CONTEMPORARYARTREVIEW Installation • Painting • Mixed media • Drawing • Performance • Public Art • Drawing • Video art • Fine Art Photography Biennial Edition Special Edition Mona Lisa, Mixed Media2 0"x16" a work by Jeny Brill (USA) ZHANG FAN TSVETINA DANEVA MARK NESMITH BO COSFRANZ JO BETH WHARTON CECILIA MARTINEZ ELIZABETH MCCOY JENY BRILL VASILE GHIUTA
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Be that as it may, this catalog or any portion ther eof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without express written permission from Peripheral ARTeries and featured artists.
Peripheral eries CONTEMPORARYARTREVIEW Lives and works in Toronto, Canada Lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA lives and works in Berkeley, California, USA Lives and works in Jersey City, NJ, USA Lives and works in Sacramento, California, USA Lives and works in London, United Kingdom Lives and works in Beaumont, TX, USA Lives and works in New York City, USA Lives and works in Wuhan, China 3 Contents TREVI Special thanks to: Michael Betancourt, Teresa Wells, Jared Schaffer, Jean-Claude Bise, Ashley Cassens, Hildy Maze, Karissa Hahn, Juliana Pepper, Jane Sheiko, Max Savold, Julia Überreiter, Deborah Esses, Margaret Noble, Joseph Goddard, Nathalie Borowski, Marco Visch, Xavier Blondeau, J.D. Doria, Matthias Callay, Luiza Zimerman, Kristina Sereikaite, Scott D'Arcy, Kalli Kalde, Carla Forte, Mathieu Goussin, Evie Zimmer, Dorothee Zombronner, Olga Karyakina, Robert Hamilton, Isabel Becker, Clare Haxby, Carrie Alter, Jessica Bingham, Agnieszka Ewa Braun, Fabian Freese, Elodie Abergel, Ellen van der Schaaf, Courtney Henderson and Francine LeClercq Special Issue 4 28 68 150 Tsvetina Daneva Cecilia Martinez Jeny Brill Vasile Ghiuta
SPECIAL ISSUE 4 Hello Vasile and welcome to Peripheral ARTeries. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production we would like to invite our readers to visit http://www.vasileghiuta.ca in order to get a wide idea about your artistic production and we would start this interview Vasile Ghiuta Peripheral ARTeries meets A Romanian-born painter, Vasile Ghiuta is a self-taught abstract painting artist, living in Toronto, Canada. A university alumnus with a background in chemistry and physics, he has a keen eye for colours, angles and strata, making his artwork interesting, exciting and wondrous. His scientist background helped him understand the structural composition of the colours, and he tried to combine them in such a way to get the best and vibrant outcome. His abstract art works are inspired by human feelings, emotions and thoughts and represent a wealth of knowledge and experience that the artist has acquired over the years. As an avid reader and a passionate traveller, Vasile Ghiuta gained valuable information and guidance from his several trips to the most famous history museums, art museums and art galleries, spread in so many cities over the world: Toronto, Paris, New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Rome, Brussels, Istanbul, Amman, Petra, Jerusalem, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Each of these journeys enhanced his desire to express his own vision about humanity, and paint the colors of this world, as he sees it through his art. He believes that life is a sum of various experiences that carry a large amount of energy which could be transposed through the power of color and specific painting techniques into real life stories.His acrylic on canvas works aim to express this concept, inviting the viewer to take a step forward into the world of self-discovery and reflection.Each of his canvases tells a story, and every story needs to be shared. While Vasile is an abstract painting artist, the essence of his works is extracted from reality: real life, real people, and real emotions. Whether is about joy or sadness, happiness or dismay, victory or defeat, his work is for sure an expression of his vision that life is an amazing journey and only human beings can make it unforgettable. Vasile thinks that art in its diverse forms and shapes gives us the chance to use our creativity and imagination and bring to light the finest, most intricate threads woven together to make the very essence of our souls. It defines us to the tiniest particles of what we have become along this journey. One story can take us back in time, it could be a history lesson that helps understand our roots, remember our fathers and honour their sacrifice; another story could be inspired by the joy in a child’s eyes, making us look to future generations with respect, hope and optimism. From his point of view, as an artist, it is all about life experiences, emotions and evolution. It is all about feelings, thoughts and vibes translated into a language that uses colors to express an idea, to convey a message to humankind. Vasile Ghiuta’s paintings have been exhibited in North America, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Korea and China, by art galleries, museums and some paintings got acquired by private collectors. He got rewards at different international art competitions and also, his works have been featured in several art magazines, such as: “Artascent-International Art & Literature Journal”, Issue 28, December, 2017,California, USA; “Best International Creatives 2017 and 2019”, and “First Masters Edition”- Art Book, 2017 published by “ArtQuench Magazine”, San Francisco, USA; “Circle of Arts Foundation” art magazine “Circle spotlight no 5”, Lyon, France, 2018. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries
Slices of life
7 SPECIAL ISSUE with a couple of introductory questions. As a self-taught abstract painting artist, are there any experiences that did particularly influnce your evolution as an artist and help you to develop your attitude to experiment? Moreover, how does your cultural substratum due to the relationship between your European roots and your current life in Canada direct the trajectory of your current artistic research? Vasile Ghiuta: I was born and raised in Romania, a country with a very rich cultural heritage. I am very proud of the education that I got in my native country, and I am grateful to my teachers and my parents for guiding me throughout my childhood and adolescence. From early stages of my life, I was attracted by art in all its forms. I remember dearly the trips to the art museums, libraries and art galleries where I discovered a world that fascinated me deeply. The emotion generated by watching a beautiful painting was intriguing to me, making me wonder how the artist mixed the colors to obtain such wonderful visual effects? It was not only the feeling of being transported in the world that the painter wanted the viewer to immerse into, but also the colors he used to create a specific atmosphere, or to convey a specific message. As a student at University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry and Physics, I got the chance to work a lot on different projects; generally speaking, the organic and inorganic chemistry labs, and the analytical chemistry classes, in particular, were the ones where we had to combine different chemical substances, observe and interpret the changes that we saw happening during the chemical reactions. It was another process of learning for me, because I could understand not only the mechanism of how the chemical bonds within chemical compounds break down in order to form other compounds, but also it helped me develop my analytical skills, observing and interpreting the outcome of a lab work through the lenses of quantitative and qualitative applied chemistry. Probably, the most interesting moment was to see the process happening before my eyes, when often those chemical reactions were accompanied by a wonderful, amazing change of color. It was such a great experience! And so much fun! After graduation, I worked as a research chemist, but I also dedicated more time to my passion for art. I started to pursue my dream, and I visited the best art museums in Romania and around the world. I read as much as I could the biographies of many famous artists and tried to learn from their struggle and their endeavours. In this regard, I believe that Jackson Pollock influence me the most in my abstract painting efforts. I loved the flow of colors and the majesty of his paintings. In my works, I tried to add layers over layers, where every layer tells a part of a story. In the end, all those layers are like the chapters of a book, each chapter creates the premises to tell the story and all of them together make the entire book, giving it complexity, subtlety and unicity. I am always experimenting and always trying new techniques and different colors. My paintings are vibrant, composed of many Vasile Ghiuta eries Contemporary Art Peripheral agazine
SPECIAL ISSUE 8 agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries layers depending on the story I am trying to bring to light. Living the first 30 years of my life in Europe, could be a reason why I am so indebted to my heritage. Romania is a four - season country, where every 3 months the scenery is different. No one would be bored with the breathtaking landscapes of my native country. This is another source of inspiration for me. I love to be amazed and I love to amaze others by the way I express myself through the means of my art works. When I moved to Canada, in 2003, I discovered another beautiful country, where energy and beauty are abundant. I met here many artists and I made lots of friends with similar interests as me. Living here added more substance to my personality. In Canada, I managed to find my artistic pathway and I am more than happy for this opportunity. The body of works that we have selected for this special edition of Peripheral ARTeries and that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article has at once impressed us for the way you sapiently combined element from reality with captivating abstract sensitiveness, to provide the viewers with such a multilayered visual experience: when walking our readers through your usual workflow and process, we would like to ask you if you think that there is a central idea that connects all your works. Vasile Ghiuta: It is true. You noticed that all my paintings try to “provide the viewer with such a multilayered visual experience”. Even though my works are abstract, all of them are inspired from reality: real people, real events, real emotions. I try in my paintings to give a visual, colourful expression of a feeling or an emotion. In my view, there is neither 100 % unhappiness nor 100% happiness, on the contrary, I believe that our emotions are a mix Resilience
9 SPECIAL ISSUE Vasile Ghiuta eries agazine Contemporary Art Peripheral of feelings, with different degrees and shades of a specific sentiment. Therefore, one can find different layers in my paintings, trying to capture the complexity and the variety of a particular feeling. Even though my paintings may look so different, at a closer look there is something that they have in common: a strong color in a
SPECIAL ISSUE 10 agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries stratified background, exactly how the emotions are. The central idea connecting all my works is the joy: the joy to paint, to live, to be happy, to be merciful and to be hopeful. We like the wy Slices of life displays such a powerful combination between sense of Looking for gold
eries Contemporary Art Peripheral Vasile Ghiuta agazine 11 SPECIAL ISSUE geometry and unique aesthetics: do you conceive you works instinctively or do you methodically elaborate your pieces? In particular, how importance does spontaneity play in your work? Vasile Ghiuta: Indeed, “Slices of Life” is a very powerful painting. My attempt was to express the idea that life is a sum of events and emotions, sometimes positive emotions, while other times less positive, but in the end, this is how life is. And just in the everyday life, in my stories told on canvass, it’s not always black or white; it’s often the nuances that can bring clarity and lead my hand towards the final brushstroke. Inspiration is essential, but spontaneity is the key factor in my works. In “Slices of Life”, I was looking at the past events that had an impact on me, but in the same time, I was tempted to explore the future and dive into an ocean of possibilities and opportunities. Certainly, spontaneity is the surprising element and plays an important role in my paintings. Before I start a new piece of work, I have a general idea of what I want to paint, but during the process I discover new avenues for my approach and the outcome is always different than the starting point. I lose myself in the creative moment, guided by an unseen hand, feeling the energy, and in the end, I enjoy that emulating sensation of indescribable bliss knowing that I reached my goal for that particular painting. Being happy for one work, lays the foundation for the next one. I get excited, encouraged and rejuvenated by every work I do. That’s my fountain of youth, that’s my resource that keeps me going. As you have remarked once, your artistic credo is simple: “Life is the most exciting journey that everyone would love to remember”: how do you consider the role of memory playing within your artistic
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SPECIAL ISSUE 14 research? And how does everyday life's experience fuel your creative process? Vasile Ghiuta: This question requires a more elaborate answer. The past is the only thing that we cannot change. The past is the only history book that everyone knows it by heart because everyone is the main character in this book. Every living soul in this world is unique, and each and every one of us has something to remember about his or her life. The past is a agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries Snowing in the city
series of events that happened to us from birth to present day. A retrospective look into the past is often beneficial to each of us, because it keeps us grounded and in touch with reality. A big tree has strong roots. And so does any human being. We can learn from the nature so many things, as we can also learn from each other, as well. What makes the difference though is the will power to go back to your past, and the ability to look back with a smile. Memories, whether they are good or bad, are snapshots of our eries Contemporary Art Peripheral Vasile Ghiuta agazine 15 SPECIAL ISSUE Playground
previous experiences. The good ones make us candid, sweet, kind and happy, of course. The bad ones are the ones that we should filter and review with more wisdom and lucidity. Because if we don’t, we will find ourselves hanging on the negative waves, hampering us from moving on. And that is what harms us the most in life: the inability of moving on, getting stuck in the past instead of continuing the journey. The emotional intelligence is a gift that we should not forget to take advantage of agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries A drop in the ocean SPECIAL ISSUE 16
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throughout our life. With so much uncertainty nowadays, at least one thing is clear and certain: our past. Everyone owns his past, but not everyone is aware of it. Every moment of joy or sadness, every success or failure, every good day or bad day in our life refines every individual, changes the personality, for better or for worse, depending on how that person reacts to everyday challenges. My philosophy in life is that if the world gives you nothing, then you have to make sure that you give back everything; the world does not control your life, you are solely the one in charge with how you live your life: what you do, what you say, what you think. That is your responsibility. And if you make your mission to create a better world starting within yourself, then half of the work is done. If your input is positive, generous and genuine then it is more likely that you are on the right track in life. If you remember every day to live gracefully, to keep your feet down on earth and your head cool, you will be fine. Paradoxically, simple things make life interesting. People have an absurd tendency to complicate life, but that is just a recipe for disaster. What comes naturally into your way, what happens effortlessly, and then this is what you should appreciate more and embrace with gratitude and with all your heart. It is true, sometimes we are pushed into the wrong direction, and we strive to accomplish a mission that is not ours. And that is when we struggle, madly driven by ambition, greed, impatience, frivolity, desire or rush. And that is when we stumble and lose balance in our life. That is the moment when we make the wrong decisions that will follow us like a shadow later in life. And in the end, what are we left with? A retrospective look at what we have done throughout this intriguing, unique journey. Memories become our best assets. Stories, people, me, you, trees, rivers, the ocean, the sky, stars, love, defeat, illness, death, cry, smile, laughter, gun, war, flowers, children, mom, wife, friends, enemies, peace. This is life. For many of us, this is the past, for others it is the future. No one knows how life unfolds from the beginning to the end, but everyone should keep one thing in mind: life is short, and you have to make the best of it. Give the world the best of you, so that you will enjoy this amazing journey that life is! Now, all of this is reflected in my paintings. I tried to give a visual expression of whole panoply of energies that make people feel, think or react in a certain way in response to something that happened to them, or it happened in their micro-universe. Even though my works are abstract, my sources of inspiration are rooted in real life experiences. I have a keen eye for detail, for analysis and synthesis, and therefore, my interest in understanding the psychological impact that one event can have on people. I observe their reaction to it and then I try to my best ability to transpose those feelings onto canvass. It is not always easy to capture that exact feeling and release it in the most accurate way in my painting, but I am always consumed by this passion, and I never get tired of trying to reach the best of me for each of my artworks. eries Contemporary Art Peripheral Vasile Ghiuta agazine 19 SPECIAL ISSUE
Often marked out with vivacious tones, as the interesting Playground, you artworks also feature thoughtful nuances, and we really appreciate the way Snowing in the city shows that intense tones are not indespensable in order to create tension and dynamics: how does your own psychological make-up determine the nuances of tones that you decide to include in a specific artwork in order to achieve such brilliant results? Vasile Ghiuta: Indeed, those two artworks of mine, “Playground” and “Snowing in the city” are so different in terms of artistic message, techniques and colors. “Playground” is a complex work, elaborated on two distinct structures: on one hand, it represents the joy of being a child. As a child, all what you want is to grow up and be an adult. At that age, we don’t realize the beauty and the innocence of childhood. On the other hand, it brings up to light the nostalgia that lingers in our souls as adults for all those years of boyhood, and the longing for a time when everything was easy, simple and fun. In order to express this dramatic effect, in “Playground”, I used strong colors, brushes and painting knife to obtain the most accurate visual effect on canvass which would reflect the candour and the purity of my own childhood. I remember myself as a happy child willing to play, but also eager to be a grown up, just like my mom and dad. This painting is related to memories very dear to me when I lived carefree, playing with my brother and my friends, and yet aspiring to grow up faster, and be a man, just like my dad. It is a story of a happy boy whose life revolves around his toys, but who is also curious about what it is like to be an adult. SPECIAL ISSUE 20 agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries
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By contrast, in “Snowing in the city”, I used pale colors, darker tones, so that I could capture the melancholic mood. It is a work made with a softer knife, because the message was totally different than in “Playground”. The message of “Snowing in the city” was to express the cleansing process from tired feelings or bad emotions. Snowing was like a purifying process. For the snow, I used shades of light gray, brushed not in a linear way, from top to bottom, but in circles with ups and downs, to show the intensity of this process. To recover after a bad experience in life you need the strength to reset yourself. But in order to be able to move on, you need to go through introspection, self-discovery and be resilient. The purging process is probably one of the hardest lessons we all have to understand in life, but it is worth of trying it because it may reveal details about ourselves, helping us understand who we really are and where are we heading to. Marked out with such unique visual identity, your artworks feature such an oniric atmosphere and deeply struck us for the way they incite the viewer to make new personal associations. Austrian Art historian Ernst Gombrich once remarked the importance of providing a space for the viewers to project onto, so that they can actively participate in the creation of the illusion: how important is for you to trigger the viewers' imagination in order to address them to elaborate personal interpretations? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Vasile Ghiuta: From my standpoint, as an artist, it is all about life experiences, emotions and evolution. My stories on canvass talk about feelings, thoughts and vibes translated Vasile Ghiuta eries agazine Contemporary Art Peripheral 23 SPECIAL ISSUE
SPECIAL ISSUE 24 agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries into a language that uses colors to express an idea, to convey a message to the humankind. It is very important to me if the viewer can relate to my art. I want to spark his or her imagination, to create an emotion in everyone’s soul who comes to the gallery and looks at my artworks. I want him or her to be an active part of the artistic process. If the viewer does not make a connection with my painting, it means that I failed. That feedback plays a crucial role for my artistic endeavours, it is essential for me to have a reaction from my public. That’s what gives me strength, confidence and keeps me motivated. It doesn’t matter if the art lovers like or dislike my works, it is whether I made them feel an emotion, if I conveyed the message to them, or not. This is my only concern, and I try not to fail in accomplishing this artistic goal. The essence of your works is extracted from reality: real life, real people, and real emotions, and often relates to the realm of memory, as the interesting Childhood grove. We really appreciate the way your artistic production invites the viewers to explore the point of convergence between reality and abstraction, to challenge the viewers to explore realms of the imagination, how do you consider the relationship between the real and the imagined playing within your artistic research? Vasile Ghiuta: Childhood grove” is another painting of mine that is very dear to me. Compared to “Playground”, this is a fluid painting; I used more of liquid acrylic paints to express the joy of playing games and all the fun of the childhood. It is an abstract painting, but its theme is based on the happy experiences lived long time ago, but still very vivid in my mind. In this painting, there is a fine line that delineates the relationship between the real and the imagined life, as opposed to the “Playground”, which is a more sophisticated, abstract painting. In “Childhood grove”, on purpose, I tried to make everything simple, fluid, not layered, just to put emphasis on the real joy of being a kid, playing around, and having nothing to worry about. Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco once stated, "the artists' role differs depending on which sociopolitical system they are living in.' As an artist particularly interested in different cultures and ethnicities rather than the concept of mere beauty, do you think that your artistic research responds to a particular cultural moment? Moreover, how do you consider the role of artists in our media driven contemporary age? Vasile Ghiuta: In this regard, I consider myself very lucky because I have a big advantage. I live in Canada and I have a European cultural background, so for me it was easy to blend the two art streams in my works. There are differences between these two systems, in terms of concept and artistic expression. In the same time, we live in a global world, so we all have access to information and knowledge thanks to the new technology, so it is easier to stay current with what is happening in the world, at any given time. Just recently, I tackled new ideas, trying to incorporate in my art works some Arabic and Jewish elements. I have an open mind and an avid eye for reading and knowing what’s new in the art zone worldwide. There is no wonder why I spent a lot of time doing my research online, participating to different events and being involved in many ways in art projects. For instance, during my trips to
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SPECIAL ISSUE eries agazine Contemporary Art Peripheral 27 Vasile Ghiuta UAE, Israel, Jordan and Oman I got the chance to discover a new art which fascinates me. I have the “Childhood grove” painting on permanent exhibition at an art gallery in Dubai, and I keep in touch with many artists and art lovers from the Middle East region. That makes me feel that I belong to a much larger community where art has no borders. Art unites people from all the walks of life and with different cultural backgrounds. And the media makes nowadays everything to be easier and faster in terms of communications and staying in the know. It is a benefit that we all are grateful for. Over the years your artworks have been exhibited in several countries, including North America, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Korea and China: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? Moreover, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to the online realm increases: how do you consider the role of emerging online technosphere — and platforms as Instagram — in creating new links between artists and worldwide audience? Vasile Ghiuta: My relationship with my audience is a very honest one. When people come to the exhibitions to see me my art works, I ask them for a feedback. Their opinion is very important to me, whether is favourable or not. I like the praises of course, but I pay attention to criticism, and that’s how they become, without even knowing it, a part of my creative process. I love to have my paintings displayed in art galleries. Now, more and more exhibitions are online which is also extremely good for both sides, the artists and the audience, as well. The more exposure you have as an artist, the better for your work. In my view, the online galleries will never replace the traditional ones. They should not be perceived as a threat to the “in house” art galleries. They just complement each other, and it is beneficial for everybody. Instagram, Facebook and other platforms bring together artists and their audience, promote and advertise new events, create the premises for a new art show, so, all in all, it is great to be able to address to a larger public. Speaking from my own experience, if I didn’t have this chance to have access to the online platforms, my works would still be unknown in countries like China or Korea. We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Vasile. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future? Vasile Ghiuta: I would like to thank you for the opportunity to present myself to the art lovers all over the world and for that I am very grateful to you. Curently I am creating some artworks for diferent art shows in Toronto this summer, also i was aked to be part of jury for diferent competitions in Ontario. I am preparing some pieces for UAE and I hope I will deliver them personaly at the end of this year, and also I am working on a book about my art.
SPECIAL ISSUE 24 Hello Jeny and welcome to Peripheral ARTeries. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production and we would like to invite our readers to visit https://www.jenybrill.com in order to get a wide idea about your artistic production, and we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your multifaceted background. You have a solid formal training and after having earned your B.S. in Fine Art from the Skidmore College, you nurtured your education with a MEd. Jeny Brill Lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Peripheral ARTeries meets One of my earliest memories is making sculptures in the sand with plaster. I was very young and my neighbor was studying to be an art teacher. Where I grew up I was constantly surrounded by nature. The change of seasons were marked, in my mind, by the color of the sunlight, the hues of blue in the ocean, and the evolution of foliage. I have long been attracted to mixed media art. The use of materials out of context combined with textures and color are chosen to create an element of surprise. My studio is filled with containers of fabric, papers, wires, ribbons, sequins, jewels and broken pieces of toys, computers and jewelry. This is the pallet I pull from as I construct an environment. About 20 years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I was struck by an overwhelming “need” to make very feminine art. This is where my mermaids came from. I have never been attracted to the commercialized images of mermaids. Rather, I am drawn to those from different cultures and ethnicities where their uniqueness is more important than their beauty. From there I began to collect books on women role models. My work is an unique assortment of women who’s voices bare listening to. The composition, texture and colors of each environment is intended to not only define the woman but welcome the viewer into her space. The boxes that contain each environment define the limitation of each women’s influence. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries
27 SPECIAL ISSUE that you receive from Xavier University: how did those formative years influence your evolution as an artist? In particular, how does your cultural substratum as well as your early life in Cape Cod where you were constantly surrounded by nature, direct the trajectory of your current artistic research? First of all thank you for the opportunity to be a part of Peripheral ARTeries I’m honored by your interest in my work. One of my earliest memories is making art on Cape Cod when I was 4 years old. My neighbor was studying to be an art teacher and took me under her wing. We went to the beach to make impressions in the sand and then poured plaster into them to create sculptures. We also did drawing and painting together. I was inspired by her work which was very detailed pen and ink drawings painted with water color. Over the years I also took several formal painting classes. All of this experience happened during my summers on the Cape up until I was nine years old so I never really thought about being anything other than an artist. Growing up on the Cape I was constantly outside exploring. My imagination would create little rooms amongst the over grown cranberry bushes. The jetty on the beach became a whole house. Each rock’s shape would define what room it was. The colors in the sky on the Cape always attracted my attention. I was distinctly aware of the change in the color of the light as the months and seasons changed. I chose to attend Skidmore college because it had the best art program in a liberal arts school. Having grown up in a small town I wasn’t ready to go to a city and study at an art school. My freshman year I took an experimental painting class with David Miller. That was where I learned I was a painter. I was always moved by the abstract more than the classical art. I painted on large canvases that were bigger than me and I painted with my hands, brushes, rope, anything that would give me the texture that I was looking for. I also added texture in my painting with a variety of objects. This was the beginning of my exploration into mixed media. Texture and color have navigated my work from the beginning and I attribute that to having grown up in an environment that was filled with texture, color and the freedom to explore. Jeny Brill eries Contemporary Art Peripheral agazine
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31 SPECIAL ISSUE Jeny Brill eries agazine Contemporary Art Peripheral The body of works that we have selected for this special edition of Peripheral ARTeries and that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article has at once captured our attention for the way you sapiently combined figurative with abstract, to explore the theme of women's identity. We have particularly appreciated the vibrancy of thoughtful nuances that mark out your artworks, and we like the way they create tension and dynamics: how did you come about settling on your color palette? And how does your own psychological make-up determine the nuances of tones that you decide to include in a specific artwork? This recent work is extremely meaningful to me. I was raised by my mother and grandmother who were very intense, independent, strong women. My grandmother got me my first job, at a B&B, when I was nine and made me save every penny so that when I was in high school I could begin to travel. I studied Georgia O’Keeffe’s life and was inspired by her strength, passion and independence. Lady Diana was another woman who spoke to me as a strong and brave woman who didn’t need to raise her voice to be heard. So the current political climate makes me very motivated to restore some sort of balance by thoughtfully examining the role that women have played in our past and present. Some of the subjects come to me right away. Some I researched. As I research each woman I begin to “feel” color and texture that relates to her essence. I think in color and so it is a very intuitive process. Your artworks often display such a coherent combination between sense of freedom and unique aesthetics. New York City based artist Lydia Dona once stated that in order to make art today one has to reevaluate the conceptual language behind the mechanism of art making itself: do you create your works gesturally, instinctively? Or do you methodically transpose geometric schemes? In particular, how importance does spontaneity play in your daily routine? Using your language, spontaneity and instinct are the big players in my process. Once I have researched the woman I want to use in my work I look at many images of her for inspiration. I also look to find a “head shot” that reflects the energy I want to reflect in the space I create for her. Then I get to work in my studio. My studio is filled
SPECIAL ISSUE 32 agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries with papers, fabric, ribbons, and a lot of “stuff”. Each woman has a color scheme already in my mind and I select materials that will
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eries Contemporary Art Peripheral Jeny Brill agazine 35 SPECIAL ISSUE enable me to create that environment for her. This part of the process is instinctual. The part of the process where I find myself being spontaneous is when I get to a point where things almost click. I then pull away from the piece I’m working on and look around my studio. Sometimes it happens immediately that I spot a material or a paper that will make the piece click. Sometimes there are moments where I step back and reevaluate whether what I created matched my intention. Sometimes it takes days to find just the right thing. You often use materials out of context, that you sapiently combine with textures and color to create an element of surprise. As you have remarked in your artist's statement, your studio is filled with containers of fabric, papers, wires, ribbons, sequins, jewels and broken pieces of toys, computers and jewelry. Photographer and sculptor Zoe Leonard once stated, "the objects that we leave behind hold the marks and the sign of our use: like archeological findings, they reveal so much about us". We’d love to ask you about the qualities of the materials that you include in your artworks: as an how do you select them and what does you direct to combine found materials? I love using materials out of context! When I’m able to achieve the environment I’m looking for by using materials out of context it feels like a conquest. As if the menagerie of materials I have in my studio are challenging me to be successful. I am constantly saving pieces of things from computer or watch pieces to parts of old jewelry, packaging from fruit, and anything that glitters. There are random materials that I have kept for decades. Random objects draw me in to find their place in context with my art. For example, when I made the Michelle Obama piece I wanted her to have a watch but it didn’t feel right to paint it. So I looked around my studio. I have a little dish with dismembered computer pieces and found one small enough to work as a watch face. Mona Lisa has a shawl made from the plastic webbing the limes come in. It is sort of a mind set. In order to “use” materials out of context you need to be able to “see” materials out of context in every day living. Your mermaids come from your need to create very feminine art, that struck you when you were pregnant with your daughter. As one the most recognized pioneer of feminist art, Italian painter
SPECIAL ISSUE 36 Artemisia Gentileschi, your characters not fall prey to the emotional prettification of a beloved subject. In this sense, your artistic production is a genuine tribute to the issue of women's identity in our globalised still patriarchal and male oriented societies. How do you consider the role of women artists in our age? Do you think that your being a woman provides your artistic research with some special value? I don’t see that art is an obligation to fulfill for the public. What bother’s me is that there are times when women’s art isn’t taken as seriously. Especially if it is art that might make you uncomfortable. Twenty years ago, when I started using mermaids in my art, they were not as popular as they are today. Yet the mermaids that are common today are almost always caucasian with big boobs and a tiny waist. They’re seen as a form of decoration. It makes me a little uncomfortable seeing how commercialized the image of a mermaid has become. I say this as I look at the wall in front of me and it is filled with mermaids from all over the world. They are made from resources that are common to their culture. Some represent the spiritual beliefs of their culture. None of them are made to be agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries
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pretty but all of them are beautiful. They have an intention that seems so honest to me and that is what motivates me to use the mermaid tales in my work. I want to honor these women and the mermaid tales represents the Goddess I believe all women have within them that makes them so strong. It's important to remark the allegorical quality of your artworks: more specifically, the boxes that contain each environment define the limitation of each women’s influence. How would you consider the role of symbols and metaphors playing within your artistic research? The boxes that are used to create the environments play many roles. They define a limit but not an end. The box may contain a women role model but it only captures an essence of the person. As if you were looking at a photo. That’s why each environment has a quote from that person. There is also a frame within the box. The frames let us know what is important. Each box holds a voice inside that needs to be heard. There are many details within each environment that symbolize elements of the women depicted. Marked out with such unique asthetics, your artworks deeply struck us for the way they incite the viewer to make new personal associations. Austrian Art historian Ernst Gombrich once remarked the importance of providing a space for the viewers to project onto, so that they can actively participate in the creation of the illusion: how important is for you to trigger the viewers' imagination in order to address them to elaborate personal interpretations? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Providing a space is what it is all about. My work asks the viewer to think and reflect which requires you to use your imagination. The quotes I include in each piece is to help the viewer appreciate the role each woman played in our world past or present. Any time you communicate there is a giving and receiving of information otherwise it is just telling someone. The viewer plays an essential role in the life of my work. Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco once stated, "the artists' role differs depending on which sociopolitical system they are living in.' As an artist particularly interested in different eries Contemporary Art Peripheral Jeny Brill agazine 39 SPECIAL ISSUE
SPECIAL ISSUE 40 cultures and ethnicities rather than the concept of mere beauty, do you think that your artistic research responds to a particular cultural moment? Moreover, how do you consider the role of artists in our media driven contemporary age? It is hard to not want to respond to the present sociopolitical culture in my country. That has been a catalyst and motivation for me. But I can’t just park myself there. The world is a big place and it is important to me to look beyond my culture for inspiration. agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries
41 SPECIAL ISSUE eries Contemporary Art Peripheral Jeny Brill agazine There are women all over the world, past and present, who have voices that need to be heard. I don’t just want to represent the ones that are well known. I also want to represent women that many don’t know like Mo’ne Davis and Temple Grandin. Art has an important role in society especially in our media driven societies. Most of the media requires you to be passive and take it all in while art requires you to go to it. When you seek out art you are not being passive. Art asks you to question and
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Jeny Brill eries agazine Contemporary Art Peripheral 43 SPECIAL ISSUE contemplate, meditate and communicate across cultures, ethnicities, and political views. How do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? And what do you hope your audience take away from your artworks? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to online platforms increases — as Instagram — how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? The hardest part of making art for me is how solitary it can be. I have always been around a lot of musicians and they perform their art to the public and get immediate feedback from their audience. Whereas, a studio artist makes art, hopes it gets seen, and maybe gets feedback. My art breathes when it has an audience. I have great respect for my audience because they are an important part of my art. Without an audience then I am only talking to myself. All that I ask from my audience is that you listen. Listen to my work with your eyes and think about it. Platforms, like Instagram, are amazing. I have connected with artists from all over the world. They enable me to immediately see what other artists are doing and communicate with them. That said, with the ability to access so much art I find it important to keep myself in check and not loose my focus. We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Jeny. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future? Thank you. I truly appreciate your interest. In addition to the women role models I have two other projects I am working on. One I call the Barbie Project. These are also in boxes but much smaller and I hope to be able to use in an installation that looks at women’s roles in the 60’s and women’s roles today. How have they changed and how have they stayed the same. Sometimes I also just want to paint so I have begun a series of landscape paintings on wood. As many can relate there are more ideas than time. I am extremely grateful for the ability and opportunity to make art. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected]
SPECIAL ISSUE 48 Hello Beth and welcome to Peripheral ARTeries. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic and we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your multifaceted background. You have a solid formal training and you studied Architecture and Design in New York City at Barnard College: how did those formative years influence your evolution as an artist? In particular, how does the relationship between your cultural substratum due to your experience as a Peace Elizabeth McCoy Lives and works in Berkeley, California, USA Peripheral ARTeries meets Beth of Lenabethe Media & Design has spent the last 35 years exploring the disparate elements of design through various media and techniques. These have included painting, printmaking, collage, paper, photography, fabric, glass, ceramics, beads, sculpture, wood, food, and anything else that can be used or tried. Her work has been shown both nationally and internationally. An avid photographer and traveler, textures, patterns and images from around the world are often a part of Beth’s creative process. Beth came to art quite naturally as a child and was constantly doing some sort of project in her room or at an art class. She never played with her doll house but rather constantly redesigned the walls and furniture arrangements. She frequently got art supplies as gifts and used them up quickly. Her room at home was like an art studio; there was always something in process in there. She was allowed to spread out and keep projects going for as long as she wanted. She was very lucky in that no one ever told her to clean up or put things away, so she was able to work and rework things until she was done with them, or they were done with her (which is closer to what typically happens). In middle and high school she designed and sold beaded jewelry at craft fairs and a local Berkeley shop called the “Artifactory”. Studying design in college was an obvious fit. While studying architecture and design in New York City at Barnard College, the basic design courses always started with the elements of design and the advanced ones always used those basic elements as a frame of reference. Every time Beth has explored a new medium or technique, she has always started with the basic elements of design as a way of exercising her design muscles in a new creative direction. It’s like warming up before you exercise. For Beth, art has often created an escape from the world, but also, as often, a vehicle for exploring feelings about the vast and sorrowful issues that plague the world. Beth served as a Peace Corps volunteer and came back frankly appalled at the amount of garbage we generate in the US. Beth has sought to incorporate junk yard reusables and everyday recyclables in her artwork, sometimes through a photograph of the objects or the things themselves. She has found using junk and thrift finds an escape from and a temporal solution to the vast throw away culture around her. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries
SPECIAL ISSUE 50 agazine Special Edition Contemporary Art Peripheral eries Pledges to an ailing planet