Art Space Talk: Aimee Lee

Aimee Lee is an interdisciplinary artist working across performance, installation, and book arts media. Aimee is interested in personal storytelling. Her work has covered topics of human intimacy, internal defenses, and the isolating properties of language. Because her work thrives in moments of vulnerability, its manifestations occur subtly and often go unnoticed: a survival kit buried in the ground, a sound recording of whistles tied to a football goalpost, a book whose prints darken and fade to mimic the life cycle of a bruise. She has stated that she relates to what falls between the cracks, and that she searches for quiet sanctuaries to process the outside world and how humans participate in it.

Aimee earned an MFA in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts from Columbia College (Chicago) in 2006. Since that time her work has been exhibited at the Lux Arts Center, Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago) and several other venues. Her work was displayed at the Bridge Art Fair in Chicago (2007).

Hunk, & Dora (2006). Handmade paper brick tower: upwards of two thousand handmade paper bricks made from premium abaca, pigmented abaca, unbleached abaca, cotton, and linen; wood, monofilament, tyvek, buttons, sand. 14-foot tower, 6-foot doorway.

Brian Sherwin: Aimee, you studied at Oberlin College and Columbia College. Can you tell our readers about your academic years? Did you have any influential instructors? Do you have any advice for students interested in those programs?

Aimee Lee: I've always been the kind of geek that adored school and being a student. That said, my undergraduate experience at Oberlin and my graduate experience at Columbia were universes apart. My time at Oberlin was an incredibly challenging, fulfilling, and high-growth period where I started to map the borders and territory of my own self. I explored the varied subjects and media that interested me, and had a major that let me combine music (I was a violinist), dance and choreography, philosophy, creative writing, art history, and studio art. My teachers inspired and nurtured me in a myriad of ways: advisor and art historian Pat Mathews, dance and bodywork instructors Karen Allgire and Deborah Vogel, violin and chamber music coach Andrew Jennings, visiting poetry instructor Myung Mi Kim, and painting professor Sarah Schuster are some of the many.

The most transformative in my final year were Nanette Yannuzzi-Macias and Johnny Coleman. Johnny was my drawing teacher, and showed me not only HOW to draw, but THAT I had the innate ability, as does everyone. He was devoted to music and the combination of media - he had synethesia and talked about hearing light - and class requirements included things like seeing Pauline Oliveros and the Deep Listening Band perform. Nanette was my sculpture teacher, and the first installation artist I had ever met. I developed my intensive sketchbook process. She taught an artists' books class that rocked my world, and started me on my path in book arts almost ten years ago. Nanette also gave me a short list of graduate schools a few years later when I was ready to return to school for graduate work. Based on the interdisciplinary nature of the program, Columbia College was my first choice.

My transition to Chicago after working in New York was difficult, but the Chicago arts community was unwavering in its generosity, which buoyed me during my three years in the Book & Paper MFA program. Though there were departmental classes in many disciplines, I was disappointed to find that my peers were uninterested in that aspect of the program. But through opportunities at Columbia, I met people like Julie Laffin, a performance artist and curator, and Greg Allen, the founding director of the acclaimed theatre company, The Neo-Futurists, who supported my work and gave me venues to show and perform.

I found intellectual rigor with art historians Debra Parr and Mary Kennedy, and spiritual rigor with performance instructor Joan Dickinson. Andrea Peterson introduced me to papermaking, which rocked my graduate world, and my advisor Melissa Jay Craig was the best teacher I had and the top reason that I stayed in the program even when I wanted to drop out.

For prospective students of Oberlin, I would advise an open, wholehearted approach to an education that will be rigorous, well-rounded, and exhilarating. It offers extraordinary teachers and resources - take advantage of everything you possibly can because it holds a richness and humanity that is hard to find elsewhere. For Columbia, I would advise networking as much as possible, because the teachers are active, well-connected artists who have a real sense of the art world. They are also incredibly generous and open to artistic collaborations with students. As a large art school, it has resources that might not be immediately apparent. I have found allies in the galleries, the marketing team, and the portfolio center. For both, remember to follow your instincts and fight for what you need as a student, and stay close to your teachers, especially once you leave.

PAPER (2007). Sample books of handmade paper from plants found in North Central Wyoming: sagebrush and cattail. 6.5 x 5 x 1" closed, 60" opened.

BS: Aimee, you are an interdisciplinary artist working across performance, installation, and books arts media. Your work tends to focus on topics like human intimacy. Can you go into further detail about your art and the thoughts behind it?

AL: My art has always been rooted in a long history of introspection and interpretation of personal experience. Because of my own personal ethics, I have been reluctant to appropriate other people's experiences and prefer to focus on my own, since I have full authority to allow that. I believe that getting down to specific details creates a universal context for other people, that the tiny pieces of my life have resonance with strangers, because the human experience is so similar in the small ways. In terms of subject matter, I am endlessly fascinated with the ways that people survive their lives and the nature of being human in this particular world. My incessant tunneling into my own mind must be a way to satisfy my curiosity about what is going on in other people's minds.

Five years ago, I decided to focus on human intimacy, which came out of my experience with a close childhood friend who was dying from cancer. During my studies in anatomy, bodywork, and spirituality, I had been moved by the power of human touch in the healing process. I asked my friend a month before she died about how often she was hugged during the day, since I knew that people were cautious around her because her bones were so fragile from her medication.

At the same time, I was in a residency with British performance artist Aaron Williamson, where we did a lot of spontaneous improvisation. I did one where I covered seated people's heads with fabric, and then removed the fabric, held their heads in my hands, and kissed the crown of their heads. It only lasted a few minutes but still resonates with me today. From that improvisation, I created an interactive performance in two parts.

Part One asked participants to fill out a survey that asked about the quality and quantity of human touch they received in a given week. Part Two asked them to apply lotion to a performer (myself) playing "How Insensitive" on the violin in a bikini. In retrospect, it wasn't a terribly elegant piece, but my way of mapping the idea of human contact in both safe (filling out a survey) and unsafe ways (touching a half-naked stranger).

Regarding the physical manifestation of my artwork, I have consistently preferred beautiful and inviting surfaces. I love beauty, and you can interpret that however you like. Since I often handle difficult and sensitive subject matter, like abuse and violence against women, I create non-threatening surfaces to draw people in. I use a tactile approach where I make objects, installations, and performances that make people want reach out and touch. Eventually, through handling my work, the content reveals itself.

Listen to what you've been carrying for a long time (2006). Spun, knit, and dyed handmade paper, thread, typewritten sestina; 6 x 67" opened.

BS: What are the social implications of your work? Is there a specific message that you strive to convey to viewers within the context of your art?

AL: I used to be committed to political work that was hot, very angry. But through my life experiences, I've come to see that such an approach doesn't fit my personality. People see me and don't expect a firebrand, so I've learned to play into that assumption, and shift the hot parts of my work below cooler layers. I think that the implications of my work are aligned with the old adage that tells us not to judge books by their covers.

I'm not looking to convey a specific message - I want my work to trigger motion inside of people, whether it be mental activity, a visceral response, or an emotional one. Outside motion like dialogue with others is great, too, but I want to create objects and spaces that enable people to go inside. I would love for my work to create a larger awareness of the similarity of the human experience and a way for people to relate to each other to reduce violence and intolerance, but that is something that acts more like a constant backdrop in my consciousness, not what I focus on as a goal.

BS: Aimee, you utilize a variety of mediums. Can you discuss why it is important for you to branch out in so many directions? Do you prefer one medium over the others? Or would you say that they are all of equal importance?

AL: I used to believe in a heavily conceptual practice, which came from a need to lay a strong intellectual foundation for myself as well as a fear of craft. But as I strengthened my ideas, I needed more tools to articulate them. And as I learned how to use each of them, new ideas arose. Like language, being open to constantly expanding my vocabulary is crucial to the vitality and utility of my work. I've always feared the "dilettante" and "dabbler" labels, but have embraced the idea of being resourceful, of being a bricoleur - creating something by gleaning from whatever happens to be around me in the moment. If I have __(fill in the blank)__ inclinations and talents, why not use them when appropriate?

As for why I branch out in so many directions, it's just in my nature to do so. I've always been a "why, why, why?" kind of questioner, and that kind of grasping leads me down lots of paths. Also, living in a world where the ceiling on choices and information retrieval have exploded makes it impossible to ignore everything but one medium. Besides, they're all connected.

I also think that learning new ways of articulating my work helps me meet and understand more people. For example, growing up as an aspiring musician, I surrounded myself with musicians. Within that set, I knew the most about violinists since I was one myself. Expanding outward, string players and pianists. Then, the rest of the orchestra. After a while, jazz and rock musicians. Composers. Conductors. Musicians on the fringes of the mainstream. And so it goes, in an ever-widening circle. I do the same in my visual work, most recently accepting a scholarship from a printshop to learn intaglio techniques.

I had never been around printmakers beyond the letterpress shop at grad school, so I wanted to get familiar with the mentality of a printmaker. Not necessarily because I consider myself one, but because printmaking is so intimately connected to papermaking and book arts, which are two media that I use consistently. Next month, I will travel to Maine on a scholarship to take a fibers class at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, so that I can apply these techniques to my papermaking practice, and meet artists in a whole new genre.

Depending on when you ask, I will always have a preferred medium - whatever best communicates my thoughts and feelings in a given moment. But it always changes, depending on my studio situation, the content of my work, and the resources I have at hand. I would never say that there is one dominant medium - I don't see it as a competition, and I don't see them as separate things when I'm working. The reason I talk about them as different media is because I function in an art world and a culture that needs those kinds of delineations. I'm good at categorizing and filing, so I'll do it, but I'd prefer not to spend all of my time doing it.

Treehouse (2008). Intaglio on knit bamboo paper yarn, 5.5 x 4.25".

BS: You have described your art as a "living document". Can you go into further detail about that?

AL: Books are documents, as are most of the objects that I make. They mark a certain time and thought process in my life, and are usually pieces that need to be activated and used. I like the idea of a static object having an active life. My bookbinding teacher, Melissa Jay Craig, taught us that books are "living, breathing things."

I have a photographer friend who reminds me often that the same idea applies to all of my artwork whenever I get carried away with trying to control my work and make it do exactly what I think it's supposed to do. It's important for me to respect the life and boundaries of the things that I make, so that they can have a life on their own and continue without me by their side. I feel like I'm a parent talking about a child, but I think that the same kind of respect and freedom needs to be given to a piece or it just becomes an unwieldy prop for an artist.

BS: Aimee, you have had exhibited widely in the United States and you have been involved with exhibits in Spain and Japan. Do these travels influence the direction of your work? In other words, would you say that the experiences add to your visual language?

AL: Though I have exhibited widely, I don't get to go to all of the openings! That said, I have traveled a good deal in the past two years on artist residency programs and personal trips, which definitely influence my work. Because so much of my work is about my interior landscape and experience, it shifts as I shift. And there is no way to avoid change when traveling, living in new settings, and meeting new people.

Throwing myself into foreign settings helps me re-evaluate my ideas and the way I communicate them, and reminds me that the world is both much bigger and much smaller than I think. Traveling gives me chances to make my work accessible to more people, as I see different responses in different locations. Also, it re-invigorates my own practice when I see that I can successfully communicate across geographical and cultural differences with my work.

My travels definitely add to my visual memory and internal landscape. There are more places to dream about! And that also adds to my visual language that I use externally with others.

Abundance (2006). Letterpressed poem on handmade paper, lining a handmade box covered in handmade cotton/kozo paper.

BS: Can you tell our readers about other influences? Are you influenced by any specific artists?

AL: After life itself, reading is probably my number one influence. The bulk of my positive childhood memories lay beside me on the living room sofa, buried in books. Reading and writing have been a constant in my life. As I've matured as an artist, I've learned to read more. It's like photosynthesis, except that reading is my sunlight and artwork is my oxygen.

I used to be a total non-fiction junkie, and still love it, reading Bell Hooks, Ken Wilber, Alberto Manguel, Robert Coles, Michael Pollan, and Barbara Kingsolver. Through meeting contemporary writers, I've overcome my childhood aversion to new fiction, and have been delighted to read Junot Diaz, Don Lee, Susan Choi, Sandra Cisneros, Sherman Alexie, and Julia Alvarez. I also adore good poetry, and have been taken by work by Cathy Park Hong, Li-Young Lee, A. Van Jordan, Ravi Shankar, and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha.

When I was asked to list artists that I admired during an interview for an art class in college, I broke down into tears because I couldn't come up with any! I'm not sure why I have this block, since it's important to me that I honor my influences, but it's likely because artists and their work affect me subtly, so it's hard for me to come up with names on the spot. I remember the feeling of experiencing art more than I remember names, but here is a random sampling: Eva Hesse, Bill Viola, Agnes Martin, Ana Mendieta, Lee Bontecou, Adrian Piper, Mona Hatoum, Albert Chong, David Hammons, Ida Applebroog, Ann Hamilton, Thomas Nozkowski, Patty Chang, Thomas Struth, Binh Danh, Linda Montano, Arvo PŠrt, and Fred Sandback.

I'm also lucky to have a job directly related to my graduate studies, which is pretty unusual. I work for Robbin Ami Silverberg, an established book artist and expert papermaker. I met her two and a half years ago as her intern. Since then, she has transformed her ground floor papermill and studio to a two-story mill and bindery, alongside her husband Andrös Bšršcz's wood shop and studio.

I worked in the old space, in their home during construction, and now in the new studios. I've been editioning her artists' books, which include everything from papermaking to binding to everything in between: fighting with antique typewriter ribbons, finishing book details on her dining room table, hanging felts to dry in the garden, and installing a professional printer for her digital prints. It's impossible to have such an intimate relationship to someone else's work without being influenced by it: she makes gorgeous paper that carries vibrant colors across the entire spectrum and is famous for its lush translucency.

We share similar beliefs about the holistic nature of making work, and aligning the content and materials thoughtfully. We're both perfectionists and workaholics, making for intense work days, but it has been a real inspiration to work alongside an artist who makes a living from her work and has found a way to live and work in a custom-built space.

BS: What are you working on at this time?

AL: I have just finished printing a series called Private Performance: Treehouse, which are prints on knitted paper that I made on a scholarship from Manhattan Graphics Center in New York City. I had started a series of knitted handmade paper books in 2006 at Art Farm, a residency program in Nebraska, and continued it as I traveled to different residencies.

It has been an ongoing process of tweaking the different forms that I can create out of a very basic idea, but I had been criticized about not having text and content directly on the knitted page. So, instead of sewing on pieces of paper with content, I used the scholarship to experiment with printing images directly onto the page.

Obviously, it has to be a certain kind of image, since half of it is lost in the holes between stitches. I have been using an image from a performance I created in 2007 at Ragdale during an artist residency, and hope to rework the pieces that I have already printed with additional text that I have yet to write.

The other major project I am working on is La InvasiÑn de las hojas, an outdoor installation that will be presented in Mexico this fall. I have been invited to be a long-distance artist for identidades.04, a residency that brings art to public spaces for audiences that are usually not exposed to international contemporary artists. This year's theme is memory as it relates to identity. While traveling to make paper from local plants, I learned about invasive species and considered that botanical concept as it relates to how immigrants are viewed in their adopted countries.

As an American-born woman of Korean heritage, I have strong memories of growing up as the other, and am developing text about these experiences. I will transfer these stories to handmade paper leaves that will be affixed to eucalyptus plants (a major invasive species in Mexico) in the city of Morelia, which is the site of identidades.04. They will hang alongside real leaves and be available for the public to read, take, or move to other plants or sites, setting the leaves and stories on another migration.

Treehouse (2008). Intaglio on knit linen paper yarn, 53 x 9.5".

BS: Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?

AL: I am in an exhibit currently at the Lux Center for the Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska, and will have a scaled-down version of a large installation in a traveling exhibit called "Pulp Function" at the Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery Center in Casper, Wyoming this summer. This June, I'll have some mail art in a show at Roteiro De Creacion Contemporanea in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. One of my treehouse prints will be part of the Treewhispers project in Naperville, Illinois, for the Chicago International Calligraphy Conference.

Next year, I will have work in two traveling exhibits, both in the US and abroad, and three solo shows. For the solo shows, I hope to show work that I make in Korea on a Fulbright grant, which begins this summer. This is the most exciting upcoming opportunity for me, as I will be able to spend a year in Korea learning the history, techniques, and contemporary applications of hanji, which is traditional Korean paper.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art?

AL: There's nothing that I'd rather be doing with my life. I have found that the times that I feel most at ease, and have positive productive thoughts, are when I am engaged in neutral, repetitive, physical labor. For me, that means making art or exercising. So I think I'll leave it at that and hit the treadmill. Thanks for asking!

You can learn more about Aimee Lee by visiting her website-- www.aimeelee.net. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Andrea Chung

I was introduced to the art of Andrea Chung while visiting the New Insight exhibit at Art Chicago. Andrea's current artwork explores the relationships between exported goods of the New World, such as sugarcane, rum, allspice and bananas, and the imported laborers and the stories and ideas that these relationships carried. Andrea is currently finishing her studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Agatha Barton I, 85 x 45 ¾ inches, Acrylic on paper, 2006

Brian Sherwin: Andrea, I learned of your work while attending the preview at Art Chicago. Your work was in the New Insight special event exhibit. For those who don't know, New Insight is an exhibition of artwork by promising young contemporary artists curated by Susanne Ghez, Director of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, and coordinated by Sarah Krepp, Artist and Professor at UIUC. How has that experience been for you? What did you think of the New Insight exhibit as a whole?

Andrea Chung: It was a very surreal experience. It’s strange coming from an academic community and then being placed in the most extreme art world situation. I was completely overwhelmed by the scale of the fair, but it was great seeing that much work in such a short amount of time.

I think it was great that Art Chicago is interested in exhibiting MFA students from programs all over the country. It gives you a sense of what other graduate students are working on and the strengths of each program. We tend to be in this bubble when you’re in school and it’s refreshing to get a glimpse of what else is happening in the art world.

Agatha Barton II, 85 x 45 ¾ inches, Acrylic on paper, 2006

BS: Andrea, I understand that you have studied at Parsons School of Design and at the Lorenzo de' Medici Institute of art in Florence. You are currently an MFA candidate of the Mount Royal School of the Arts graduate program at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Can you tell us about those programs and the experience you have had there? Perhaps you could discuss an instructor who has been influential in your development...

AC: My experience at Parsons was a bit frustrating. I was an illustration major by default. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in but I did know that I loved my concepts class and the fine arts department didn’t have one. And then the illustration curriculum was extremely strict and didn’t allow for cross department electives. I guess that’s why I love my MFA program at MICA.

Graduate students are allowed to sit in any class, studio or liberal arts. Not only that, but the director of Mt. Royal, Frances Barth, has encouraged us to work as a community. She encourages that we teach one another, share information and build genuine relationships. She’s also instilled the importance of our practice. I would say that she has been the most influential in my development. She has challenged me more than anyone. She demands so much from her students because she sees the potential in all of us. I believe she has taught me not only how to be a better artist, but also a better person.

Agatha Barton III (with detail shots), 71 ½ x 30 inches, Brown sugar on sheetrock wall, 2007

BS: What about your peers? Have you collaborated on any projects? If not, is that something that you would be interested in doing?

AC: As far as my peers, I would say two artists that have been instrumental for me have been Rachel Schmidt (MICA MFA 08) and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum (MICA MFA 08). Pamela was actually in the New Insight Exhibition last year. I started my MFA program as a painter and Rachel is an amazing fibers sculptor. She taught me how to make casts and molds which was completely out of my element. I think Pamela unknowingly taught me that being a successful artist was a real possibility.

I was inspired by her success during her 2nd year in Mt. Royal and her continued success since. Her acceptance to various shows and residencies made me think that these were real possibilities for me as well. She encouraged me to apply for a residency in Panama (Taller Portobelo Norte) which had a huge impact on my work. She also included my work in a fantastic show she curated called PepperPot, which is currently on display at UNC Chapel Hill. Pamela and I have toyed with the idea of collaborating but haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet.

BS: Andrea, your father was born in Jamaica and your mother was born in Trinidad... it is my understanding that your work explores that heritage-- thus I assume that your parents have been a major influence to you. Could you go into further detail about that connection and the ways in which you explore it? How is that influence reflected in your process?

AC: My work explores cultural geography and cultural exchange as a result of economic trade and labor in the Caribbean. While my parents’ heritage is a result of these things, they aren’t really my primary focus but they are my audience. When I’m making work I always keep in mind whether or not I’m successfully communicating in a way that is accessible to my parents and people like my parents.

"Pops" (Henry Chung), Dimen, Installation: Brown sugar on wall, 2007

BS: Andrea, can you discuss some more of your influences and the thoughts behind your art? Do you find inspiration in artists from the past?

AC: I’m interested in how trade has shaped the Caribbean. How the desire and craving for foodstuffs like sugar, rum and allspice resulted in the importation of Africans, Chinese, Portuguese, Indians, mangoes and breadfruit into the Caribbean. I became really interested in the idea of food having their own social, cultural and historical narrative and what recipes, meals, and ingredients can tell me about their origins and contemporary uses and what those things can, in turn, tell us about the history and diversity of the Caribbean as well as its place in the modern world.

As far as artists that inspire me, at the moment I’m absolutely in love with Martin Puryear’s work. I saw his retrospective at MoMA and most recently attended his lecture at the National Gallery. I think what inspires me most is his thorough knowledge of his material. I was completely blown away listening to him talk about they type of wood he used throughout his work, what tree it came from, where those trees are located geographically, the grain of the wood and so forth. Not only is he brilliant he’s in love with his material and that’s something that I both admire and understand (I love to eat!). He’s really taken his material and tried every imaginable process one can think of and has developed a phenomenal body of work.

BS: What is the message that you want people to leave with after viewing your work? Do strive to change the way that people view the world-- or at least give them a different perspective?

AC: I don’t have a "message" per say. I more or less see myself as documenting Caribbean stories and histories through my work. Part of the reason I began with the earlier portraits of my grandparents was due to the lack of: the lack of images and information, the lack of birth records, unknown birthdates, "it nuh pickney business," and the untold stories of the Caribbean experience. I believe that most people have a monolithic idea of what and who the Caribbean is and I hope that my work can open up a dialogue about the complex culture, people and history of the Caribbean.

All fruits ripe, Photo cut out, 15 ½ x 11 ½ inches, 2008

BS: Andrea, where else can our readers view your work in person? Will you be included in any other exhibits in 2008? Also, are you openly seeking gallery representation?

AC: I have a few things lined up after graduation. All the graduating Mt. Royal students will be in an exhibition called Archimage at Gallery Four in the H&H Building in Baltimore May 17th – June 25th . I’ve also been invited to be a part of a show that Hank Willis Thomas is putting together at RUSH Art in Chelsea in September and then my first solo exhibition will open in October at the Arlington Art Center in Arlington, VA.

As far as gallery representation, I’ve been so consumed with school that I haven’t really begun to think about that yet. My practice comes first so I’ve been focusing more on continuing the work after graduation. I don’t want to lose the momentum in the studio so I’ve focused more on residencies upon graduation. I will be attending Skowhegan this summer, which makes the transition a bit easier.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or your future plans?

AC: I received a Fulbright Scholarship so my future plans include moving abroad in February. I’ll be in Port Louis, Mauritius working with a chef and studying their cuisine, which will result in a new body of work based on my research. After my husband and I return we’ll be relocating to California.

You can learn more about Andrea Chung by visiting her website-- www.suite17d.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Michelle Fried

I was introduced to the art of Michelle Fried while visiting the New Insight exhibit at Art Chicago. New Insight is an exhibition featuring graduate work from the top art schools. Michelle showed some of her recent video work during the exhibit. Michelle has stated that her most recent works start from the confabulation of memory and autobiography. I contacted Michelle and she agreed to discuss her work with me. Michelle is currently finishing her studies at Carnegie Mellon University.

Stomach Trouble-- Video Still, 2008

Brian Sherwin: Michelle, I observed your work at the New Insight exhibit at Art Chicago this year. For those who don't know, New Insight is an exhibition of artwork by promising young contemporary artists. The exhibit was curated by Susanne Ghez, Director of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago and coordinated by Sarah Krepp, artist and professor at UIUC. Can you tell us about your experience at New Insight?

Michelle Fried: It was my first time feeling A-listed so I had some mixed feelings: alienated about the commercial hustle, astounded at the type of money that goes into such events, and awkward about having slipped through a crack and into an Art Fair. Of course, it was a tremendous honor, so I got shy about it too.

The other graduate students made impressive work; not to mention, I think it's a fabulous idea to get 24 graduate students from the top schools in the country into one show. It gives the opportunity to survey the mystique of MFA programs. But overall, I was very excited about some of the artwork I saw in the larger show, NEXT.

Thousands of works of art were arranged in a football field-sized room and most of it was fun to look at; it seemed very young and fresh. I think I spent 2 days perusing the sights of NEXT. And when I say "sights," it was a great people-watching venue as well.

Stomach Trouble-- Video Still, 2008

BS: Michelle, you are currently finishing your studies at Carnegie Mellon University. Can you tell our readers about your experience at Carnegie Mellon? Have you had any influential instructors? What is the program like? Do you have any advice for students who are considering the school?

MF: CMU's MFA program is interdisciplinary and loosely regimented so you can basically make whatever you want. I came in with single channel video, made sculpture and performance somewhere in the middle, and ended up back into single channel video. This kind of experimentation was challenging, expanded my practice and allowed me to grow in impossible ways.

Also, there are only 18 MFA students at any given time at the School of Art, so you can solicit endless amounts of attention from the 20 or so faculty members and visiting artists. Additionally, CMU is a university and not an art school. It's renowned for its computer science and engineering programs, so you have an environment that is filled with a diverse demographic with varying interests. The School of Art is constantly bridging relationships to other departments and it's pleasant to be part of a school that is constantly checking itself with its larger, non-art context.

Finally, I got lucky and got a huge private studio space; it even has a utility sink! As for advice, for incoming students: First of all, work your ass off. With that said, if you really want to do something, do it. You're allowed to fail and if you don't figure it out your first year, you have another year and a half. Just don't drop the ball on your thesis project; you'll stick out like a sore thumb because there are only 5 other people with you in a huge gallery.

Stomach Trouble-- Video Still, 2008

BS: Michelle, tell us about your work. Perhaps you could discuss your process? Give us some insight into the thoughts behind your work...

MF: My most recent works start from the confabulation of memory and autobiography. These stories are simple, but I fracture and twist them to create farcical mise-en-scenes of child-like adult characters finding their way through a world that rejects them. Creating characters is major impetus for teasing out a narrative piece. They are built with faults – naive, id-driven, charlatanistic, vulnerable, ugly, and generally unresolved.

Usually, a character is challenged with a problem and, because of their limited mental resources, they end up in chaotic situations with little resolution. However, the protagonists usually possess a superhuman capability – i.e, willfully splitting her personality, conversing with inanimate objects, or being able to crawl into her own body. Additionally, creating sets, costumes, props; writing scripts, learning special effects make-up; directing actors and editing video are all involved in the immense production of creating a narrative video. I've never sourced out specialists in any field, so my process involves a lot of self-taught technique. It's more fun this way though.

Stomach Trouble-- Video Still, 2008

BS: Would you like to select one of your pieces and tell us about it?

MF: Sure, I can talk about my most recent production, "Stomach Trouble." It's about a character named Michelle who is suffering from a severe stomachache and ends up getting gastric bypass surgery.

Story Line (quick and crude): Michelle wakes up in the middle of the night with a stomachache. She calls her doctors, but he cannot see her for another week. Michelle is convinced she will be dead by then. As a desperate measure, she riffles through her phone book and finds Dr. Derk Wolmuth who performs "stomach detachment and rerouting surgery." Her stomach urges her that this is a bad idea: "I think that means taking most of me out," he says; however, Michelle persuaded by Dr. Wolmuth.

The next day, Michelle and Dr. Wolmuth are in his office watching a crude instructional video on the radical procedure. She passes out from the pain, falls from her chair and lands on the ground. Dr. Wolmuth exits the scene and a cockroach runs up to her face and pleads that she run away. As the cockroach exits the scene, Michelle slips into a semi-conscious dream state and her stomach is sitting at a dining room table. She is serving him cake that resembles a cockroach.

When her stomach asks, "Is this the end?" Michelle consoles him: "Don't worry Stomach. It's for the best. For both of us." She feeds him a spoonful of cake.

The viewer travels with the cake down the stomach's esophagus and inside the stomach's stomach, a band plays a song called "Run for Joy." Meanwhile, Michelle is on the operation table. Dr. Wolmuth is cutting open her abdomen. As the flesh is pulled away from the incision, we see the stomach's face and he pleads with Dr. Wolmuth. Michelle wakes up, looks down, screams and passes out. "Michelle! Help me!" the stomach says.

Michelle slips into another dream where she is traveling through her esophagus and into her own stomach. After wandering in the wet, wrinkly lumen of the stomach, she comes across a giant pustule that spits out bloody puss. "I think I found something! Stomach I think I found the problem," Michelle yells to the stomach as she is sprayed with a load of puss. She digs into the pustule. She pulls out a tiny television set, similar to the one in Dr. Wolmuth's office and turns on the dial.

In the television, is a scene back in to operation room with Dr. Wolmuth. The stomach is on the table being cut in two by an electrical turkey knife. Dr. Wolmuth looks at Michelle through the television set and says, "It's too late. I've solved your problem. Now you can go on with your life… Oh, and I was wondering… Maybe you'd like to have dinner sometime?" Michelle wakes up in her bed, where she started. Sweaty and pale, she lifts up her shirt to find two incisions.

Stomach Trouble-- Video Still, 2008

BS: Can you go into detail about your influences? Are you influenced by any specific artists?

MF: It's difficult for me to pin down my major influences, as I have been taking inspiration from so many different realms of life and popular culture for so long. The range varies from animals to cults, Judy Blume novels to low budget independent films and performance based musical groups; countless movies and people I meet; bodily functions and teenagers. As for artists, I have much appreciation for Jesper Just, Franz West, Paul McCartney, John Bock, Pipilotti Rist, Orlan, Tony Oursler, and Bjorn Melhus.

BS: What are you working on at this time?

MF: I just finished "Stomach Trouble" in March, so usually I spend some time closing loose ends on projects, editing and finding venues. Simultaneously, I start brainstorming on new projects. I love this phase of the art-making process because this is the time I take to draw, think and write about ideas. It's where the process is truly creative and not burdened by busy work, keeping schedules, and fighting with technology.

Stomach Trouble-- Video Still, 2008

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art?

MF: Yeah, it's lots of fun. Thanks for reading ya'll!

You can learn more about Michelle Fried by visiting her website-- www.michellefried.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Peter Gerakaris

Peter Gerakaris earned a BFA from Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning in 2003. Peter studied painting and architecture in Rome under the auspices of Cornell University, and subsequently established a New York City studio. He is currently an MFA painting candidate at the City University of New York’s Hunter College in Manhattan.

Gerakaris’ work has appeared in Beijing at Chinese Contemporary Gallery, The Bronx Museum of the Arts (NYC), Scope Art London (UK), and Rocketart Gallery (Australia)-- and several other venues. Gerakaris’ work also appears in various collections in the USA, Europe, China and Mexico.

paradiso. 30"x22". ink, gouache, gold and pen on paper. 2007

Brian Sherwin: Peter, you are currently a candidate in the City University of New York's Hunter College MFA Program. Can you tell us about your experience in the program? Have you had any influential instructors that you would like to mention? Have you collaborated with any fellow students while there?

Peter Gerakaris: The program’s very interdisciplinary, perfect for self-starters and the best deal around. Our studio facility is in a great location on West 41st Street, by Times Square and just 10 blocks North of Chelsea. We’re often described as a "gritty", "do-it-yourself" kind of place and I like how you’re not rushed through in two years like most MFA programs (three is average for most "Hunters").

Working with Prof. Sanford Wurmfeld specifically augmented my approach to color. Also, the intellectual curiosity and analytic rigor of Robert Morris and Robert Swain really raises the bar for students. Exposure to this helps one crystallize his/her own values and develop critical thinking. My artist-peers are wonderfully eclectic and yes, I’m working on a collaborative book right now. While the MFA program is the initial incubator, I’m positive these relationships will develop long after we’re out of school.

BS: As you know, I observed your art at the NEW INSIGHT exhibit at Art Chicago this year. The exhibit was curated by Suzanne Ghez. Did you enjoy the experience? What can you tell us about the selection process? Also, you mentioned that a gallery is interested in your work after observing your work at NEW INSIGHT-- do you have any further details about that?

PG: Susanne Ghez, the Director of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago selected 23 graduate artists from the country’s 12 "most influential Master of Fine Arts programs". Seven students at Hunter were initially nominated by the faculty—then Susanne Ghez chose two of us to represent each program. I was happily surprised about this opportunity.

And yes, I’ve been able to carry the momentum from NEW INSIGHT—Chip Tom, a curator working with the Hammer Museum, Asia Pacific Museum and Rohrer Fine Arts in Laguna Beach is curating my work in a forthcoming gallery show called "New York School" at Rohrer. We will exhibit the large "Cosmos" piece from Chicago and it’s complement, "Royal Reception" as a pair (a large painting from the Cosmic series) alongside my other new work.

cosmos. 77"x77". oil on canvas. 2008

BS: Peter, at NEW INSIGHT you exhibited 'Cosmos'. Can you tell us about this piece? Perhaps you can describe your process using 'Cosmos' as an example? Tell us about the technical side of your art.

PG: I was interested in conflating macro vs. micro by putting cosmic rings around an organic body. The celestial form is actually derived from a Monarch chrysalis. I also want the viewer to be able to lose himself/herself in the experience of scanning detail. It is my hope that this somehow reinforces the contradictions inherent in the work (macro and micro, nature vs culture, etc).

Technically and conceptually, I admire many types of painting, but personally gravitate toward making crisp pictures with a seductive surface. I realized a while ago that I have a steady hand and a detail-oriented sensibility, so I allow myself to get swept away in the process. My aesthetic relies on the human touch, so everything’s done by hand from the linear minutia to the "sprayed" effects. I like how oil paint is infinitely malleable and can also quote other paint-based media. Ultimately, I strive to make artwork that has intensity.

cosmos DETAIL. 77"x77". oil on canvas. 2008

BS: Nature, in general, seems to be a subject that you enjoy within the context of your art. I've noticed in your recent work that you often mesh aspects of outer-space with that of the nature of Earth. For example, flowers become planets... insects stare into the void of space. Can you discuss the thoughts behind your work and the symbolism behind these choices?

PG: I’d be happy if my work somehow inspires a viewer to contemplate his/her, or even culture’s, relationship with Nature. Arguably, many "developed" societies are increasingly detached from the natural world. I grew up in rural New Hampshire, but now feel incredibly removed from Nature having lived in Beijing and New York. Contemporary life, no matter where you are, provides certain luxuries at the expense of Nature. I think being in a city amplifies this sacrifice: while enjoying the perks of culture, we cannot experience the Perseid Meteor Showers or even pristine air, for example.

My art has become an outlet in which I can meditate upon such issues, which I feel are universal. The corollary obviously is that Nature is indifferent—along with its beauty, it has an undiscriminating, sublime power. My previous body of work, which referenced the seductive forms of toxic plants, tried to get at this duality.

weeping helianthus. 18"x11.5". ink, gouache and pen on paper. 2007

BS: I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it appears you are influenced by Japanese woodblock prints--am I correct in my assumption? Some of your work, like 'weeping helianthus', reminds me of the same type of energy that is captured in those pieces. Can you tell us about some of your influences? Any specific artists or art movements?

PG: Since my parents are both artists, I grew up as a sort of visual sponge. They gardened a lot, took me to places like Giverny (Monet’s former studio and home), and exposed me to culture and travel. I like to think of art-making as a sincere reflection of what the artist sees, thinks, feels and experiences within his/her context. As much as any one aesthetic or movement, I find inspiration in Nature, music, film and literature. Travel has also played a critical role in how it awakens the senses. Studying art and architecture with Cornell University in Rome informed my work, every bit as much as having lived in Beijing during a residency through Red Gate Gallery, or even recent trips I’ve made to the jungles of the Yucatan.

And every bit as much as I’m interested in contemporary aesthetics, I’m interested in how it’s all linked to a greater continuum of the human condition. It’s hard to articulate, but I think I’m drawn (no pun intended) to the harmonious and holistic quality of Chinese and other Asian art forms (whether it’s painting, printmaking, craft, landscaping or architecture). Since contemporary life can be overly complicated, I’m attracted to the centered, harmonious sensibility in Asian artwork—one might even call it spiritual. I think it’s quite sophisticated.

the stranger. 15"x15". gouache and pen on paper. 2007

BS: Peter, it is my understanding that you enjoy playing the guitar. How does music influence your visual art and how does your visual art influence your direction as a musician? Is there a connection?

PG: Yes, I have a jazz guitar background, but have also played in Afrobeat, funk, experimental and electronic groups. There’s nothing quite like performing music live—it’s a direct connection and participation with your audience that’s less common in visual art. Contrary to all the signifiers each decision carries in painting, notes just represent themselves in music. As an improviser, I also like the notion of improvising in and out of a structure and developing themes.

The pattern-based, "energy-field" areas of my work are improvised within the context of an artwork, so I’d like to think there’s some relation. Other moves in my work are improvisational as well, although I feel that’s often not apparent to the viewer. Analogous to jazz, it’s fascinating how the best players and artists can turn a mistake into something that seems intentional. I certainly aspire to that.

I’m also intrigued by the overlap of sound and color, or synaethesthsia. I recently tried exploring it further by developing a computerized color-sound system based upon Newton’s color wheel and inspired by Louis Castel’s "light organ". I’ve had to put it on the backburner for now.

BS: What are you working on at this time? Also, where can our readers view your work in person? Are you open to studio visits if their are any interested parties?

PG: I’m finishing a project of unique etchings for a show called "UNFRAMED" at Charles Cowles Gallery in NYC, that opens May 19th, curated by Beth Rudin DeWoody—it’s a benefit to raise money for AIDs research. The "New York School" exhibition at Rohrer Fine Art in Laguna Beach opens mid-summer and I’m cranking on new paintings for that. I’m simultaneously finishing a triptych commission for a NYC-based collector, while experimenting with some new mixed-media works-on-paper that I hope to turn into a wall installation.

Seeing my work online at www.petergerakaris.com is obviously meant as a precursor to seeing it in the flesh. Some of these new projects will be on view at the above shows. And yes, I enjoy studio visits.

New Ring of Dahlia, gouache, ink and graphite on paper, 15 x 15 in.

BS: Finally, as I know you are most likely rushed for time... is there anything else you would like to say about your art or your future goals?

PG: As I continue to push my work personally, I’d like to continue exhibiting and to broaden my audience. Professionally, I’m interested in developing more gallery relationships as well as having the opportunity to connect with larger audiences through both the public sphere and institutions like museums. Artistically, I think it could be rewarding to undertake the challenge of a large-scale, site-specific project.

For instance, "Spectrumorphosis", a one-person site-specific installation I made last year at Wave Hill’s Glyndor Gallery and Botanic Gardens in NYC whetted my appetite. The variables of site-specific art, such as a new audience or the architecture of a site, can create a call-and-response that allows the work to become greater than the sum of its parts. And I never want to stop traveling, as I find it immensely transformative.

You can learn more about Peter Gerakaris by visiting his website-- www.petergerakaris.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Seth Lower

I was introduced to the art of Seth Lower at the New Insight exhibit at Art Chicago. Seth has had solo exhibitions at the Diego Rivera Gallery and the Stilllights Gallery in San Francisco. In 2007, Seth was an Honorable Mention in the Hey, Hot Shot! exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery in New York. He has been a teaching assistant under the instruction of Harrell Fletcher, Alice Shaw, Henry Wessel and other influential instructors. Seth earned a BFA in Photography at The University of Michigan and is currently finishing his MFA studies at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Image from Night Swimming -- Seth Lower

Brian Sherwin: Seth, I observed your work at the New Insight exhibit at Art Chicago this year. For those who don't know, New Insight is an exhibition of artwork by promising young contemporary artists. The exhibit was curated by Susanne Ghez, Director of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago and coordinated by Sarah Krepp, artist and professor at UIUC. Can you tell us about your experience at New Insight?

Seth Lower: I'm honored to have been part of the show; the other students' work was really great and Susanne and Sarah did a wonderful job in putting it together. The larger context, Art Chicago, was a bit chaotic: three huge floors of commercially driven art venues, buyers, sellers, etc. It was pretty overwhelming. For me, the student section had the best work--which was refreshing and encouraging, but also a bit troubling as an emerging artist.

Image from Night Swimming -- Seth Lower

BS: Seth, you are currently finishing your studies at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). Can you tell our readers about your experience at SFAI? Have you had any influential instructors? What is the program like? Do you have any advice for students who are considering SFAI?

SL: SFAI's great because of its ideological diversity, which is a golden opportunity for students to find their own direction. They can slip out of their majors to work interdepartmentally, should they choose to do so. I started in the photography department and wound up working mostly with New Genres faculty. Some great teachers: Trisha Donnelly, Allan deSouza, Alice Shaw, JD Beltran, Hank Wessel, Doug Hall, Tony Labat, Paul Kos, John Roloff, Charles Boone, John Priola, Harrell Fletcher, etc etc. My advice for students heading to SFAI is this: be a train wreck, preferably during your first year, and make mistakes.

Image from Night Swimming -- Seth Lower

BS: Seth, tell us about your work. Perhaps you could discuss your process as a photographer? Give us some insight into the thoughts behind your work...

SL: I think honesty is important. I don't know what that means. I like working from the personal into the broader public and communicating something to an audience. I'm interested in the document and the definition and translation of meaning. Being a photographer is a scary thing--you can easily shift into zombies if you're not careful. It's a good medium for people who like pretending to be invisible, like me. It's also a good way of getting ideas, sketching, engaging in a kind of personal practice that's half-way between selfish and generous.

BS: Can you go into detail about your influences? Are you influenced by any specific artists?

SL: Alice Shaw, Francis Alys, Tacita Dean, Will Rogan, Sophie Calle, Fischli & Weiss, Douglas Huebler, Werner Herzog, Eddie Vedder... all very genuine people interested in simultaneously telling me something and showing me something.

Image from Night Swimming -- Seth Lower

BS: Seth, I read that you will take part in the The Exquisite Corpse Project (2009) at Meat Market Gallery in Washington D.C.. Can you tell us about that exhibit? Also, will you be involved with any other upcoming exhibits?

SL: Yeah, the people putting it on emailed me one day with this collaboration idea--a photographic version of the exquisite corpse concept. They sent me a photo that another artist took and I had to respond to it in some way so that my picture formed the next link in the chain. It's going to be interesting because, in a way, everything makes sense. It's really hard to not make sense with photographs. I took a picture of my friend's cake.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art?

SL: Just thanks for listening. And Thanks Brian!

You can learn more about Seth Lower by visiting his website-- www.sethlower.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Nall

Fred Nall Hollis, known internationally simply as "Nall," was born April 21, 1948 in Troy, Alabama. Nall was born into old wealth-- a Southern family that originally drew its wealth from a cotton plantation and later, from the oil industry and finance. In many ways, the roots of his artistic exploration are intertwined with the roots of his State of birth-- a message that Nall has taken with him throughout his travels.

Nall's travels to Mexico, Germany, India, France and other countries have helped to cultivate the message that can be discovered within the context of his art. His work often observes the injustice of the past alongside the beauty and harmony that can be found in life-- this bittersweet message is conveyed in his art --one that every individual, origin aside, can relate to on some level.
Brian Sherwin: Nall, you have stated that you inherited your artistic talent from your father. Can you tell us about the influence he had on you? What about other early influences? I assume you explored art early on...

Nall: Unfortunately, my Father did not like the fact that I had inherited artistic talent from him. He was continuously discouraging me from drawing. He insisted that I play football, baseball, basketball, etc., things he did not do. Sports were a bigger draw than art in the south and he had played in the band. In fact, he was an accomplished musician.

He once gave me and my cousin an art test and gave the best mark to my cousin-- who did not have the passion for art that I did. We were all of 14 years old at the time. I was hopelessly discouraged, but determined to do better to improve my talent and skill. Thus, it fueled my work ethic.
BS: I understand that you have long been interested in exploring symbolism within the context of your work-- and art in general. While living in Paris you studied the works of Dali, Durer, Bellmer, and J. Seraphim. Did you find direction from other sources as well-- psychology perhaps? For example, there is a book by Carl Jung titled Man and His Symbols-- has the study of psychology been an influence?

N: I studied psychology at the University of Alabama. In fact, I earned a minor in the subject of Abnormal Psychology. I was especially fond of Jung and Freud. While working at Bryce’s Mental institution as a student, I was fascinated by all of the conditions that can plague an individual. I was subconsciously looking for that 'something' that was inside of me-- that 'something' that no one knew or had the answer to. Perhaps I had simply inherited the art gene...

Yes, I was influenced by Gustave Moreau in the early 1970’s in Paris, and later on by Gustave Mossa in Nice, both symbolists from the end of the 19th or early 20th century.

BS: Nall, you studied under Salvador Dali-- he was one of your mentors. I read that Dali convinced you to live solely from your art, and told you: "Draw from life, do not be afraid, draw and go on drawing.". Can you tell us about your experiences with Dali and how he made an impact on your life?

N: It was in fact Juliane Seraphim who encouraged me to live from my art, as she was my companion. Dali was a mentor who guided me and made an impact on me, from example, to be less intimidated. Dali encouraged me to express what was in my mind and not to edit my work. He encouraged me to improve my knowledge of the classical techniques of drawing. He advised me to draw from the model. He warned me not to do forced surrealism... and made it clear that if I was to be a metaphysical artist it would be obvious.

BS: How have your travels played a part in your artistic journey? As mentioned, you have lived in Paris-- but you have also lived in several coastal areas and have spent time in the jungles of Mexico. How have those travels influenced you directly? Would your work be where it is today without having been introduced to those various cultures and traditions?

N: As a teen, I traveled to Mexico with my sister, and with my parents on banking conventions. The bug for traveling hit when I received my driving license-- I kept the road hot. It fascinated me to observe other peoples, places, and environments. Upon deciding to become an artist-- and live from my work --I wanted a classical education and to see Europe as well. First going to Germany, where my sister was living for a year, then moving on to Pairs where I enrolled in the Beaux Arts. It was there that I felt comfortable with my surroundings for the first time in my life.

Paris was the city of artists that would help rocket me out of a complex southern society that did not respect the male as an artist. Living in Paris allowed me to mingle with some of the greats in the field of art. While in Paris I learned how to draw from nature, studied portraiture, and learned line engraving techniques. It was a competitive experience-- I am thankful to have weathered the storm. Being surrounded by galleries, the Louvre, and so many other artists was good soil to plant a young artist.

The Mexican experience began when I was 16. Later on a few visits enamored me to return to work there in the 1980s. In fact, the longest period of my stay in the jungle coast town of Yelapa, near Puerto Vallarta, was a nine month stretch. I began doing eggshell mosaics, burning wood with a magnifying glass, carving, and sculpting. My sense of color became more vivid. There is a sense of aliveness that one gets from the jungle that was not present in Paris... a natural awareness that permeated my work.

India brought another dimension to my life and work-- one rooted in the spiritual. I was captivated by the sounds, colors, vibrations and energy of India. My experiences there helped me to understand the western world’s lack of spirituality. India’s enormous faith humbled me. The mirror reflections came into full focus there, in the room of the mistress of the Maharajah of Jaipur... in the Amber Palace.
BS: Nall, I read that you bought a studio space that was once owned by Jean Dubuffet. In that space you installed printing presses and began giving your own workshops. Can you tell us about that experience? Did you feel some form of connection with Dubuffet while working in his old haunt, so to speak?

N: No. I have never felt an affinity with Dubuffet, except that he was influenced by "art brut", and I collect and admire "outsider art". On the contrary, his studio was fabulous, with skylights over half of the ceilings. The glass walls facing the French Alps gave perfect light.

In my opinion, Dubuffet's best work was this studio-- 400 square meters of light, white walls, and marble floors --four levels permitted me to alter the space for myself. I had printing presses in one area, painting in another, my special framing and mosaics in another, winter living with sauna in one floor, and on another a summer bedroom and bath opening onto the garden. I had chickens and a rooster to wake me at 5am…

Having the printing presses was very convenient, as it allowed me to experiment more with etchings. I was able to do large etchings there-- I produced the largest and most successful etchings of my career in that space. I also did editions of Theo Tobias and Sylvia Braverman... when I had time for the printer to do others etching editions. I felt like I was going places, but then I tired of the business end of it. I quit doing etchings altogether when I sold the house.
BS: You eventually founded the N.A.L.L. Art Association (Nature Art & Life League) in Vence. Can you tell our readers about N.A.L.L. and why you decided to found it?

N: I had been rehabbing young artists from drug and alcohol abuse, and my new wife advised that I set up a foundation, as this sort of work should be recognized officially. This passion of helping other artists grew from having had little outside help in my career and sobering those who were going through the same thing I had. My wife wanted to move from the studio as it was primarily an artist’s workshop.

The new property of the N.A.L.L. has 11 bungalows, and as my secretary-companion lived with me, this would afford him his own house. The students could have their own houses and we would have a house of our own. In "The Cocoon", the Dubuffet house-- which was under one roof-- it became a bit crowded during that first year of marriage.

BS: Based on what I've read it seems that you observe artists as journeymen-- do you feel that every artist takes us on a journey of their experiences? That each artist creates a physical reminder-- or visual memoir --of their life and the joy and pain associated with it? Tell us about your philosophy pertaining to this...

N: I cannot speak for other artists. However, I can speak of my own path. My work is very autobiographical. It is an obvious journey of a young man growing up, and the trials that I have gone through. Each one fuels my art, and each experience is documented as if written in a scrapbook of my life. Working primarily from the model, each painting and drawing is a reminder of my life-- its highs and lows --peopled with the faces that I have personally known.
BS: Nall, one thing that I find fascinating about you is the fact that no matter how much wealth and fame that you obtain you have never forgotten your roots. For example, you were born in Alabama and as an adult you have sponsored Alabama art college students and have curated exhibits of art for other emerging artists from Alabama. Why is this connection to your past-- to your roots --important to you?

N: Ones roots , especially roots as deep and varied as mine, come from a land that has been riddled with injustice. The south has taken the brunt of America’s racism on its shoulders. In an attempt to heal our wounds it is first necessary to acknowledge ones sickness-- the social malady that plagues America, especially Alabama.

The close emotional kinship of our black, red and white brothers should be healed. The isolation that we have experienced in an area that was rurally based on the economic importance of slaves-- and the capture of land --has played out. Our karma is being paid, but not yet finished. I feel, having mixed blood, that not only am I paying back but also receiving the justice that is deserved.

As for the emerging artists in Alabama... I get a lot of satisfaction from helping other artists. On the other hand, if the artists do not continue in their path as artists they have at least gained a deeper appreciation for the craft.
BS: Allow me to ask some specific questions about your art. You have indicated that you build your drawing, four and five layers of graphite upon an etched surface, a process that you refer to as "pencil painting", and integrate these into a composition of painting with watercolor. Can you tell us more about your process and describe how it has matured through the years?

N: I wanted to be as good a draftsman as my father. This took time, as my art education in Alabama was self-taught until I reached college. At the University of Alabama I learned that I did not want to do commercial art, but wanted to create my own works. Moving on to study in Paris, Dali told me to begin at the bottom, with pencil, and to learn to draw. This took ten years.

I learned etchings, watercolor, (self-taught again) and in Mexico began with eggshell and bottle cap mosaics-- continuing toward a Byzantine sophistication. Mastering these techniques, I started mixing them together, each one isolated onto the same support or surface. Like an opera set, the natural inclusion of the frame wove itself into the composition. I tried different variations of each "mixing" and the works grew with each new technique learned.

A very strong work ethic, combined with the help of apprentices, helped me continuously develop the combinations sought. It reminds me of a chef creating a new taste or dish by trying various herbs and produce from around the world. This amalgamation of all the mixed mediums learned in different countries defines my work today.
BS: It would seem that you enjoy taking chances and pushing mediums beyond what many would view as their standard capacity. You are trained and skilled in traditional methods of artistic creation, but you make those traditions and techniques your own-- you create with an edge, so to speak. In that sense, how does your techniques and methods reflect your personality as an individual? Do you view each mark that is made as an exploration of yourself?

N: For sure, but it is also an exploration of the love for things old... using them in a new way. To create with the object, having been first created by someone or nature itself, mixes textures. A 24K gold mosaic tile placed next to a worm riddled piece of driftwood carries its own statement. The two together force an intellectual contrast. This is a language that every one can read. Each is symbolic of life, nature, and man’s state. Each is aesthetic. Each is beautiful in its own way.

I try to create beauty and harmony by mixing the materials as if they are races-- having no positive limitations. This is in contrast to the negative expression that seems to be in vogue today. There is too much lethargic painting, angry, seemingly drug induced art today. The sober, hard to master, direct, spontaneous, creative strain of art can better educate the youth in making earth a better place to live.

I am interested in the sensitive education that we receive from taste, sight, hearing and touch-- an education that emotionally equips us for the journey. I am seeking harmony, beauty, and peace. Thus, I must sometimes exorcise into my work the anger, ugliness and discontent that I find in myself.

BS: Having observed much of the world and the joy and strife that can be discovered... what are the social implications of your work? Do you seek to create a form of visual documentation about the world as you view it as well as about yourself?

N: I'm not concerned with making a biased comment. I seek to express what goes through my mind. If I feel something, I paint it-- whether a flower or a war. My own hieroglyphs define my perspective, or add that dimension to the work. This may touch the viewer in his or her gut. I may have several opinions about the subject and they may all be included.

BS: It has been said that through your travels a spiritual dimension has been captured within the context of your work. You mentioned this aspect in regards to your travels in India. What do you think about the spiritual as far as your art is concerned? Do you seek a spiritual connection?

N: Travel has taught me that all countries have their designated inherited religions. They are all valid and all speak of positive energy. Often times politics can overpower religion, making it less forceful, and ultimately, less useful. My art is spiritual... even in its negative connotations. It may speak of the positive or the negative, but both arise from the spirit.

I do seek a spiritual connection each time that I pray, look at a flower, or pet a dog. I feel the power of positive energy as I do that of negative energy. I react to each with either a smile or angst.
BS: What are you working on at this time? Can you give our readers some insight into your current work?

N: I am working on two beautiful Irises, a poppy, two pansies, an eye that is inside of a triangle inside of a circle, a large mosaic flower, a portrait of a Jewish boy with a yellow star on his pocket-- depicting the holocaust; a frame for a flat screen TV, and a project for the Orthodontist Society of America, which includes a portrait of a young girl. I'm also working on sketches for a mosaic that will go into a niche replacing a Chimabue at the St Francis of Assisi monastery in Italy, and a set of porcelain camellias... the Alabama state flower.

I will move to Italy this next week to complete a 7 foot high bronze sculpture of a Japanese Magnolia. I'm trying to paint it with realistic colors rather than burning on a patina. Also, rehearsals will begin soon for the new production by the Nice Opera to produce La Rondine by Puccini, of which I have done the costumes and sets. I hope to be working on the lighting as this is a new production in an indoor proscenium, as opposed to the first production by the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Italy, which was an amphi-theater.

There are so many projects to finish and no time-- it seems --to complete even one of them! Each subject and project is in itself absorbing in its content-- like a playground for a child, or a candy store full of delights. I am working with several apprentices, teaching them techniques, and about to have a show of Violata Pax, at the Museum of the Citadel in Villefranche sur Mer, on the cote d’Azur, French Riviera.

BS: Where will your journey take you next?

N: Physically to Italy, to work on the sculpture of the Japanese Magnoiia-- as I have mentioned. I will also travel to Tunisia to work on a set of dinnerware with the Tunisian Porcelain Company. Then back to Alabama to finish a project for a public fountain.

In my works and subject matter I have no fixed idea. I would like to work more in the spiritual sphere and concern myself with this other world which is so distant from the material. I'm passionate to grow in a spiritual vein, but still hungry for sunsets, beautiful faces, landscapes with their changing colors, colorful ethnic cultures that are an experience and joy to see... there are so many choices to explore! However, at age 60, less time remains to travel and paint.

I would like to hermit myself in my studio so that I can work out the constructions and finishing of so many projects. I hope to finish what I have set out to do and to begin new works with the same passion and force that has been a gift to enjoy so far.
BS: As you know, the journey can be one of both pleasure and pain-- one could say that about life in general. Do you have any advice for emerging artists as they prepare for their artistic journey?

N: Yes... as Dali suggested to me, emerging artists need to throw themselves into their passions and paint what they feel-- they should not edit themselves! Emerging artists should listen to all the advice that is offered to them and surround themselves with muses. At that point they can live the greatest gift they have been given in life... a work that is all consuming.

BS: Finally, when all is said and done... what is the message that you want to leave with your art? What do you hope viewers obtain from observing your collective body of work? Do you strive to leave behind a legacy-- or would you say that is up to viewers to decide?

N: Having no children... my legacy is my art and the seeds that I have planted in the minds of apprentices over the last 30 years. The artwork reveals the message... a strong work ethic, a concentration on the trials of humanity, of its beauty in every living thing. A temperate philosophy that encompasses everyone and everything, the complete cycle of life and death, and back again. The artist has been treated to the prism of life and is lucky to have this moral obligation to work in a wonderful craft.

You can learn more about Nall by visiting the following website-- www.nall.org. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

www.myartspace.com

Art Space Talk: Andrea Loefke-- HomeBase III

Home Sweet Home (detail), Andrea Loefke installation-- HomeBase III. Photo by Douglas Romines.

Andrea Loefke is an accomplished German installation artist, who has shown extensively in NY and Germany, and is a Smack Melon resident. Andrea offered her time in order to discuss her installation, Home Sweet Home, which is on display at HomeBase III. Andrea has created a whole room based on the concept of food and cooking in a humoristic atmosphere that reminds one of a picnic scene. Andrea actually cooks at the project every Wednesday at 8 pm and throughout the weekends, simple homey foods – like oatmeal. While Andrea prepares food, visitors are allowed to explore the world that she has created in her space at HomeBase III-- as long as their shoes are off! You can learn more about Andrea by visiting her website-- www.andrealoefke.com.

The HomeBase Project, founded and directed by Anat Litwin, is a unique annual public art project devoted to the exploration of Home. The HomeBase Project is currently celebrating its third year (April 27 - May 18). HomeBase III has landed in a historical landmark townhouse in Sugar Hill, Harlem. This years project includes a group of international artists from Lebanon, USA, Germany, Israel, Switzerland, Iran, as well as local Harlem Artists who have inhabited the space to explore and create in it site-specific projects addressing the notion of Home. Visit www.homebaseproject.com for further information about the HomeBase Project.

Home Sweet Home (detail), Andrea Loefke installation-- HomeBase III. Photo by Adi Shniderman.

Brian Sherwin: Andrea, you are one of the artists involved with the HomeBase Project... HomeBase III to be exact. Can you tell us about your space at HomeBase III and the experience you have had with the project so far? Also, why did you decided to be involved with the project?

Andrea Loefke: I have a smaller size room on the second floor located towards the back... the garden. It is a quite room with a beautiful old fireplace. A little oddly shaped with a diagonal wall, making my space even more friendly since it is zoned off from the entrance door and creates privacy.

My piece at HomeBase III is entirely in red and white and I utilized the floor for the creation of the space. The area has an airspace of about 20" above ground, not more. The complete floor is covered with carpet padding and a red/white check patterned picnic tablecloth, the one we all recognize immediately. It is the fabric we all know from our mothers or grandmothers kitchen table or picnics we have had when we were children. It is rich in these associations and suggests a nostalgic, homelike, and guarded atmosphere. It builds comfort and generates personal memories. A cliche with intensity, excessive and meticulous.

I created a kind of playground. No shoes allowed! The world inside invites us to tinker, to make, to eat, to socialize and to relax. At certain times I am cooking on my two hot plates on the floor. Everything is in red and white. During the opening day I made oatmeal with milk and strawberries topped with a few drops of raspberry syrup and flakes of coconut. The room was crowded with visitors, enjoying the food, making drawings, shaping plasticine or watering the plants and flowers.

Home Sweet Home (detail), Andrea Loefke installation-- HomeBase III. Photo by Adi Shniderman.

My strawberries and tomatoes are growing in window boxes behind a little tea station. The fireplace has paper flames and cotton smoke clouds. Marshmallows on red sticks are positioned by the wall-- appearing as if they are ready to be roasted. There are bowls of candy and flowers in red pots floating just above ground. Scribblings and pined up drawings can be discovered on the wall. It is a creative place. A place that appears cozy, yet expresses some insinuations of discomfort... as if things are slightly out of control!?

For example, there is a tinkered white foam-core house that has no roof. The view inside reveals an aggressive red and glossy surface that nearly spills out over its walls. The paper flames and puffy clouds are escaping into the room. All details are without exception within the color scheme and even the red and white checker pattern has been meticulously cut out and made to wooden blocks stacked and collected in containers. Everything is unreasonable and overly excessive, doesn't our home often exhibit the true sides of oneself?

HomeBase has been a very challenging and new experience for me. When Anat Litwin approached me I was intrigued by the concept of working on site and with the clear intent to interact as a group and with the place. I usually work by myself and rarely have discourse with others during this process. Things happen quietly in my studio. At Homebase I was inspired by the group, the talks, the meetings, the place, the neighborhood. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore a new working practice.

In addition we had an immense time constriction. Three weeks went by and there was still construction going on in the building. One had to act quickly and smartly. As a matter of fact, my idea to cook and set up these "tinkering stations" came through the fear of not being able to create a complete and finished piece! I decided that I would need to have a continuous process... a piece that will grow over time, even over the course of the exhibition. From there I went and the idea formed toward my "Home Sweet Home" Installation.

Home Sweet Home (detail), Andrea Loefke installation-- HomeBase III. Photo by Douglas Romines.

BS: What do you like about the community aspect of the HomeBase Project?

AL: The community aspect of HomeBase goes beyond the community of artists in the space. For me it was very interesting to work in a different neighborhood-- Harlem is a place I hadn't‚t been able to truly visit before. The next door neighbors, the kids on the street, the Jazz Club across the street... there were clashes and concurrences-- experiences all around. We were all clearly challenged in the role as both visitor and intruder. We had wonderful moments of connection and other moments of misunderstanding.

BS: You were born in Germany... did the transition between living in Germany and moving to the United States impact your work and process? Artists that I've interviewed before have mentioned that they felt a sense of isolation reflected in their work due to the clash of culture that they had experienced... did you experience that as well? Is that reflected in the work that you have created for HomeBase III?

AL: No, I have not experienced isolation and it doesn't‚t reflect in my work. I have always felt very welcome in the United States. I embrace the difference in culture, especially the difference in material culture. When I came to America I was fascinated by the 99 cent stores, the cheapness, the kitsch, the artificial colors, the slick and tacky surfaces. My work has changed vehemently since I arrived and day-by-day I am joyfully diving into the tactility of America's mass-produced knick-knack.

My piece at HomeBase might have a little sentiment... the red and white, like my parents kitchen, the strawberries, the cooking, the smell of food. My mother and I both love strawberries and at home we always had an enormous bowl of strawberries with whip cream. I also associate home very much with my mothers cooking. I love to sit in the kitchen at home and have mother prepare a nice dinner for the whole family. Yes, this is my personal felicitousness.

Home Sweet Home (detail), Andrea Loefke installation-- HomeBase III. Photo by Douglas Romines.

BS: Your installations occupy a space between familiarity and fantasy. In your work... you are interested in the journey of discovery and offering pathways for viewers to explore their own reflections and interpretations upon viewing your installations. Can you go into detail about the thoughts behind your work and how you have carried those thoughts into your space at HomeBase III?

AL: In HomeBase III the pathways are even more open than ever. I provided a place full of possibilities, a framework that allows personal experience, a personal narrative-- the viewer and visitor can be creative in his or her own terms quite literally. I am interested in creating a place that has the capacity to crack open a well of associations and allow the viewer to feel, to dream, to fantasize, be irrational, subjective and intuitive.

During the process of viewing, specific or vague personal memories are awakened. The participant is asked to weave his or her own story and sensations, to believe and to wonder. Certain materials, objects, colors and smells (of food and cooking) might trigger these reactions. The actual doing and creating in Home Sweet Home might heighten the experience. After-all, the installation fuses the real and the imagined. It is my hope that it generates an atmosphere of creativity.

Home Sweet Home (detail), Andrea Loefke installation-- HomeBase III. Photo by Adi Shniderman.

BS: Finally, as I know you are rushed for time, is there anything else you would like to say about you work at HomeBase III or about the HomeBase Project in general?

AL: I wish I could take part in the HomeBase Project again but with more time to fully apprehend the potentials of such a project-- the idea of completely experiencing a place and space and its people.

As for the cooking and my "play area": I feel that the work and its visitors have been a gift to me. I have never experienced such true participation. Last Sunday was an unforgettable, and indeed extraordinary, day for me. Home Sweet Home had a magical atmosphere-- a candid and yet "artless" involvement. Thanks to everyone who visited.

You can learn more about Andrea Loefke by visiting her website-- www.andrealoefke.com. You can learn more about the HomeBase Project and HomeBase III by visiting the following site-- www.homebaseproject.com. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin