Category: Makers

John Wolf of Human Condition

11/11/2016

I visited Human Condition the week of Halloween at the abandoned Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center. With three floors and over 8o artists, I decided to start at the top, with curation. I reached out to John Wolf, the Los Angeles based art advisor and mastermind behind this large exhibition.

Patrick Mcelnea // Dr. Super Igor // single channel hd video // 2015

Q&A by Nazish Chunara

How did Human Condition come together? What was the process like?

The Human Condition stemmed from a personal desire to feel emotion. I had a shortlist of figurative artists that elicited a visceral feeling to me. At the moment of inception, I did not have a physical space for the show. It was when a client of mine mentioned the acquisition of the abandoned hospital that a light bulb illuminated. Upon viewing the space I knew that it was within these walls that previously stored so much human emotion I would find a great fit for the show.

Polly Borland // Ring a Ring a Rosy // 2001

Tanya Batura // Achromic B // 2012

There are so many wonderful artists and so many works of art. Did you decide that it was going to be this large when you initially started planning?

No! I initially thought maybe 20 artists. The space is so big, I couldn’t stop, there were too many great works to display, so I kept going, finally capping it at 87 ;)

What were some frustrations that you encountered?

There were the day-to-day curatorial frustrations of artists whose works were not available, or the short timeline being a hinderance, but ultimately my own inner doubts that were the most frustrating. I chose not to listen to them, and forged ahead, not knowing if anyone would come see the show. Turns out people came ;) 2000 people on opening night.

Do you have plans to curate another show?

Yes, it will be even more immersive and intense, a surprise, so no spoilers!

Alexander Yulish // acrylic on canvas // 2016

What do you see through the lens of this role in the contemporary art world that you may not have otherwise known about?

People are craving a different experience. The white walls of a gallery have gotten tired. The site specificity of unique exhibitions like this are what excites younger generations to educate themselves on the art world.

What is your role as an art broker?

As a private art dealer, I assist clients in creating outstanding collections based on pre-defined goals. I work in contemporary, post-war, and emerging. I work tirelessly to source the best works for clients, whether new to collecting or established.

Christopher Reynolds // 2013 - 2016

What is something every artist should know, from an art broker’s perspective?

Kindness and being really cooperative will get you everywhere. You have to earn your stripes just like anyone else. No one owes you anything just because you’re an artist. Your ego is not your amigo. Share.

When or how did you decide to pursue a career in the arts?

I was a collector and passionate about art, educating myself at every chance I could get. It was an organic process to become an advisor as I was being asked by myriad friends and colleagues for advice. It was shortly after I realized I could make a living doing it!

Marl Verabioff // LOAN-DILF // 2015

Other than centers such as The Getty, I’ve never experienced art this way. What kind of feedback have you received about this exhibition?

People have been “delightfully” overwhelmed, they have mentioned enjoying having so many works to experience. The excitement of turning a corner and seeing something different and unexpected is a fantastical experience.

Christopher Reynolds // video installation

Owen Kydd // With Your Shadows // 2016

With the current political climate, what kind of efforts do you foresee within the contemporary art world?

Anytime there is dramatic political change, artists and culture rise up in response. Whether with blatant statements, or with process change and enhanced creativity - there will be a surge of new work that is truly inspirational. Whatever your opinion on the new president, one thing is certain - disruption will take place, and positive movement in the art world, and I believe, enhanced investment in buying work.

Amir Fallah // Evil Eye // installation // 2016

Photos // Josh White

For a full artist list, check out the exhibiton's website:
Human Condition
2231 S. Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Exhibition through November 30th
Hours | Fri, Sat and Sun 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

You can also see the works on Artsy

#TheHospital

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Up Close and Wearable: Tides

9/28/2016

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Preview by Nazish Chunara

Tides is a series of wearable garments by Amabelle Aguiluz, whose work we've been following since the beginning of the year. Her influences very much derive from bodies of water and the organisms that live in them. From the first time I saw her work at Art Share LA to her collaborative residency with Szalt Dance Co and their production of Water Stories, we've seen so much growth and transformation in the making and function of her hand spun, machine knit, designs. Materials include found, donated yarns, and 100% fair trade cotton, allowing the artist to keeping the project eco-friendly.

Amabelle has worked with fashion in the past, so when I visited her studio her for an interview for our Spring issue, I asked if she'd do it again. Needless to say, I'm extremely excited about this!

I wanted to work with light and shadow to see the knitted textures in motion. The goal was to see how each of the pieces transform through layering by building texture upon texture.

Tides is a project inspired by sea foam and water created without set patterns. Each piece is unique and would be difficult to replicate. I started with experimenting with small shapes relying on intuitive knitting to guide me. Then I molded and hand stitched each knit swatch to build each garment. The process became a puzzle and each shape became part of a collage. The layers show stages of growth and my interest in texture and volume. The knitting approach happens very organically; it is how I relate to the way patterns form in nature and in the ocean - free flowing, never creating the same shape twice.

Amabelle Aguiluz is an artist living and working in downtown Los Angeles. Her practice incorporates clothing, textile, fiber sculpture and installation processes that study rhythm, nature, poetic expression and human experience captured through the repetitive motions of crafting. She studied at Politecnico di Milano, Italy and graduated in 2011 at The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York BFA in Fashion Design with an emphasis in Knitwear Design and Textiles. Her installation and wearable artwork has been exhibited at Art Share LA, MorYork Gallery, The Last Bookstore for Maiden LA 2016, Women's Center for Creative Work as part of LA's Public Art Biennial Current LA: Water in Los Angeles and The Triennale Internationale des arts textiles en Outaouais, Canada.

Designer // Amabelle Aguiluz // @amabelleaguiluz

Photographer // Mike Carreiro // @mikecarreiro

Model // Ashley Chung // @chungashley

Hair // Sydney Costley // @sydney_costley

Stylist // Natalie Hemmati

MUA // Aaron Paul // @aaronpaulbeauty

These Days LA // @thesedays.la (for those of you who have your eye on the new organic cotton bulky knit sweater)

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Holiday Spotlight: Amber Imrie-Situnayake & Adriana Villagran

12/12/2015

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In light of the Holiday Season, a time for friends and family to come together, we thought it was important for our readers to get to know who we are. Over the next few weeks, we'll be introducing to you the creators and contributors of Venison Magazine: the art publication run by artists for artists.

Today, I'd like to introduce to you our Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Amber Imrie-Situnayake
&
Lead Editor and Journalist, Adriana Villagran.

www.amberimrie.com, @amberimrie
www.adrianavillagran.com, @adrimakesart

Amber Imrie-Situnayake

Amber grew up in the Ozark Mountains and it has undeniably had a significant influence on her work. She uses “historically craft based and domestically ripe materials,” such as wool, as mentioned in her artist statement, “to bring comfort to things that are in all honesty, not as pleasant as they initially seem.” Here, we touch basis with the artist and founder on her motivation for starting Venison Magazine.

What inspired you to launch Venison Magazine?
So this answer comes in a few parts. This is where I was coming from mentally: As a beginning artist, I had just left undergrad and I was finding it incredibly hard to "get out there and meet people." I was part of an art collective that I founded while still in school, but I was finding it difficult to meet new artists and bring more people on board. I just felt awkward and insincere in all my actions. I was intimidated by art openings. I grew up really poor and uncultured, so the gallery scene was about as far removed from a BBQ in Arkansas as you could get. Simply, I felt out of my element.

But then the Ah ha! moment:
I was in the UK at a gallery space in Birmingham with my in-laws when I went into the gift shop area to find a magazine I could read on the plane home and I couldn't find anything that I was willing to buy. Most of the magazines were 70-90% advertising, and most of the work was outdated and safe. I couldn't find anything that was showing the kind of work that was even similar to the space I was standing in. So I thought, let’s start a magazine!

There are definitely some wonderful online magazines that are doing very similar things as Venison now, which is fantastic! I never started the company with dollar signs in my eyes, but I started it to build community and give a platform for emerging and pre-emerging artists who were making unusual, compelling, or risky work.

"I never started the company with dollar signs in my eyes, but I started it to build community.."

Amber in a piece from her Hum installation, 2015.

And then I thought, how does an artist dedicate themselves to their own work and the works of others?
What kind of affect does writing about art have on your own creative processes?
This is such a great question, because it has a huge impact on my own work. It connects me with larger dialog about art, themes, and movements. Writing about art has made my work more relatable to others and less (directly) personal. Since I work as a scout for the magazine. I look at A LOT of artist websites, so my own site has vastly improved and become more user friendly. It's also given me a whole new perspective on the jurying process which has made my own rejections easier to swallow. The writing and editing aspect has improved my own writing. If you told my high school english teacher that I was working as an editor--she would bark with laughter. After I dropped out of high school, I asked her for a letter of recommendation for a job at McDonalds, she said "I'll have to tell them that you are bad at writing." Her opinion of me was astoundingly low.

Amber Imrie-Situnayake working on Nature Suit in her Studio. Photo Credit: Dave McHale

As a self-promoter, I like having the magazine; it relaxes the situation and allows us to have a real connection. Some of the relationships I've developed have grown into shows of my own work, while others haven't, but I have good relationships with a lot of spaces which is most important. I've also gained great interpersonal skills. Gallery openings and meeting curators and directors has become fun. Instead of freezing up and having no idea what to say, I have a million questions and am able to show the genuine interest I’ve always had. Now people don't assume I'm just another artist out to promote myself. Instead, I can be a person of press who is interested in what the organization is doing. That way there isn't so much pressure to promote myself. I also find that if I introduce myself as both an editor and artist, it puts the curator or gallery owner at ease. You can sense them tense up when they think they are being hunted down by an artist interested in their space.

As a fiber and installation artist, you create large scaled, interactive works. Your most recent project, “Nature Suit” falls within that realm but brings new light to installation art. What were your driving forces for this project?

The Nature Suit is about how nature is sold to us as an idolized holy experience we must prepare for through products and technology.

So, I grew up off-the-grid in Newton County Arkansas. We lived over an hour's drive from the closest town. I didn't go to school, we didn't have much money, and I spent most my time in the woods by myself. Bugs and bug bites were a normal everyday aspect of life. I have large scars on both my knees from skinning them, and countless "marks of adventure" across my body. I never thought that my life was in anyway "cool" but rather, I was made fun of for being tomboyish and dirty. Now, I live in the Bay Area, where it is trendy to go hiking and be outdoors. Here, Hipsters & Yippies take hikes in their 200 dollar boots and Northface pants holding their hiking poles.

They walk along groomed trails that wind through groves not 30 yards from civilization. Marine county, one of the wealthiest places, is also leading in outdoor living. The products marketed to them: sweat wicking ultra-light weight jackets, hiking poles, 'Fresh' scent bug sprays, 1,000 dollars a night "rustic glamping trip."

It's so ridiculous how idolized an "authentic" interaction with nature has become and how far from "authentic" these trips and products make us from the reality of actually being in nature. So, that is the Nature Suit----the next step to making a product substitute for the "authentic adventure." A way to look like you've had adventures in nature without the hassle of going outdoors. It also highlights the aspects of being in nature that people try to avoid through buying all these products. As if bug bites and scars are the cool factor in our outdoor living trend.

Nature Suit ad Campaign, 2015

Adriana Villagran

Adriana, currently based in San Francisco, CA, is a visual artist who creates images that are very inviting and dare I say, delicious? Don't mistake me though, her works are not to be taken lightly. As you read on, you'll see why.

Sweet Tooth, Oil on panel, 2014

My initial question is often, why and do you enjoy it? When I asked Adriana this, she mentioned she loved being introduced to artists. Artists she may not have been able to meet if it weren't for the Venison connection--or community---being built. She stated, "The most exciting part is finding artists across the globe struggling with the same existential questions that I am. It's very comforting, and quite an inspiration to keep moving forward. "

As Lead editor, I can imagine you’ve reviewed a ton of art! What do you find most important when it comes to interacting with fellow artists?
I would say the mode of dialogue is most important. That is, how I am interacting with the artist: is it a digital or face-to-face conversation. The personal in-studio conversations are joyfully awkward and ultimately richer than a digital conversation.

That is of course to be expected. You tend to get more of a grasp of what the artist's work is about because you can see it and smell it and you can ask questions right on the spot. Most of the interactions I have through Venison are digital though. We live in digital world now, that is the reality.

What's great about these type of interactions is that the artist has the time to reflect and put their best foot forward. They can take a breath and not stress out about saying the right thing at the right moment. It gives them an opportunity to really reflect and see things through another artist's eyes. I think that is a good moment for them, a moment for growth. So ultimately the mode of conversation decides the kind of interaction I have with each artist.

I think podcasts are going to be a thing in the near future which is a whole other beast. I'm excited to see how that turns out

"... It gives them an opportunity to really reflect and see things through another artist's eyes."

Both your paintings and sculptures entail great detail to depict a heavy message revolving around how women are perceived. When did you realize this was a subject to cover in your art?
It's actually a very clear moment that I started focusing on this subject matter. It was in late 2013 that I started working in a not-so-nice part of San Francisco that I really started to feel the burden of being a women in an urban environment. Burden is really not the right word for it. It is a much more complicated feeling than a single word can describe. But at that moment in my life, which was (and is) smack in the middle of my young naive adulthood, burden is the best word to describe what I was feeling. Here I was 23 years old and I became aware that a lot of my identity as a women had been force-fed to me by an overwhelmingly male perspective. This realization started to permeate into my art because it seemed like it was the only thing I had going that was really worth investigating. Two years later and my work is barely scratching the surface on such complex perceptions

Sticky Bun, Oil on panel, 2015

of women. Recently I have begun to really delve into women's magazines as a source of inspiration as they are so brilliantly laid out to manipulate the reader. They are jewels of inspiration for my work, the question now is how do I manipulate the imagery to say something more meaningful and bite back a bit. That is the really difficult part.

"...the question now is how do I manipulate the imagery to say something more meaningful and bite back a bit."

Under the Rose, colored pencil and pan pastel on paper, 2015

Shroud, colored pencil on paper, 2015

The goals of Venison Magazine are apparent: to build a foundation where artists can meet, discuss and expose themselves to one another. Stop by next week to read about more of the artists contributing to Venison!

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Weekly Listens

11/9/2015

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Listen Type: Podcast
Episode: "The Source of Creativity"
Show: TED Radio Hour

LISTEN

TED Radio Hour explores creativity and how it works. (Photo from npr.org)

We've got a new blog topic: what to listen to while you work in the studio. We've got some suggestions if you're looking and we welcome you, our loyal reader, to offer up suggestions of your own in the comments. Be it music, podcasts, or even a good Netflix series in the background, we want some good ear-worms to keep our brains creating.

I'm starting the list off with an episode of TED Radio Hour titled "The Source of Creativity." It's a great remedy for when you're feeling bitter about having to spend eight+ hours at your day job. I've embedded a particularly juicy snippet from the podcast which features several notable creatives including Sting, Elizabeth Gilbert, Charles Limb, and Sir Ken Robinson.

Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Make What You Make, and Make a LOT of It.

5/27/2015

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Encouragements by Christina Mrozik

Hi,
my name is Christina Mrozik, I'm a drawer of sorts. I spend a lot of time working alone at my desk, with students in unconventional teaching programs and with other creatives who are just tackling this thing called "art" with all the heart they've got.

Over the past few years I've come across some ideas that are simple and encouraging. They have been important to me and have enhanced my making and changed how I think about making art. Because of this I think it's important to pass them along- because doing this art thing can be tough-and we all could use a little more sparkle magic.

So every couple weeks you'll find a postcard, from me to you, addressing influence, style, making, kindness, or whatever little realization has since popped into my brain. I hope you like them, and I hope you participate by letting me know your own thoughts, or what you'd like a little encouragement in.

All my love,
Chris

Find me encouraging? Print me! Cut me out and fold me up. Put me on your desk next to your favorite rock. Use me as a reminder to keep that chin where it belongs, sky high.

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Weekly Blog

John Wolf of Human Condition

Q&A by Nazish Chunara

Up Close and Wearable: Tides

Preview by Nazish Chunara

Holiday Spotlight: Amber Imrie-Situnayake & Adriana Villagran

Amber Imrie-Situnayake

Adriana Villagran

Weekly Listens

Listen Type: Podcast
Episode: "The Source of Creativity"
Show: TED Radio Hour

Make What You Make, and Make a LOT of It.

Encouragements by Christina Mrozik

Author

Categories

Weekly Blog

John Wolf of Human Condition

Q&A by Nazish Chunara

Up Close and Wearable: Tides

Preview by Nazish Chunara

Holiday Spotlight: Amber Imrie-Situnayake & Adriana Villagran

Amber Imrie-Situnayake

Adriana Villagran

Weekly Listens

﻿﻿Listen Type: Podcast Episode: "The Source of Creativity" Show: TED Radio Hour

Make What You Make, and Make a LOT of It.

Encouragements by Christina Mrozik

Author

Categories

Listen Type: Podcast
Episode: "The Source of Creativity"
Show: TED Radio Hour