Yeti Yeji Yun - between illustrations and memory collection

- Can you tell us something about yourself? When did you discover your passion for illustration?

I'm an illustrator born in Seoul, South Korea and live and work in London at the moment. I also describe my self as a memory collector, who wanders around the world to find wonders. When I think back, doing illustration happened to me quite naturally. I remember I started to draw and paint things from when I was 5 years old or perhaps before that. I've always liked doodling something on any papers and making little thing for friends. Also people have asked me to make some images for various reasons so I happily did that. Now they call me as an illustrator so here I am.

- How do you create your works?

Most of my work are based on hand drawn images and collected vintage sauces. What I mostly do for creating images is conjoining all those images in Photoshop with lots of layers and make them into one final. I also enjoy using old fashioned methods such as silk screen, etching, and collage.

- What are your main sources of inspirations?

'Memory is the space of time' This is the main theme of my world. I like exploring emotions and imagination. Anything has the feeling of Nostalgia also inspires me to create something.

- What is your prefer artist? Why?

I like the artists who create something that beautifully moves me regardless of what art field she or he's belong to. There are a lot of my favorites so it's hard to mention just few of them here. hmm. However now I'll try to give some examples. Right now I have an artist book called "not in fashion" by Mark Borthwick besides me, I love this. and on the wall of my desk, I put some of film frame images of Jonas Mekas. I like something poetic and romantic. Also I see Henry Darger and Saul Steinberg's postcard on the wall. I admire their bizarreness and wittiness.

- Ci puoi raccontare qualcosa su di te? Quando hai scoperto la tua passione per le illustrazioni?

Sono un’illustratrice nata a Seoul, Corea del Sud, che vive e lavora a Londra al momento. Mi descrivo anche come una collezionista di memorie, che si pone domande sul mondo per scoprire meraviglie. Se penso al passato, fare l’illustratrice è successa come cosa del tutto naturale. Mi ricordo che ho iniziato a disegnare e dipingere oggetti a cinque anni o forse anche prima. Mi è sempre piaciuto scarabocchiare sulla carta e fare piccole cose per gli amici. A volte le persone mi hanno chiesto di fare delle cose per i loro amici e io le ho fatte volentieri. Oggi mi chiamano come illustratrice, ed eccomi qui.

-Come crei I tuoi lavori?

La maggior parte dei miei lavori sono basati su immagini create a mano e immagini vintage. Io le unisco su photoshop con più livelli, e alla fine li uniscono in un unico finale. Mi piace anche usare metodi più vecchi come le serigrafie, l’acquaforte e collage.

-Quali sono le tue principali fonti d’ispirazione?

“La memoria è lo spazio del tempo” Questo è il tema principale del mio lavoro. Mi piace esplorare le emozioni e l’immaginazione. Tutto ciò che ha un senso di Nostalgia mi ispira a creare qualcosa.

-Qual’è il tuo artista preferito? Perchè?

Mi piacciono gli artisti che creano qualcosa di bello capace di smuovermi, senza tenere conto del campo d’arte da cui l’artista proviene. Ce ne sono molti che mi piacciono quindi mi risulta difficile nominarne solo alcuni. Cercherò di fare alcuni esempi. Proprio ora ho qui un libro d’arte chiamato “not in fashion” di Mark Borthwick, che amo molto. E sulle pareti accanto alla scrivania ho messo alcune immagini dei film di Jonas Mekas. Mi piacciono le cose poetiche e romantiche. Sempre sulle pareti ho cartoline di Henry Darger e Saul Steinberg. Mi piacciono la loro bizzarria e uomrismo.

For further information see also http://www.seeouterspace.com/ .

All the images posted here are by Yeti Yeji Yun.

Berend Strik - Embroidering photographs

Good morning everyone! Today I want to talk about Berend Strik, this artist attracts my attention for a particular technique he use for his works. He is a visual artist, who works with different media, photos, video and cinema. From the end of the 80s he started to modify photographs with the use of fabrics, embroidering or applying them on the photo. He creates more layers on the same image and a new reality, which doesn’t exist in the original photo. Usually he starts from a black and white shot, which she livens up through the use of colorful fabric. At the beginning the images came from family album, after Berend started using self made shot of people, architecture, and countryside.

Buongiorno a tutti! Oggi vi vorrei parlare di Berend Strik, questo artista mi ha particolarmente colpito per la tecnica che usa ne suoi lavori. É un artista di arti visive, che lavora con mezzi differenti, fotografia, video, cinema. Dalla fine degli anni Ottanta ha iniziato a modificare le fotografie con l’uso di tessuti, ricamandoli o applicandoli sopra l’immagine. Così facendo crea più strati sulla stessa immagine e una nuova realtà, che prima non esisteva. All’inizio l’immagine veniva presa da un album di famiglia, dopo Berend ha iniziato a usare fotografie scattate da lui, di persone, architettura e paesaggi.

For further information see also http://www.berendstrik.nl/ .
All the images posted here are Berend Strik’s works.
 
 

Denise Schatz - Collaborative art and artist books

drawing from book of houseplants (graphite)

drawing from i thought of you (graphite)

drawing from book of houseplants (graphite)

drawing from book of rocks (graphite and collage)

- Can you tell us something about yourself?

I grew up in Los Angeles, Ca. but I currently live and work in Brooklyn, NY. I make drawings and I take photographs. In 2007, I founded the small press Miniature Garden which publishes collaborative artist books and posters. Projects have included contributions from Ariel Dill, Miya Osaki, Jamie Stewart, Claudia Peña Salinas, Lucky Dragons, David Horvitz, Robin Cameron, Patricia Valencia, Chris Newmyer and Jennilee Marigomen, among many other artists. I enjoy collaborating on projects with friends and artists I admire. I find the intimacy and accessibility of a book format appealing.

- When did you discover your passion for art?

I have always been inspired by the small things around me - houseplants, bowls made of wood, rock collections, old books and records, my mother's rhinestone bracelets, bobby pins...or things I have discovered in thrift stores and found on the street. I make drawings and take photographs of these objects. It is a habitual archive.

- What are your main sources of inspirations?

I love books. At the moment, I especially love books printed in the 1970's. I like the design, the dusty smell of the pages, the faded colors.

- What do you want to transmit with your works?

I am interested in memory, chance, and habit. I like to work collaboratively. I think the surprise and challenge of working with other people, getting outside my own head, transmits a very different energy then when I work alone. The solitude of working in the studio is necessary and enjoyable, but I find that the ideas that come when working with other people are far more conducive to experimentation and relevance.

- How do you create your projects?

Very slowly. Then fast when a deadline suddenly approaches!

- Ci puoi raccontare qualcosa su di te?

Sono cresciuta a Los Angeles, Ca, ma adesso vivo a Brooklyn, NY. Disegno e fotografo. Nel 2007, ho fondato un piccolo giornale chiamato “Miniature Garden” che pubblica libri e poster di artisti. Il progetto ha incluso collaborazioni con Ariel Dill, Miya Osaki, Jamie Stewart, Claudia Peña Salinas, Lucky Dragons, David Horvitz, Robin Cameron, Patricia Valencia, Chris Newmyer e Jennilee Marigomen tra I tanti artisti. Mi piace collaborare con amici e artisti che ammiro. Trovo molto accattivante il formato del libro per la sua intimità e acccessibilità.

-Quando hai scoperto la tua passione per l’arte?

Sono sempre stata ispirata dalle piccole cose che mi circondano, le piante di casa, bocce di legno, collezioni di minerali, vecchi libri o cassette, il braccialetto di strass di mia madre... o cose trovate in negozi dell’usato o per strada. Faccio disegni o fotografo queste cose, è un archivio abituale.

- Quali sono le tue principali fonti d’ispirazione?

Amo i libri. In questo periodo mi piacciono soprattutto i libri stampati negli anni 70. In particolare il design, l’odore sporco delle pagine e i colori sbiaditi.

- Cosa vuoi comunicare attraverso I tuoi lavori?

Sono interessata alla memoria, al cambiamento, alle abitudini. Mi piace lavorare in modo collaborativo. Penso che la sorpresa e la sfida di lavorare con alter persone trasmetta un’energia molto diversa rispetto a quando lavoro da sola. La solitudine quando lavoro in studio è necessaria e piacevole, ma trovo che le idée che nascono dal lavoro in gruppo conducano più spesso alla sperimentazione.

- Come crei I tuoi progetti?

Molto piano fino a quando non si avvicina la scadenza, allora mi velocizzo.

For further information see also http://www.deniseschatz.net/ .
All the images posted here are Denise Schatz’ works.

image from books + records (with Chris Newmyer)

image from the unsolved problems (with Casey Cook)

image from book of rocks (with Ariel Dill and Miya Osaki)

image from book of houseplants (with Ariel Dill and Miya Osaki)

SCREAM - Ed Pien and Samonie Toonoo

Hi, everyone! I talked about Ed Pien some articles ago. Today the artist wrote to me and gave me this press release of his new exhibition in Toronto, Canada. For who will be there, enjoy it :-).

Ciao a tutti! Ho parlato di Ed Pien alcuni articoli fa. Oggi questo artista mi ha scritto e dato il comunicato stampa della sua mostra a Toronto, in Canada. Per quelli che passeranno da questa città, buona mostra :-).

The Justina M. Barnicke Gallery presents:

Scream

Ed Pien and Samonie Toonoo

Curated by Nancy Campbell

June 10 - August 21, 2010 Opening: Thursday, June 10, 6:00 to 8:00 pm

IMAGE CREDITS (Left to Right): Samonie Toonoo, Skull, 2008. Courtesy Feheley Fine Arts. Ed Pien, After the Meal, 1999. Courtesy Birch Libralato Gallery.

Edvard Munch’s well-known—and much written about— painting, The Scream, was created in 1893, and is widely considered to represent the universal anxiety of modern man. It depicts a screaming figure with a skull-like face, who appears to be in the throes of an unknown emotional crisis. This image is now one of the most familiar in art history, having been adapted and reused in the popular arts in a myriad of ways. Undoubtedly, our continued fascination with The Scream reflects the universality of anxiety in contemporary life. The exhibition Scream explores this ongoing fascination through the work of Ed Pien and Samonie Toonoo.

Samonie Toonoo, an artist from the remote community of Cape Dorset, Baffin Island, has likely not seen The Scream or heard of Ed Pien. However, although it is a stretch to compare Inuit soapstone sculpture to contemporary drawing, let alone late-nineteenth-century Symbolist painting, the similarities between the two artists's interests are striking. Toonoo was born in 1969. He has been carving for a number of years and his art typically represents transformation scenes drawn from Inuit folklore and nature. In an interview Toonoo describes his sculptures as a release of the “stuff in his head”; hence their sometimes cryptic and often frightening quality. His most recent body of work is highly personal, seeming to reflect the different aspects of his life. Like his contemporaries, Toonoo has broken out of the prescribed expectations of Inuit art, forging a new vocabulary to interpret and represent the world.

Established Toronto-based artist Ed Pien was born on the other side of the world in Taiwan in 1958 and immigrated to Canada when he was eleven. Pien’s ghosts of Taiwanese folklore and his representations of western Hell also play to the anxieties of contemporary life. Pien has continued to make use of a quick and prolific mode of drawing he developed, sometimes assembling multiple drawings into composite works or employing the wet ink as a mono-print to start a new image. These drawings, some taking three minutes, others intricately constructed over time, are immediate and intuitive, exploring primal fears and otherness.

The exhibition Scream: Ed Pien and Samonie Toonoo follows last summer's critically acclaimed exhibition Noise Ghost: Shary Boyle and Shuvinai Asoona, continuing curator Nancy Campbell's interests in spinning the expectation of Inuit art by positioning the work alongside contemporary work from the south.

Justina M. Barnicke Gallery
Hart House, University of Toronto
7 Hart House Circle
Toronto, ON M5S 3H3
Tel: 416-978-8398



Summer Gallery Hours:
Monday to Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Please note: The Justina M. Barnicke Gallery will be closed from Thursday June 24 - Monday June 28.

The Gallery is wheelchair accessible
The Gallery is closed on statutory holidays

http://www.jmbgallery.ca/

There are also two press reviews:
http://www.steelbananas.com/2010/06/scream-but-hold-the-universal-angst-of-m
odern-man/    
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/whatson/article/823983--pien-toonoo-show-at-barnicke-a-real-scream

Ruth van Beek - Collage and surrealist effect

Hi everyone! Today artisti is Ruth van Beek, born in 1977 graduated in 2002 at Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam following a Master in Photography. Nowadays she lives and works in Koog aan de Zaan. Ruth collects random snapshots, passport photos, slides and albums and cuts pictures from newspapers and old books. By folding, cutting and combining the material she gives the images a new meaning, creating a hybrid which intertwines photography and drawing. In reconstructions she offers a whole range of images in which dancers fight, double portraits overlap, faces disappear, flowers morph into space-ships and wrecks are transformed into carcasses of extinct machines.

Ciao a tutti! L’artista di oggi è Ruth van Beek, nata nel 1977 e laureata alla Gerrit Rietveld Academy ad Amsterdam dove ha seguito un Master in fotografia. Oggi, vive e lavora a Koog aan de Zaan. Ruth raccoglie scatti, foto di passaporti, slides, album, ritaglia le immagini dai giornali e da vecchi libri. Poi le piega, le taglia e le combuna assieme, dando così all’immagine un nuovo significato, creando un ibrido tra un dipinto e una foto. Nelle sue ricostruzioni si possono così trovare due ballerina che combattono, due ritratti sovrapposti, facce che scompaiono, fiori trasformati in navicelle spaziali e relitti in carcasse di machine estinte.

For further information see also http://www.ruthvanbeek.com/ .
All the images posted here are by Ruth van Beek.

Eckenheimer - When Art meets Literature and Music

Daphne

Good morning everyone! Today’s interview is to an artist, who I found on Deviant Art, his artistic name is Eckenheimer, but his real name is Hendrik Reum. Enjoy it!

-Can you tell us something about yourself? When did you discover your passion for art?

I am 42 years old. I studied economics and later philosophy. As a child I detected the magic of creativity. And all the years I always worked with pencils, colors and words. Later in the age of 30 I received my first camera. But it took me five additional years to discover the power of photography. Now I work with Olympus E3 and these camera goes along with me almost every time (my wife would confirm it ;-)).

-How do you create your works?

Most of the times I have a concrete idea. I work very constant on the realization of the initial concept. Sometimes I make sketches. I always take a sketch-book with me. I work with Photoshop CS4, mainly with my own resources. Often I use parts of my own paintings to create mixed media works. The biggest problem is to find an end - this can last several weeks. :-)

-What are your main sources of inspirations?

I think music and literature are very inspirational. My work "Daphne" for instance resulted after the visit of the opera with the same name (Daphne by Richard Strauss). And sometimes I just grab my painting equipment and paint on canvas or paper. I love especially to work with pastel chalk. Sunken in this work I can find tranquillity and new inspiration.

-What is the work that you are more attached to? Why?

Well, I really like the picture "The Way". Because the whole life is a way. And it is good to have a beloved person on your side. But "Daphne" is definitely a very important picture and I feel be drawn to it in a special manner. I love the mythological story behind Daphne. It tells about alteration, about metamorphosis, to find new ways to master the life.

- Ci puoi raccontare qualcosa su di te? Come hai scoperto la tua passione per l’arte?

Ho 42 anni. Ho studiato economia e più tardi filosofia. Da bambino ho scoperto la magia della creatività. E negli anni ho sempre lavorato con matite, colori e parole. Più tardi all’età di trent’anni ho ricevuto la mia prima macchina fotografica. Ma ci sono voluti cinque ulteriori anni perchè scoprissi la bellezza della fotografia. Adesso lavoro con un’ Olympus E3 e che porto sempre con me. (Mia moglie può confermare!)

-Come crei i tuoi lavori?

Per lo più parto da un’idea concreta e lavoro in modo costante sulla realizzazione del concetto iniziale. A volte faccio delle bozze, infatti porto sempre con me un bloc notes. Lavoro con Photoshop CS4, per lo più con risorse mie. Spesso uso parti dei miei dipinti per creare lavori con l’utilizzo di più media. Il problema più grande è trovare la fine.

-Quali sono le tue principali fonti d’ispirazione?

Penso musica e letteratura. Il mio lavoro “Daphne” per esempio è nato dopo la visione dell’opera omonima (Daphne di Richard Strauss). Mentre altre volte prendo solamente il mio materiale per pitturare e mi metto a dipingere sulla tela o sulla carta. Mi piace in particolare lavorare con il gesso. Sommerso in questo lavoro riesco a trovare tranquillità e ispirazione.

- A quali, tra le tue opere, sei più affezionato? Perchè?

 Mi piace molto l’opera “The Way” (il percorso). Perchè tutta la vita è un percorso ed è bello avere una persona a fianco. Ma “Daphne” è decisamente un lavoro importante. Mi piace la storia mitologica dietro Daphne. Parla di cambiamenti, di metamorfosi e di un nuovo modo per padroneggiare la vita.

For further information see also http://www.eckenheimer.com/ .
All the images posted here are Eckenheimer’s works.

Ed Pien - When the West meets the Orient

 

Today I will talk about Ed Pien, who is exhibiting at at Galerie Maurits Van De Laar, The Hague, Netherlands, together with Seekee Chung the artist I talk about on Wednesday. Ed Pien (1959), who is born in Taiwan and lives in Toronto, combines elements from western and Asian visual culture in his work. During a journey through China he discovered the cut-out drawing, especially used in clichéd images for tourists there. During a journey through China he discovered the cut-out drawing, especially used in clichéd images for tourists there. Pien took over this technique in order to creat delicate and complex representations of trees and woods, in which human figures are concealed. Recently he also covers the paper with reflecting material, causing a mysterious glitter in the image. The figures and creatures in his recent work are based on classical works in Chinese literature, such as Journey to the West and The Classics of Mountains and Seas.

Oggi vi parlerò di Ed Pien, che sta facendo una mostra alla Galerie Maurits Van De Laar, The Hague, in Olanda, con Seekee Chung, l’artista di cui vi ho parlato mercoledì. Ed Pien (1959), è nato a Taiwan e vive a Toronto, nelle sue opere combina elementi della cultura occidentale con altri della cultura visuale asiatica. Durante un viaggio in Cina ha scoperto il disegno attraverso il ritaglio, particolarmente usato nelle immagini per turisti. Pien ha preso in prestito questa tecnica per creare delicate e complesse rappresentazioni di alberi e foreste in cui si nascondono figure umane. Da poco ha iniziato a coprire la carta con un materiale riflettente, che dona all’immagine un luccichio misterioso. Recentemente le figure che appaiono nei suoi lavori sono tratte dalla letteratura cinese, come “Viaggio in Occidente” e “The Classics of Mountains and Seas”.

For further information see also http://www.edpien.com/ .
All the images posted here are Ed Pien’s works.

Seekee Chung - Through 3 d windows

Today artist’s name is Seekee Chung, it is quite impossibile to find relevant information on her, unless for two or three blogs that talk about her exhibition (below the info on the exhibition). I was able to find out only the intrasting way in which she produce her work! Seekee Chung’s works can be named as 3-d windows. In a recessed rectangular framework she has placed cut-out fragments of photographs beside and behind one another. The window is closed off with frosted glass, rendering the representation diffuse and creating a shrouded depth. For the elements of her representations Seekee searches the Internet. Frequently these are interiors in which the light is coming in from outside through a window. In her works she builds a new world looming up from behind the frosted glass as in a dream or like a vague memory. This suggestion is intensified by lightening up the windows from the rear in a subtle light. She is exposing at Galerie Maurits Van De Laar, The Hague, Netherlands, until July 18th, 2010 (http://www.mauritsvandelaar.nl/eng/exhibitions/current ).

L’artista di oggi si chiama Seeke Chung, è quasi impossibile trovare informazioni su di lei, se non per due o tre blog che parlano della sua mostra in Olanda (sotto le info al riguardo). Sono riuscita a trovare solamente il modo interessante in cui crea le sue opere. Seeke Chung crea lavori che si possono descrivere come finestre tridimensionali. In una struttura rettangolare rientrante posiziona ritagli di fotografie sovrapposti. Poi chiude la struttura con un vetro in modo da darle un effetto sfuocato e creare una sorta di manto. Per scegliere gli elementi da rappresentare Seekee cerca su Internet. Spesso sono interni in cui la luce entra attraverso una finestra dall’esterno. Nelle sue opere costruisce così un mondo nuovo che si profila da dietro il vetro smerigliato come in un sogno o in una memoria sfuocata. Questa suggestione è intensificata illuminando la finestra da dietro con una luce sottile.

Sta esponendo alla Galerie Maurits Van De Laar, la Hague, in Olanda, fino al 18 giugno (http://www.mauritsvandelaar.nl/eng/exhibitions/current ).

All the images posted here are Seekee Chung’works.