Tim Lewis
"Even as a child I clumsily tried to build little working models and devices to mimic almost any situation I came across, of course I didn’t realise that this could be a kind of art, it was just something I did."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practising artist and where did you study?
I live and work in London, and have done so since doing a fine art degree at Middlesex polytechnic, and then later studying at the Royal College of Art in the mid eighties. Shortly after that the Flowers Gallery offered to represent me and have provided a stable enough base to work from and develop the themes I've been interested in since.
What draws you to kinetic forms of sculpture? Is it something you have always done?
Even as a child I clumsily tried to build little working models and devices to mimic almost any situation I came across, of course I didn’t realise that this could be a kind of art, it was just something I did. It was only half way through college that it occurred to me that this could perhaps be a valid medium to work in, the palette I wanted to use.
Abducted Planet, 2016
Face of God, 2016
Salutation, 2016
Your major piece "Beneath Above" is a mechanical sculpture with two robotic arms appearing to joust/dance with each other. Could you talk about this artwork and the thoughts behind it?
Although its a sizeable piece, I see it very much a model or maquette for a far larger one. I had been interested in using a cubic frame to attempt to enclose a volume that would be entirely separate from the space in which the cube is placed and exhibited. Within this volume anything could occur entirely separately from the space outside it..
For 'Beneath Above' I intended an almost titanic antagonism / flirtation to take place between two beings far larger than ourselves, large enough that that they would be oblivious to anyone of the size of the viewer. As the piece now stands the beings to which the arms belong are only 3 to 4 metres high, I think now, that perhaps, this piece will only really work on a far bigger scale.
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
It's rarely art that resonates with me. But one thing that inspired me greatly recently was a visit to Herschel's house in Bath. It's just a fairly modest terraced house, but here in his kitchen he builds a workshop and furnace, to build the lenses and parts, to build a telescope and with that discoveres an entirely new planet (Uranus) from his back garden.
This is what I find exciting and where I find inspiration. The journey he has made, from the manipulation of base materials, to an unknown world in the depths of the solar system.
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
Sadly these things don't often occur to me during the building of the work, perhaps they should, but it's only when it comes to showing them that it begins to dawn on me that there are going to be viewers.
I don't attempt to elicit a specific reaction, if it is found at all interesting that is enough. People are very bright and are far more adept at deciphering than I am at conveying.
Beneath Above, Installation View, Flowers Gallery, 2016
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
When I get to the studio the first job is to go though the communal bins out the front. The bulk of the material I use comes from these. Although to be honest after a bad day's work, and that's the majority, most of it will go right back into those bins on my way home.
The rest of the day is spent either, testing out ideas I think might work, or when all is going well then actually building a piece. They can take from a few hours to several months, so I tend to work on several concurrently.
The studio itself is pretty small, and at worst feels like nothing more than a glorified stock cupboard with a only a little space left in the center to work on anything. Every couple of years I have to chuck almost everything or one would just get amongst the remains of plans that didn't come off.
How do you go about naming your work?
Despite always having working titles when making the work, I don't tend to use them very often, they seem to make little sense to anybody else. So I try to use either a very simple physical description of the piece, or occasionally a word or two to convey the mood that l hope the piece has.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
This week I am restoring two old pieces of mine for a show in February ('Kinetica 10th Anniversary exhibition'). Its always interesting to work on an old piece. Even though one of them was built a decade ago, I find one can remember immediately the issues and rationales that were corns ten years ago.
After that I need to spend a couple of weeks drawing, not so much as artworks, but just an attempt to filter my current ideas and decide which ones to go forward with.
Images courtesy of Flowers Gallery London and New York
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Mila Askarova/Gazelli Art House
"I think what is currently happening is a change in the traditional gallery model and the development of an environment within which the 'survival of the fittest' occurs."
Our interview with Founding Director of Gazelli Art House, Mila Askarova
Could you talk about the galleries background? How did it all start?
In 2010, we held a series of pop up shows across various spaces in different neighbourhoods of London. From townhouses to large warehouse spaces, the group shows were interlinked thematically with a focus on the audience and their reaction to the works presented. The gallery was found on the premise of being a comprehensive space for artists (both budding and the more established), collectors and art enthusiasts alike. An extensive educational programme was put together in order to bring together like-minded people curious to engage with the works and the artists on a closer and a more approachable level.
Could you talk about the space you have on Dover Street (London) and the journey that got you there?
The pop up shows then led to the opening of our permanent space on Dover Street (the fifth show of the series held as the launch exhibition of the gallery). It was a combination of luck that we have found the space and the clear understanding that we had to be in prime location in order to engage with the audience and continuously reassert our commitment to both artists and our exhibition programme.
Francesco Jodice, Cabaret Voltaire, 2017
How do you feel the art world is changing? Do you think art fairs are becoming the lifeblood for most galleries?
I think what is currently happening is a change in the traditional gallery model and the development of an environment within which the 'survival of the fittest' occurs. There are many more players in the industry than ever before , and much more interest in the arts. The art fairs are definitely a way of getting introduced to a wide selection of artists under one roof, but on the other hand there are now an abundance of them which can make it exhausting for both galleries and collectors. It is important therefore to be more selective from both the viewer's side and and the gallery/dealer's side.
How do you differentiate yourself from other galleries?
I would like to believe we offer an alternative approach to the way we present the artists we work with through our diverse program, and the way we position ourselves amongst collectors by providing an unbiased opinion on the works and artists their interested in. I think most galleries have their own individual take on what they believe to be great art so in that sense we are no different to them.
Enter Through the Headset, 2016
Ben Tricklebank, Endec, 2016
What advice can you give to young artists?
To experiment and find your own voice and stick to it even if there is no response from the industry at first. You also have to go out there and network, to be heard.
What do you look for in an artist?
Consistency and the ability to take the viewer through several levels of analysis.
Kalliopi Lemos, In Balance, 2016
Front of Gazelli Art House
Mila Askarova, Founding Director
What has been your biggest obstacle and greatest achievement as a gallery so far?
The obstacle has been to strike a balance between running the gallery on an all-inclusive basis , giving the opportunity to artists and exhibitions which were / are not necessarily commercially viable , and making the business into a self-sustaining venture.
What's the future for Gazelli Art House? Any exciting new shows lined up?
Our program this year is more focused with only solo shows lined up until the end of the year. Following the current group show, toute seule, we will dive into the solo shows of Saad Qureshi, Niyaz Najafov, Stanley Casselman, Derek Boshier and Jane McAdam Freud.
Banner Image: Kalliopi Lemos, In Balance, 2016
Images courtsey of Gazelli Art House
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Kristian Day
"sometimes I think I prefer viewing art in the studio than in a traditional gallery space."
Our interview with Curator Kristian Day
Could you talk about your background? What made you become a curator, is it something you have always wanted to do?
I come from Hull, which is currently the UK City of Culture. The city often gets shown in a bad light in the press but it's always had a thriving arts scene. Up until recently it was very much a do-it-yourself, almost punk, ethic that kept the scene alive so I’m proud to see it get the recognition it deserves. That ethic is probably instilled in me in some way, finding ways to put on shows without a massive budget to work with for one. I didn’t exactly grow up dreaming of being a curator but I always knew I wanted to work closely with creative people.
After lecturing for a few years I somehow ended up working for galleries down in London, including a decade working for a gallery in Mayfair. Ultimately though I was only carrying out the visions of my employers and always harboured a desire to do things my own way so, in April last year, I quit my job and spent the summer going around every gallery, degree show and studio that would let me in. I guess I had a sense of missing out all those years so found myself with a need to catch up and get involved again. I also knew that I wanted to truly collaborate with the artists in my projects rather than just take delivery of their works so it was important to get to know them first and find out what makes them tick before I launched my first exhibition. This probably goes back to my desire to be closer to the creation of the work, to understand the process more - sometimes I think I prefer viewing art in the studio than in a traditional gallery space.
What has been your biggest obstacle and greatest achievement as a curator so far?
I don’t really think of things as being obstacles as I always knew it was going to be hard work. If something gets in your way then you just have to find another way around the problem. It would be nice to have the resources to have my own permanent gallery for example but it’s actually been just as rewarding to put on shows in a variety of different spaces, plus I’ve made some great friends along the way who have been incredibly supportive of what I’m doing. So, yes there are challenges along the way but I like to think that they often lead to new opportunities.
There have been so many things that I’m incredibly proud of over the last year, it’s been a great ride. The first show back in late August was called Sampler, I honestly expected just close friends and the artists to turn up but we ended up nearly blocking the traffic on the street. It blew my mind that so many people had an interest in supporting contemporary painting. The next day a young guy came in and said he’d come down from Birmingham just to see the show, I mean, it’s hardly a top collector helicoptering in from Monte Carlo, but I just bust out crying in front of the poor lad, it meant so much to me.
Each show since Sampler has been equally well received and I’m enormously grateful for this. It’s been an honor to work with so many of the artists that a couple of years ago I could only admire from afar. Selfishly, I’m quite proud that I’ve managed to do things my own way, the response and support I’ve received during all the exhibitions has justified, and more than made up for, all the risks involved.
Thom Hobson & Rae Hicks. The Rude Gesture, Unit 1 Gallery, 2016
Dickon Drury & Rae Hicks. The Rude Gesture, Unit 1 Gallery, 2016
Exhibition view of The Rude Gesture, Unit 1 Gallery, 2016
Exhibition view of The Rude Gesture, Unit 1 Gallery, 2016
Do you plan/hope to open a gallery one day?
That’s the ultimate goal and something I think about constantly. I’d like a gallery that endeavors to encourage its audience to get closer to an artist’s practice and their place within a wider art history. There often seems to be a dislocation between the studio and the traditional gallery set up, with works presented as if they are untouchable, something to be worshipped rather than engaged with. So I’d like to have a gallery that encourages a connection with the process of making and a gallery that would further its audience’s understanding of the work and its relationship to art of the past. I hope that this will, in some way, help promote contemporary art to new audiences and markets, something I’m very interested in.
What do you look for in an artist?
This is a difficult question to answer and impossible to get into specifics. I guess I look for a sense of honesty or realness in the work and a dedication to their chosen path...even better if the path has a few twists and turns along the way. A willingness to experiment with the ability to stay true to their original vision. I'm not too concerned if an artist is doing something new, just that they are striving to do something good...often the originality will follow anyway. I work with recent graduates, midcareer and established artists who all have this drive to perfect, evolve and progress.
Alex Gibbs, Aisha Christison, Jessie Makinson, Freya Douglas-Morris, Jessie Makinson, Alex Gibbs. The Classical 2016
Hannah Brown, Anna Freeman Bentley & Freya Douglas-Morris. Landing 2016
Anna Freeman Bentley, Hannah Brown & Freya Douglas-Morris. Landing 2016
Andrew Seto, Matthew David Smith & Aly Helyer. Sampler 2016
Leon Pozniakow, Grant Foster, Alex Gibbs, Leon Pozniakow. The Classical 2016
How do you differentiate yourself from other curators?
I’m not sure if I do differentiate myself, I’m constantly in and out of other curators exhibitions and see myself as a fan. That said it can be easy to get swept up in the concerns, aims and well-meaning advice of other people and it can be hard to not second guess what you’re doing. It’s a difficult job but sometimes you just have to put your blinkers on and strive forward with what you believe in. I try to just work with artists that I admire and enjoy, you’re never going to tick every box for every person coming to the show so it’s pointless to even try.
I do try to be open to new audiences and to be as accessible to people of different backgrounds as possible. I’m planning a number of shows and collaborations outside of London for example. I also started an ongoing project called Paper Cuts last year. So far it involves around 130 artists, each has submitted three or four works on paper that are priced between £50 and £500. I was struggling to find a way of showing less expensive work that would be fun and less intimidating for sometime, knowing that I couldn’t afford to pay for a ton of framing and, it sounds ridiculous but...I was in my local record shop looking through the vinyl racks and thought this is perfect. So Paper Cuts is basically a travelling record fair...but with works on paper in the racks instead of vinyl. It’s a daft idea that somehow really works, plus, all my shows have been named after something music related (Paper Cuts itself is a Nirvana song) so it fits quite nicely. It’s been a great success so far, I tend to hold events in the last weekend of my shows but all the work is online now too.
I’m not unique in this but I do try to put a lot of shoe leather into visiting artists and probably spend more time on the overground to Bromley-by-Bow than most reasonable people but that’s all part of the gig.
What advice can you give to young artists?
Other than ‘don’t take advice from some guy in his 40’s’? The best advice I was ever given was ‘the only way to do it, is to do it’, so keep making work. There’s always going to be someone you know who gets an award or is snapped up by a top gallery and it’s tough not to think you’re doing something wrong. Plus, you’re probably going to make some bad work and you’re probably going to get rejected from galleries and competitions but, so does everyone, just keep at it and hopefully the work will become stronger because of it. Try to strike the right balance between being informed by what’s happening in the art world but not being swayed by what’s fashionable for the sake of following trends. Also, remember that, for most people, recognition doesn’t come overnight, it can happen step by step, inch by inch.
I’ve been working in galleries for a long time and I’m always asked for advice on how best to promote yourself as an artist. It can often be a Catch 22 situation...if a gallery hasn’t heard already of you then they don’t want to know you. It’s tricky. Don’t be pushy with gallery owners, don’t turn up unannounced with a portfolio under your arm (or, in one case a load of rolled up canvasses) expecting to be seen, it’s just annoying and will put them off. An email will do, even better an invite to visit your studio or an exhibition you’re part of. These days though there are so many ways to promote yourself through social media that, given time and effort, you can reach your own audience and, hopefully, the attention of curators and galleries.
The crowd at Sampler 2016
The crowd at Paper Cuts, 2016
Kristian Day in front of a work by Karl Beilik 2017
What's next in the pipeline? Any exciting new shows lined up?
As usual I have a lot of shows in the works but this year I’m trying to space things out a bit more, to give me time to do more studio visits. That said I have a number of exciting things coming up. In collaboration with the excellent brand Albam I’ll be putting on a series of solo exhibitions at their space on Upper Street. Then comes a huge show in Bermondsey called Love, Peace & Happiness that is already looking incredible. I’m going to be working with the lovely people at Mercer Chance in Hoxton in May and with a new space in the Docklands over the summer. I’ll be taking things out of London this year too, with shows being planned in Manchester, the Cotswolds, Canterbury and Nottingham.
On top of this I’m planning a number of Paper Cuts events and hoping to work again with the wonderful Stacie McCormick at Unit 1 Gallery|Workshop. Hopefully this year will see the long-awaited collaboration with George Marsh of the William Benington Gallery and Andy Wicks of Castor Projects. I’m also putting together plans for a series of interviews taking place during my studio visits that I’ll publish online and continuing my collaboration with Matt Price of Anomie Publishing. PLUS...there are a couple of show-stoppers in the works for later in the year that I have to keep under wraps for now. So yeah, taking it easy really. I’ll be announcing everything in more detail shortly so please sign up on the website and follow me in all the usual places to find out more.
Images courtesy of Kristian Day
Banner image: Rude Gesture, Unit 1 Gallery
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Shan Hur
"The empty space of a gallery or museum always appeals to my imagination in the same way a painter sees a blank canvas."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practising artist and where did you study?
I am a sculptor based in Seoul and London. I think my practice began with my first architectural intervention I did for my BA degree show at Seoul National University in 2006. The starting point was a misunderstanding: I mistook an actual construction site in a gallery space for a fascinating artwork, only coming to realise my error later on. Though I felt a bit stupid, this incidental memory spurned an artistic idea, which induced a chain of practice.
On a more intimate level, my mother was an inspiring painter, so it could be said that my practice started when I was in her womb.
When I graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art in London in 2010, I made my first pillar installation in the basement sculpture studio. After my MFA degree show, I met many enthusiastic people in the London art scene, which led to my first solo show, ‘The door in the wall’, at Gazelli Art House in 2015.
Forgotten #07 (The Door in the Wall)
Forgotten #08 (The Shoe from Ground Zero)
You create holes in gallery walls and/or pillars, sometimes with objects embedded within them. This gives a sense of history, almost like an Archaeological discovery. Could you talk about the reasons behind these installations?
When I was a boy I would dig the ground with my hands searching for pieces of broken vases. I thought that these pieces were real treasures since we lived in the capital city of ancient country. The empty space of a gallery or museum always appeals to my imagination in the same way a painter sees a blank canvas. The space remains linked to my personal memory of this experience.
In my practice, I have researched mundane spaces through observing people’s behavioural patterns. My sculptural interventions are based on an understanding of the urban architectural environment and people’s expectations of this public space. As an artistic intervention, my works transform the viewer’s expectation to explore how daily circumstances can be changed into artistic experience. I also create unfamiliar stories through accidental situations. I explore sculptural contexts, including physical symbolic relations, cultural authority relations and various process of interactions within the urban space. Tactility is important for experience and understanding my practice.
Boken Pillar
Broken Pillar (detail)
When you first started these installations was it hard to get a gallery to agree to put holes in their walls? What has been the most technically challenging piece so far?
It seems that nobody wants to put holes in their walls! I do, however, have a technique whereby I do not need to damage the wall, though I still need permission to install my work. It started in art school, whom I thanks for for their generosity in allowing such artistic experimentation. My practice is not based on technique. For example, in my work ‘the screw’, the conceptual adventure was more important than the artistic technique. ‘the screw’ is my most challenging piece in that sense.
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
Over the last 7 years I have developed my practice of sculptural interventions within architectural spaces. This investigation has taken the form of discreet interventions in slightly unusual places, which can make people disorientated. I’ve tried to make people experience the whole space as a sculpture. If the whole space is a glass of water, my intervention is one drop of coloured ink so to speak. I’m interested in the method of dispersion. As such I see my interventions as a sort of catalyst which makes the viewer to see the whole space as site for discovery. Viewers become active discoverers in these sites using all their senses.
Crack on the wall no. 1 - close up 2
The Pagoda
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
Anthony Gormley’s recent massive sculptures are very interesting. They’re different from his previous pieces. People walk through, crawl into and climb on them because they are not objects which can be understood without using the body. In other word, his recent works can be experienced with one's whole body.
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
I’m doing an art residency two hours from my home. I go to my studio 4 days a week and am also writing my doctoral thesis. I’m not a studio-based artist normally. I usually like spending time in the actual spaces for which I'm making plans as well as finding new sites for my interventions.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
I’m preparing the two solo shows, one in Seoul and another in London 2018. That’s always an exciting plan for me. I can’t say exactly what at the moment but the new works will be totally different and yet in some way still predictable from my previous work.
Images courtesy of the artist and Gazelli Art House
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Ana Milenkovic
"Curiosity feeds on unfamiliar images and stories, and I am particularly interested in channels through which they reach us."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practicing artist and where did you study?
I graduated from Wimbledon College of Art in 2014, but I also hold a postgraduate degree from the Faculty of Fine Art in Belgrade. In total, I spent seven years in different art schools, and two years preparing for them. Nothing makes me more comfortable than libraries, funnily dressed people and grandiose ideas; art schools are temples of creativity and the notion of them turning into providers of career toolkit is the ultimate tragedy to me.
There is a side profile figure that often appears in your work, could you tell us about this and the reasons behind it?
Curiosity feeds on unfamiliar images and stories, and I am particularly interested in channels through which they reach us. My paintings are a syncretism between eastern and western traditions, real life stories and mythology, but pimped-up to have a solely visual logic with motifs that come from various directions. The profile figure is the only constant element in them, and it impersonalizes numerous phenomena – a double-headed emblem of conflicting thoughts, a hero of Cold War propaganda, a portrait medal, a warrior. It’s a universal representative of human race who is never out of a job.
Profile I, 2015
Profile II, 2015
You recently won the Griffin Art Prize 2016, congratulations, how did winning it make you feel? Are you looking forward to the residency?
I like the Griffin Art Prize because it is realistic - it provides artists with a professional studio space, materials, accommodation and mentoring, without demands and deadlines. I find myself unfit for most residencies, as I need time to adapt, think, read, and make large work that cannot be rolled up in a backpack. I never saw myself as a pilgrim responding to imminent surrounding, and I want my art to resonate deeper than scratching on the surface.
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
I recently came to a conclusion that when I want to say something – I say it, so whenever I want paint something – I paint it. I don’t see paintings as illustrations of written or spoken words, they “speak” for themselves and impose a very specific set of problems. My paintings do not have a narrative, and they do not preach. There are some obvious references in them, but I encourage my audience to make up their own mind about what they are looking at.
Griffin Art Prize 2016
How do you go about naming your work?
This question has backfired on me. I recently interviewed Ansel Krut and asked him the same; I now regret it, as my titles are not nearly as witty as his, and yet I am asked to analyse them. Basically, I think the greatest danger of a bad title is to make the painting self explanatory, and shut doors to peculiar interpretations. My solution is to title work when it’s finished, and simply name the most obvious feature. For example, I made a painting in which two profiles faced each other, so titled it “Face to Face”. Than I made another one with the same motive and titled it “Face to Face 2”. It is that trivial.
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
I recently saw The Idol by Gauguin at the Hermitage. I prefer most painters to Gauguin but the effect this paintings had on me could be described as disbelief of a disobedient teenager who just quoted their parent’s most annoying phrase, and meant it.
Griffin Art Prize 2016
Griffin Art Prize 2016
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
My daily routine is a standing joke among friends, since I like getting up when it’s still dark and going to bed before CBBC concludes its scheduled programme. Most days I go to the studio first thing in the morning and spend most weekends working along Miroslav Pomichal, a brilliant artist and my partner. No matter how small the studio, having a mate is great – in my case it provides endless discussions about art theory, history, religion, Tolstoy and Donald Trump. This downside of this closeness is that I question everything and often change my mind, which started to show - I’ve been working on a single painting for almost a year now, breaking it down and rebuilding it. Although unfinishable, it’s my best work to date.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
Currently, I am completely immersed in making new work and finalising sketches for the Griffin residency. I always feel a bit distracted when faced with deadlines but I have an exciting year ahead – I am taking part in the Arca Project which will bring together contemporary artists and writers, I will be co-curating a show based around the term “Gothic”, and also contribute to the exhibition of Serbian artists working abroad. In addition, the Sisyphean task on the above mentioned painting continues!
Images courtsey of Griffin Gallery and the artist, photographer: Oliver Holms
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Tae Eun Ahn
"I tried to produce something that could replace my fugitive body which will later, verify the fact that I was once physically alive even after my death."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practicing artist and where did you study?
I am a Korean born artist who studied BFA at Rhode Island School of Design in U.S.A. and moved to London for MA at Royal College of Art. I could remember that my artistic practices actually started from the time when I transferred to RISD. Before that, I was studying business administration in Korea. At that time, I was a student who was deeply interested in art but never could think of myself being an artist, as I believed that art was an exclusive thing that only gifted people could do. However, after consistently exposing myself to lots of different contemporary artists and practices whose works go beyond representative art, I eventually could be confident on my desire and such transition led my life to be completely changed.
I think that my experience living across Asian and Western cultures(South Korea, Japan, U.S.A and U.K.) has also made a huge impact on my inter-cultural artistic influences, providing an essential platform of my art. Highly influenced on cultural displacement that I always experienced whenever I moved into new cities and countries, it became critical for me to think of how to locate myself in this world. Staying in a vague position between a foreigner but a dweller, I tried to question myself who I am and how I can define myself. Along with these thoughts, I realised the role of my physical body and that became a reason why I started to use my body as the most critical medium to work with.
Could you tell us the reasons for the use of clay in your performances?
The reason that I use clay is its link towards our body. I mean, clay is made out of dust, soil and earth which could be the place where we all came from and head to. According to genesis 2:7, there is a quote (‘Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.’) It indicates that humans were made out of the dust of the ground. Also, when we think of a human body buried in the earth after death, we can easily realise that the body will slowly and gradually decompose to the earth. I actually do not have any religion and still not sure about bringing its religious context towards my work, but I am still interested in its connection towards our body. I, of course, at the same time, am aware of the fact that the clay that I am using actually contains other artificial chemicals—it is not as a pure dust as the earth. But because of its representative condition that reflects our existence and its nature, I use clay in most of my performances.
And of course, its responsive quality is also one another reason for me to use it. It is a great material to capture instant traces and marks of each action.
A Pot, 2014
Untitled, 2016, Clay Performance, 2 hours
Untitled, 2016, Clay Performance, 2 hours
Cycle, 2015, Clay Performance
In your performances you often use parts of your body to leave some sort of mark in the clay, could you tell us the thoughts behind this?
Most of my works as well as my performances explore how to release fear that has been derived from the ephemeral evanescence of life. It is a reaction to embrace the fear yet to resist decaying or to refuse time. Leaving marks is considered as one of the methods to protect myself from disappearing. By producing physical traces, imprints and metaphors of myself, I tried to produce something that could replace my fugitive body which will later, verify the fact that I was once physically alive even after my death.
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
I hope my viewers could reflect back their own actions that they do everyday and re-think about its possibility. It could be different or similar form of realisation compared to what I have shown through my works. The thing that I would like to emphasise on my work is a way to perceive things
“as-it-is”. In removing any social, political, or cultural conditions from the gesture and repeating it meditatively, I hope that my work can provide a platform to reconsider the meaning of a given gesture and its potential to perceive the world through interactions that are derived from it.
You Walk Wrong, 2015
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
I don’t have typical routine. It really depends on what I need to do. When I have a huge project, I fully focus on my practices and spend all day long in my studio for several days and nights but I of course enjoy my time chatting with my friends, reading books and daydreaming in my studio. I think I normally use day time to deal with bank works, material shopping, and visiting museums and galleries and start my studio work afterwards. I mostly be in the studio from the afternoon till late at night and maybe that is why I cannot be an early bird but the opposite. To me, night time works better. It is easier for me to concentrate on myself during the night and lasts longer. I enjoy the moment when everything gets cooled down and becomes quiet.
At one corner of my studio, there are lots of bags of clay piled on top of each other. Most of them were used in previous performances but as I reuse the clay at each venue, I use my studio to cure it to make it back into a good condition.
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
I had a chance to see an exhibition of Antony Gormley at White Cube Gallery last year. It was really impressive and filled with astonishing works. Gormley is actually one of my favourite artists so I was really grateful and excited to see his works in person. The show was arranged from his early works to recent ones and from objects to installations, lots of things to see and experience.
I remember that I first got to know him through his Ted Talk. Especially the part when he asked audiences to close their eyes to show the total darkness as a space which is objectless, dimensionless and limitless was really surprising, as the space that he thinks his sculpture can connect us with is quite similar to the space that I would like to encounter through my performances.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
One of the things that I have been longing for is to explore the world that I haven’t experienced yet. Seeing how different people live their lives in different ways and researching on how those differences may affect to their artistic practices and perspectives, I hope that I could further spend some time to expose myself towards the people and learn through them.
It also includes my plan to visit Asian countries next year to look around and learn about their art. As I spent most of the time in Western culture after I started my art, I rarely had chance to go back to Asia to get to know about my root. This is why even though I was born and raised in Asian countries, I, ironically, am much familiar about Western art. By studying and learning about art from Asia, I hope that I could have a better understanding on my art.
Images courtesy of the artist
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Emily Platzer
"I am seduced by and long to feel indigenous within a wild, natural environment."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practicing artist and where did you study?
I graduated from Falmouth in 2011 and I’ve been living and working in London for four years now.
There is a playful/sexual element to your work, could you talk about the meaning behind these figures and body parts?
A while back I started collecting A5 flyers advertising sex workers; I found them littering the pavements and phone boxes of King Cross. These printed adverts feel like mythical objects, inviting you into a dark and sexual world. I wanted to develop a narrative by transporting these women from the flyers, into my paintings, creating environments that where sensual and feminine. Possibly places where their desires could be fulfilled.
Over time this language has developed, often lone body parts or features rather than whole figures occupy the paintings, isolating these body parts can create more innuendo. Hands in particular are a bit of an obsession, gesticulating wildly they grab, pull and slap. Eyes become voyeurs and mouths are openings which can swallow and lick, inviting us into the paintings yet not being explicit about what is going on.
Is your work narratively driven, and if so what is your inspiration for these stories?
Storytelling is very important to me; in my paintings I aim to create a unique space where strange scenarios and fantastic moments arise. I collect stories from my own experience, Folk law, Spoken word storytelling, literature and history.
The mythologist Martin Shaw is a spoken word storyteller and he teaches that we do not own the stories but that they own us, this sentiment has particular resonance for me.
Human nature is entwined with the natural world in my paintings, plants and flowers express a personal longing for nature; I am seduced by and long to feel indigenous within a wild, natural environment.
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
I’d like to think the viewer is drawn in by a playful sense of jest in the work- for this to raise a smile. Then I hope that they get the vibe that darker forces are at play; that anxieties, fears and desires are present within the paintings.
Chalk Man, 2016
Nature lover, 2016
Praise the Man of the Mountains, 2016
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
I went to see the RA Schools Premiums show last week, the best way to describe Issy Wood’s paintings is to say that they are dark and gorgeous.
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
I have been in the same studio for three years, it’s just off Ridley Road market in Dalston, and I often go and wonder about in the Turkish Food Centre or the market below.
I listen to a lot of radio, in particular Late Junction; I like to listen to stuff and not know what is coming up next.
Ideally I work on lots of things at once; I try to keep a rhythm going, working simultaneously on canvas paintings, PVC sheeting, sketch book drawings and painted inflatable balls. I recently threw away my desk because I thought it was getting in the way-possibly a mistake! I’ve since been working on the floor, squatting over paintings and trying to get my hands on inflated balls that are suspended from the ceiling.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
Painting on 3d objects has brought a new dimension to my work, it began with beach balls. The balls are inflated and suspended when I paint on them, as they spin around they reveal different parts of their surface intermittently, they are hard to get my hands on, disrupting my ability to paint a linear narrative.
These balls have piqued my curiosity; recently I am also painting on inflated helium balloons and polystyrene spheres. I imagine these objects could become part of a shared ritual, they are still paintings but you can kick them, bounce them and release them- they have a lot of potential these unruly creatures!
All the Better to See You With, 2016
Fandango, 2016
Just Wait Until I Get My Hands On You!, 2016
Images courtesy of the artist
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Anna Fafaliou
"My work explores the relationship between object, memory and identity."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practicing artist and where did you study?
I’m a conceptual artist currently working between London and Los Angeles. In 2011 after having obtained an MA from the School of Fine Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Greece, I underwent an MA in Film and Visual Arts, Birkbeck College, University of London. I started working at artists’ studios both as an assistant and technician, and in late 2014 I decide I wanted to find my own voice in this field. So I started taking some baby steps, in parallel with work and at the same time I went back to school, this time at Laban College to study Performance Art.
My work is my everything, so I dedicated myself to it and soon I managed to start working for myself.
Since then my work has been shown around the world in various institutions, festivals, galleries. I’ve also given some lectures as a visiting artist or have taken part in discussion panels at Bangkok University, King’s College, Otis College LA to name few.
Due to my interest in the notion of cultural memory I’ve attended various artist’s residencies across the USA, Asia and Europe.
All I Can Remember, installation, 2015
You create white/monotone works and performances, could you tell us about the choice of white in your works?
My work explores the relationship between object, memory and identity.
My practice relates to the sense of attachment that people have with the objects from their past; from old houses, family heirlooms, presents from lovers etc. Somehow these trace the story of our lives and where we come from, therefore capturing who we are. Keeping them is like keeping the memories alive, it’s almost as if we don’t have the objectified proof the memory would fade away. And we are our memories. We are a collection or better said a selection of our memories and these objects we own / we inherited reflect who we are. There is a huge research in social psychology, neuroscience etc. around our relationship with colour. Different colours can have different impact in our behaviour, psychological state and memory. As colours stimulate our emotions they add intensity to our memories associated with them. We remember in colour. Colours trigger our emotions and our feeling of attachment. The white stands at the center of all my projects. Inspired by Kandinsky’s colour theory and writings on white “White resonates, like a silence that can suddenly be understood”. The use of whiteness further refers to the neutrality and mutability beyond the materiality and individuality of the object. While white isn't stimulating to the senses, it opens the way for the creation of anything the mind can conceive. Too much white can cause feelings of isolation and emptiness. By painting canvases, various materials and commonplace objects, I’m giving them not a new identity, but the space and time of re-writing on them. I’m not trying to make them something different –I’m just trying to see them, as they would look from a time distance. How they can seem better or more pleasant from a nostalgic point of view.
Your major performance piece "Sleep" consisted of many performers simply sleeping in a space, could you tell us about this project and what inspired you to create it?
This performance piece was first shown at Nahmad Projects in Mayfair London. The idea of Sleep Project initially started after I read an article of sleeplessness in Japan, where people use their ability to stay awake as an asset in their CV’s. Starting from there I decided that I wanted to create a project of something that’s so basic & simple as sleep, and place it in different countries, cities, and spaces. The response of the audience was so interesting that I decided I wanted to observe everything such as the changes of socio-political issues that might arise.
For example, when I performed at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center, we had to stop the performance few minutes before 18.00, because all people must stand still for their national anthem everyday at that time –when inpublic spaces, as laying down in a public space at 18.00 can be a disrespectful action against their King, which can cause political issues. Furthermore I’m interested in the socio-psychology of the participants and how they place them selves within the space.
The audiences in all art venues are usually willing to participate, and they find it quite easy to take a pillow and lay down for a short or long time. What varies and changes drastically depending on the venue and cultural background is the way people place themselves in the space. This is something that fascinates me to observe, and has made me want to study more on socio-geography and start a research based on this project.
Sleep, performance, Nahmad Projects, 2016
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
All I’m sharing through every work is a story. For me there is nothing more attractive, fascinating and inspiring than people’s stories. In my work I narrate these stories by using different mediums. I’m not hopeing for the viewer to see this specific story, I just wish for them to see a story. Everyone sees and understands everything differently, based on their experience, logic, emotions. I want the viewer to gain whatever they want to gain. In my work I try not to explain too much.. it is what it is.. it either makes you feel or think of something or it doesn’t.
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
Plegaria Muda by Doris Salcedo at San Francisco Moma. Everytime I get the opportunity to see the work of this brilliant artist I feel like I get hit by a thunder. It instantly hits me and shakes me to my very core. She uses domestic objects in such ways that allude to loss and absence.
Bound #2, 2016
Bound, 2016
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
I’ve spent last year travelling around either through artists’ residency or for exhibitions, so fortunately or unfortunately “routine” is an unknown word to me. Everywhere I travel though I always try to find my spot and create a little corner where I can work, this can be exhausting from time to time, as by the time you start getting used to something, you have to leave and start over. At the same time I feel like this is what has set me free as an artist, I always feel new at something, by not letting myself settle I feel like I’m in a constant move that I’m always learning.
I do have though a studio in Dalston with a beautiful view and daylight, which I’m in love with and I miss very much when I’m away.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
At the moment I’m in my studio in London preparing my solo show in Los Angeles this coming May at De Re Gallery, which is something I’m really looking forward to, as I’ll be showing some new 2D work, a new series of neon light works and a performance piece. But before going back to LA, I’m creating an installation for a new hotel in Central London, which I hope it will be ready by the end of March. Later on this year I’m going to Greece and Japan for two projects.
Images courtesy of the artist
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Cynthia Cruz
"I am mostly interested in medical imagery; there is so much material to work with. The images are visceral, slippery, and cause an instant gut reaction. They make me aware of my body, my insides and my temporality."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practising artist and where did you study?
I was born and raised in Miami FL to Dominican parents.
When I turned 18 years old I moved to New York with about $500 dollars in my pocket. After couch surfing and working odd jobs, I managed to last 10 years in the City. I had a studio in NY, I would use my studio to paint but I never tried to show my work. At this point I never had any training or confidence, I really just painted for myself. Since I was a kid I always had a compulsion to create and it just never stopped.
My best friend who is an artist came to visit me in NY and saw my work, she convinced me to apply to art school. On my next visit to Miami I applied for my BA at New World School of the Arts, I was accepted and I moved back to Miami, I completed my BA in 2010. I then was involved in a car accident, which oddly enough granted me some money to move to London in 2012 to attend Goldsmiths University for my Masters, I graduated in 2014. I currently live in London.
Could you tell us about your digital works, where are these images sourced?
The idea started when I was scrolling through social media I would stumble across several images that were quite disturbing. The images varied from PETA images to strange viral stories to medical procedures and illness.
I wanted to find a way to sit with the images rather than quickly scroll through them. I wanted to give them a new life, a new existence but without losing the essence of what they were. I went from stumbling upon these images on my news feed to actively looking for them online, I now have a nice collection of pictures.
I am mostly interested in medical imagery; there is so much material to work with. The images are visceral, slippery, and cause an instant gut reaction. They make me aware of my body, my insides and my temporality. With the day-to-day monotony of life it’s so easy to forget that we are made of these parts that will someday malfunction and die.
Goldsmiths MFA install, 2014
Artist Statement, 2015 (Video still)
Your paintings are full of these strange organic forms. Could you tell us the thoughts behind these shapes and how they relate to your digital work?
The shapes mimic the forms of the original imagery; they are not trying to replicate instead they are mimicking. The forms I make are flat, 2 dimensional, almost like comic book drawings with areas of texture, painterly forms and intricate marks. The marks look as if they are created digitally but they are not. At times I use the paint to put emphasis on a form, add depth or flatten out an area. I am interested in the conversation between painting techniques and digital techniques.
There are several painting effects on digital software that I use; I then mimic these effects using paint creating a discussion between the two mediums. For example I use the oil paint effect on Photoshop, I then use paint to mimic the effect. The reason I say mimic and not replicate is because neither medium is successful in producing an exact copy of the other.
I also add geometric forms; these forms allude to the mechanical, the mathematical in contrast to the organic forms. Together they create a sense of cybernetics. I am interested in oppositions, such as organic vs mechanical, manual vs digital and humour vs tragedy.
Sirius, 2015
Wolfchild (left) Inferior Vena Cava (right), Griffin Art Prize, 2016
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
This wasn’t too recent but an exhibition that impacted me the most was “The killing machine & other stories” by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. I saw this exhibition in Miami back in 2007 it still haunts me.
There were several rooms with installations that gave the viewer a different experience in each room. I couldn’t pin point if the installations felt like they were from the past or the future, it was a combination of both, time stood still. This exhibition made me really sad, I loved it.
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
I want the viewer to be interested enough to spend time with the work and not dismiss it. Whether the viewer is uncomfortable with the work or finds humour in it, I’m happy with that, as long as they are not indifferent.
Inferior Vena Cava, 2016
Wolfchild, 2016
Bullhorn, 2016
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
I head to the studio around 1 pm and either I work on something I have started or I play with materials until something interesting happens. I do not believe in waiting for inspiration, if I waited for inspiration nothing would get done. I have a day job; I work 4 days a week. I also take care of my elderly father in law; so on my days off I need to make the most of that time. I spend at least 8 – 10 hours in my studio on my days off.
I just landed a new studio at Thames Side Studios; I’m very excited I move in a few weeks. It’s a beautiful and large space, it is ready for my mess.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
My collaborative GROK has a video up on the big screen at the Focal Point Gallery and we are releasing an album this year.
I am currently in the process of co curating a painting show. I have some other prospects but they are not yet confirmed. 2017 is looking promising.
Images courtesy of the artist and Griffin Gallery
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17
Sarah Coote
"The subjects of these paintings are men who I have known in my adult life, who made me question the role of desire and intimacy."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a practicing artist and where did you study?
I grew up in Philadelphia and received my BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2013. Currently, I am based in Richmond, Virginia and I am expecting my MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Painting department in May 2017.
Your paintings depict faceless figures with an off kilter composition, could you talk about these figures and the inspiration for them?
The subjects of these paintings are men who I have known in my adult life, who made me question the role of desire and intimacy. I use the crop as a tool to control the ways of seeing and direct perspective, to craft a scene and query the level of threat or love gaze between the one looking at the subject and the direction where the subject is looking.
I have always loved working with the figure in painting. Painting from an image of body, and cropping the source photograph obstructs the full view of a person, altering our ability to “know” one’s subject. I am directing the gaze of the viewer, and directing (like a moving camera) where I am looking to construct a new narrative and abstract the body sourced in a photograph.
The surface of the painting is a concern, as it is the skin of the piece. Occasionally the canvas gets covered with a scrim or screen, encasing the image and dissolving the full picture resulting in a disruption of wholeness. Through a feminist lens I use the method of collage and cropping to reclaim space by constructing a new frame in pursuit of queering of gender construction and levelling of hierarchies.
You also create playful wall sculptures made from what looks like household objects, could you talk about the thoughts behind these and how they relate to your paintings?
The porous paintings are a series of works that are made from found materials and used cleaning supplies. Things like used sponges and dirty rug mats are painted and decorated with various found adornments including underwear lace, charms and beads among other materials.
I am attracted to the poetics of these objects - how they operate as characters in a domestic space, their ability to hold water, wipe and collect filth from a surface and grip a carpet, feeling the weight of a body but never touching it directly - the significance of what these objects do in a house, do for a person, do with a person & what it means to dress them up after use. They are really fun to make for their weirdness, and bringing crafting into my practice is a departure from the paintings that keeps me engaged with a lightness in my methods and research.
Formally the soft edges, colours and marks on the surface and the absurdity of the things themselves are exciting to me. I can play with these materials and actually engage in a process of touching while making the works. The paintings are expressive and deal with image of body, the small wall sculptures and porous paintings are made with my body and employ more physicality.
July 2014, 2016
Morning, 2016
Blushing, I Imagine myself feeling deeply loved, 2016
New Orleans, 2016
Porous Painting, Cranberry Pills, 2016
Porous Painting, High Alert, 2016
Porous Painting, Stained and Soaking, 2016
Porous Painting, What’s in a Name, 2016
What do you hope the viewer gains/reacts from looking at your work?
With use of expressionism and abstraction of the figure, and focus on the body as subject I hope to entice the viewer in experiencing their present selves in relationship to others. With that effect I also wish to tease, or seduce one to wish to peel back a layer or see past a glaze of paint when they know they can’t. I think about power and pleasure, staining and imperfection, impurity and I wish to offer this query to one when looking at my work. Fragmentation and fluidity through holes, queering memory, humor and a focus on gender and sexuality and how they inform identity are my main concerns.
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
The visual and written work by Dorothy Iannone, Julie Doucet, Henry Taylor, Maggie Nelson, Claudia Rankine, Kathy Aker, Eileen Myles and Hélène Cixous have been important for me in the last year. I recently revisited the collection of Marcel Duchamp’s ready made sculptures in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and I was reminded how pivotal those works were for me as a younger artist, pieces including "Etant Donnes", "with Hidden Noise" and "Why Not Sneeze, Rose Sélavy?" In particular.
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day/studio routine, what is your studio like?
As I am still a graduate student, and I spend most of my time during the week in my studio at school. If I am not teaching or attending class, I will work during the mornings and afternoons painting, reading & writing and then leave to make dinner in the evening.
What does the future hold for you as an artist? Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
I am currently working on a series of paintings and sculptures for my thesis exhibition at in April that will travel to New York in June. And then I will be relocating to a new city undetermined. I am also co-directing a curatorial project space in Richmond called Bruce Martin Gallery that will be hosting a few exhibitions in the upcoming months.
Images courtesy of the artist
Interview publishing date: 09/02/17