Issue Six by Akute Magazine

MAGAZINE

CONTENTS ISAAC JONES PECHE SHRINK JOEL REA AKUTECREATIVE NAOMI CRAIGS DEAN DARBY KIARA THOMAS MONDAYS FISH RINAT SHINGAREEV TALE OF A TALL FELLOW WARREN NEDERPELT TAL AVITZUR SUBMISSIONS RS NISIO

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r/trees

GO SKATE

SPILL Our inner most fears and insecurities is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful. It is our light, not our darkness that scares us the most. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. When we shine our light, we unconsciously give other people the inspiration to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence will liberate others. Mr Jobs spoke the truth when he said, “I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long ... Just figure out what’s next.” Precisely what’s next for Akute is still in its early days – what we are certain about is how truly grateful we are for everyone who has supported us by picking up our magazine or even flicking through online.

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COASTALS

ISAAC JONES

ISAAC JONES Hometown: Margaret River Years photographing: 8 Weapon: Canon 7d Favourite Scope: Canon 55-250mm

ISAAC JONES

ISAAC JONES Who has influenced you to take photos? Or even to just pick up a camera in the first place? My cousin Kyle Creevey. When we were young we both had little digital cameras that we use to play around with just taking photos of basically anything. From birds, trees and flowers to self timer and jumping off chairs onto a mattress and getting silly photos like that. Just all for fun but I guess I held onto it and kept going on with it for 8 years, with plenty more to come. When do you get out and go photograph? Mainly weekends, but there’s the odd early morning shoot or late afternoon shoot. I just recently picked up a weekend job so I have to work my shooting times around my work shifts and school. Do you prefer shooting bodyboarding or surfing? Normally it’s just my mates who bodyboard and they’ve introduced me to other bodyboarders so we go out shooting together. I’ve actually been shooting stand up for a long time now – it’s a bit different with all the stand up guys, and we have a bit more fun during the shoots.

SO FRES

PECHE

Words with Dipesh ‘peche’ Prasad You’ve been living in Melbourne? How is it as an artist and creative over there? I moved to Melbourne about 4 years ago to pursue art and to just live in a new city. Melbourne is amazing for creativity; everyone is always working which is really inspiring and also intimidating. I find it great seeing your peers working and progressing 24/7 then thinking, ‘shit i need to put in that much work to keep up.’ It definitely gives you a push in developing and not staying comfortable. In terms of the city I definitely found it as the capital of the arts.

www.pechedesigns.com.au Thoughts on Perth’s arts scene? Whats it like compared to Melbourne? I’ve just returned to Perth approx 6 months ago and its definitely picked up alot since i moved to Melbourne. Theres alot of great work and artists, and the city is slowly becoming more accepting of street art and just artwork in general (slowly haha). Do you work with other artists? Yep I’m all about collabs, I find it essential to work with other people that inspire you and just bounce ideas off each other. I’m looking forward to a big year of working with a lot of new artists as well as ones I’ve previously done stuff with. What gets you out of bed in the morning? Give me some motivation! Haha oh man i think just being genuinely excited on new projects where they keep you up all night trying to work them out then laying awake wondering what you can do to make it better and waiting for morning to work on it. A large chunk of your life is spent at work, so why wouldn’t we wanna do something that we love every one of those days. If you weren’t smashing out murals and dope shit daily, what would you be doing?

Mice Cube Puzzle What sorts of things influence your artwork? It seems like you like to put a spin on rappers etc, do you like rap and/or hip hop? Yeah i was brought up on a lot of hip-hop, so that’d be one of my main influences I’d say. I’ve got a real short attention span so I’m always randomly influenced by different things and somehow they all end up being mashed together because i can never settle on one thing.

At the moment, when I’m not painting or designing stuff, I’m lecturing at uni. Talking about painting and designing shit haha! So somehow my stuff always gravitates back to that. If I’m not doing my art shiz, my girlfriend and myself are usually away on adventures seeing the world. That’s pretty much all my life consists of these days: art.

What got you into painting, graphic design and illustration? Were there any influences in your life that made you concentrate on art? Drawing things like ninja turtles, street fighter and x-men was a huge start when i was younger. Then through high school i had an art scholarship in which i had to go to school on Saturdays as part of it. I hated going to school on the weekend while all my friends were out enjoying their weekend but i did love how it was just art for the whole Saturday. I was terrible at maths, human biology etc.. So i knew whatever i did as a career would have to be art related. How does THE Peche get stuff done? Are you a procrastinator or a work junky? I think they end up going hand in hand randomly. To procrastinate from any kind of work I’d just draw or paint and end up clocking up alot of hours doing that so in a way procrastination became a good catalyst for becoming a work junky. I find it quite hard to sleep early too so I’m always up till random hours working on something until i get it right. Aerosol & Acrylic on canvas

SHRINK illustrator

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contact info@akute.com.au akutecreative.com

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MICHAEL DEMPSEY

monstersamoungus.tumblr.com

SAM LLOYD

b l a z e d c a k e . t u m b l r . c o m

JOEL REA fine artist

We met Joel at the Artlab Conference in 2013. Before the conference we had a look into each of the main speakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, outlook and general vibe. Joel stood out - not only as one of our favourite artists from the line up - but also as a decent, solid human being. His feet are flat on the ground and the man speaks the educated truth. We spoke with Joel over the phone and asked a few questions about how he began as an artist, the things he has learnt over time, people he has worked with, and what he is about.

My name is Joel Rea and I’m a full time artist from the Gold Coast. I graduated from the Queensland College of Art and it’s been about ten years since I became a full time artist. I always drew, and through school I developed sketching and stuff like that. It wasn’t until someone made better materials available to me that I was to able to express myself through oils and paints. I didn’t really ever work out that I could make a living from my work when I was younger. I just kind of went straight from high school to university - just from the encouragement of my high school teachers to go to uni and to pursue Fine Arts. Luckily from university I found some leads to chase up by being a part of some “end of year” shows. That kind of led me into assisting at an artist-run gallery in Brisbane where i could work but also show my own work. From that exhibition I just ended up becoming a full time artist! When I first went into “business” I was pushing for more commercial work because that’s where I thought I could make enough to live but really it was the opposite, by that I mean actually working for myself, hosting galleries and collaborating with other arts for bigger shows. I soon realised that, for me, commercial dealings and “the big bucks” was the driest area of work and way to make money. I really wanted to get into painting for magazines and things like that but that was slowly becoming a thin market. I realise now, what I learnt after uni, is that I can just hang a painting on the wall and someone will say yes or no. I always avoid relevance in my painting, I think that’s important in my work. I definitely try keep it away from anything that’s going on and I think that’s what can make it universally appreciated and valued. Im always trying to outdo my last painting, and really want to keep evolving my art. My favourite things as an artist in my field are getting the opportunity to work with awesome people in their field of work. People such as Ray Meagher from Home and Away - he plays Alf Stewart - and more recently I did a portrait of Chris Hemsworth from Thor. That sort of work is something I’m really looking forward to in the future. It was cool because they will give you some time to take photos and direct them around, it’s pretty crazy, I never really thought I’d be directing around famous artists to paint these portraits. In the end my work is in my mind, still work. I think my job is like anybody else’s; I work a 9-5 style shift every day. I just walk into my backyard where my studio is, but with the mentality that if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Money is important, I think money gives you freedom (unfortunately) and at the end of the day, food and shelter gives you the safety you need to feel comfortable enough to make art. I think the best tip I can give to any aspiring artist is to be good at one thing. It’s like making a product I guess, you have to work at it until it is right enough to sell and is desirable in someone’s mind. I always tend to look at my work as someone who has just walked into a room and sees my painting for the first time, if I want to take it home I know I have done a good job.

ww.joelrea.com.au

“The time has come”

“Alf Stewart”

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NAOMI CRAIGS

Naomi Craigs is a 21 year old creative focusing on photography and photo editing. Born and raised in Perth, she spent her time drawing, painting and photographing throughout her teenage years. She gives credit to the fact she was always interested in art, as well as her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film camera, as to how she became interested in photography. Naomi has a knack for capturing raw, but relaxing images of more unconventional models. She has captured many images of girls in a light that has proven appealing to alternative magazines and streetwear labels. Feeling like she has started the beginning of a large portfolio, Naomi is passionate about making her way through the alternative and street fashion world, capturing not only models, but artists, musicians and colourful characters along the way. At the end of the day, after her 2-3 cups of coffee and 3-4 glasses of wine, Naomiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal goal is simply to create. Blood, sweat and beers.

NAOMI CRAIGS

NAOMI CRAIGS www.naomicraigs.com naomicraigs.tumblr.com

D E A N D A R B Y

K I A R A THOMAS

K I A R A T H O M A S

M O N DAYS F I S H

MONDAYS F I S H

R I N A T SHINGAREEV

Styling: Di Nguyen Words & Photos: Natasha Krzus

Local designer Di Nguyen is the founder of Tale of a Tall Fellow, a fresh, quirky and classy menswear label serving up alternatives to the average button-up shirt. She sat down with us to discuss her ideas, inspirations and plans for the future, as well as offering some great advice for aspiring fashion designers.

How did you come up with the name? Tale of a Tall Fellow was thought up one afternoon with my friend Mon whilst having drinks at The Bird. Tossing names backwards and forwards until we found the perfect title to sum up my influences and inspirations.

From where do you draw inspiration? My inspiration comes from British history, nostalgia of one’s favourite past-time, certain careers or activities that a man would undertake How did you get into the fashion business? Having a goal in mind and overcoming all in the past and present. Also from labels such as Vidur, Bobby Abley and Jaquemis. obstacles to achieve that goal. Would you describe the style of your label? Modern take on the dapper British gentleman

What made you decide to venture into manufacturing menswear? After seeing what was sold in Perth stores I realised that there was a limited range of clothing available for men. Not only that but there wasn’t any variation in designs either. I wanted to create a brand that could provide the men of Perth with something a little bit different. To be able to give them not just another button up shirt, but a shirt that was of a different design to the norm but one that still followed trends in fashion.

What do you feel has been the biggest accomplishment for Tale of a Tall Fellow so far? Being chosen as a Semi-Finalist for RAW:Natural Born Artists Fashion Designer of the year, and the successful launch of my SS13 Collection “The HUNTED” which I collaborated with Art Illustrator Josh Tavener. If you could collaborate with any designer, who would you choose? I would love to work with Bobby Abley. His design aesthetic is mind blowing and the things he comes up with and the prints he uses is amazing.

W A R R E N NEDERPELT

W A R R E N N E D E R P E LT

T A L A V I T Z U R www.talbotics.com

T A L A V I T Z U R I received an email at 1am from a guy in the States who goes by the name, Tal Avitzur. Expecting a whole pile of high res’ photos of the California sunset, I was surprised when I was looking at the coolest recycled robotic lights and ornaments seen anywhere. Everything has a character and creepy as some may seem, Tal has found the individuality of something that would look just like junk to others. From a mathematician to a recylcled junk artist, Tal is proof that there is more to everyone who works for the man, there’s an art in everything and it’s just a matter of time until you find your “thing” you’ll become passionate about.

I grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania in a family where the sciences were emphasized more than the arts. My father, uncle and brothers are engineers and my sister is a doctor. The art world opened up to me when I moved to California for college and worked for painter Irma Cavat. I also lived in her large communal artist compound and there was a constant stream of artists coming and going. I found their lifestyles and attitudes very appealing. It was obvious they had discovered something that brought them much joy. I consider myself lucky to have also known and worked for sculptor George Rickey and ceramicist Beatrice Wood. After earning a degree in math from UC Santa Barbara I worked for the US Navy in Washington, DC. My job was to help determine the best collection of spare parts carriers should keep stocked in order to maximize readiness of planes. However the call of Santa Barbara was too great. So I returned, got a job teaching part-time, which left ample time for artistic pursuits. I guess my creativity first appeared when I bought a fixer-upper and spent many years on the remodel. My builder friend and I had the attitude of keeping it fun, and that we did. A lot of attention went into small details. The house became my canvas. During the house remodel we tried to use as many recycled materials as possible. I began going to scrap metal and salvage yards to gather objects for different building projects. Little did I know that visiting these yards would become an obsession. My town of Santa Barbara, California has many research labs, a large university, and a harbor, so it’s pretty amazing what shows up at the scrap yards. It’s lucky for me that brass, aluminium and other metals have value, so they end up at the scrap yards rather than in the trash. I was finding all kinds of cool objects that I didn’t need for the remodel but I knew if I didn’t “rescue” them from the yard they would be smelted and gone forever. I have a fondness for vintage items, like tools, kitchen appliances, vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, electric fans and scientific equipment. Based on the designs of some of these objects (circa 1940s through to the 1970s) it seems as if many of their creators had secret desires to be building rocket ships and robots. The original use of a vast majority of the spare parts in my inventory is a mystery to me. Once word got out in town about what I do, parts also began magically appearing at my front gate. Before I knew it, my gardening shed became full of all kinds of weird stuff. A friend commented that one could build a pretty cool set for a Dr. Frankenstein movie from all the stuff I collected. I began slowly collecting parts for 15 years and the pace has steadily increased. The sculpture building started about six years ago in order to justify my obsession with accumulating strange objects. I didn’t want to be classified as just another crazy, compulsive hoarder. After I bring parts to the studio, they are cleaned, disassembled (if necessary), sometimes polished, and then sorted. Each robot or piece begins with finding the personality in an object, then test-fitting combinations together, and cutting, drilling and grinding until reaching a natural-looking fit. Many hours are spent taking things apart and figuring out how to put things together that were never meant to be connected.The workshop bench usually has a few different projects going on at any time. Sometimes, sculptures need to be put aside for months, or even years, while waiting for just the right salvaged part. Inspiration comes from a youth filled with a healthy dose of science fiction, mythology, comic books, and still having the playful mind of a child. Making these oneof-a-kind, whimsical, found-object sculptures has allowed me to indulge my passion for creating art, while giving new life to discarded objects, and perhaps preserving a bit of industrial history. I owe a lot to my very accepting and loving wife and her unconditional support. Not to mention that she is much better than I am with a set of tools. Making these sculptures is loads of fun and I can’t imagine not doing it.

www.talbotics.com

T A L A V I T Z U R

SUBMISSIONS

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ELIJAH MASOET

SUBMISSIONS KADIR MURAT TOSUN

KAYLEE MAE BY TRENT SIMMS

ESTRANGED IN ICELAND BY RS NISIO WWW.MANICOWL.COM

I RESIDED AND WORKED IN ICELAND FOR A FEW YEARS AND THE PHOTOS REFLECT A STATE OF MIND MORE THAN THEY ILLUSTRATE THE STUNNING BEAUTY OF THE TERRITORY. EXPERIENCING PLACES THROUGH LIVING THERE DIFFERS GREATLY FROM VISITING THEM; WITH THE POST-GFC TOURISM BOOM EVERYBODY WAS TAKING FLASHY PICTURES OF PUFFINS AND RAINBOWS OVER LAVA FIELDS, SO I STARTED TO FEEL THAT THE COLOURLESS MELANCHOLY OF DESOLATE AND OVERLOOKED DETAILS SUITED ME BETTER. THESE IMAGES ARE SOMEWHAT DISTANT IN SPIRIT FROM THE OVERFLOWING ABUNDANCE OF CUTE IMAGERY DEPICTING THE ICELANDIC LANDSCAPE IN A VIVID POSTCARD FORMAT. I SEE THEM MORE AS SELF-PORTRAITS OF AN INNER SENSE OF DISPLACEMENT AND PARTIAL EXISTENTIAL VOID, BUT ALSO OF AN INDISTINCT AND TEARING LONGING.

Shout out All Things Considered, Natasha & Jimmy, family, Thinkfar, The Good Shepherd, Syrup, Gala Apparel (all the babes), Winnie at Sunfly Print, Sugarman (Sam & Pat), KBS, & everybody that submitted, commited and bared with it.