Streets: Greg “Craola” Simkins x Lyte (Redondo Beach)
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Streets: Madsteez x Nike For College Football Playoff National Championship
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Overtime: Jan 12 – Jan 18
- Images from Michael Rey's solo exhibition at Cherry and Martin up.
- RIP: Milton Hebald, who died at the age of 97 in West Hollywood, CA.
- Charlie Hebdo’s new issue after terrorist attack features prophet Muhammad on cover. JR's images of Charlie Hebdo contributors appear on the streets of Paris.
- Jean de Boulogne bronze sculpture stolen at Musée des Arts Décoratifs later found in restroom trash can.
- Joseph Gibbons robs bank as art.
- Nestlé has trademark infringement claim against Anthony Antonellis.
- Helge Achenbach confesses to more fraud of his clients.
- Is the Brant Foundation a elaborate scam to reduce taxes?
- American Royalties Too Act (ART) dead for now.
- George Zimmerman arrested after dispute over a painting.
- Andres Serrano may sue AP for their prior licensing of his Piss Christ image.
- Two academics claim that arts coverage in all British newspapers breaches suicide reporting guidelines.
- Art gallery assistant chases down booze thief, who gets arrested by police.
- Governor Brown's budget plan would slash California's arts grant spending.
- New FAA regulations may restrict the use of drones in works of art.
- Lombard Freid Gallery to close due to differences between the partners.
- Area surrounding Louvre-Lens in France facing eviction conflict.
- Grace Kook-Anderson leaves her position as curator of contemporary art at Laguna Art Museum.
- Doug Fishbone puts forged painting in Dulwich Picture Gallery as his conceptual art project.
- The mystery of who Banksy is.
- Ben Davis thinks NY's art scene is doomed.
- George Washington University to sell Corcoran College’s historic Fillmore building.
- Street that Marcel Duchamp and Norman Rockwell once lived on target of naming controversy.
- 20 major museum directorships open in Italy as the country looks for candidates who can fundraise.
- Advocate groups want the US to adopt new art standards to get schools to focus on art again.
- The findings from three new NEA reports on the arts in the US.
- Kenny Schachter writes about art debate and Jerry Saltz on Facebook.
- What Aby Rosen has been doing as New York's arts council chairman.
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston unveils $450mil. expansion plans.
- Ten J.E.H. MacDonald artworks found and donated to the Vancouver Art Gallery.
- Pierre Huyghe to create an installation on the Met's rooftop.
- Seattle Museum Month offers visitors staying in city's hotels 50% off admission at more than 40 museums.
- Study finds average art museum relies overwhelmingly on donors, the government, and return on endowment for its income.
- Museums using creative ways to raise big cash.
- Future of Corcoran Gallery of Art's art collection up in the air.
- The release of Björk's next album will coincide with her MoMA show.
- Dasha Zhukova hires Rem Koolhaas to be the architect of Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.
- Mark Di Suvero's Dreamcatcher sculpture coming to UCSF Mission Bay.
- Possible second version of Mona Lisa by da Vinci goes on tour in Asia.
- Sotheby's to auction Monet's Les Peupliers à Giverny, which is being sold by MoMA. The auction house also wins in court over Caravaggio painting lawsuit.
- Francesco Bonami organizing auction of Italian art at Phillips in New York.
- Works from the 1960s dominate contemporary art auctions.
- A list of The 10 Most Expensive Auction Trophies of 2014.
- Will the art market bubble burst in 2015?
- Survey shows that art dealers think the art market will continue to boom.
- Will Chinese collectors ever catch on to photography?
- Interest in Jesús Rafael Soto's market gaining steam.
- Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, and other artists donate Lionel Messi work to benefit charity.
- Artnet writes about the LA Art Show.
- Gagosian Gallery to recreate Henry Moore's studio in London.
- Exhibition A interviews Paul Bright.
- Interview with Jacob Lewis, who is probably in his silk pajamas right this moment.
- Chris Stein exhibits photographs of Debbie Harry at Somerset House.
- Vito Acconci hired to create new piece of public architecture in Hobart.
- Studio visit with Eva and Adele.
- Nicholas Pilato's exhibition at Anat Ebgi featured on 2-Times.
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Kehinde Wiley to receive U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts.
- John Waters has a show up at Marianne Boesky Gallery.
- Zhang Huan's Buddha sculptures arrive in Sydney.
- Andrew M. Goldstein interviews Tomi Ungerer.
- Interview with Tania Bruguera on her detention and work.
- Gordon Shrigley runs for political office in the UK.
- One Fine Bid has their artists to watch list for 2015.
- Hugo Guinness gets an Oscar nomination.
- Yung Jake making portraits of celebrities using emojis.
- Adam Pendleton limited edition available from Whitechapel Gallery.
- Signed and numbered David Shrigley print available.
- Callum Innes prints available from Ingleby Gallery.
- New limited edition items by Julia Chiang.
- Lazarides releases new Antony Micallef print.
- Kate Middleton's art history degree and how it is helping her with her royal duties.
- Amber Heard honored at Art of Elysium Heaven Gala, which featured Marina Abramovich performances.
- McDonald's redesigns takeout bags, giving it a more minimalist design.
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Studio Visits: Ben Venom
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Streets: Meggs (Los Angeles)
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Streets: Ludo (Amsterdam)
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Streets: Insa (Brazil)
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Streets: Seth Globepainter (China)
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Overtime: Jan 19 – Jan 25
- Calvin Marcus at C L E A R I N G is an ArtForum critic's pick.
- Death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia disrupts 21, 39 Jeddah Arts opening events and programming.
- Ryder Ripps receives an anonymous threat.
- Blue and gold braided beard on the burial mask of Tutankhamun glued back on with epoxy, causing damage.
- Emma Sulkowicz attends State of the Union in push for stronger policies against sexual assault.
- Irreverent: A Celebration of Censorship show to feature LGBTQ art previously censored from major museums.
- Three arrested in Spain for Picasso, Miro, and Matisse forged drawings.
- Five artists arrested for performance in which one nearly dies from being cast in plaster.
- Blue Rider performance group arrested for dousing Lenin’s Mausoleum with blessed holy water.
- Luc Tuymans found guilty of plagiarism for painting Katrijn Van Giel's photo of Jean-Marie Dedecker.
- Jeff Koons plagiarism lawsuit case over Fait d'Hiver could be in the millions.
- Jacobus Rentmeester suing Nike in US federal court for copyright infringement related to Jumpman logo.
- Wildenstein files a lawsuit against Qatar for reneging on its purchase of townhouse.
- Four in Denver arrested for stealing and subsequently destroying three of four Dale Chihuly sculptures.
- Gianfranco Becchina and Ursula Juraschek's warehouses raided and €50mil antiquities recovered.
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Herge museum cancels Charlie Hebdo magazine tribute exhibition due to security concerns.
- Manhattan DA investigating galleries and art dealers with possible violation of sales tax regulations.
- Spanish government did not accept any art in lieu of tax in 2014 due to low quality of works.
- Court in Berlin rules that drawing by George Grosz may not leave Germany.
- Thaier Helal denied visa to travel to Britain for exhibition of his works in London.
- Professor Nouriel Roubini looks at the troubles in the art market.
- Skate’s 2014 Art Fairs Report found that general attendance at art fairs has dropped significantly.
- US Supreme Court declines to hear Norton Simon's Nazi-loot appeal for its Lucas Cranach the Elder's paintings.
- French Facebook user suing the social media site for closing his account due to sharing Courbet image.
- Berthold Albrecht heirs win €19.4mil judgement against Helge Achenbach, who was accused of overcharging.
- Architecture for Humanity closing and filing or Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
- Banksy street piece returning to San Francisco after being removed from side of building years ago.
- A look at Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, India’s emerging art district.
- Creative Time may be participating in Venice Biennale.
- A list of the 10 most popular lists of 2014.
- Creative Interventions uses art to bring people in cities together.
- Colonial Williamsburg accepts donation of iconic Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington.
- Visitors to MoMA physically interact with and Instagram Oscar Murillo's participatory works.
- Budi Tek planning "art park" in Bali that could cost $100 for admission.
- Bronx Museum of the Arts and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Cuba announce exchange of works.
- LACMA announces major gifts from two of its big donors.
- Met plans $250mil bond offering to finance capital infrastructure improvements over next decade.
- Why museums do not display large parts of their collections and what is being done about it.
- Live performances and dance gaining popularity with museums.
- V&A decides to print 50,000 more tickets for its Alexander McQueen show.
- George Lucas could turn to Los Angeles if plans fall through for his museum in Chicago.
- Dahesh Museum of Art has new home in New York.
- Los Angeles Nomadic Division looking for backers for its The Manifest Destiny Billboard Project.
- Gormley, Hirst, Lucas, Opie, McQueen, and more donate works to raise money for Gallery at Goldsmiths.
- Record sales in 2014 for both Christie's and Sotheby's, but Christie's still maintains the lead. Christie's post $8.4bil. in results for 2014.
- Christie's selling Tracey Emin's Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made.
- Sotheby’s to sell rare double self-portrait by Francis Bacon.
- Darren Bader crowdfunding for art project to be sold at Christie's.
- Artsy is growing.
- Carol Vogel's parting article for the NY Times takes a look at today's art market and world.
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Matt Moravec opening Off Vendome in New York.
- Adam Lindemann provides his thoughts on today's art market.
- James Fuentes opens a new project space.
- Garage Magazine organizes garage sale to benefit CalArts and Garage Museum of Contemporary Art's education center.
- Happy birthday, Cindy Sherman - she turns 61.
- Interview with Wilhelm Sasnal.
- Christian Marclay showing at White Cube.
- Mark Bradford, Julie Mehretu, and Kehinde Wiley among winners of U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts.
- David Altmejd answers some questions.
- Elizabeth Jaeger talks about her show at And Now.
- Roman Abramovich buys a large part of a city block in NYC.
- Artnet covers Takashi Murakami's Instagram meet.
- Bomb Magazine interviews Valentin Carron.
- W Magazine does a studio visit with Kon Trubkovich.
- Profile of Daniel Arsham and why celebrities are so into his work.
- Meredith James, Kameelah Rasheed, and Casey Tang wins Queens Museum/Jerome Foundation fellowships.
- Theaster Gates wins the 6th Artes Mundi Prize and shares £40,000 winnings with the other shortlisted artists.
- Jeff Koons presented with Arison Award.
- Q&A with Andrew Black.
- Damien Hirst collaborates with Lalique on limited edition crystal panels.
- Converse x Andy Warhol shoes coming.
- Kenny Schachter talks luxury destinations in London.
- Jonathan Jones reviews Paul Simonon's ICA, London show.
- Artnet writes about Street Art Throwdown reality show coming to Oxygen Feb 3.
- Charles Saatchi gets a haircut, goes on a date.
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Rewind: Jan 2 – Jan 25
- A look at the El Mac + KWEST + STARE mural in Toronto for Eventscape.
- Charlie Hebdo before the massacre.
- Andrea Zittel discusses her approach to design.
- Making of D*Face's mural, Rear View. Video by Ross Morrison.
- Rostarr talks about his rooftop work at The Standard NYC.
- Time-lapse of the removal of the scaffolding at The Broad.
- The creation of a David Ostrowski painting.
- Darren Bader raising funds for a artwork.
- Recap of the ROA show at Dorothy Circus in Rome.
- Footage of Andrea Wan in action (via Booooooom).
- SatOne and ROID creating a mural for a Brixton restaurant.
- Galeria Urban Forms footage 2014.
- Eric Fischl discusses his role as the curator of the show Disturbing Innocence at the FLAG Art Foundation.
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Streets: Invader (Africa)
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Streets: Paul Wackers (New York)
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Streets: SatOne x Roid x Wow123 (Germany)
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Art Focus: Atsuko Goto
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Studio Visits: Borondo –“Animal” @ Rex Romae
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Interviews: Johnny “KMNDZ” Rodriguez –“I’d Rather Love You” @ KP Projects/ MKG
Arrested Motion (AM): Can you tell us a little about this new body of work and how you came up for the title of the show?
KMNDZ: This show, I'd Rather Love You, is an evaluation of personal struggles from the last five years. On the surface, you can say the message is about non-violence as a reaction to both physical and psychological destructiveness. It is about what I believe is the necessary response to negative actions - understanding opposite perspectives and responding in love and kindness.
I imagine there's this nefarious army firing off and dropping the bombs from my paintings. On the flip side, we see a guerrilla army taking those bombs and turning them into bird houses; turning grenades into flowers, and guns into megaphones. Please join me Feb 7th, help me realize what that underground guerrilla group would look like. Come dressed to my show like you're part of this group of rebel thinkers. For inspiration think Tank Girl, Black Panther Party, Big City. First fifteen gets arm bands, and first thirty get the "heavy artillery division" patch.
AM: We often see symbology play a role in your imagery, in particular certain numbers. Is there any special meaning to this element of your visual language?
KMNDZ: I love symbolism and how its enabled me to tell a secret story. Numbers, birds, bottles, jewelry, and the weapons themselves. Keep in mind, in some cases ,this is me placing meaning to the image. To the viewer, I could be saying something completely different. In other instances, I’m pulling from scripture or numerology with five being the most common number in my work, representing grace.
AM: Speaking of reoccurring imagery, we can't get enough of the bombs, grenades, and missiles you render so beautifully. Any reason you keep going back to these weapons besides it being badass.
KMNDZ: I think my dad's history with war in Nicaragua plays a big part. This was a big reason why he made sure he raised his family in the US. I always felt I had it in me to be a guerrilla as well. I also can't get past the message of using the artillery as a metaphor to share a message of love and peace. Ultimately, my heart is guiding me to paint more bomb bird houses. Until it says other wise, I think it might be safe to expect more. Or who knows I might be done after this show because damn, I painted a bunch of them.
AM: Can you take us through your creative process? Any drawings or studies first or do you progress straight to the painting?
KMNDZ: Meditating on story and how my style fits the message is where it all begins. I feel at times I’m bad company as my mind is constantly wondering. If you ever catch me smiling and agreeing with you, it's probably because my head is in another place painting beyond my capabilities.
Once I settle on an idea, I start to doodle on scrap paper, the backs of mail, or the backs of my pen renderings. From there it's straight to panel with the hope that I’m onto something good. During painting, I’m usually fighting to keep myself from trashing the piece. It’s always a fight and more times than not, I usually come out on top. Every once in a while I get my butt kicked and I start over.
AM: Oftentimes, we see you reference God and his influence in interviews and of course in some of what looks to be related religious iconography in your work. Can you expand a little more on how your spiritual life affects your art?
KMNDZ: I grew up in the Catholic Church - left it because I was told God wouldn't accept me for my skater bowl hair cut. I wanted to separate myself from the control of religion but not from my creator. Ultimately, anything I'm involved with eventually influences my work. Jiujitsu, relationships, God, my kids, my past, and my present.
AM: Any particular artists you look up to or have influenced your development?
KMNDZ: Bob Marley, Jack White, The Budos Band, Edith Piaf, to The Pixies. Music does it for me first. Listening to the right song in a strange way helps me see how I want something to look. As for visual artists my list is infinite and always changing - Charlie Immer, Aaron Horkey, Andrew Hem, Date Farmers, Richard Bunkall, FernBeds, Susanne Konig, Rembrandt. However, Craola currently takes the cake. Yes I love his work, But it’s his spirit that has affected me most. His desire to push his capabilities has been most contagious. I've been teaching myself new ways of attacking a painting and Greg has made himself available to confirm my findings. I am most grateful to him.
AM: This will be your second time we believe at Merry Karnowsky Gallery. How will you approach this showing in relation to your first exhibition there in 2012? Anything different you will try or have learned since then?
KMNDZ: The show has turned into more than I expected. Showing in the main gallery has been a new development as of a week ago. Fortunately, I was cranking on the show and am prepared to take it on. If there was ever a time with this body of work, it's now. Everything feels different, work has been pouring out of me. It feels good to let go and explore new approaches, techniques, and even new brushes. I normally paint with a very stiff brush. Using the Trekell brush that’s softer has changed things up a bit. (I also drink more Ovaltine).
Ok, I’ll put it to you like this. Five months of the work I did for my first show with Merry was destroyed in n front of me and there was nothing I could do about it. This show is free and clear of that relationship and the work is a reflection of that.
AM: Any other upcoming shows and projects that you can share with us?
KMNDZ: I have been so focused on the MK show that I’ve yet put any serious thought into the after. Some projects in the making are a small mural for GB Pasadena, an artist series GI with Shoyoroll, and I still need to figure out this vinyl toy dilemma. There’s also an alumni show in Baldwin Park for BPHS students in May. My priority will be figuring out my next solo show. I am excited to see where things go after this exhibition.
Discuss KMNDZ here.
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Overtime: Jan 26 – Feb 2
- Parker Ito - A Lil Taste of Cheeto in the Night opens at Chateau Shatto's off-site exhibition space.
- RIP: Phyllis Diebenkorn, who died at the age of 93 in San Francisco.
- Man with large knives shot dead by police outside of Groninger Museum
- Victoria & Albert museum removes a depiction of Prophet Mohamed from its website due to security concerns.
- Why censorship of art is wrong.
- Artists share how "Shoah" has inspired them to create new narratives about the Holocaust.
- Loris Gréaud accuses critic Lauren Smart of being undersexed and ignorant.
- Frank Lloyd Gallery closes and Frank Lloyd discusses why.
- BP revealed to have donated £3.8mil to Tate over 17-year period.
- Police in Spain uncover ring of art forgers specialized in the creation of counterfeit Old Masters.
- US and UK collaborate to halt illicit trafficking of antiquities from Syria and Iraq.
- Sotheby's raises its rates on buyer's premiums.
- Art market affected by the decline in the Euro.
- Zaha Hadid withdraws lawsuit New York Review of Books and Martin Filler after settlement reached.
- Luc Tuymans talks about his plagiarism court case and subsequent fine.
- How artists are reacting and resisting the art market and flipping.
- Neil Simmons's once-decapitated marble statue of Lady Thatcher now viewable only by appointment.
- What you need to know about sales and use tax for artwork purchases and sales.
- San Francisco street artists replace anti-Islamic ads with adjustments and Kamala Khan images.
- Tom Lentz to step down as director of Harvard Art Museums.
- Philippines returns to Venice Biennale after a 51 year hiatus.
- Street art appears in the ruble of demolished buildings in Shanghai.
- US Army seeks experienced curators, art historians and museum directors to provide expert advice in combat zones.
- Interview with David Kordansky about the art scene in Los Angeles.
- King Salman bin Abdulaziz pledges $267,000 for each art club in Saudi Arabia.
- Smithsonian to open its first international space in a London cultural complex.
- Keanu Reeves to give a talk at the Foundation Beyeler about Gauguin.
- Craft & Folk Art Museum's "Man-Made: Contemporary Male Quilters" features quilts by male artists.
- Skirball Cultural Center to host Rock & Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip exhibition.
- Christopher Knight reviews Dan McCleary retrospective at the USC Fisher Museum of Art.
- National Museum of Animals and Society (NMAS) opens Fall 2015 and is crowdfunding.
- Seattle Art Museum and the Clark Art Institute of Williamstown, Mass. make Super Bowl bet.
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden asking docents it previously let go to return, reducing minimum hours.
- Williamsburg cultural center looking for arts ideas for its firehouse space that it will renovate.
- Renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House complete.
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Artnet's 2014 Annual Auction Results findings show global fine art auction market reaches $16.1bil.
- Damien Hirst butterfly work sells for $1.6mil at Art Stage Singapore.
- Steve Lazarides' Banksy works at Bonhams sells (30 of 33 lots) for $691,113 total.
- Background on Peter Doig's piece coming up for sale at Sotheby's.
- Christie's Old Master paintings and Renaissance sales could break records. It wound up being a disaster.
- Constable painting purchased in 2013 for $5,300 sells for $5mil. at Sotheby's.
- Art Cologne and NADA joining forces again this year to present second edition of COLLABORATIONS fair.
- Interview with Liz Craft about the Paramount Ranch art fair.
- Artspace has a list of artists to watch at Paramount Ranch and ALAC art fairs.
- Pierre Bismuth making film about search for Ed Ruscha's Rocky II fake rock and is crowdfunding for it.
- Pamela Rosenkranz to exhibit at the Pavilion of Switzerland at the 2015 Venice Biennial.
- Trisha Donnelly, Camille Henrot, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Frances Stark among those shortlisted for Absolut Art Award.
- Shepard Fairey makes an appearance on Portlandia.
- Profile of Kehinde Wiley.
- Artinfo reviews Harmony Korine's show at Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills.
- Jeremy Millar creates and exhibits a sculpture of himself dead.
- James Bridle recreates images of British detention centers, closed courts, and other areas used to deport people.
- Laurie Simmons now photographing people for the first time.
- Paddy Johnson reviews Ryder Ripps' show at Postmasters.
- El Anatsui limited edition available on Artspace.
- Puma collaborates with Ethan Cook on shoes.
- Larry Gagosian-owned Kappo Masa has one of the most overpriced dishes in NY, according to NY Post.
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Streets: Escif (Madrid)
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Studio Visit / Interviews: Sandra Chevrier
Arrested Motion (AM): What influences your work?
Sandra Chevrier (SC): In general society, humans, and life itself are inspiring. Everything actually. It just needs a thought that becomes an idea then grows into a project. Creativity is the result of experimentation and evolution. It is easy to repeat something over and over because it was successful. By trying and making mistakes, one can evolve and create something new & powerful. That’s what I am trying to do every day. Although I am a really hard worker, I’m not always happy with the results. There is always something good in what we do, even if we fail, because we learn from it. I think, write and sketch a lot. When I find an idea that I love, I want to play with it until I have no more fun. Also on another note, watching my son paint is truly inspiring. There is no limit for him when he creates something. No expectations, no consciousness. Sometimes, he paints with his two hands, truly fascinating!!!
AM: When did you start painting and how did that happen?
SC: I've always been drawn into art. When I was a child, in family parties, instead of playing cards with the rest of the family I would do crafts with my aunt. Then in high school, teachers were asking me to stop drawing on desks, when I was trying to tell them ‘’it wasn't me’’ then they would tell me I was the only student who could draw as well! So it started with graphite, then I tried paint and different materials. To me art is not only a way of expression, it is a language in itself. At first, it was a liberation of something that I was holding inside. I used it as a release just like you can use a journal. When I first started to "be an artist," I used creativity to liberate my inner demons. At that time, I did a lot of self portraits. It is still a way to express myself, by showing the struggles that women like I go through everyday. There is a lot of me in everything that I do.
AM: Do you have any formal education in art?!
SC: I prefer to say that I am a self taught artist. I never had technique lessons. Bu,t I have a bachelor degree in Fine Art. It was great to have art history courses.
AM: Does your work tell particular story?
SC: The series Cages is about women trying to find freedom from society's twisted preconceptions of what a woman should or shouldn't be. These women encased in these cages of brash imposing paint or comic books that masks their very person symbolizes the struggle that women go through with having these false expectations of beauty and perfection as well as the limitations society places on women, corrupting what truly is beautiful by placing women in these prisons of identity. By doing so, society is asking them to become superheroes.
AM: So this is where connection with superhero comics comes from?
SC: There is also a certain melancholy in these different faces as if these women experienced a situation that they did not wish. As if they were "slaves." An offset of American comics, synonymous to entertainment and fun. This is exactly the goal of the series, a daily struggle for us all against that which is imposed by society and the very expectations we impose on ourselves. I keep myself busy in many ways; single mom, business woman, artist, the household, romance, errands. It puts a lot on one's shoulders. We overwork ourselves. We are all slaves to something, of something. And in comic books, despite all the playfulness of the thing itself and all the "POW BING BAM," superheroes are also fragile. Superman, when he loses his battle against Doomsday, the image of his red cape tattered planted in the ground as a fallen flag has an intense beauty and incredible power. This is just one example among many others. We are human, men and women, and we are entitled to the flaw, the error.
AM: How does usually a process look from a thought/idea to a finished piece?
SC: It is a bit about calculation and intuition. I choose my models selectively, I sketch, I predetermine my collage images, and I determine beforehand whether a piece is just a face, a full body, a work on paper or canvas etc. The rest just happens as it happens. I suppose you could say the work itself tells me in which direction it should move.
AM: You're creating a lot of portraits, who are you basing these on?
SC: I did a ‘’model wanted’’ post on social media asking people to send me pictures of themselves. They are the ones that I "cage." I also have models with whom I've worked for years. Ginzilla is a great example - she is a "suicide girl" and she’s been sending me amazing pictures. I love her eyes, her expressions and her charms.
AM: So you have characters that keep coming back in your works?
SC: Sometimes, I obscure different features of the same model that I use multiple times (i.e. the same model who once had their mouth obscured could later be used in a different piece and have only the eyes obscured). I suppose it depends on my mood or my own energy. One thing that is for certain is that people tend to care more about something when they know it has been obscured.
AM: What are the mediums you are using and which ones do you prefer?
SC: Acrylic, watercolor, graphite, china ink, pastels, collage. Might say I discovered watercolors lately and I love it.
AM: Why do you find it so interesting?
SC: The results are always a surprise. You can control it, but not totally. I love to watch the colors dance with the water. It is a very "expressive" material.
AM: What is the connection with comics, how did that start and which ones do you prefer using?
SC: Cages started when I was doing crafts with my (then) 2 year old son. I found an old sketch of a woman's portrait and passed over it with heavy textures of dollar store toll paints. I found the result very striking and thus the very humble beginning to a lengthy series. The transition to comic book collage happened upon embarking on a DIY home project. I had an old, small and cheap IKEA dresser that I had planned to cover in comic book collage, not long after planning this small home project, the dresser broke. So I was left with a broken piece of furniture and dozens of copies of comic books that I had picked up at a nearby flea market, so I put them to use, and thus the comic book cage series.
AM: Do the collage parts also tell a story?
SC: The death of Superman and the Batman graphic novel "A death in the family". They both portray a human side to the super-human characters, a weakness, rendering them as those whom the rest of us can relate to. Seeing Superman lay helpless in Lois Lane's arms or an image of Batman in tears while his protegee lays motionless has an incredible impact given the feats that these men accomplish in their respective stories.
AM: How do you pick the parts you're using?
SC: Instinct
AM: Did you ever create any works in other mediums?
SC: I use many different mediums, but I've always stayed with the 2D though. I really appreciate photography also.
AM: Do you have a big dream project you would like to work on?
SC: For the moment, I am working on my production for a show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in June/July. I will admit this was a goal, a dream. I am very motivated and decided to create these new pieces all hand-painted. It was the purpose from the beginning - making the collage as studies to eventually do them all hand painted on canvas, but the series was an immediate success and time was becoming an issue. Also, people love mixed media.
AM: What were your personal highlights in 2014?
SC: So many, 2014 was a fabulous year. Life is good to me. I traveled a lot, got to meet some amazing artists and art passionate people that are now friends. I might say that Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys' interest in my work was surreal. They are very generous people and they helped me a lot. Looking forward to continue working with them. Also, my partner Jean-Pascal Fournier opened a gallery in Montreal so I can have my own place to show in my hometown.
AM: What are your plans for 2015 and what kind of work will you be showing this year and where?
SC: As mentioned before, I am presently working on the Jonathan LeVine show curated by Yasha Young, opening on June 27th. Also, I'm painting for Scope NY and many group shows. For example, the piece I did for Castor Gallery demands to be dissected beyond it's surface value, the black and white collages surrounding two wondering aesthetically beautiful eyes are quite literally torn between the fantastical heroics and iconography of comic books and the harsher underlying tragedy of oppressed female identity and the exposed superficial illusion therein. The subject denounces the role given to the female counterpart therein, refusing to play the part of seducer or victim.
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Streets: Peter Regli –“Snow Monsters” (New York)
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