervention can have unintended negative effects.

What palace in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

I love going to botanical gardens and being close to nature for inspiration. There is a lot of pressure in this society, so I will often choose to get close to nature and calm myself down, so as to find inspiration for creation.

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

In addition to artistic creation, I like to grow flowers and grass, or build Lego toys. I will build my botanical punk house, which is also my virtual creation corner. In the future, I hope this cabin will become a powerful installation. I firmly believe that art comes from life. When my friends come to my house, they always say that they can better understand my creation through these installation art works.

What is your relationship with social media?

Well, social media is definitely an important access for me to get information, feedback, and advices. Besides, as a new artist, I can share my art work with more audiences in the virtual platform. So I have to say I do appreciate the development and update of their functions. For me, it would be a little unnerving to lose my electronic connection to the outside world, but I wouldn’t worry if the world went back to flying pigeons or talking face-to-face, because everyone would be equally efficient.

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In the studio with Kasper Jacek

In the studio with Kasper Jacek, a self-taught artist whose practice work explores objects, places, and landscapes in which myths and memories haunt the present. We met with Kasper to tell us more about growing up in a small town close to Aarhus, Denmark, his greatest influences, and letting go and trusting his intuition.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I’m still learning how to be an artist and see myself as one. I have a background in History of Ideas and Journalism, working with research dissemination and cultural journalism. I didn’t think I would end up a visual artist, but I have always been writing and exploring all kinds of art. I just started painting seriously four years ago. I got obsessed with it and bought my first 10 meter roll of canvas early in the process. I think that’s the moment. I still get super excited when new rolls of canvas arrive!

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? 

I’m from a small town close to Aarhus in Denmark, Odder. A couple of years ago my wife and I bought an old house and moved back to Odder. I spent the last couple of years renovating the house and turning the old garage into a studio space. The most important thing for me to tell about my childhood: I have had OCD since I was a child and suffered from obsessions for most of my youth. And I still do. I don’t consider my art to be about mental illness, but I think it has given me something that is evident in my artworks: a vulnerability, a way of being in the world, specific sensibility to my surroundings.

What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work? 

My first work was a linocut of a plowed field with a heap of stones at the field’s edge. As I was making this image, I liked the idea of the rounded iron, digging into the lino material almost like the plow into the ground, revealing the layers beneath the surface. This was my first work and since then it’s just been an obsession for me. When I started making paper collages – using the old linocuts as my material – I felt I had found a way of working that fitted the way I like to work with materials; imitating movements and processes in the world. And heaps of stone and fields are still some of my main motifs.

What’s the message of your work? 

My work is very much a continuation of my academic and journalistic work on the subject of place, working with the historicity of places, the mythologies and memories bound to certain objects and places – and exploring new ways to tell stories about objects.

Sometimes I work almost entirely abstract – other times the figurative objects dominate the artwork. I add, cut, rearrange and paint over the layers of material in my collages, leaving only traces of the former layers – or ripping away layers to reveal the past. Things, memories and visions are all piled on top of each other, finding new meaning, intertwining and fragmenting. 

I work with the idea that my artworks are multi-temporal scenes in which myths, old objects, memories and possible futures are all present simultaneously, mixing materials, scales and styles to create dynamic and dense works.

Who are your greatest influences? 

Hannelore Baron’s experiments with fabrics and compositions are a continued source of inspiration – and Anselm Kiefer’s enormous works from the exhibition For Louis-Ferdinand Céline: Voyage au bout de la nuit at Copenhagen Contemporary was my first real life meeting with paintings of that scale and ambition. The flow of the paint and the deep cracks in the thick layers are still very much present in my mind.

But I find daily inspiration in my contemporaries. Right now I love Jadé Fadojutimi, Armando Mesías, Camilla Reyman, Daisy Parris, Stan Van Steendam, Muzae Sesay, Max Freund, Jane Margarette, Marria Pratts, Joshua Hagler, Santeri Lehto, J. G. Arvidsson, Frederic Anderson, Loren Erdrich, Jenny Brosinski, Sóley Ragnarsdóttir, Joël Bigaignon, Gommar Gilliams. And many many more.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

All of my dad’s old hobbies are turning into methods of working with different materials in my works. Growing up, I watched him work with wood, leather, tying flies for fly fishing and metals when he was making lures. I think this gave me a familiarity with all kinds of materials and how to process them. I call him every time I have a new idea.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I want to create pieces that tell stories about specific places and objects, but leave room for the viewer’s own memories and sensibility to the world.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practice?

Talking to other artists and studying other people’s art. I have a natural tendency to experiment and integrate new materials and motifs in my works. Talking to other artists and looking at the art that inspires me, made me realize that I need to become more aware of what I consider my own visual language. Now I’m always trying to cut away all of the noise – and do what I do even more and with even more intent and precision. 

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

I think it is letting go. I have a very clear idea about my compositions and spend a lot of time preparing for my works – sketching, priming canvas, coloring materials, cutting materials and sewing the pieces of material together. This process sometimes leads to works that just hit the spot straight away. But, usually, I have to abandon the initial idea and in this process I struggle to let go – and just start the process of painting and adding new layers of materials. Even though I know that the best works are often the works I have struggled the most with. The short answer: Letting go and trusting my decisions.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

In Pendant, I wanted to create a pendant of a bird someone found, wrapped in a small piece of dissolving cloth. I cut leftover canvas and raw material, painted and wove the pieces together.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I would love to use even more materials in my artworks – I’m currently working on how to integrate metal in my works.

Describe your work in three words:

Memories, layers and materials.

What do you listen to while you work?

Your Queen is a Reptile by Sons of Kemet is an album I have heard on repeat for the last couple of years. I recently went to a great concert with Guiding Star Orchestra. I’m always using all kinds of art to reflect on my own praxis. And during a trumpet solo I thought to myself: My art needs to be like the sound of a trumpet – clean and crisp. I’m still trying to get my artwork to look like the trumpet sounds.

What is your favorite read?

Anything by W. G. Sebald and Herta Müller.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

After having been given an opportunity at a gallery, another artist told me “Now you just have to make work that can’t be ignored.” You easily get caught up in all kinds of stuff. I have to constantly remind myself that it is about the artwork.

What makes you laugh ?

My daughters and Tim Robinson.

What makes you nervous?

This is an old OCD thing: long-distance traveling without access to toilets truly horrifies me.

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often?

I’m self-absorbed enough to always want people to ask me more about my art.

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time? 

Real Spaghetti Carbonara. No cream. Just perfect.

Is there anything you’ve been hesitant to try in the past but you’d like to this year?

Traveling with children.

Do you have any superstitions?

I believe in ghosts.

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

I would be scared to know what the future holds on this planet.

What palace in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

Poetry and a small creek near my house. The reflections and shadows in the water provide endless inspiration.

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

I love cooking without a recipe and watching football.

What is your relationship with social media?

It’s complicated. Instagram probably changed the art world, offering opportunities to people who would never have had a chance to get into the art world. I have had great conversations with other artists on Instagram and even made some really close friends. But it’s time consuming and addictive. Also, I love scrolling through other people’s art, but I also find myself obsessing about the success of others, and lose sight of the main thing: making work that can’t be ignored.

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In the studio with KA Bird

In the studio with KA Bird, a queer, visual artist whose practice is about harnessing the processes and strategies of information circulation, and investigating the human in technology. We met with KA to tell us more about growing up on a farm on the outskirts of Hartlepool, her greatest influences, and relying on instinct and intuition.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I remember first consciously feeling like an artist when I was around 6.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? How has this impacted your work?

I grew up gay on a farm on the outskirts of Hartlepool, a town in North East England. From the living room window you could trace the river Tees from the coast across in-land stretching into a full panorama of industrial chemical plants with its alien architecture. It has a drama at night when the chimneys billow hazy vapour, flames flash and the lights of the plants radiate this lurid orange hue which sets the skyline aglow with eerie luminance.

There is an industrial influence in my methods and process. I appreciate order, rhythm and precision. I approach constructing a painting as parts to be assembled. But I am susceptible to things that are incongruous or strange. I was fixated on video games as a kid, but I still remember when we got dial-up internet at home, it was hugely significant. The internet became this formative influence; a means through which I understood myself and learned to relate to others. My work refers to the way representations are made, changed and disseminated through our technological apparatus.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work? 

I didn’t really consider anything else as a serious option. I’ve always been obsessive with my interests, at the expense of everything else. It couldn’t have been any other way. As well as drawing and painting, I spent a lot of time when I was younger playing and making music, which like art is a way of communicating ideas and resolving problems that evade articulation. Representing and remixing the artefacts of my environment, digital and physical, is how I come to comprehend the world around me.

Not everything works out, it’s important to experiment and ask questions of yourself. I’ve painted myself into corners before, but I know I’m onto something because the process of painting I’ve been developing gives me pleasure, which comes through in the work. I get to indulge myself.

What’s the message of your work?  

The recurrent issues explored in the work relate to identity, autonomy and privacy within an environment of expansive digital integration into every facet of our external and internal experience.  How tech changes our bodies and how we see ourselves. How our thoughts and behaviours are captured, commodified and directed by obscure interests. The works are a tongue-in-cheek mediation on the enmeshment of the individual within natural and synthetic networks.

I’m not sure how I’d describe my aesthetic, garish?

Who are your greatest influences? 

Lynch, Singer, Steyerl. Film, music, internet culture in general.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

I’m into hotel comparison websites. It’s the user-generated content I like with its authentic, uncontrived amateur lens rather than the professional photographs. I love trawling through the images the guests post of their stays and reading their comments and ratings. I’m a holiday voyeur.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

 I try to imbue images with a sense of movement and dynamism as a way of depicting the instability and capricious nature of images. I’m looking to express the distorting journey images make as they transfer across different platforms and devices. I don’t really need the viewer to know what is being represented within an image. I want the content to be evasive, as if to avoid detection, the image may need to utilise dazzle camouflage; ostentatious hiding as a survival tactic.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practice?

I spent a lot of time at uni making digital art, video and creating temporary site-specific installations. I experimented with analogue video and VCRs, digital editing-software, found some free browser-based image generating applications as a source of ‘raw material’ and appropriated images from online. I still rely on this stuff a lot when drafting a new composition for a painting, which I arrange on photoshop.

I began to focus on painting because I needed to create work with better haptics. It was a necessary response to spending so long almost exclusively looking at screens to move towards adapting the processes into a more palpable and substantive method of making that I could realise with my physical body.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

I’m trying to rely more on instinct and intuition. Good work eludes force.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

“but which one is the gay4pay girlboss goals and which one is the computer-generated anthropomorphic AI advertisement start-up”

The title plays on that question gay women are often asked “…so like which one of you is the man?”  The question in the title of my work asks what forms of queer representation are palatable/acceptable and who gets to make them?  

The work loosely refers to an ad campaign by a famous fashion brand from 2019 in which a supermodel heiress kisses virtual Instagram influencer Lil Miquela for the purposes of selling clothes.  LM is a beautiful CGI, 19-year old girl-shaped advertising vehicle, owned and developed by a digital media start-up. She presents like a sentient robot on her social media accounts, an individual who is socially conscious and politically active, in a way that deliberately mirrors the millennial/gen-z audience she is targeted at.

The technology behind LM is unclear but she is an avatar – a fictional character with a cute backstory more comparable with the Compare the Market meerkats.  LM has advocated for charities supporting LGBTQ+ rights and BLM etc. on her Instagram but it’s difficult to reconcile the purported interest in these causes when a. she is not real and b. the company behind her has generated millions of dollars’ worth of investment from venture capital firms and ad revenues in partnering with luxury fashion brands. 

The problem of the advertising industry editing, smoothing, tucking, objectifying and/or otherwise projecting some unreality onto women’s bodies is obviously vast and well documented.  This iteration does away with the messy and corruptible female body entirely, in favour of an infinitely mutable, ageless virtual one.  I find this depiction so interesting because LM is supposed to be aspirational, “goals”, desirable etc. but without any of the drawbacks that comes with actually inhabiting a physical body unlike most of her audience.  To consider her representative of a typical teen, there first must be a pretty serious suspension of disbelief.  It’s a commodification of the sensibilities and priorities of the self-aware and socially progressive.

Like LM, the super model also embodies a type of unreality.  Profound personal wealth, physical beauty and global influence is utterly unobtainable and wholly outside the lived reality of most other people, let alone women/queers/gender non-conforming people. The overt message within the ad is of personal emancipation, which is kind of redundant when it’s delivered with a for-profit motive by someone who can claim little first-hand experience of oppression.

The issue is of course heaps more complicated.  It is absolutely necessary for non-heteronormative bodies and narratives to be represented in all facets of our visual culture.  Fashion is a constituent part of an individual’s identity and a vital means of self-expression and community building. Brands have hits as well as misses in ads geared towards the LGBTQ+ community. There are more ostensibly positive examples too.

The aim of the work is to probe at the unauthentic and profit-motivated co-opting of queer identity and issues of performative allyship broadly, with a tongue-in-cheek humour and not to attack or single-out any individual or company. The issue of representation is not just about who is standing in front of the camera, but who is standing behind it.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

The weird basement space beneath my flat.

What do you listen to while you work? Is music important to your art?

I can only work with the constant accompaniment of sound. Music, podcasts, radio, youtube etc

What is your favorite read?

I reread John Gray regular. I get off on the despair.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received (any quotes or mantras you particularly connect with)?

An old boss of mine, when trying to explain about some planned structural changes in the department, told me reassuringly that if things got really bad there would always be a bus to jump in front of. Whenever I feel fragile I imagine a bus catching me in its big strong arms.

What makes you laugh?

Anything with Julia Davis.

What makes you nervous?

The super catchphrase pyramid.

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often?

Absolutely not.

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time? 

I’ve recently tried quitting vaping, and I find myself smoking again. 🙁 

Is there anything you’ve been hesitant to try in the past but you’d like to this year?

I’m being priced out of my twice yearly balayage and have been thinking about going box-dye brown fml.

Do you have any superstitions?

I cannot sleep in the dark.

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

Knowing the future would be horrible.

What palace in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

Click-bait articles.

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

Climbing, surfing, going to gigs and to the cinema. I’m spoiled for all that in Newcastle.

What is your relationship with social media?

Reluctant. It’s a necessary evil.

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AucArt Pride

Pride Month 2023

We spoke with some of our artists to learn how they celebrate pride month, their LGBTQ+ role models, and some favourite traditions.

Every June, Pride events worldwide commemorate the Stonewall riots–protests held by the LGBTQ+ patrons of a small, downtown Manhattan bar of the same name after an unprompted police raid on June 1969. With queer violence still on the rise, art has the ability to serve as a medium to support, protest and uncover problematics and expose the works from queer artists whose lives are often excluded as part of the canon. With this in heart, we've spoken with a selection of artists from our roster to accompany them on their journey of exploration of identity through their art in celebration of Pride month, how they celebrate pride month, and some of their favourite traditions.

We spoke with some of our artists to learn how they celebrate pride month, their LGBTQ+ role models, and some favourite traditions.

Every June, Pride events worldwide commemorate the Stonewall riots–protests held by the LGBTQ+ patrons of a small, downtown Manhattan bar of the same name after an unprompted police raid on June 1969. With queer violence still on the rise, art has the ability to serve as a medium to support, protest and uncover problematics and expose the works from queer artists whose lives are often excluded as part of the canon. With this in heart, we've spoken with a selection of artists from our roster to accompany them on their journey of exploration of identity through their art in celebration of Pride month, how they celebrate pride month, and some of their favourite traditions.

What are your favorite pride traditions?

Just spending time with the people you choose to call your family and be grateful for them.

What does pride month mean to you?

Pride month has been so commercialized it is easy to lose track of its meaning. I think everybody gets what they want/need out of it. I choose to see it as progress regardless of all the profit corporations aim to make out of it. It means progress, and hope for much needed additional progress. The LGBTQIA+ community is not only the L, the G, and the B.

Who are some of your LGBTQIA+ role models?

The stonewall riot protesters did so much for what we have nowadays. I cannot even imagine what it was like at the time and I am blessed to be able to enjoy the fruit of their struggles today. There are many good role models nowadays, working on normalizing LGBTQIA+ everyday, but I think it’s important especially for young people to know why we are able to live out in the open today. Not that everyone is able to do that, that’s why we still need to continue progress.

How are you planning to celebrate pride month this year?

I am currently living in China, but soon moving away. For the first time in my life I was blessed with an amazing friend group of LGBTQIA+ people here. I am quite sad to leave them soon. I will celebrate this pride month with them, my chosen family.

What are your favorite pride traditions?

I love to go on pride marches if possible. The last pride march I went on was in Berlin and it was an amazing experience.

What does pride month mean to you?

Pride month is a moment for me to celebrate my identity as a gay man along with all the unique identities of my LGBTQIA+ siblings. It’s so important that we all come together as a community and celebrate together.

Who are some of your LGBTQIA+ role models?

The British artist, filmmaker and activist Derek Jarman (who I was lucky enough to meet a few times when he was alive) was and still is a huge role model for me. The French writer Jean Genet is also a source of fascination for me currently.

How are you planning to celebrate pride month this year?

I will be in Greece for pride month this year, living with my husband in our caravan in an olive grace in the Peloponnese. He will be volunteering at a local dog sanctuary and I will be painting and I think that will be a perfect way to celebrate pride month.

What are your favorite pride traditions?

Nothing beats celebrating with friends.

What does pride month mean to you?

Pride is power. Pride is about honouring the struggle and the sacrifices made by our queer forbearers. It’s about commemorating the achievements and the progress gained. It’s about being cognizant of the contemporary threats our community faces and it’s about resisting those who seek to oppress us.

With the start of summer heralding the beginning of Pride season I feel this renewed sense of joy and resilience, it reminds me that I belong. For those of us who spent a long time feeling like we were on the outside looking in, the visibility is vital; it’s seeing and it’s being seen.

Who are some of your LGBTQIA+ role models?

Amongst many my current favourite is Natalie Wynn. She has a ferocious intellect. Her video essays are immaculately presented and thoroughly researched and her analyses of complex social issues are piercing and nuanced. She is a disarming and perceptive debater, and uses her work to educate, entertain, raise awareness and inspire action. She’s hilarious and beautiful too aghhh.

How are you planning to celebrate pride month this year?

I love film – this year to mark his passing I’m going to have a viewing party of some Kenneth Anger films.

What are your favorite pride traditions?

Pride parade takes place in Hamburg every year. All participants meet in the street “Lange Reihe”. It is a great pleasure for me to experience how the Pride family meets, how a cosmos of its own is created full of exuberance, freedom and joy.

What does pride month mean to you?

Pride month reminds me to celebrate myself and my life.
That it is a gift to express yourself freely. That we all, as different as we are, can achieve a lot together.

Who are some of your LGBTQIA+ role models?

For me, everyone is a role model who has a big heart, who can question themselves and laugh at themselves. Who is open to others and ready to develop further.
It doesn’t matter which community he comes from.

How are you planning to celebrate pride month this year?

I haven’t planned anything now – I’ll let it come to me spontaneously.

What are your favorite pride traditions?

Simply getting together with friends, and the emphasis on that is one of my favourite Pride traditions. Many people can forget the importance of a “Queer Family” or “Pride Family”, it’s a place to feel safe and accepted as so many queer people feel discomfort in being themselves around their family of origin.

What does pride month mean to you?

Pride month means a lot to me, most importantly it’s about visibility. I find the commercialisation of Pride by various brands and businesses to be distracting and disheartening, there can even be appropriation going on. I love to see community LGBTQI+ organisations making events for young people. Pride month should be a reminder that Pride continues to be a Protest and a fight for human rights worldwide – not just a party in the West. Pride month reminds me to take a moment of gratitude towards the older queer generations who carved this path for me, and fought for my rights …

Who are some of your LGBTQIA+ role models?

My current role model is the visual artist Zanele Muholi. They make exquisite photographs of mainly black and marginalised queer people. Their work is a form of activism and protest. It is incredibly inspiring. I just saw their show in Paris this May.

How are you planning to celebrate pride month this year?

Dublin Pride aligns quite nicely with my birthday every year! So I’m throwing a party!

What does pride month mean to you?

Pride represents for me, a time of the year where being queer and different is celebrated and embraced. It’s a time of community as well as a shared sense of resistance to binary norms in our society.

Who are some of your LGBTQIA+ role models?

In the Arts, there’s a few artists that are black and queer I’ve looked to for guidance and inspiration. Artists like Ajamu X, Rotimi Fani Kayode, Lyle Ashton Harris, Marlon Riggs, Essex Hemphill to name a few. I’m constantly learning and drawing from these generational sources that in turn inform my work.

How are you planning to celebrate pride month this year?

By being in community with other black and queer artists and friends in London and beyond.

 

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In the studio with Aoibhin Maguire

In the studio with Irish artist Aoibhin Maguire, whose works explore the overlap between adulthood and innocence. We met with Aoibhin to tell us more about growing up in Belfast, her ideal conditions for creating work, and the best piece of advice she's ever received.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I have always been drawn to the healing properties of colour and have a love for texture and getting messy with paint. I stayed late in the art classroom during school and over lunch and art was always my favourite subject. Whenever I felt overwhelmed growing up I would paint, write or draw. I began to see myself as an artist upon completing my undergraduate degree in Fine Art, however choosing to study art was never a hard decision. I was involved in the arts from a young age. I attended arts and craft clubs as a child, played the fiddle and was an Irish Dancer. My favourite bit of being an artist is definitely the bit where I’m actually making the art and I love doing long late nights in the studio.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? 

I am from Belfast, Northern Ireland, a very nostalgic place in my opinion. I grew up in Belfast, leaving when I was 18 to move to Lancaster, North England to do my Fine Art BA. Belfast, despite what you sometimes hear on the news, is an amazing place to grow up with extremely friendly, down to earth people. There is a culture in Northern Ireland of using humour, often dark humour to make difficult subject matter easier to talk about and this often comes into play in my work. As a nostalgic person, there have been times in my life when I have found it hard to return to Belfast and these thoughts and memories often work their way into my paintings, reflecting on meaningful, pivotal places which I no longer frequent.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work? 

Being a practising artist was never really a decision, it has always just felt right. Of course it is an extremely difficult career, especially living in London but it is so important to me to paint as much as I can. I began painting from about 4 years old, making (abstract) paintings of sunsets and trees again and again. I think moving to London to do my Painting MA was a pivotal moment. The art scene in Belfast is so much smaller than in London and I had never been in such a strong art community before. I had to throw myself into the deep end and learn alot about how things work here and fast. I loved being surrounded by so many talented artists with amazing work ethics every day – it was truly inspiring.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

I am interested in emotion, place, home, storytelling, diaries, chaos and daydreaming and I contrast my complex subject matter with my use of bright colour. I often describe my paintings as stories of disorder, or maybe just a different type of order. They are a dance between love and anger, fear and ecstasy, anxiety and bliss. A push and pull between hope and desperation, a constant conflict on canvas. I am an overthinker and in my paintings I reflect on the inner doubts we all can have as we navigate through our day to day lives. Although these worries may sometimes make us feel inadequate and we do not always vocalise them, in reality they are a universal element of the human experience. I often view my works as mindscapes or the painted version of a diary or journal entry. I channel my emotions through my paintings, making sense of things, reflecting on things. I combine raw thoughts with my vibrant imagination, creating hybrid worlds dreamed up from the real and the fictitious. I think my paintings will always be colourful, colour, throughout everything, has always been my constant.

Who are your greatest influences?

Rose Wiley, Daisy Paris, Catherine Bernhardt, Lynda Benglis, Francis Bacon, André Butzer, Sam Keogh and Andi Fischer.

An unexpected source of inspiration? 

Interestingly, I am often inspired by people who are not in the arts, or even that interested in fine art. I think this is because I didn’t grow up around artists or have a circle of artist friends until I moved to England. Although I really love the art world, it can be intense and sometimes I crave a sense of normality (or normality for me anyway). I get a lot of inspiration from conversations with family and friends back home.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it? 

I love when people see something relatable in my work. My work is often about my racing mind and I think this is something many people can relate to, especially in such a fast paced city like London. My paintings are of thoughts and feelings that can be difficult to put into words, even to those closest to you and I would love to normalise this a bit more, or even create a bridge where people can think ‘it’s not just me’ and feel a bit more seen. People have told me they can relate to my work and it makes me feel closer to them, despite not having to speak about our thoughts we have a mutual understanding which can be beautiful. Although I have the audience in mind in this sense, ultimately I paint what I want to paint because I have to make the marks which feel instinctively right to me.

 

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practice?

Moving to England and having studio spaces really helped push my practice forward. At university I was able to move off the canvas and experiment with more 3D painting, writing and projection. I love to experiment and get messy! Since graduating, I have made work on both small and large scales. I had my first solo show in February in a small space in Belfast and it was a super helpful challenge to translate my style to smaller canvases than usual. I have also become more fearless in showing my writings, or incorporating bits of the text or scribbling my thoughts into my paintings.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

One of my most important rules for myself is, when the work is nearing completion, to turn the canvas around for a few weeks or days if possible before either finishing it or deciding it is done. It is so important to give myself space from my work before deciding if something is finished or not. I take pride in all the small finishing details such as hand sewing a border with colourful embroidery thread. In terms of ideal conditions, I always put my phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode in the studio as I have to be free of distractions, especially the screen and I normally need a good podcast going too. My favourite studio days are when I don’t have anywhere to be later on or anything else I need to do other than paint – these are the best conditions for me to get in the zone and be happiest while painting.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

My painting Focus Becomes Scrambled and Overlap Begins was inspired by a poem I wrote last year called To Make It All Worthwhile The poem is as follows:

I want to paint

Thought out things

With moments of silence

Allowed to breathe

But my brain doesn’t stop

Until forced

By the hero

At night.

I care about one thing

Now it’s thunder and doom.

Focus becomes scrambled

And then overlap begins.

I’m not like you,

Who do I run to the sea with?

Then comes the obsession

Emptiness is not allowed

I try to hold back

But the gaps need filled

Saturated.

Ana is in my ear

They shield us from the wondering

But I haven’t done all the things you have?

2 hours isn’t the same as 16…

For a fleeting minute

I am going to accomplish 

something massive.

Am I compensating?

So what do you talk about?

Because we just look and say ‘oh’.

Then I realise

Quite frankly

That it would be impossible.

Impossible to do it all

Even though I need to.

To make it all worthwhile.

This poem can apply to both the process of painting as well as everyday life. I write alot and these writings inform my paintings but I don’t often show them, however with this poem I wanted it to be seen.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I want to always be able to give myself the time to make art. In the future I hope to be able to give myself more resources to go bigger with my work. I want to keep painting and getting better and better each day. In the future I would love to be able to stretch canvas over really, really big stretcher frames and see how far I can push this in terms of scale! I am very interested in materiality and love finding new mediums and materials to experiment with and coming up with new painting techniques so this is something I would like to push in the future.

Describe your work in three words

Colourful, Emotional, Mindscapes.

What do you listen to while you work? Is music important to your art? 

Mostly podcasts actually! I listen to all sorts of podcasts but my favourite art related ones are Talk Art and The Great Women Artists. However it is also important to me to have moments of complete silence with my work.

What is your favorite read?

On The Road by Jack Kerouac. I first read this book when I was a teenager and I find it interesting how my interpretation of the book and what I take from it personally has changed a lot since growing up.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received (any quotes or mantras you particularly connect with)?  

  1. Just because someone uses bigger words, doesn’t mean they always have lots to say (one of my amazing art tutors said this to me after I came to him worried that my ‘art vocabulary’ wasn’t ‘fancy enough’).
  2. Don’t tell people what to think, allow the work to draw them in and let them decide for themselves. (more advice from a great art tutor).
  3. Art is a great tool for those who are shy, to paint what they may not be able to say. (my art teacher in school when I was choosing art for one of my GCSE subjects).

What makes you laugh:

Art memes.

What makes you nervous?

Slow drying oil mediums.

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often

I’d love to be asked about my painting techniques more often – I really really love paint and am a big nerd for different painting tricks. It is one of my favourite things to talk about and I love hearing other artists’ tips and tricks too. The physicality of paint and the healing effects it has on me really intertwine with the themes running through my work.

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time?

Since graduating I have often been working on canvas off the stretcher and hand sewing my borders with colourful embroidery thread. The slow process of sewing is quite a mindful one and contrasts with my fast paced painting process.

Is there anything you’ve been hesitant to try in the past but you’d like to this year?

I’d like to start using some more unconventional things as paint brushes such as mops, large house brushes, towels, or taping wooden stretcher bars to my brush handles to extend them.

Do you have any superstitions? 

Don’t walk under a ladder and no opened umbrellas inside – the usual ones haha

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

 Surprised!!! Definitely.

What place in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

My journals, the bus and my random scribbles on post-it notes (and the studio and galleries of course). Living in London is great because I can be surrounded by art within 30 minutes if I crave it.

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

Food, travelling, meeting new people and trying new things and in the past Irish Dancing – my team won the world championships 6 times back in the day however painting has always been the bigger passion.

What is your relationship with social media? 

I actually really love Instagram! I’ve had the same account since I was 16 and have some very supportive and lovely followers. I stay off other apps like TikTok, my art instagram is enough for me! However the physicality of painting is so important to me as it is dedicated time off the screen – it’s all about balance.

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In the studio with Roberta Cavallari

In the studio with Italian artist Roberta Cavallari. We met with Roberta to tell us more about growing up in the province of Ferrara, drawing on themes from the private and immaterial spheres, and compromised communication as a constant through her subjects.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I started drawing when I was four and I have never stopped doing it, it has always been a life need as well. The definition of “artist” has never particularly interested me, I drew for fun. Over time I have felt that creating favored a spiritual dimension, and make me feel above the system. This too had a very strong influence on the choice to undertake artistic studies despite the family’s disapproval. I first begin thinking of myself as an artist when I was in Berlin, for a student exchange. The University gave me a wonderful atelier with other artists in Montbijou park and here I decided to devote myself to work. I did my first painting exhibition there and from that point I started to “walk on the art side”.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? 

I come from the province of Ferrara, a boring plain, and as a well-known song by a historic punk group (CCCP) “Emilia Paranoica” mentions, boredom and sometimes paranoia were life companions. In the early 80s, my childhood years, the media represented a rapidly changing world: technology was entering homes through promises of well-being and happiness, everything seemed to lead towards a wonderful future that I idealised. In front of the color TV with cathode ray tube I dreamed, watching music videos and American films. Rock music has had a strong impact on me since I was a child, pushing me to research and listen, becoming a source of inspiration. The city I come from, Ferrara, is a city of art that blends the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, home to great historical and contemporary artists. I caught Ferrara’s long perspectives and deserted squares, which also inspired Giorgio De Chirico in his stay. The historic buildings, the library, the Castle, were places familiar to me but so strongly charged with history as to leave an indelible classic imprinting in my memory, and partly also in my work.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work? 

I simply choose to do what I loved to do. I didn’t graduate at an art high school, so I decided to enroll the Academy of Art of Bologna.

During my academic years I experimented in search of my mark and identity, but only in Berlin I find the energy I was looking for. My pictorial production gave birth to many works and in parallel I dedicated myself to photography and performance. My teacher at the Art School gave me the opportunity to do my first bi-personal exhibition, maybe this was the pivotal moment when I felt I were on the right track. They have been intense months, in which work and life merged into a single journey.

What’s the message of your work? 

The linguistic roots of my work are in Pop Art, but the themes draw on the private and immaterial sphere. The subjects are waiting rooms, offices, small rooms that appear immortalized by a steadicam. Sometimes they open onto external panoramas, as if we were observing from large windows. Atmospheric estrangement seems to lead towards a new metaphysics. It is only apparently realism, but if anything it’s the immaterial world that wants to be heard. I draw on various sources: old photographs, archive images, internet, and I mention the artists I love such as Hopper, Hockney, De Pisis, Morandi. I create psychological environments in which I don’t worry about the correct spatial location, or hyper-realistic rendering, but I look for an alienating tension, which brings me closer to abstraction and the immaterial. The recovery of the classic that almost takes on a nostalgic and at times decadent value is just one of the styles I use to build my rooms. The point at which we arrive is also that of interrupted communications (Disconnected), cut cables are the metaphor of the impossibility of dialogue and also allude to the solitude of the hyper-connected world. The aim is to define a new metaphysical realism with tools recovered from a past anthropological era to which I try to restore a magical value.

Who are your greatest influences? 

Edward Hopper, David Hockney, Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio De Chirico.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

Design.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it? 

In my work I would like the public to have the mental predisposition to enter my “rooms”, to be welcomed by the anti-matter of clear but surreal, idealized and disturbing atmospheres, they are theaters of the mind.

I don’t think about the public when I create, I usually define my emotional state as my “bubble”, as I isolate myself from the real world.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practice?

In my work you can see an evolution regarding language and creative process. If the first works were linked to a very free, deforming, and flat sign, to date this sign has built a new plasticism, centered on light and shadow. I focused on everyday objects and interiors, on close-ups that dilate the objects. There is a planning as if I were building a set with various elements that combine to build the “scene”: my private dimension, the cinema of David Lynch, music, the painting of Hopper or De Chirico, old design magazines. I don’t worry about drawing up projects, I prefer to be in contact with my most unconscious and spontaneous part, and to grasp the emotion of the moment, drawing from the most intimate sphere.

The experimentation lies in giving a magical character to my subjects, in balance between non maniacally descriptive figuration and a chromatism that creates tension.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

The ideal condition to create is to isolate myself in my studio with the music I love and look for the vision that gives me an emotion. I go completely inside this mental state, linked to the memory, to a pain or a joy experienced, to the houses I have lived in, to the objects that speak to me.

 Tell us about the inspiration behind your works?

The theme of compromised communication is a constant in my subjects. Indeed, many of my interiors appear blocked in a metaphysical silence. In recent years the theme of communication has always been very important, cables, telephones and computers, screens, often appear in my works even with a minimalist rendering, as if I wanted to reduce them to graphic signs. A very strong sense of isolation prompted me to paint an obsolete but fascinating object (Disconnected), like all vintage technologies are for me. Red is a metaphor for the warm medium and black for isolation, the unknown, loneliness. The severed cable is symbolic of our time, in which we are hyper connected but increasingly isolated from each other.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I’m curious about NFT art.

Describe your work in three words: 

Psicoambient, metaphysics, plasticism.

What do you listen to while you work? Is music important to your art?

I listen to rock music like Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Inxs, e others rock band of the ‘90. 

Music is part of my creative process, because it can lead to an ideal emotional state for entering in my intimate sphere.

What is your favorite read?

I love American literature.

On the top of my readings are Bret Eston Ellis, Philip Roth, Paul Auster. 

I love also English literature like James Ballard, and Ian Mc Ewan.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

There is nothing deeper than what appears on the surface – Hegel

What makes you laugh?

Political TV talks.

What makes you nervous?

Political TV talks.

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often?

My age.

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time?

Eating sushi with my eight year’s old son.

Is there anything you’ve been hesitant to try in the past but you’d like to this year?

To go to rock concert without assigned seat.

Do you have any superstitions?

No superstition.

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

Surprised please.

What place in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

Actually I get inspired in the baroque Palazzo Gresti, where my studio is located, in the old town of Ala (TN). I need the antique to get inspired and then we have internet -)

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

I’m completely in love with music, discover old and new music, collect it and listen to it. I love also cinema very much.

What is your relationship with social media?

My relationship with social media is definitively bulimic, love and hate.

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In the studio with Amelia Badenoch

In the studio with Amelia Badenoch, a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores avenues of past and present moments and familiar surroundings through bringing her subconscious to the forefront. We met with Amelia to tell us more about growing up in London, her intrigue in the human figure, and developing her works from moments of darkness.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

During my time in Florence where I trained in the academic style of drawing and painting. (At The Florence Academy of Art). Although  it was not the style of painting I wanted to continue, I knew that my desire to keep exploring my potential through painting had been realized. 

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I was born and brought up in London. However my mother is Indian and my father was Scottish. I grew up in a multicultural household and was always  given the support and nourishment to develop my artistic ability.  Coming from mixed race parents who come from opposite ends of the world gave me many avenues to explore and widened my understanding of how two cultures can influence your views, strengths and weaknesses. For example: meditation is a way that I develop my concepts as my work is based specifically on moments when i have been asleep i.e dreams and nightmares.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice?

Originally I was intrigued by the human figure, which led me to my time in Italy. However I felt a huge amount of constraint whilst being there. I felt the traditional influence of painting portraits and nudes from life dampened my creative side as I was following a particular method that demanded a specific approach to painting. Once leaving, the world became my oyster and my journey truly began. After spending time in India and working in a school for children that lived in extreme poverty; it was here I experienced the way that young girls and women were treated differently and the inequalities they currently face. This is also something I hope to return to and explore further one day. Moving on from this, Covid had a huge impact on me after losing someone close to me. I found the only place I could work through my grief was through painting. It was on the Turps Banana Studio Programme  I began to develop my particular style and process of painting. 

What’s the message of your work? 

My message is still somewhat developing. It is about the subconscious and how this really comes to life when you are asleep. We never really discuss these quick moments that happen when our eyes are closed. It can be something wonderful, or something even traumatic that sticks with you or recurs. I find this to be fascinating as we as humans are mostly not in sync with this part of our brains. Although it happens to us all, these dreams and nightmares I’ve found can speak volumes to how we process our daily lives and also our past traumas and experiences. 

I also find this to be a huge bodily experience. The moments of initially waking up from a sequence, be it happy or sad can have a big influence on the way your body feels and moves. 

Who or what are your greatest influences? 

The Buddhist monk Thich Naht Hanh’s teachings have given me a great source of comfort and inspiration throughout my meditative practice. 

Artists such as Helen Frankethaler, Louise Bourgeois, Lee Krasner and Monet are all huge influences in my work, aesthetically and conceptually.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

Although my work develops from moments when I am in pure darkness, nature is something I am continually drawn to. The afternoon light on a tree, rose petals that have died on the ground and the ever changing color of the sky.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it? 

Personally, the most important takeaway is people are asking themselves questions. What is this place? Is it a reality or a fictitious moment? To me it’s not important to depict or label a specific ‘thing’. The viewer can have their own idea on what the painting represents. I want the viewer to move through the canvas with me, be it through a big brushstroke, or long line. If a figure is seen, I might not have seen it, or intentionally drawn/painted it. I thrive on the unexpected and as personal as these moments are for me, I want them to be personal to the viewer.

 What events in your life have mobilised change in your practice?

During the second lockdown I began working in watercolor. I enjoyed the peace and the action of pushing thin paint across paper, giving myself no particular object to paint.

 Wanting to finally work bigger, I found watered down acrylic paint had a beautiful consistency when loosely applied and I had not been able to achieve this with oils due to the surfaces I use. Abstraction became an obsession. 

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

Conditions may vary during periods of working. Allowing my work to breathe is important to me as the business of the canvas can often become distracting. I find my most pure moments of painting are my initial brushstrokes.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I have explored minimally with sculpture in the past, however it is something I have always been drawn to and feel I will be able to emphasize the physicalities and push the meaning of my work to a deeper level. 

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your  works?

Getting high on a blue champagne sea is a representation of being metaphorically ‘frozen’. I often find myself in this state during the initial phases of falling asleep. Otherwise known as sleep paralysis. The experience itself is quite unpleasant, with my clenched fists and ringing in my ears- however the moments of diving in and out of the darkness gives me almost an outer body experience and it is something I am now consciously aware of and can almost control and bring myself back into my physical state of being.  

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In the studio with Diana Motta

In the studio with Brazilian artist Diana Motta. We met with Diana to tell us more about growing up in São Paulo, her practice as a spiritual influencer, and creating transcendental experiences through her works.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

Ever since I was born.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? 

I am from São Paulo, Brazil. My parents always encouraged me and my brother to be creative, we were always surrounded by art. Especially my grandparents from my mother’s side, they were art lovers, so they would always bring me and my brother to museums and galleries. I was definitely inspired by their love for art.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

Since I was very little I would love to be in my room by myself creating, inventing, and drawing. I would spend hours and hours by myself creating art. That would be my happy place. I would find peace and excitement in that. I used to take VHS tapes, I had many of those, and build houses and buildings from them. I knew I could be doing this for the rest of my life. 

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from? 

Outside of the studio I am a spiritual influencer, practicing kabbalah and astrology, as well as being a columnist for Harpers Bazaar Brazil.  I translate my spiritual practice into my art as my own notion of cosmology; reflecting on the problem of finding a better and new way of balancing chaos with the day to day life. As an artist, researcher, spiritual guide and thinker, my paintings are more than just paintings. They become objects of connection.

Who are your greatest influences? 

Tarsila do Amaral, Joan Mitchell and Hilma Af Klint.

An unexpected source of inspiration?Fashion.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I want people to have a transcendental experience. 

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practise?

My spiritual studies, my spiritual practice, and the exchange with the people in my life that are related with my spiritual work. All of that informs and shapes my practice. 

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

Ideal conditions and created with the ideal state of consciousness.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

I am showing two bodies of work.  The first being my abstract expression paintings and the second one being my meditation paintings. I acknowledge that they are completely different from each other. 

The extreme positioning of chaotic and gentleness reflects my temperament. As I operate in between these worlds… two identities.

Outside of the studio I am a spiritual influencer, practicing kabbalah and astrology, as well as being a columnist for Harpers Bazaar Brazil.  The ambiguous relationship between the linear and the background in my paintings, furthers my goal to strive to create a dynamic, hybrid form that suggests the beauty and power  –  as well as the complicated questions of mysticism and the cosmic.  In other words, my own notion of cosmology, which is also central to some current artists that use ecological platforms; reflecting on the problem of finding a better and new way of balancing chaos with the natural world. As an artist, researcher, spiritual guide and thinker, my paintings are more than just paintings. They become objects of connection.

Also expressed is an interest around the intersection of new expressionism and new mysticisms. Utilising all manner of brushes, implements, and tools to create loosely controlled marks, I make gestures as a residue of language. My large-scale abstract paintings in particular, are created solely by gesture, exploring the liquid, the physical properties of paint and the accidental, chance-based by-products of a method based on living at risk. The act of painting, scraping, removing, are informed and inspired by the intuitive channeling of external forces, that I spontaneously capture with free and improvised movements like a dance. My work is about having control and then losing control. I stay close to the idea of drama.

In the second group of paintings, there is an emphasis on a spiritual atmosphere. Softness, vulnerability and openness. They stand alone. They are samplers of some aspect of spirituality. The paintings are meditative moments that seem to be necessary at the time.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

Many things!

Describe your work in three words: 

Spiritual, transcendental, physical.

What do you listen to while you work? 

Indie rock, rap,  pop, MPB and kabbalah lectures.

What is your favorite read? 

Interviews with Francis Bacon.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Patience.

What makes you laugh?

I love funny people.

What makes you nervous?

Impatience.

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often?

I don’t know.

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time? 

Etching.

Do you have any superstitions?

I have rituals.

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

Both!

What palace in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

To the park.

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

Spirituality, astrology and fashion.

What is your relationship with social media?

It’s a circuit.

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In the studio with Erika Alonso

In the studio with Houston-based artist Erika Alonso. We met with Erika to tell us more about growing up in Southern California, finding inspiration through ballet, and her dream-like memories made of paint.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I’ve always been artistic and wanted to be an artist since childhood, but it wasn’t until my early thirties that I started seeing myself as an ‘artist.’ Meeting myself as an artist in my early thirties was meant to be; I had already gotten to the point where my self-confidence outweighed the influence of others’ criticisms. Also, my mindset changed: if I’m making art daily, I am an artist. That makes sense to me, so that’s what I do, and now I can call myself an artist without reservation.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I grew up with my parents and two siblings in southern California, a place that often inspires my landscape-like abstracted paintings. We moved to South Texas when I was 10 and again to Houston when I was 14. My upbringing did not encourage me to pursue artistic endeavors seriously. Art was a hobby. Sure, some artists make a living off of creating their artwork, but those are few and far between—and it’s more likely that I would be a “starving artist,” and they didn’t want that for me!

After high school, I wanted to attend art school, but my parents encouraged me to get a business degree. In retrospect, I’m happy they did—I’ve found that my education and work experiences strengthen me as an artist. Artists have to make their art and run a business. In addition to painting, I can build my own website, install vinyl lettering for exhibitions, plan and manage projects, write successful grant proposals, and more.

Another thing that has impacted my work is how I view work. My father’s family immigrated to the United States and achieved the American Dream through hard work and dedication. I grew up with this mindset that working hard is a virtue in itself and, in time, will bring about success. This mindset is my foundation for making art: work, work!

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you first to pursue art and then continue to practice creative work? 

I’m a contemporary abstract artist working and living in Houston, Texas. While I’ve always made art, I committed to my practice around 2015. This commitment was ignited by late-20s existential dread and continued thanks to my partner’s encouragement and emotional support. As a self-taught artist, I spent quite a few years learning how to make art: the methods, mediums, materials, color theory, etc. Then, in 2018, I focused on what I wanted to paint. By mid-2019, I had found my style—fantastical and curious watercolor paintings—and moved into my first art studio. By 2021, I had taught myself to paint in oils and acrylics and started working large-scale.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

My most recent works are an experiment with abstracting landscapes and figures in a way that conveys a dream-like memory made of paint. These whimsical, abstract-figurative landscape paintings are meant to capture a moment in all of its fleetingness—the movement and rush and whirl of it.
I like to describe my work as an escape from reality: my paintings are places I’d like to spend my time—places that are indeterminate, dynamic, stimulating, enchanting, and complex.

Who are your greatest influences?

My current influences can be seen plainly in my work: I’m inspired by Willem de Kooning and his use of charcoal and blending of unconventional materials, as well as his idea of a “slipping glimpser”; Marc Chagall’s whimsical, dreamlike paintings; Cecily Brown’s fractured and whirring brushstrokes; and Julie Mehtru’s mark-making. Most recently, Ruth Asawa’s tied-wire sculptures influenced me to explore wire sculpture. I’m also influenced by artists from other disciplines, like singer-songwriter Nick Cave and the late musician-poet David Berman.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

I’ve found that ballet is very inspiring! I think it’s something to do with storytelling through movement and rhythm. Over time, I’ve come to believe that everything I see, hear, and experience inspires my art somehow.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I want my work to inspire viewers to engage their imagination to come to their own conclusions. I actively try not to think about the viewer while painting because I am filled with doubt and hesitation when I do. The process is for me; what results is for the viewer.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a ‘good‘ piece of work?

The only difference between a good and bad painting is a feeling. That feeling is what creates the ideal conditions. I have to feel as if I am completely free of responsibilities; I don’t have to be anywhere, meet anyone, or do anything other than make art. I do my best work alone; I cannot be tasked with self-awareness or consideration for others. I have to be free to do whatever I want. If I can feel this way, it brings about an extended daydream, maybe similar to what others call a flow state. The less I think, the better the outcome. Time and again, I’ve found that my best paintings are the ones that paint themselves.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your paintings.

Land(e)scape 02 (2022) is reminiscent of a white-sand beach. It has narratives superimposed onto the seascape and was inspired by the stories of three older women who immigrated to the United States from Latin America when they were younger. I sat down with them and recorded oral histories to capture their memories of their homeland and their experience coming to the United States, and I listened to their recorded stories as I painted.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

In the future, I’d like to explore how I can achieve my watercolor aesthetic on a large scale. With watercolor, timing is everything, and I have to work very quickly—a difficult thing to do when working on larger pieces.

What events in your life have mobilized change in your practice & aesthetic?

Getting an art studio made a big difference in my work. I finally had the space and isolation required to make great paintings. My studio allows me to experiment with different mediums and to work larger than I was able to before. As a result, my art has evolved in complexity and confidence.

Describe your work in three words:

Distinct, Painterly, Movement.

What do you listen to while you work? Is music important to your art?

I almost always listen to music while painting. I usually put one album on repeat for many weeks before switching to something else.

What is your favorite read?

Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received (any quotes or mantras you particularly connect with)?

The Joy of Painting episode featuring guest painter Ben Stahl—Stahl offers gems of wisdom throughout.

What makes you laugh?

Clever jokes. And watching YT videos of cats doing silly cat things.

What makes you nervous?

What doesn’t make me nervous?!

Is there anything you wish you were asked more often?

How does it feel to be such a famous artist? 🤠💀

Is there anything you’ve recently tried for the first time? 

I recently stayed in West Texas for a short artist residency; this was my first residency and it was an adventure!

Is there anything you’ve been hesitant to try in the past but you’d like to this year?

I don’t hesitate too much when it comes to trying new things.

Do you have any superstitions?

The evil eye (el mal de ojo) is real, and I work hard to keep it and all negative vibes out of my studio.

Would you rather know what the future holds or be surprised?

I don’t like surprises, tell me about my future!

What place in your everyday environment do you go to for inspiration?

I like going to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Menil. I especially like to go to the Rothko Chapel to think in silence.

What are some things you’re most passionate about outside of your practice?

Social justice work and animal advocacy

What is your relationship with social media?

The one thing that I can bring to social media that is unique is my art; everything else is just adding to the noise. So I post about my art and little else.