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beinArt Interview with Lily Mae Martin

September 6th, 2010 by Meg Woodsworth

beinArt Interview with Lily Mae Martin by Julie Winters

Lily Mae Martin creates art that is decidedly unconventional: figurative pieces that are uncluttered but not simple.  Sometimes the focus is on body parts that aren’t necessarily “pretty,” or faces are pulled and stretched or simply obscured.  Yet she has received possibly the most flak for her portrayals of something totally normal:  women exploring their own sexuality.  How surreal, indeed, that what is usual could be considered offensive or, at the very least, somehow too much.

Martin was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia.  She received her BFA in drawing from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne in 2008 and currently resides in the United Kingdom.

Not that I think people should make work to shock people just for the sake of shocking, but I think artists are too scared to explore what they want to explore and push ideas that really interest them, because of the risk of not selling and therefore not being validated.
Lily Mae Martin

Julie Winters:  How early did you start exploring art seriously, and at what point did you decide it was something you wanted to study formally?

Lily Mae Martin: I have always drawn. I was thinking more and more about art towards the end of high school but still really didn’t know how to pursue it (other than doing flyers for bands). While I was working for the National Gallery of Victoria, I had the opportunity to work with many different types of artists and saw that there was more in the art world than just doing things for bands and having small exhibitions here and there. It got me excited, and more importantly, it got me motivated. That’s when I decided to pursue the college I never thought I’d get into.

JW:  In addition to drawing and painting, you also experiment with photography.  How did your interest in that medium evolve, and does your photography “eye” play into your drawings and paintings as well?

LMM:  I have always loved photos. Old photos, new photos, my photos, other people’s photos, I just really enjoy them. When I was little I remember getting “the world’s smallest camera” in “the world’s biggest showbag” from the Royal Melbourne Show and really loving that. But I was pretty bad at taking photos. Then, at one of the many high schools I went to, they had a course in which a photographer (whose name I have unfortunately forgotten) came in and taught a few of the students learning art. We played around with Ilford’s disposable black and white cameras (which Ilford has unfortunately discontinued). I really liked the chance aspect of these cameras. I walked around Melbourne and rural parts of Victoria and just took photos. You had to think about light, distance, composition…all the things people don’t really think about with digital. In fact, my first ever exhibition was a photography show. None of my works were figurative either. All shot in black and white.

I really do think photography is probably one of the biggest influences on my work. I think about a final drawing much the way I’d think about taking a photo: the placement of the figure, the light, the negative space. Only, the processes are very different! I guess that is why I am also so drawn to Caravaggio’s work; the use of light is so striking in his works, especially the portraits he did of people. I like striking images. I like isolated images. In my works I like to try and be bold, so they can stand on their own and not need a series of things to complement one another. Black and white has always stood out for me.

I still take loads of photos now – of everything, everyone, and all the places I go to. I also collect old black and white photographs from flea markets and junk stores. The best country for that was Germany. I am not sure what I am going to do with all of them, but I have been collecting them for years and I am sure I’ll work out something I want to do with them in time.

JW:  Caravaggio’s influence on your work is evident in “Seated Nude,” (right) which was done in acrylic paint, a medium you had eschewed for a time.  What led you away from acrylic paint?  How did it feel to go back to it?

LMM: I used to paint in acrylics all the time. Until a few years ago I used to paint in a lot more of a cartoon style and acrylic was always good for that, as it dried quickly and its texture tends to be more flat. I don’t know why I began to have something against it…. I think I just got caught up in being a bit of a wanker about art materials and having prejudices against certain things for whatever reason. I think that was silly of me: art supplies are art supplies, and in the end, I don’t think people care too much about what you used to make the image – it’s ultimately about the image. It felt nice to shed some of that prejudice and just paint for the sake of painting!

JW: You participated in a summer 2010 show, “Metamorphosis,” at the CoproGallery in Santa Monica, CA; you noted in your blog that “‘Metamorphosis’ will be testimony to a huge international movement of figurative artists who have resisted current trends in the art world and remained true to their artistic vision.” Can you describe the nature of these trends and what they represent to you?

LMM: With regard to trends in the art scene, I find that the most detrimental of all trends is the desperation to sell your work. There are a lot of amazing artists who seem to limit themselves to what sells, as if that is what validates their work. It saddens me, as I don’t see that as the point of making art. You get a lot of artists who churn out the same sort of thing for years and years and never really develop any ideas or develop their technique. Therefore, their work becomes kind of hollow: “just another pretty picture on your living room wall.” Or they tailor their work to what is popular at the time, which also makes for hollow work. Not that I think people should make work to shock people just for the sake of shocking, but I think artists are too scared to explore what they want to explore and push ideas that really interest them, because of the risk of not selling and therefore not being validated. I understand that artists want to make a living from their work, but I think you can do it in other ways rather than selling yourself, such as grants and residencies. So I guess that trends in art can represent people’s insecurities to me, our need for validation.

JW:  “The Hunted” (second from top) is a striking image – the mask is at an angle inconsistent to the woman’s body and both shields her face and seems to challenge the viewer as if to say, “What are you looking at?”  How did this piece come together?

LMM: This is one of the many images I just had an idea for and created, and left the thinking for later. I think the foxes were on my mind a bit, as I have been drawing a lot of foxes and other animals for my daughter. A lot of my work talks about female sexuality, and my husband and I were talking about experiences and it made me think about how many women put on a mask with their sexuality. I was thinking for this piece about masturbation, and how some women use their bodies and sexuality as a sort of weapon, or device with which they try and gain some sense of power over men. However, in doing this I feel that they then become the exploited, the hunted.

JW:  In several of your pieces, the subjects are using their hands to deform their expressions.  In “Hysteria,” (right) this almost seems calculated by the subject to draw the viewer’s attention from her exposed vagina; in an untitled piece from 2010 (pen and ink on paper, 420 by 297 mm), it just seems to be a fun pose by the subjects, but it nevertheless prevents the viewer from knowing how the subjects really look.  Can you give us a glimpse into what is behind these pieces in which the subjects are shown but not revealed?

LMM: When I started this type of work in 2008, I was thinking a lot about how people react in front of the camera: how much we love to see ourselves, but ourselves in a certain way. I then began photographing people pulling crazy faces in front of the camera, encouraging people not to worry about what they looked like.

I guess I just went with the style (of drawing) and have dealt with far more complex issues, and the original idea has been used to express them.

“Hysteria” I see as being similar to the images in the “Scream” series (bottom right). All the faces tend to be obscured, while the genitalia, the gender, are very evident. I was thinking a lot about women being dismissed as “crazy.” “Hysteria,” to me, is an empowering but angry piece. I guess you don’t really know where to look, and that’s what I wanted with it.


I think with the untitled piece, which is of my husband and me, we were going through a life change and felt very unsupported by some of our peers, so it was our equivalent of giving someone the middle finger. And we look pretty horrible in that particular drawing, but we had fun doing it and that is what mattered.

JW:  “Me, Myself” (right) is a wonderful depiction of how people can direct negative energy at themselves.  You created this piece at a particular crossroad in your life; does it still speak to you in the same way?

LMM: I have very much moved away from the issues I was dealing with. “Me, Myself” was an internal battle I had been dealing with since living in Melbourne, where some things were happening socially that I let affect me too much. This was my acknowledgement of that battle, and how I had let myself get to a point of even bullying myself just because others had. I’m very far away from that now. My (almost) two years of travel and all the good, bad, and ugly things that have happened since then have really given me a new me, and new things to focus on.

JW:  Some of your images have been censored on MySpace and Facebook and even for flyers for the launch of an album on which one of your drawings was used.   Has this censorship or negative feedback of others altered how you present your art or pursue showings?

LMM: Well, I eventually deleted my MySpace account—it was always more useful for musicians anyway—and I have deleted my personal Facebook account recently, too. I’m really tired of these fads, and I just end up wasting so much time on them! The only change is that I am careful with what I put on my art page on Facebook. Anything that I know is going to cause alarm I just upload onto my own site and blog. But I still find the censorship very unfortunate. However, there are lots of things I find unfortunate about those social networking sites! I am glad to be rid of them! It has had very little effect on how I will show my work, other than that I won’t show it there. Their loss.

JW:  What about your work challenges you most now?

LMM: Size and pens are becoming an issue. I want to draw bigger, but I need a proper setup for that. And my technique is changing again, and the pens are just dying so much faster now! It would be nice to have a studio with other artists working there, but money is a real problem. I am looking into fixing that at the moment, though; I really do miss the vibe of working around other artists. It really does encourage you.

JW:  Tell us what’s going on with your work at the moment.

LMM: At the moment I am really thinking about zombies, sex, and squirrels. I think I am keeping them all very separate, though. I’m interested in zombies from a historical point of view… As I mentioned earlier, there is only one horror film I enjoy. I’m not into zombie movies or anything, but how they became apart of the collective conscious is what interests me.

Sex, I think, will be an ongoing theme in my work, as it is something that is on my mind – personally as well as looking at our culture and what becomes acceptable, why, what is taboo, what I observe, etc.

I have a few drawings on the way at the moment. I was painting, but I get less enjoyment out of that, so I am sticking to what I enjoy. I’m thinking of experimenting with some different media soon, but I don’t want to talk too much about things that haven’t happened yet!

Vincent Castiglia at Meta Gallery

September 6th, 2010 by Meg Woodsworth

Press Release from Meta Gallery:

Meta Gallery Presents  – ‘Sacrifices For The Sanguinary Age‘ – New Works By Vincent Castiglia

September 3, 2010 – Meta Gallery is pleased to present Sacrifices For The Sanguinary Age, new works by Vincent Castiglia. In his first exhibition with the gallery as well as his first in Canada, Castiglia delivers his latest body of work with the same cunning skill and depth of visionary dimension for which he has become best known. Representing the dark and otherworldly realms of the human psyche, Castiglia’s work elucidates the fragility and innocence of life and is at the foreground of the contemporary visionary practice.

Drawing on a variety of inspiration, from mythical and metaphysical religious symbolism, to HR Giger, to many in the fantastic visionary tradition, Castiglia’s figurative surrealist works utilize iconography from various mystic traditions, occultism and witchcraft to create a vision of humanity as struggling, and eventually surrendering to, its own mortality. With the life/death/rebirth cycle as prominent themes in the artist’s works, a unified vision of a flawed yet redeemable mankind emerges. One whose hope lies in the strength garnered from the struggle itself.

The medium used to achieve these beautiful works further lends itself to the allegorical quality of the artist’s expression. Castiglia’s own blood is the sole substance used to create the wide tonal range found in these works. During this process, Castiglia’s paintings become a metaphor for his life and art, and visa versa, as he works to resolve his own impermanence and invites the viewer to contemplate the same within themselves.

Vincent Castiglia was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1982. After attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School the artist decided not to attend art school and instead focus on his painting full time. He is the first American artist to be given a solo exhibition of his works at the HR Giger Museum in Gruyere, Switzerland as well his art has been exhibited worldwide from New York to San Francisco, Hollywood to London. His work has been featured on television and in print as well as an entry in “The International Encyclopedia of Fantastic, Surrealistic, Symbolist and Visionary Artists.” He lives and works in NYC.

Sacrifices For The Sanguinary Age will be on view from September 10 to October 10, 2010. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12-6. The opening reception will be on Friday September 10 from 7-10pm. Artist in attendance.

Vincent will be giving an artist talk at the gallery on Saturday September 11 from 1-3pm.

Please email Jody Polishchuk to be put on the preview list for this exhibition or for further information.

Meta Gallery, 124 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, Canada, M6J 2Z5

Image: ‘Marriage Of The Sun and Moon’ by Vincent Castiglia – Human Blood (Iron oxide), 2010

The Irresistible Flow of Time – Galerie 10

September 2nd, 2010 by Leo Plaw
Bruning Paws - Dennis Konstantin

Bruning Paws - Dennis Konstantin

Galerie 10 in Vienna brings together a selectin of 11 artists from the Fantastic Art movement, this September in Austria.

It is already half a century ago that Galerie 10 began to represent the art of the Viennese School of Fantastic Realism, including also its extensions into the following “new waves”.

The current exhibition of 11 artists, who consider themselves to be part of the worldwide movement of a new wave of Visionary Art, proves that the flow of visionary energy through the Viennese Masters Minds, continues to express itself on a global scale with overwhelming vitality.

The show allows only a tiny glimpse into the gigantic unfolding vistas of the visionary art phenomenon. It unites works of a circle of friends of Amanda Sage and Leo Plaw, who are both travellers between the various wells of visionary art, that spring up all over the planet. The message is clear: The irresistible flow of time is drenched in the vital colours of visionary art.

Exhibiting artists: De Es Schwertberger (A), Amanda Sage (USA), Dennis Konstantin (D), Leo Plaw (D), David Heskin (USA), Adam Scott Miller (USA), Gregory Pettit (USA), Autumn Sky Morrison (USA), Daniel Mirante (GB), Gasia Wiacek (GB

Galerie 10
3rd Floor
Getreidemarkt 10
1010 Wien, Austria
www.galerie10.at

Opening: 9th September 2010, 7pm
Closing: 11th October 2010
Opening hours: Mon +Fri, 10 – 6pm

Sacred Machine Museum

August 31st, 2010 by Meg Woodsworth

Press Release from Sacred Machine Museum

September 10th – November 7th

Opening September 10th, 7pm – 12am

Participating Artists: Mark Ryden, Chris Mars, Daniel Martin Diaz, Jason D’Aquino, Craig LaRotonda, Bod Dob, Bryan Cunningham, Norbert Kox, P.J. Fidler, Fred Stonehouse, Robert Palacios, Paul Barnes, Joel Nakamura, Pol Turgeon, Jon McNair, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Michael Page, Charlie Immer, Alfred Quiroz and Scott Holloway.

Twenty world-renowned artists from Scotland, Italy, Canada, and across the U.S. converge on Tucson at Sacred Machine. Participating artists work has appeared in and been commissioned by The New York Times, Juxtapoz Magazine, Hi-Fructose Magazine, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, LA Times, the Academy Award winning movie ‘Traffic’ by Steven Soderbergh, on multi-platinum album covers, illustrated children’s books, published monographs, and advertising for clients such as Sony and Toyota.

“These artists are so multi-talented that some even play in rock bands and create videos. With their work they have imbued apocalyptic prophecies, shaken the norms of conventional iconography and written books, museums and collectors such as Madonna acquire their work, they exhibit their art across the globe, some self-taught, some professors, some outsiders, but one thing is certain, the group as a whole has influenced, and is seriously rocking the art world.”  – Paula Catherine Valencia, Curator of Sacred Machine

Sacred Machine Museum, 245 E. Congress St, Suite 123, Tucson, AZ

Mark Ryden (Los Angeles) Chris Mars (Minneapolis) Daniel Martin Diaz
(Tucson) Jason D’Aquino (Brooklyn) Craig LaRotonda (Buffalo) Bob Dob
(Los Angeles) Bryan Cunningham (Los Angeles) Norbert Kox (Wisconsin)
P.J. Fidler (Los Angeles) Fred Stonehouse (Milwaukee) Robert Palacios
(Los Angeles) Paul Barnes (Scotland, UK) Joel Nakamura (Santa Fe) Pol
Turgeon (Montreal, CA) Jon McNair (Michigan) Nicoletta Ceccoli (Rome,
Italy) Michael Page (San Francisco) Charlie Immer (Maryland) Alfred
Quiroz (Tucson) Scott Holloway (Massachusetts)

1st Biennale of Fantastic Art

August 26th, 2010 by Leo Plaw
Le grand Voyage esoterique - Lukáš Kándl

Le grand Voyage esoterique - Lukáš Kándl

31 artists from 20 countries will be participating in the first Fantastic Art Biennale this Autumn in Viechtach located in the Bavarian forest. Under the direction of Lukáš Kándl, representative artists of Fantastic Painting will present their artworks. The opening will take place on Saturday 11th September at 7PM.

Kándl decides each year the topic and and format for the group’s exhibition. From 11 September 2010 art lovers have in the Old Town Hall Viechtach, a unique opportunity to see the first Fantastic Art Biennale at the gallery. The theme remains a secret. But this much is certain; much of the work was already shown at the Paris Grand Palais, so that one may be assured of great artistic quality. This is guaranteed by the names of the 31 artists: Sergei Aparin (RUS/SER), Anne Bachelier (F), Jean Bailly (F), Michel Bassot (F), Patrizia Comand (I), Yo Coquelin (F), Raffaele de Rosa (I), Zeljko Djurovic (SER/ MNE), Antoine Duc (F), Hugues Gillet (F), Mitsuyoshi Haruguchi (J), Zoran Ivanovic (SER), Zdenek Janda (CZ), Alexandra Jontschewa (BUL/D), Kamal Kaikaoss (AF/D), Lukas Kandl (CZ/F), Tomasz Alen Kopera (P/U.K.), Aleš Krejca (CZ), Brigid Marlin (USA/UK), Vlada Mirkovic (SER), Hans-Peter Müller (D), Martin-Georg Oscity (SK/D), Alexej Ravski (BY), Reinhard Schmid (D), Boris Shapiro (UA/ISR), Yu Sugawara (J), Eli Tiunine (P/F), Petre Velicu (RO/ F), Pavel Zacek (CZ), Siegfried Zademack (D), Olivier Zappelli (CH)

1st Biennale of Fantastic Art
Old Town Hall Viechtach
Square one
94234 Viechtach
Bavaria
Germany

11 – 18 September
Monday to Friday, 8 – 5 PM
Saturday 10 – 1 PM
Sunday 3 – 5 PM
Free admission

More information
www.viechtach.de
Tel +49 (0) 9942 1661

Global Arts Initiative – Galactik Trading Cards

August 18th, 2010 by Delvin Solkinson
art by robert venosa

Global Arts Initiative

From Canada comes an innovative media project sharing art from many genres and artists from many places on the planet. The Galactik Trading Cards bring the newest in visionary, fantastic, surreal, shamanic and imaginal art in an accessible form. Single cards allow you to collect your favorite artists, bring more creativity and inspiration to your life, and celebrate the potentials of art to communicate the ineffable.

Groups of cards can be set up to form micro-galleries, ever changeable mini galleries that show the differences and similarities of spirited art from around the world.

The cards are available individually or as a subscription that includes an array of art media and bonus cards unavailable elsewhere including rare cards from Alex Grey and Allyson Grey.

Contact: Delvin Solkinson
Website: elvism.squarespace.com/contact

Workshop with Venosa and Hoffmann

August 16th, 2010 by Meg Woodsworth

‘Painting the Fantastic’ with Robert Venosa and Martina Hoffmann

November 12 – 18, 2010, Boulder, Colorado

For registration or further questions please send email to art@martinahoffmann.com or roberto@venonasa.com

This workshop is limited to 25 participants and fills up quickly, so do not hesitate to register as soon as possible.

INSIDE artzine 14

August 2nd, 2010 by Meg Woodsworth

‘INSIDE artzine 14 – International Artscum Magazine’ is now available

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ARTSCUM WORDWIDE: Paintings, (Digital) Collages, Sculptures, Photos, Stories, Interviews, Reviews from Europe, USA, Australia, World, Outerspace.

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This issue includes  Seth Siro Anton (GRE), Jason Felix (USA), Cryptonaut (AUT), Chris Mars (USA), Olivier de Sagazan (FRA), Dan Verkys (AUS), Juan Cabana (USA), Patrick Byers (CAN), Pierk (ITA), Cryptonaut (AUT), Kapreles (BEL), Jan Schleevogt (GER), Navette (FRA), Justin Aerni (USA), Oliver Schott (GER), Mark Powell (AUS), Tachas Tachas (ARG), Oliver Wetter (GER), Sybille Lengauer (GER), Karl Persson (AUS),  Michael Hutter (GER), Juan Cabana (USA), Jon Beinart (AUS), Fero (ITA), Bastart-Worx (GER), Niel Parthey (GER), Tom Bresemann (GER), Frederico Bebber (ITA), jenzzz (GER)

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Interview: Hellbourne – The Art and Dying of Dan Verkys

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Lovecraft Wasn’t Wrong: The Fish People of Dagon

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View INSIDE artzine 14 in the beinArt Online Shop

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The beinArt International Surreal Art Collective & beinArt Publishing were founded in 2006 by Jon Beinart. All artists have granted permission to be featured on this website. All art herein is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the express permission of the respective artists. beinArt.org represents contemporary artists working in one or more of the following art traditions: Pop Surrealism, Lowbrow, Fantastic Realism, Magic Realism, Surrealism, Symbolism, Psychedelic, Visionary, Esoteric, Erotic, Dark & Macabre Art. This website was designed by Leo Plaw.