Coming up at Paul Booth's Last Rites Gallery:
May/June 2008
Cyberdine: Fred Harper and Christopher Conte
Opening Reception: Saturday, 5/17/08, 7pm-10pm
Show runs May 17th through June 29th
Last Rites Gallery, 511 W. 33rd St, New York City
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Joshua Liner Gallery's Inaugural Group Exhibition, "Locked and Loaded", is now open. The show runs from the 12th of April through until the 5th of May. The exhibition features artwork by Shawn Barber, Crash One, Mike Davis, Ron English, Jeremy Fish, Blaine Fontana, Futura, Robert Hardgrave, Naoto Hattori, Kenji Hirata, Zach Johnsen, Jessica Joslin, Josh Keyes, Koralie, Kris Kuksi, David Choong Lee, Travis Louie, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Chris Mendoza, Aiko Nakagawa, Pat Rocha, Greg "Craola" Simkins, Damon Soule, Stash, Heidi Taillefer, Ben Tour, Mark Dean Veca, and Oliver Vernon.
A selection of work from the exhibition is now available to view online.
Joshua Liner Gallery, 548 W. 28th Street, Suite 334, New York NY 10001
News from Jessica Joslin:
"Curiosa"
Opening Reception: April 3, 2008, 7-9pm
Lisa Sette Gallery
April 5, 2008
4142 N Marshall Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Book signing for new book Strange Nature: April 5, 1-3pm
Hardbound, 152pp., 140 full-color plates
Exhibition now online at Lisa Sette Gallery
News from Mike Libby:
On March 28, 29 & 30th 2008, Insect Lab will have a booth at the upcoming CraftBoston show. CraftBoston takes place at the Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston. Annually during the last weekend of March, the show is the premiere New England exhibition and sale of contemporary art, craft and design. The show features 175 of the most outstanding artists of our time, showcasing one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces in baskets, ceramics, decorative fiber, wearables, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper and wood.
Friday March 28, 2008 10am - 6pm; Saturday March 29, 2008 10am - 6pm; Sunday March 30, 2008 11am - 5pm
Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02210
General Admission $15; Senior Citizens and SAC Members $12; Children 12 years and under Free
Special Group Discount tickets are available to organizations or social groups that purchase 10 or more tickets at the same time.
Press Release from Barnaby Whitfield:
31GRAND is pleased to announce Barnaby Whitfield’s third solo exhibition with the gallery.
Barnaby Whitfield, "Little Deaths, All The Same", March 20 - April 19, 2008, Reception: Thursday, March 20, 7-9pm, front gallery
In what he views as the final installment in a trilogy for 31GRAND; Whitfield’s Episode VI has the Ewoks drunk and randy with no sense of the impending tragedy, as water licks at their treetop climbing toes (except in Barnaby’s world the Ewoks are more likely to be Abraham Lincoln clones.) Narratives woven through the last two shows crash and burn, then intertwine again to take on new life in this boisterous suite of pastel paintings. Barnaby Whitfield considers his works on paper, paintings, as defined in this beloved and oft cited quote from the Pastel Society Of America “Generally, the ground is toned paper - if the ground is covered completely with pastel, the work is considered a Pastel Painting; a Pastel Sketch shows much of the ground. When protected by fixative and glass, pastel is the most permanent of all media, for it never cracks, darkens or yellows.” However he requests you do not ask him to quote it at the artist’s reception.
From lovingly using his art dealer to anthropomorphize the ‘Bird Flu’ to finding fictional passion with Hernan Bas on a men seeking men website, we continue to get amusing and rather untrustworthy glimpses into Whitfield’s experience in the art world. And besides an over all theme the artist states as “sexualizing the environmental crisis within the context of American politics” we also see the end to Barnaby’s quest for his real parents (Whitfield was one of those children that always suspected they were adopted even though they knew quite well they were not), and a startling turn of events in his ongoing Clonie series (a character created when the momentarily impoverished artist decided to sell nudes on eBay inadvertently gaining the attention of 31GRAND and being welcomed into the fold).
Never one to ignore a good bandwagon, this show is rife with imagery of Mother Nature’s rapidly declining health. It all comes to a questionably hopeful end in the piece “Wild! Woman! On The Water! (My Imaginary Friend She’s Just Pretend)” featuring Barnaby (in toddler form) and his Mother, Clonie, (along with Sarah Jessica Parker as Lil Orphan Annie) riding out the flooding from "Al Gore’s global warming" in search of dry land and greener pastures.
Above Right, Barnaby Whitfield, Fit To Burst (Heather Stephens As The Bird Flu), 2007, Pastel On Paper, 28.5 x 36"
31GRAND is pleased to announce a group exhibition curated by Barnaby Whitfield.
“Warm, Red, Salt And Wet” curated by Barnaby Whitfield
Artists: Zea Barker, Amelia Biewald, George Boorujy, Jennifer Coates, Amir H. Fallah, Debra Hampton, Erik Lindman, Michael Pope, Christian Sampson, Allison Schulnik, Jason Weatherspoon (below right, Jason Weatherspoon, Nefrotittyafrodite, 2003, ceramic, auto paint, 35 x 29 x 34")
March 20 - April 19, 2008, Reception: Thursday, March 20, 7-9pm, back gallery
What started off as a conceptualized "links" page from the artist’s website was elevated to what Whitfield states is an "exciting dialogue" amongst this group of artists (along with himself) that roam from watercolor to ceramic, from bleach on velvet to film and more. The show’s title, in the long standing tradition of numerous 31GRAND group exhibitions, is a song lyric. This time it is from The Hidden Camera’s "The Man That I Am With My Man"; a line that the agoraphobic synesthete Whitfield claims is not only sexual in nature but makes him "see an American flag every time I hear it."
31GRAND, 143 Ludlow St. New York, NY 10002, 212.228.0901, hours: Tues. - Sat. 12-7pm
Last Rites Gallery's very first show, entitled "Transgression" will be running from April the 5th to April the 28th, 2008. The Grand Opening Reception will be on April the 5th, 7pm - 11pm.
Artists include: John Abrahamson, Shawn Barber, Jon Beinart, Rachel Bess, Matthew Bone, Paul Booth, Patrick Byers, Vincent Castiglia, Colin Christian, Christopher Conte, Daniel Martin Diaz, HR Giger, Naoto Hattori, William B Hand, Fred Harper, Nikko Hurtado, Michael Hussar, John John Jesse, Stephen Kasner, Kevin Llewellen, Fabrice Lavollay, Laurie Lipton, Travis Louie, Jesse Pepper, Karl Persson, Dan Quintana, Celeste Rapone, JL Robbins, David Stoupakis, Heidi Taillerfer, Brian Viveros, Chet Zar.
Last Rites Gallery owner, Paul Booth, and director Genevive Zacconi are both accomplished artists. Booth is widely considered to be a master of the art form of tattoo and is also known for his macabre oil paintings. Genevive Zacconi is best known for her oil paintings and her credits include roles as an illustrator, art director, graphic designer, and art instructor.
Last Rites Gallery
New York City
April 5th - 28th, 2008
511 W 33rd St
3rd Fl
NYC
Sloan Fine Art will open with a two part group show, from January 31 to March 8, 2008
Part 1 of the Opening Exhibition is on display from January the 30th to February the 16th, 2008, and features works by Clayton Brothers, Vince Contarino, Nicholas Cope, Elizabeth McGrath, Kristen Schiele, Aaron Smith and Eric White
Bruce Bickford's "The Uplands" will be on display in the Project Room from January the 30th to March the 8th.
Part 2 of the Opening Exhibition features works by Andrea Aversa, Jud Bergeron, Marion Peck, Jean-Pierre Roy, Mark Ryden and Joe Sorren and will open Wednesday evening, February the 20th and continue through to March the 8th.
Right: Bruce Bickford’s Prometheus’ Garden, 1987, 28 minutes, clay animation
An artist from Melbourne Australia, Mark creates drawings paintings and sculpture. On display at Mark's website are scenes of incredibly detailed nightmares brought to life through grotesque diorama sculptures. I'm unaware of the specific mediums used but he's made great use of organic resembling materials, perhaps wax? Along with amazingly textured surfaces for the walls and other objects. The scenes almost resemble something you'd find in a Brothers Quay or Jan Svankmajer animated film. These would be amazing to see brought to life through that style of stop motion animation. You can view these horrifying and fascinatingly detailed dioramas at Mark Powell's website and see additional works at Mark's flickr gallery.
Suzanne G's site Wurzeltod is a fantastic resource for artists and features artwork by Ray Caesar.
Wurzeltod's "Taxidermy and Grotesk" section has a comprehensive list of over 60 taxidermy, cryptozoology and animal curiosa artists including Jessica Joslin, Jane Alexander, Sarina Brewer (right), Hyungkoo Lee, Cai Guo-Qiang and Mike Libby with samples of each artist's work.
Wurzeltod will be thoroughly enjoyed by those with exquisitely bad taste.
The travelling exhibition Venus and the female intuition features works by almost forty artists challenging the famous goddess of beauty and the mysterious concept of female intuition.
The exhibition offers a great variety of styles, techniques and traditions and is therefore a good representation of artists working in the visionary and imaginary field. The opening of the exhibition in The Netherlands was a big success and to me personally an unforgettable experience. It was a chance to see these amazing works in real life, meet some of the artists connected to Cabinodd as well as other participating artists like Reinhard Schmid, Brigid Marlin and Claus Brusen. It was also nice to meet René Zwaga and Herman Smorenburg who’s paintings I got to admire a week before.
The exhibition Venus and the female intuition is an initiative by Salbru Publish, a Danish-Dutch publishing house run by Marcel Salome and Claus Brusen. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue with an introduction by Steven Kenny. Venus and the female intuition opened in April 2007 in "Saebygaard Slot" in Denmark and can now be viewed at the beautiful Artsalon De Gouden Phoenix run by Saco and Marina Keikes in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. The exhibition will finally travel to Princesse de Kiev in Nice, France.
Participating artists: Michael Parkes, Ans Markus, Patrick Woodroffe, Claude Verlinde, José Roosevelt, Claus Brusen, Jean-Pierre Alaux, Daniel Merriam, Daron Mouradian, Victor Safonkin, Lukas Kandl, Gil Bruvel, Kinuko Y. Craft, Steve Cieslawski, Bruno Di Maio, Michael Hiep, Danny Heinricht, Lamy, Monica Fagan, Igor Grechanyk, Zeljko Djurovic, Torben Hardenberg, Steven Kenny, Anne-Fieke & Eugene Later, Brigid Marlin, Michael Maschka, Shiori Matsumoto, Peter van Oostzanen, Isabelle Planté, Reinhard Schmid, Carsten Svennson, Oleksandr Melnykov, Paul Erland, Oxana Yambykh, Eli Tiunine, Siegfried Zademack, Olivier Zappelli, Marcheva Galina.
28 April till 28 May 2007 at the Saebygaard Slot, Saeby, Denmark
3 june till 1 July 2007 at the Gouden Phoenix, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
16 July till 19 August 2007 at the Princesse de Kiev, Nice, France
Jon Beinart - "What inspires you as a sculptor Jessica?"
Jessica Joslin - "Inspiration is slippery, it generally doesn't like to be pinned and mounted for inspection. My sparks come from many and varied sources. I often draw from circus imagery, mainly from the late 19th-early 20th century. The Circus World Museum is not far away from Chicago; (It is located in Baraboo Wisconsin.) They have a stunning archive of cataloged images and objects. If I find a wonderful image, or a new piece of information, it can get me thinking about a particular species in a different way. I love to look at images of animals and to watch them move, whether in the flesh or in nature documentaries. Bodies are stunningly perfect machines…and there is such strong variation in the characteristics of different species. I am also drawn to the particular/peculiar stylistic organization of the natural world, as found in old-school Natural History Museums (and perhaps more aptly, in Cabinets of Curiosities). This is a fascination that dates back to when I was a small child and still captures my imagination. It has it roots in a desire to learn, but also to organize, sort and to understand by means of attempting to control the uncontrollable; nature. In my case, this is achieved through creating my own world.
Since I am a very tactile person, I am often guided by the actual materials in my hands, or on my workbench. The shape of a particular object is often the start of a new piece. I lust for beautifully formed antique brass. I find the precision of finely honed craftsmanship to be endlessly intriguing. In this regard, I might be inspired by a detail of construction on a couture gown, a bit of fine ormolu trim on a piece of furniture, or by the finely calibrated threads of an antique surgical instrument."
Jon Beinart - "Have you experimented with taxidermy in your art?"
Jessica Joslin - "Yes, back when I was in college (at the Art Institute of Chicago). Birds would often fly into the school's mirrored glass facade, breaking their necks, and then drop into the fountain beneath. I used to wade in and collect them. I sometimes used the wings, feet or heads in my work. When I first met Jared, we quickly discovered that we both had dead birds in our freezers. I offered to give him taxidermy lessons and wrote my phone number on his hand. We've been together ever since."
Jon Beinart - "That's beautiful Jessica. Has your relationship with Jared had a great influence on your sculptures (or vice versa)? I have noticed that some of Jared's paintings are set in a carnival environment."
Jessica Joslin - "Of course, though in a fluid way. We've shared a studio for 14 years and ideas are always flying back and forth between us. I'd say that Jared brought the circus into my world, rather than vice versa…or maybe we found it together. The day that I decided to switch majors, from photography to sculpture, Jared and I went to the circus. The night before, my apartment had been robbed. Every one of my cameras and all of my equipment was gone. It was Jared's birthday. I showed up on his doorstep with a sad face, holding a big cake and armfuls of helium balloons. We decided to go to the circus anyway and it was magic (cheesy Ringling Bros. costumes aside!) It got our heads spinning, especially when we later began to research the golden age of the circus. I started adding more overtly circus type elements to my beasts around that time. Jared was doing paintings that had a strong carnival, vaudeville, circus flavor. I think for both of us, obviously, those influences still hold a strong sway. Also, both of us are very involved in the process of each other's work- giving feedback and such. Luckily for me, Jared is wonderfully knowledgeable about animals, so the advice that he gives is spot-on target. I've been told that I have pretty sharply tuned eye regarding painting as well.
Our shared influences do translate very differently, when brought into our own respective worlds. For example, the idea for Lupe's ball was stolen from Jared's painting Moon Moth. I say "stolen" because Jared painted our bed finials to match the ball in the painting. Later, I swiped one right off the headboard, to use for Lupe…with his permission of course!"
Jon Beinart - "Are you consciously communicating something with your sculptures or are you mostly concerned with their aesthetic. If you do have a concept or message in mind, what is it?"
Jessica Joslin - "Well, I am not pursuing a didactic agenda, but I'm not making decorative art either. I don't see art as a choice between delivering a message or being purely aesthetic. As David Lynch once said, "If you want to send a message, go to Western Union."
In the visual arts, there is the potential to communicate ideas and to make layered associations, which language cannot tidily convey. My work encompasses a broad range of my interests, spanning the many years that I've been making these sculptures. Those layers are there to be excavated, but that is not strictly necessary for appreciation of my work. I make my beasts because they are what I dreamed of discovering, but they didn't exist anywhere, so I had to make them myself.
I realize that there is a pressure for artists to come up with ways of "branding" their work (to use an odious term from marketing). Part of this thinking, is that there must be catchy bite-sized descriptions of what the artist hopes to achieve with their work. I'd rather not simplify things to that level. I would rather show than tell…"
Jon Beinart - "Your sculptures are very distinctive. I don't believe that after seeing one I could mistake any of your works for anything but a Jessica Joslin sculpture. I'm not sure how successful you are in the American gallery circuit (being so removed from that scene in Australia), but I have noticed your work (and your name) popping up all over the internet. Are you able to live off your art?"
Jessica Joslin - "Thank you for that lovely compliment. I guess that distinctive quality comes from being somewhat of a hermit. I've always been a big believer in specialization [*cue Marilyn Monroe's song of that title] and working with blinders on. Lately, I keep hearing from people who tell me that I've "inspired" them to go make their own bone animals, so I never know what I may find. It tends to be some variant of a skull with hot glued-on googly eyes and a piece of old metal stuck to it somewhere. ha. From a structural standpoint, many people don't realize the complexity and precision of my work. For example, just one foot on Ludwig (the monkey on the ball) is comprised of 30 separate parts, all of them tapped and threaded. Also, any painters out there will know how tricky it can be to achieve a specific expression in the eyes. That holds true for three dimensional work as well. There is a lot of engineering (and finesse) that goes into making them seem natural, effortless, as if they were meant to be.
In regard to the gallery circuit, I also believe in specialization. I am represented by Lisa Sette Gallery, my "Prince Charming" of the gallery world. They are sponsoring an upcoming book of my beasts, and have been quite successful at finding collectors for my work. In the next year, we will be scheduling group shows at other venues around the country. I would like my actual work (as opposed to images) to be seen by more people, but I'm also past the point of wanting to do shows just because they are offered. It has to be the right match. As we all know, money=time to make art. If a gallery doesn't have the right collectors, then it's necessary to work at a day job to support your "art habit." For me, I have an antique hardware fetish to support as well!
For the past few years, I have been working on my artwork full time. Occasionally, I take on freelance work to supplement. This is handy because it keeps my skills sharp and gives me access to shops that have far more equipment than I do in my home studio. I enjoy the challenge of doing complex things well, and confounding people's expectations. I can build just about anything, from prototypes of toys, to artificial food, to giant product models (10 foot high slice of pizza, anyone?) Most of these shops are predominantly fellas, so when a chick shows up (wearing lipstick, no less) most don't expect me to be competent, let alone good at what I do. It's fun to mess with them (just a wee bit) before they realize that I just might know more than they do about building things!"
Jon Beinart - "Haha. It must be very satisfying to smash the expectations of those male carpenters. Your like a hustling sculptress ;) Your book sounds exciting. Please let me know as soon as it is available. I'd like to buy a signed copy. Do you have any upcoming exhibitions we can plug here, or any exciting news you'd like to share with our readers?"
Jessica Joslin - "Yes, I always try to keep myself entertained! I'm certainly not your typical carpenter/machinist type, so I play with that. ha.
Thank you! I'm very excited about the book and of course, I'll happily send a copy! I'm not certain when the release date is, but hopefully this fall. It will be available through Lisa Sette Gallery. In July, I'll be in a show at Lisa Sette Gallery to celebrate their 21st year in business and I also have work up at Lineage Gallery in Philadelphia. I have some upcoming articles in Refused Art Culture Magazine and Night Owl Magazine. Stay tuned, many more beasts are in the works! As they appear, they will be posted at my website www.jessicajoslin.com
It's been a real treat to talk to you Jon. Many thanks for asking me to be included on your marvelous site!"
Jessica Joslin's Gallery on beinArt.org
These steam-punk characters, vehicles and creatures are the brainchild of Belgien Sculptor: Stephane Halleux. Stephane's detailed mixed media sculptures are the perfect fusion of man and machine with a retro comic book flavor. I am reminded of cinema classics like City of Lost Children, Nightmare Before Christmas, Blade Runner & Dark City when looking at these models, but they are certainly not lacking in originality.
Unfortunately there is no information about the artist on his website as the bio section is blank (I assume that her site is still in construction).
I just happened upon this beautiful anthropomorphic sculpture 'Children of The Sun' (2002, Mixture of Finnish wood and oil on canvas) created by a Finnish artist 'Hannu A. Leimu' (1969).
Hannu had long been thinking of how he could express the origins of humanity and our connection to nature which led to him sculpting 'Children of The Sun' (right).
Hannu A. Leimu is a member of the Finnish Painters' Union (Taidemaalariliitto). His paintings and sculptures are in several public collections.
Jon Beinart - "Where do you draw your Inspiration from Tristan?"
Tristan Schane - "From just about everywhere. Much of my ideas come from things I read, anything from book titles (one was a socio-anthropological book title called the "Medieval Identity Machine" — tell me that doesn't inspire all sorts of imagery!), to articles and whole books.
I also get ideas and inspiration from just walking around and seeing things, thinking, looking at other art, which if it's the right artist can be very stimulating. But, pound for pound I think more of my work has been inspired by something I've read than from any other single source.
Much of what I read is non-fiction and my work has always had, at least for me, an undercurrent of sociological analysis or observation. I don't create works specifically to say this or that about life or society or what not, but a great deal of my work is developed when I am thinking or reading about this facet or quality of human life and culture.
The only area I'm sorry to say I get no inspiration from are my dreams. I rarely remember my dreams and the ones I do remember are nearly always very prosaic and dull, completely barren of any useable imagery or concept. Once in a very long while I will have a very strange dream, from which I always wake with a feeling of real accomplishment! However, never have I gleaned anything to put in a work of art. Not that I'm consciously aware of at any rate."
Jon - "Obviously your imagination is lucid enough. Your sculptures and paintings are certainly very dream like (sometimes nightmarish), so perhaps your dreams are manifesting subconsciously. I have noticed a recurring theme of flesh & infancy in your sculptures (I am particularly referring to the two works published in Metamorphosis: 'Litter' & 'Mermaid' as well as the concept drawing for the upcoming sculpture: 'Starting Point'). What do these works mean to you? And why is this subject important to you?"
Tristan - "Yikes, here's a tough one. I have to say I spend very little time analyzing my work. When I come up with an idea it is usually fully formed, but if it's an idea that develops as I work on it, like one of the more complicated paintings, components for the imagery are arrived at from a more unconscious process then one of deliberation. I never say to myself, " How am I going to say such and such with this piece." Rather, images come to me and they either feel like they belong or they don't. I have a terrible time trying to explain my works at shows. Once an image has appeared which belongs in the work all my thought goes into the technical aspect of executing it.
What I can say is that in works dealing with the human condition, I use what to me are raw, undefined proxies — ants for example to me can symbolize mankind, and have done so in a number of works. Babies may play this role as well, not yet being differentiated in to bankers or soldiers or what not, they can represent humanity in it's natural and basic state. There is also something delicate and sensitive to our psyche about babies so using them in art is for me very potent.
When I show my work in galleries, people who see the work are much better at providing cogent analysis than I ever am. I used to try, but as I create intuitively rather than with a conscious and deliberate scheme, I never was very successful at it. So now when asked I've settled to throwing back this trite refrain, 'Well, what does it mean to you?'"
Jon - "I can definitely relate Tristan. I too work subconsciously and focus mainly on aesthetic and technique. It is always interesting to hear how others have interpreted my work. I'm sure you have received a lot of praise, but have you been criticized or judged for your work? When I have shown off your works in Metamorphosis many people have found your sculptures disturbing (I personally find them beautiful). How do people generally react to your sculptures? Please describe the strongest reaction you have witnessed?"
Tristan - "Yep, "disturbing" is the number one response I hear, hands down. The funny thing is how often that takes me by surprise.
When I was working on the Mermaid Baby I was concerned that people would think it was too cloyingly cute and dismiss it for that. When I sent pics of it to my gallery at the time they took a while to get back to me to tell me they didn't want to show it. Too disturbing.
They had sent the pics on to some other people for more reactions, but everyone uniformly responded negatively to it. The sculpture of the Sphinx I thought also would be safe (disturbing people can often be a sure way to make no money in the arts world). After all, it's mostly a cat and it's smiling. Where's the threat. Again, "disturbing…disturbing…. disturbing…".
On the other hand, in a different gallery one time someone told me the Mermaid Baby reminded them of their own child. Hmmmm…..
I don't think I've had any stronger reaction to my work than just the continuous, "disturbing", but it does sometimes seem to me when someone reacts that way they are blocked from appreciating anything in the work and stop at this first, initial and superficial response. That's disappointing.
It doesn't exactly answer the question but the most significant thing I've learned is that I have no internal meter to gauge what people think is disturbing and what they don't. I've since decided not to try to edit myself away from potentially disturbing imagery (which I'm incapable of doing, anyway, apparently), and to just follow the imagery where it leads me.
Sometimes in a show I will stand anonymously as another gallery goer to hear what people think. Generally, most responses are in the neighborhood of being very positive about the work, but not something they'd want to have in their own homes. Fair enough. I don't make work to go with the sofa or dining room set. Artwork is supposed to stimulate you. It's supposed to get your mind going, on not just that artwork, but as a vehicle for cognition in general. If you do a show and you don't show me things to get me thinking, then why did I leave my house to come see it?
I have several concepts for works I hope to be able to tackle this year and doubtless I will hear the same sorts of Reponses. I'm waiting for that one eccentric billionaire to say, 'Disturbing, but I Iove it! Sold!!'"
Jon - "Well, if I was a billionaire (or even a measly millionaire) I would certainly buy up all of your sculptures and fill my house with them (regardless of what my easily disturbed friends thought). I also can't gauge what will disturb people. I personally find your mermaid so adorable that I'm sure I would feel an irresistible urge to pick it up from a plinth and cradle him/her while wiping the tears away (Don't touch the art!). As we have already established your sculptures are very life like. Have ever worked in the film industry?"
Tristan - "No, not as a sculptor. When I started sculpting, the artists I looked to for technical know-how as well as inspiration were film effects sculptors. It's still that way. By far the most talented sculptors, and many very talented artists in general, are working in the effects industry. Even an unwatchable crappy horror or sci-fi film will often have some great artwork that went in to it.
I have over the years become friendly with a few of the film effects sculptors, and certainly learned nearly everything I know about the technique of contemporary sculpture by talking to them.
Starting in the last year and a half I have done a small amount of work for film, but it has been as a concept artist and only doing drawings, no sculpts. Wouldn't mind doing more."
Jon - "I recall an email conversation we had a long time ago about Patricia Piccinini (The Australian Conceptual artist) and her series titled 'We are Family'. Would you mind relaying your views on Piccinini's fame and her role in the creation of her hyper realistic sculptures?"
Tristan - "All of Piccinini's sculptures were created by Australian artist Sam Jinks. Jinks was a special effects sculptor and concept artist who she hired and who is now starting to get established as a recognized fine artist on his own.
I really have had this discussion so many times with so many artists that while I'm happy to respond, I don't think I'll be as eloquent on the subject as I may have been the first 10 or 11 times. I have, like Jinks, done sculptures for famous international artists who have taken credit for work I did. I have spoken with Sam about it — it's soul crushing to have praise of your own work given to someone else who stands there as says, thank you thank you. Jinks has told me that piccinini was always free herself to disclose who he was and that he made the sculptures, but in truth the machinery behind her which she could have stopped, was deliberate in presenting everything that came out with her name as her work.
My feelings about Piccinini and the artists like her is that they are more like brand names. Also, there's a constant lack of sophistication and depth in the sort of work created by them, despite the technical sophistication added by those of us they hire. This is because people who are incapable of creating artwork are incapable of going through the revelatory and developmental process by which that work is imagined. I grow in my concepts by going through the process of creating. If you can't create it — you can't conceive of it. You can't go through that process by hiring people to create.
When an artist takes credit for another's work it's fraud. When they hire someone else to do their work but give credit than it's not, though there's a wide swathe of gray area there. In the latter case, to what extent the work someone is seeing is actually the product of the titular artist is sometimes hard to say.
I have been hired to do sculptural work which was to be part of a larger installation piece. That overall piece is the work, not merely my sculpture. However, in Sam' jinks case, the whole work of Picciniini's work is the sculpture, so how can she feel any sense of authorship. At best she's an art director. I have ideas for buildings, that doesn't make me an architect. When someone hires me to do a portrait, because they have selected the subject does that make them the artist? On the other hand, an artist sometimes will create pieces which employ the technical discipline of non-artist specialists — engineers, pyrotechnicians, so on and so forth. In those circumstances, by and large I would say the end product is the artist's. As I said; big gray area.
I could go on and on about this and more eloquently too, but you get the idea…."
Jon - "Sorry to drag you through that question again Tristan. I hope your response will direct our readers to the amazing work of Sam Jinks.
I also recall another email conversation when you mentioned that you were in the process of moving away from 'Fantastic & Visionary imagery' in your paintings and that you had coined your new direction 'Subversive Realism'. Can you please explain why you made this decision and what exactly is 'Subversive Realism'?"
Tristan - "Yes, for a while in my art I have been exploring imagery which is much more subdued and only strange in a subtle way. This for me comes from my ongoing interest in hyper-realist painters. However, I have two paintings I am about to start which image wise are entering a new area of more visionary subject matter. Subversive Realism is my term which I started using for the direction I have been trying to pursue in trying to develop a genuinely personal visual language. It's really a work in progress with me trying to configure a type of imagery that represents what it is I'm trying to show with my work. I don't feel a personal connection to traditional surrealism nor with fantastic realism, though what constitutes fantastic realism is a very broad spectrum.
My technique as a painter and sculptor is on a straight trajectory developing hyper-realist representation. However, image wise, Subversive Realism is sort of a goal I'm working towards. It's a style that for me owes itself evolutionarily to various other artistic movements — what style doesn't? — but ultimately can only work as a purely personal visual language which will be authentic in it's connection to the feelings and ideas I'm trying to explore in my work.
Each time I start a painting I feel like I'm finally almost there. By the time I finish the painting I feel like I've still missed again. Somehow the sculptures feel like they are closer to proper Subversive Realism than the paintings. Perhaps I should focus on translating the aesthetic sensibilities of the sculpture to the paintings. Hmmm….."
Jon - "Thank you for your time Tristan. I find your mind almost as fascinating as your art (and you know I love your art). Do you have any exciting news for our readers? Any upcoming exhibitions or publications featuring your work?"
Tristan - "Hmmm… there are some exciting things that may be starting for my fine arts work, but until they're locked down and definite I'd rather not reveal them. In the next few weeks I should be able to be definite. Thanks for wanting to interview me, Jon. It was a lot of fun."
Tristan Schane is one of 50 artists featured in our first publication: Metamorphosis.
Jon Beinart - "What inspires you to create art?"
Kris Kuksi - "What inspires me to create art is finding those things in life that should be brought to our attention, like that of politics, war, famine, discrimination, or just unnoticed beauty and bringing them to life in art."
Jon Beinart - "When you create one of your paintings, drawings or sculptures do you plan to communicate a particular message from the outset or does one occur to you as you work intuitively? Also, do you plan your compositions before a beginning piece? I'm interested in hearing about your creative process in general."
Kris Kuksi - "The overall layout is always planned ahead of time, but the small intricate things are improvised as I go. The ideas mostly are there before I begin but sometimes the subject comes together after a lot of work has already taken place. In the sculptures, there are certain rules. There has to be an axis in which all things follow, meaning if there are organic items (the objects representative of living things), follow their own free form axis. Meaning they can be titled or reclining. But any structural effects such as building or trusses, must be parallel and level. A good example of this is "The Decision", the figure follows it's own free form, reclining in a half circular fashion. But the objects seen in the torso area are all upright and level. Any smaller organic figures are also free of this axis."
Jon Beinart - "What is your favorite medium to work in and why? I am also curious to find out which medium has been best received by the public."
Kris Kuksi - "The sculptures for sure. They are a hit right now. And I enjoy doing them more than painting or drawing. Painting is a struggle for me which is good, we all need that. But intuitively I'm a builder and the sculptures satisfy that need."
Jon Beinart - "I have noticed you get a lot of feedback on DeviantArt and other web based communities. I have also noticed your work popping up all over the web, in Art Publications and group exhibitions. I have enjoyed watching the Kuksi craze spread like a disease ;) and I feel especially proud to own one of your original drawings. What kind of feedback have you received from from this recent explosion of successes? I am particularly interested to hear of any negative feedback you have received or controversy sparked by your works."
Kris Kuksi - "Oh, some of the political things I've done piss the conservatives off like I said before. But with that aside I've enjoyed the comments and there seems to be a consistent appreciation for the time spent in these works.
I'm very self-critical and never pat myself on the back, never. I accomplish things very well but I never spend too much time enjoying it. I have to do more, I think that it must be for a grand pinnacle somewhere that I will be at. Maybe it is only to inspire people to change things in this world. Money is nice and it helps to do the next big thing, but I do this out of selfless motives. I'm proud of the work but I know that I always have to continue making it and getting better. I'm in a prison so to speak, I am one who won't enjoy a nice married life with children. I won't enjoy a relaxing vacation in the Bahamas. I have to be getting this stuff out. I'd say I'm like the old cliché of walking the fine line of madness.
So it is very very nice to see the comments and praise and it helps to keep going through rough times.
So that is my rant."
Jon Beinart - Has politics always been a major theme in your work or has it grown since Bush came into power? I noticed your recent drawing of George bush (and must commend you on how striking and powerful the image is). I've also noticed that war has been a recurring theme in your sculptures. Are you very concerned about the future of the world? Is this something that keeps you up at night?"
Kris Kuksi - "Yes, I've gotten a lot more political since Bush has been in office. I'm concerned about it because of what the rest of the world thinks about Americans. I guess I want to let people of other cultures that not all Americans follow Bush's foot steps so blindly. War is something I am always fascinated with, and it has been a part of human history from early man. I like to probe into this aspect of psychology, and the irrational motives we have that create it. Aggression is something that isn't exactly inborn in us, but learned. We teach our children to hate and have biases towards other humans of differing beliefs and religions. In turn, it is loyalty that drives one to fight a war.
So here is the future upon us, war is present more than ever. The climate is fragile and changing rapidly. What happens in say 50 years? Scary to think about."
Jon Beinart - "I noticed an artwork in your DeviantArt gallery titled 'the complete Zodiac' and wondered if you have an particular interest in astrology or the occult?"
Kris Kuksi - "I do to some degree. I fit what a Pisces is though I have many of the qualities of Aqaurius as well, being my rising and moon sign. I think there is something to it, though I have more interest in numerlogy. That I have found is more precise. That is probably the extent of my interest in the occult, not really into Satan worship either."
Jon Beinart - "On a much lighter note. Does humor play a big part in your art? I may be wrong, but I interpret some of your works as dark satire. Perhaps I am just sick ;)"
Kris Kuksi - "Yes, dark satire is a perfect way to describe it. I tend to have a dark sense of humor when it comes to life. So many things are dark in our times, it is no wonder so much art is reflecting this. In fact we tend to make fun of how awful things are. But humor is a great way to expose something without coming across as crass."
Jon Beinart - "So what happening next in the world of Kuksi? Do you have any upcoming shows? Please do tell."
Kris Kuksi - "I plan to do a book for next year, complete with my broad range of work but also an autobiographical publication. As for exhibits later this year, there are a few art fairs I hope to be involved in that are in Europe, as well as solo show at the Strychnin gallery in October in Berlin. I have a few ideas for large scale work, so those will most likely manifest in the coming months."
Kris Kuksi is one of 50 artists featured in out first art book: Metamorphosis.
TOP
English