Art & Music Magazine
www.artnois.com
No. 5 April/May 2013
Happy Spring!
Artnois Team Magda Becerra Artnois Co-Founder, loves anything creative, manages all artwork, and final editing. magdabee.com magda@artnois.com
A note from the Team
Love is in the air, the flowers are starting to bloom andit’s starting to get warmer (at least her in LA). We know you guys are all excited about Spring break and getting ready for summer so we hope you prepare your playlists with some of the great music you will find in this issue. We brought a bit of variety in this issue as Cinco de Mayo and Asian Heritage Month are both around the corner. Don’t forget to navigate to all the artist websites to see more of their work.
Jesenia Meraz Artnois Co-Founder, brings music to your ears. Always looking for new music and artists to share with the world. jessy@artnois.com Carlos Rubio Music Assistant Tells it like it is. Shelley Pham Design Assistant Comes with a rainbow and a pot of gold.
Enjoy! Artnois Team
Patty Nunez Design Assistant Thank her creative mind. Trang Nguyen Writing Assistant You can’t spell ‘strange’ without ‘Trang’
Art & Music Magazine 2 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
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contents
Issue 5 April/May 2013
06
24
Brothers from Never Neverland
Hi-fi speakers, kicking out sound waves.
Buyepongo
Wave Machines
08
28
From Buenos Aires
Interview by Jesenia Meraz
12
32
Love child between a Tarantino soundtrack and beats from RZA
Spring Time!
16
Francoise Nielly
Keaton Simons
Onda Vaga
Chill Bump
Diamond Rings Interview
20
Numbe:ra Inteview
Dahlia Khodur
36
Beautiful bold portraits
40
Asian Heritage By Trang Nguyen
42
Helen Huang Illustrations
46
50
Kurtis Brand Expresses the inexpressable
54
Laura Bifano Polygonal animal paintings
58
Meredith Dittmar Clay Art
64
Stasia Burrington Cut Flower Girls
68
Daehyun Kim
Dreamline Imagery
74
Ola Liola
Wenjie Yang
Photographer from Shanghai Contacts: PO BOX 923082 SYLMAR,CA 91342, tel. 818.584.1868, magazine@artnois.com, www.artnois.com About ARTNOIS: ARTNOIS Magazine was started by two young female students, Magda and Jessy. While they both share common interests, Magda has a passion for art and Jessy has a passion for music. Seeing as neither one had the time nor the skills they wished they had to create jaw dropping art or inspiring music, they decided to make a magazine featuring all the great artists who do. Art and music is motivation for both to do something great. They hope this magazine will help do the same for you.
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April 2013 Events in Los Angeles
Mon 4/1 APRIL FOOLS!
ral History Museum Japanther, Kisses (DJ Set) 5:30 pm Natural History Museum Los Angeles, California $18 INFO
Blvd. 90069 West Hollywood, CA, US @ 8 PM $15 INFO
Universal City Walk Music Spotlight Series feat. Lee DeWyze & Keaton Simons
Movie Nights at the Cat & FIddle Free. Movie Starts at 9 PM Cat and Fiddle Restaurant & Pub (Hollywood) 6530 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90028,
4/03
Vacationer The Echo Los Angeles, California This event is 18 and over 8:30 pm $10.00 - $12.00 INFO
4/05
First Fridays @ Natu4 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
4/09
Clairy Brown and the Bangin Rackettes, Pony Boy, & Sweetwater & the Satisfaction Troubadour 9081 Santa Monica
4/20
Slum Village The Terrace 443 East Colorado Blvd 91101Pasadena, CA, US $15-40 INFO
4/06
Music Spotlight Series at 5 Towers presents Lee DeWyze with opening act Keaton Simons. Touring nationally and internationally as an opening act for bands such as Coldplay and Train, Keaton is now taking the stage to open the show for American Idol Season 9 winner, Lee DeWyze! Make sure to get here early and enjoy the pre-show entertainment. The best part: it’s FREE! *CityWalk events, hours, performances, and parking prices subject to change without notice.
5515 Wilshire Boulevard 90036 Los Angeles, CA, $22 INFO
4/21 How to Dress Well, Special Co, Sky Ferreira, Opener Tba, High Highs Rickshaw Stop 155 Fell Street 94102San Francisco, CA, US @ 8 PM $12-14 INFO
04/10
7:00pm-2:00am close Reggae Night @ Howl at the Moon Come check out local bands at the beginning of the night and finish the night off with awesome reggae music played by Howl entertainers!
4/18
Purity Ring El Rey Theatre
Tiron & Ayomari, Nemo Achida, NU ERA!, Blu, Trew Uno, & Nuera The Roxy Theatre 9009 W. Sunset Blvd. 90069West Hollywood, CA, US $12 INFO Songkran Thai New Year Festival San Jose. Muay Thai kickboxing and Miss Songkran Beauty pageant, ooh la la~! Not to mention the Singha Beer Garden. Yes, it is free.
4/24
Ziggy Marley The Roxy 8 PM $28.50 INFO
May 2013 5/01
Comedy Night @ Casey’s Every Wednesday NightMay 1st, 20139:30 pm@ Casey’s Irish Pub Hanoch Serebrenik and Griff Pippin bring you the best comics from Hollywood and abroad, for FREE. Headlining comedians that regularly perform at The Comedy Store, The Improv and The Laugh Factory can be seen at Casey’s every Wednesday night in the Jameson room.
29th edition of The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival presented by Visual Communications at the Directors Guild of America, CGV Cinemas, and the Art Theatre of Long Beach. Ticket packages are now on sale.
5/3- 5/25
The Future is Now exhibits at the SOMArts Main Gallery. Gotta love anything that’s free.
from 10 AM to 5 PM at the NTC Park at Liberty Station. Watch out, there’ll be martial art performances! Free for all!
Street Celebration in the Civic Center/Little Saigon of San Francisco which features some tribal belly dancing and foodie heaven!
5/12 - 5/19
ONGOING
Asian Contemporary Art Week in San Francisco. That’s right, folks, a week long celebration through the artMRKT, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and ten other venues down the street.
5/13
Free 20 minute DJ class Learn to DJ, DJ School, DJ Lesson, DJ Classes 10:00 am DJ Arts Academy INFO The Craft & Folk Art Museum presents Social Fabric, an exhibition of seven contemporary artists who confront the problems of mass production and consumption through fiber-based art that incorporates social engagement and public interaction. The exhibition will be on view from January 27 through May 5, 2013 INFO
5/2 - 5/12
5/5
CINCO DE MAYO!!! Special Cinco de Mayo party with Mucho Dj’s La Cita Bar 336 S Hill St Los Angeles, CA 90013 Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie 7:00 pm The Wiltern Theatre
5/11
Asian Cultural Festival of San Diego lasting
5/17
From midnight to 7 AM is the Phantom of Asia Launch Party at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, opening the exhibit with drinks, nibblets, and DJ Vin Sol and DJ King Most. Chris Tucker Terrace Theater @ Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center
5/18 - 5/19
Sicily: Art and Invention between Greece and Rome Daily April 3 - August 19, 2013 Museum, Floor 2, Getty Villa Sicily: Art and Invention between Greece and Rome presents masterpieces of ancient art from the crossroads of the Mediterranean. On the island dear to Demeter and blessed with agricultural abundance, former Greek colonies emerged as powerful kingdoms during the fifth to third centuries B.C. Innovations in art, architecture, theater, poetry, philosophy, and science flourished, leaving an enduring stamp on mainland Greece and later on Rome. Over 150 objects bear witness to the athletic and military victories, religious rituals, opulent lifestyles, and intellectual attainments that shaped Classical culture at its peak.
Annual Asian Heritage 5 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
BUYEPONGO BROTHERS FROM NEVER NEVERLAND I catch up with Buyepongo on the border of East L.A. and downtown where the city’s river and freight trains try to outrun each other. It’s a Friday night and they’re in the middle of rehearsal. It’s not the entire group, but the members that are there (Roberto, Randy, Edgar, Jorge) are more than enough to give me the band’s vibe and history. We talk about their roots, guerilla sets, the G-Funk era influence on their music, and how they send baselines over text. By Carlos Rubio AN: Where are you guys from and how long have you been playing together? BP: We all grew up and got together in Norwalk (which they refer to as Never Neverland) where we formed the band. Buyepongo itself has been together for five years but we’ve been playing together with one group or another for the past 12. AN: How many members are in the band? BP: 6 core members but we work with a lot of musicians that come in and out AN: How would you describe your music? BP: Urban Folk/world music. When people saw the accordion they automatically associated it with cumbia; not knowing that we were constantly seeking different rhythms to back the accordion. As a band we fell in love with this thing that we look for… which is a pulsating beat that you can only find through researching and playing and being open to new things. AN: Who are your influences? BP: Wu-Tang Clan, jazz, hip hop from the G-funk era, Andres Landero and some not so mainstream musicians such as poliritmo, Feli Kuti from Africa and booty shaking beats from Central America and even some tamboraso. 6 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
AN: Most people would assume that tamborosa or musica tropical would be some of your influences but how does the G-funnk era stuff influence your music? BP: When you play you have to have that swag you know, that Snoop swag that gangsta swag…you have to be G to travel all over L.A. whatever time of night it is and get down with musicians outside on the streets AN: I heard you guys playing some of your songs earlier. Do you guys develop them through jam sessions or is something more structured, like something you already have in your head? BP: A little bit of both…we try to interpret what's in our head through the band and stuff; everybody does it with each other and so we work real good; we’re real vocal. We' re not traditionally musically trained...because of that it led us to be creative in how we communicate. (Randy) Yeah, like he (Roberto) can actually text me a baseline (everyone laughing) like da da da boom da da boom boom da da and I’m like “oh okay I can figure it out.” There’s definitely order to our music…I mean there is chaos, but it’s organized chaos. That’s Buyepongo bro, buye comes from booyah you know, ruckus…and pongo we just give it to you PONGO!
AN: Wait, wait, I got to get back to this… he can give you a baseline through texting?! BP: Randy: Yeah, like on Facebook, he’ll (Roberto) send me a video and tell me check out the bass line and then he’ll put out the sounds… Roberto: I try to spell it out… Randy: …so when I’m hearing the bass line I’m reading his line that he sent me and I’m like okay that’s the one he sent me, the one he wants me to pay attention to and I’ll interpret it on there [song] AN: Now you know that’s going to be on the article right…I’ve never ever heard of that! BP:Yeah, man go ahead AN: I understand some of you guys are heading out to South by Southwest? BP: Well some of us in the band hooked up with a showcased artist from Spain named, Hector Guerra… we’ll go out there to help him out but we’re not going out there as Buyepongo …on the street corners we are though AN: I’ve never been but I hear a lot of
the musicians will do that, just stop and set-up shop BP: And that’s what we’re going to do… And you know what, if you ask anybody here that knows, we’re infamous for that bro…when we post up, our stuff’s intense and we’re very mobile… Out hear on the streets man, everybody knows who Buyepongo is! AN: So is it fair to say that some of what you guys play is guerilla music? BP: I don’t know, what would be your definition of guerilla? AN: Just popping out of no where; just coming out of the alleys and playing on the street BP: Yeah, yeah! We just did that at MacArthur Park. To us, honestly, it feels really good to have people have a good time around us…we’ve done it plenty of times! Once the summertime comes we’re taking all the ladies to beach…looking forward to that!
world… The audience is part of the show --we interact with them, they interact with us. When we’re done playing we don’t go the back or outside we go right out and start dancing and having a good time. AN: So who do you listen to -- what are three albums or songs that you guys are listening to right now? BP: Mama Jombo, from the Ivory coast; bumping a lot of Tupac, and Cultura Prophetica. AN: One last question, do you guys consider yourselves friends that became a band or friends through the band? BP: We’re brothers! Man we’ve been drinking each other’s beer so long that I think we have each other’s DNA in us!
AN: Speaking of all these performances what can the fans expect to find at a Buyepongo concert? BP: Culture…and world class music; from here in L.A. and also spanning the
www.buyepongo.com 7 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Onda Vaga Born in Uruguay but forged on the streets of Buenos Aires comes the band Onda Vaga. Relying heavily on Spanish guitar riffs and vocal harmonies their music sounds like an acoustic version of Manu Chao crossed with the folksy rhythms of Mumford and Sons. I catch up with them as they return to the studio after a three-year hiatus to discuss touring and what they’ve been doing since their last record.
AN: How many members are in the band and what are your names?
OV: The number of members has been 5 since almost the beginning of the band; we are Nacho Rodriguez, Tomas Justo, Marcos Orellana, Marcelo Blanco and German Cohen. We compose and make most of the decisions, but when playing live (and plugged) we add at least a bass player and an additional percussionist and an extra trumpet and tuba when playing for big crowds.
AN: Is the band still situated in Argentina and are all the members there or do you all live in different 8 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
parts and come together to play/ record? OV: We are all Buenos Aires based. We usually hang out together since we have a lot of friends in common, so we see each other’s faces pretty often.
AN: This magazine is based out of the U.S., Los Angeles specifically. Do you have a following there or another part of the states and how does the band connect with their fans? OV: We are aware of some US followers, thanks to the internet. We get mail and comments such as “come play in Houston” or “you’d do great here in San Diego”, also
“We usually write about things that move us, mostly about life and love, but also about melancholy and bitterness, and sometimes, about overcoming them.”
some people from NYC sent their messages.
and whom do you feel are your contemporaries?
AN: Has the band ever toured the States? What has been your favorite place to play?
OV: We have a lot of influences, all mixed up, such as: Argentinian folklore, Cumbia, the Beatles, Ramones, Mano Negra, Animal Collective, Air, Venezuelan folklore, Brazilian Tropicalia, Jeanette, Led Zeppelin, Los Chichos, amongst many others. We feel contemporary to Animal Collective, Beach House, David Bowie, Sebastien Tellier, Grizzly Bear, and anyone who’s making music at this beautiful moment.
OV: Unfortunately, we weren’t able to accept this year’s invitation to play SXSW because we’re finishing our third album, so no, we’ve never been in the States (or Mexico), but we are looking forward to. So far our favorite place to play has been Japan, where we went last year to play at the Fuji Rock Festival.
that move us, mostly about life and love, but also about melancholy and bitterness, and sometimes, about overcoming them.
AN: When you play is it structured and concise or improvisational like jazz?
OV: Our concerts lately have been kind of structured but also with a hint of improvisation. Since we usually play pop-based songs, we write a list before the show and that’s it, but we have a couple of moments for the improv.
AN: What do like to sing about? AN: Who are your influences
OV: We usually write about things
AN: Are you guys still playing 9 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
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wherever you can: parties, bars, streets or is it a bit more organized and geared toward concerts and festivals? OV: We play mostly at concert venues and theatres here in Argentina, but bars and parties while abroad; we aim for the big festivals because they pay money, which is really helpful in order to travel… but once there we also try to play bars and streets sometimes. AN: When was the moment the band realized it went from more than just a group of friends playing for their own enjoyment to a full-fledged band that could command a stage and tour the country/world? OV: We’d all been playing semiprofessional music with friends for long time before Onda Vaga started. Three months after the release of our first album, we had a show in a big patio where we expected 300 people…suddenly 900 hundred came. I guess that was the first concise sign of massiveness.
AN: The last album was released in 2010, what has the band been doing since? Is a new album on the horizon?
OV: Since our 2nd album we’ve mostly been playing and touring and composing and enjoying life, but at the end of 2012, it all ended, since we decided it was time for a new album, and we have been working our asses off since last November. Now Magma Elemental is almost ready and will be released by May/June ‘13.
AN: What are five songs/albums the group is listening to right now.
OV: Sleep Tonight - Rolling Stones Dragonaught - Sleep Volver a los 17 - Violeta Parra I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier - John Lennon
AN: Best show?
OV: I guess playing for 10,000 people at the Orange Court Stage at the Fuji Rock Festival; so far from home…so welcomed.
AN: Funniest thing to ever happen at one?
OV: Once one of the guys fell to the ground from a 3-meter high stage while jumping and singing a song. He got on stage just in time to sing the rest of it.
Roots of Chicha (album) - Various Artists
AN: Anything else you’d like the ArtNois readers to know about the band?
OV: Give us a chance! Search for us on the internet. Tell your local booker to book us!! Enjoy life!
www.ondavaga.net 11 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
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W
hen I think of French musicians my mind immediately turns to Air, Edith Piaf, and Serge Gainsbourg. All great musicians, who I love and have obsessed over at one point or another, even though I hardly know what they’re saying. There’s a duo out of Tours that may just turn this ménage a trois into a foursome. While listening to Chill Bump all I could think was, man this sounds like the love child between a Tarantino soundtrack and beats from RZA -- haunting yet catchy. The best part for me, no translation needed; they may be from France but they rhyme in English and like Tarantino, they’re not afraid to embrace the controversial. -Carlos Rubio
CHILL BUMP - 100% DIY RAP
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States, if not do you have any plans to do so? CB: Yes, we’ve just started touring around France. We’ve been lucky to do a few opening acts for C2C (they are a very popular French group that won 4 music awards this year). We’ve been blessed because the venues have been packed and the audiences have been very receptive to what we’re bringing to the table. Wax Tailor has also picked us to open up for him two nights in a row at the “Olympia” in Paris. We’ve never played abroad yet, but we can’t wait! AN: When I listen to your songs I feel a RZA/Wu-Tang Clan influence for the beats and an Eminem influence for the flow. Do you agree or disagree?
AN: When did you two first meet, how long have you been a group and how did you come up with the name Chill Bump? CB: We met 15 years ago at school. We’ve been making music together for about a year and a half now. At first, we wanted to call our group goose bump, but as you probably know “goose bumps” is a series of children’s horror fiction novels so we gave that up. We found the synonym “chill bump” and liked the association of the two words. AN: The group is from France but the material is in English. Is there a reason you chose it over French? Has doing so made it harder to find traction in France (album sales, radio play, concerts)? CB: Miscellaneous (the MC) grew up in the UK. He started rapping in French as soon as he moved to France in 1997. He decided to switch back to his mother tongue after a few years because he felt more comfortable that way. We’re sure that a few purists in the rap scene out here haven’t really accepted us because of the language barrier. However, lots of hip-hop heads and people that don’t even like rap support what we do. A few national radios play our joints and we’re doing more and more gigs as the months go by. The good thing about English is that you can be understood all over the world. AN: Have you ever worked with other rappers/producers from the U.S.? If so who? CB: No, we haven’t got down to working with anybody else for now but we’d love to. We’ve been very busy with our EPs up to now. AN: Has the group had the opportunity to tour, if so when and where? Have you ever played in the United 14 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
CB: “Enter the 36 chambers” was the first album we both had on repeat when we were about 13 years old so I suppose you could say that Wu tang has influenced Chill Bump to some extent. Bankal has been inspired by producers such as DJ Shadow, Black Milk or Jake One. Miscellaneous idealizes Big Pun and gets tired of Eminem comparisons (“just another white rapper with multisyllabic rhyme schemes”), but has to admit albums like the “Slim Shady EP” or the “Marshall Mathers EP” are excellent and Em has talent. AN: What are your influences musically (in and out of hip hop)? Who do you follow in hip hop and who is at the top of their game? CB: We listen to a lot of genres (from pop, rock, electro, trip hop, to jazz and afrobeat) but rap music overall. We think that Action Bronson and Danny Brown are on fire at the moment. Kendrick Lamar’s “Good kid/Mad City” album is really dope too. AN: Have you ever been approached to use any of your tracks for a movie because I definitely see it working for a Quentin Tarantino film? I think “It’s Alive” or “Lost in the Sound” would have been perfect for Django Unchained. Your thoughts? CB: We’d have loved to be featured on the Django Unchained soundtrack because the whole album is excellent (the movie is also amazing). We enjoy using movie samples for our songs too. We haven’t been approached yet. Lets keep our fingers crossed. It would be great to create a whole soundtrack album for a movie one day... AN: On your website you write that “Chill Bump is 100% DIY/ ‘Pure rap music ain’t made under pressure,’” please explain to the Artnois readers what you mean by that? CB: When we say DIY, we mean that we’re an independent group that has 100% control over our music. We do not have a record label looking over our shoulder pressuring us to do/release what they want, when they want. The people that work with us (EPcovers, photos, videos) and help us advance are all part of a small family. Much love to them!
AN: Some of your material deals with controversial topics such as “My Mother is a Porn Star” and “Snip Snip.” Have you gotten in trouble/drawn criticism for tracks like this? What made you rap about those topics?
be. We might start working on a brand new album or just release a few tracks/videos here and there for the moment. We’ve been very busy with our live shows these last few months.
CB: Not really. Everybody likes controversial topics because they stand out and make people debate. We haven’t had any negative feedback yet. People laugh at “My Mother is a Pornstar” and agree with “Snip Snip” (even though we’re telling them to quit reproducing). Lots of things have been said in rap music but there are still a few touchy subjects that deserve to be addressed. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis recently put out a track called “Same Love” about homosexuality, which clearly hasn’t been accepted yet. As a rapper, it’s important to point things out, stick shit in people’s faces and help mentalities evolve.
AN; What can people expect to find at a Chill Bump concert? Where can they next see you live? Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Artnois readers? CB: When people come to see us play, they can expect to see an energetic show, hear a bit of all 4 EPs and a few remixes, and to go home with a smile on their faces. We will be touring over France this year, but can’t wait to travel and play at some place near you. Please download our 4 EPs for free at this address: http://chill-bump.com. Peace.
AN: Is the group working on a new album or project? CB: We’re not quite sure what our next project will
chill-bump.com
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DIamond
Rings
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“...work really hard, make great music and videos, and stop worrying about whether or not people are noticing right away.�
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diamondringsmusic.com 18 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
How did you form Diamond Rings? From a desire to take a risk and make a truly honest musical statement. What does this project mean to you? It means everything to have my creative outlet double as my day job. What inspired you to start this music project? I wanted to make music that was personal and I wanted to have full control over my creative output. This is the first project that I’ve conceptualized from start to finish. I’m trained in the conceptual arts and see Diamond Rings as an extension of that training. Can you tell us how Chron’s disease impacted your life? Being hospitalized gave me the time and space to not only write music but to reaffirm that music was the path I wanted to follow at this point in my life. I became more confident and determined to succeed regardless of whether or not anyone else thought it was possible. It seems as though your most recent album Free Dimensional is formed very much like a story. Is this done on purpose?
I used a Roland Juno 106 polyphonic synthesizer for most of the bass lines and leads on this one. It was also the first Diamond Rings album to feature a guitar solo. Whom would you say are your most influential musician/s? The band that made me want to become a musician was the Constantines. Have you collaborated with any musicians? Working with Katie Stelmanis of Austra on my first record was really great because she’s the one who really inspired me to start recording electronic music on my own. What is your next move? Ha! I just moved into a new apartment with my girlfriend and I’m really happy with where I am right now. No moves for a long while. Any messages for the public? Keep fit and have fun. I’ll be supporting Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark on their North American tour this summer.
Although not everyone listens to an album front to back anymore I still feel it important that the sequence of an album should follow a path or arc. Free Dimensional in many ways feels like a complete circle thematically. It begins in the same place where it ends but goes through lots of in-betweens to get to that place. (This album) means the last two years of my life. Everything I see or do gets poured into my music and art in some way. I really hope it resonates with people. In the song “Hand Over My Heart” you rap a few lines; what inspired you to rap on this track? Sometimes I rhyme quick and sometimes I rhyme slow. What do you consider the biggest struggle to overcome in the music business? Every day is a struggle in some way. The key is to have fun as much as possible and try not to get hung up on the haters. Nothing’s ever difficult. It’s usually a “yes” or “no” kind of situation. The best advice I could give a band starting out is to work really hard, make great music and videos, and stop worrying about whether or not people are noticing right away. If your work is unique and honest it will stand out eventually. How do you feel about performing in SXSW? It’s my fourth time at the festival so I’m in a way more prepared for the madness. I’m really grateful that I have some great shows and hope to see a few other bands while I’m at it. Which part of the music-making process if your favorite? That’s hard to say. I enjoy the entire process and couldn’t imagine skipping steps! Did you use any different/new techniques or instruments?
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Numbe:ra Meet a group From Hamburg, Germany who’s music may be “...too new and too freaky for the people who love old-school hip-hop” and yet too old school for electronic fans. Regardless, we think it’s a great combination.
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“If I knew then what I know I would have been prepared to save my soul” -If I knew then
How long have you been working together? Nicolas and Nora got to know each other in 2009 and started playing jazz gigs. In March 2010, they started a new project called NUMBE:RA. The whole crew has been working together since the end of 2010. How is the hip-hop/soul/electronica scene there? The hip-hop scene in Germany is quite big, especially in Hamburg. There are a lot of famous german hip-hop/soul artists, like Max Herre, Samy Deluxe, Kool Savas and Jan Delay. But it had its peak ten years ago, and since the electronic music scene got this huge, it naturally melted over the years with all other styles. Nowadays, people and artists are used to electronic sounds, and that has changed a lot. NUMBE:RA is something in between, because we try to keep the hip-hop roots but still be modern and stay open for new developments. (However), our music is sometimes too new and too freaky for the people who love oldschool hip-hop, but on the other hand the music is too old-school for fans of electronic music. It’s quite strange and confusing, but very German. That’s the reason why we focus more on the international music scene.
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Are there any major differences between the music scene here in the states and in Hamburg? Actually, we don’t really know the music scene in the states, because we’ve never been there for more then two weeks. But we notice, concerning to the newest releases, that American artists are very influenced by the European electronic music scene. How did you all decide to merge those three styles (neo soul, hip-hop, and electronica) of music to form what is now your album, Something In Between? For us, hip-hop and neo-soul belongs together anyway. We all love Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Jill Scott, Q-Tip... but we wanted to create something new. The concept is to always break the chains of the different styles, but stay true to what it is. That’s a very thin line. We love soulful melodies, song structures, beats, as well as crazy electronic sounds. So we just mixed everything we love! How did you come in contact with Frank Nitt? Our very good friend Alex (a NUMBE:RA
family member, as we say) is one of the guys who book hip-hop artists in Hamburg. Frank was on tour with Illa-J, and Alex asked him to spend an evening in a nice studio with us. That’s what happened. We found a studio in one hour, and we were hanging out there for the whole evening. Lucky moment! Both of them were very kind - nice and extremely professional! We showed Frank the song “There I Go,” and he loved it immediately. We asked him to do a verse, and he wrote his rap in around 25 minutes and recorded it in half an hour. In return, we wrote the hook-line for the song “Missmatch,” which is on his newest album “Stadium Music – The View From The Underground.” Who came up with the concept for the video to your track “All I Want is Love”? (http:// youtu.be/ei3iSEv2uhU) Another good friend of us, Sebastian Pfeifer (aka Everfresh), is a graphic designer who was testing a new After FX plug-in. He loved the song and got inspired by the special mood. One day, he came up with his first video idea, and we were really impressed how the song got even more intense with those visuals. From that moment on we knew “All I Want Is Love” would be our first single. We finished the video with some
takes of Nora singing in front of a green wall. And it was perfect! How was it to work with an MC from the states, more accurately Detroit, Michigan (a city highly influenced by hiphop)?
Nora writes the lyrics, and she grew up with music in English. She just feels comfortable with the language.
Of course, it was very exciting for us to meet a guy who worked together with so many of our heroes, like J-Dilla or Madlib. He told us some sweet stories from older times, and that was very special for us.
What aspect about creating music do you enjoy the most?
Do you have any music in German? Yes, we do have some, but not for this project. Who writes the music? Usually Nicolas makes the beats, and Nora writes the lyrics. At certain times, they come together, share their ideas, and put it together to one thing. We also work with different beat-makers and producers. We try to search for the idea behind the first idea. We always keep an eye on a special feeling/mood in each track, and the right sound that transports it perfectly.
Whom would you say are your most influential musicians?
Why did you all decide to make your album in English?
Erykah Badu, Nancy Wilson, Herbie Hancock, D’Angelo, James Blake, Daft Punk, Flying Lotus, and many more. If you could work with anyone, whom would it be?
Creating music is great because it’s about expressing yourself, creativity, sharing positive energy and feelings with friends, musicians and the audience. It’s almost like a therapy, sometimes. Do you feel touring is a good way of getting exposure? If so, why? If not, which way is the best way? It depends on the music, the band, and the situation. Touring is always great, but we just found out that it’s very important for us to be active on the internet to spread our music in the international world.We haven’t toured a lot yet with NUMBE:RA. We really focused on writing the music and getting the project started. But of course we had some great gigs in the past (Support for Ryan Leslie, Bobby V, Frank Nitt & Illa J, Festival shows).
Oh, there are a lot of stunning artists out there! Hm, for now let’s take Jessie Ware! Are you currently working on a project? There are a lot of projects going on. Right now we have a remix-contest on www.remixcomps.com. Apart from that, we’re currently producing new songs and some new videos. Our remix contest is running until the April 6th! We want to invite all kinds of DJ’s and producers to take part! Take a look at our Facebook to get in touch with all dates and news. We will release a remix EP in April.
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WAVE MACHINES 24 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Whom is Wave Machines?
gets you in your teens and doesn’t let go.
Tim Bruzon sings and plays guitar. James Walsh plays keys and bass. Carl Brown plays bass and keys. Vidar Norheim plays drums. We met in a recording studio where Carl, James and I worked many years ago. Vidar was found in a bar.
What does Wave Machines mean? Apart from the obvious, like swimming pools etc., I always think of hi-fi speakers, kicking out sound waves.
Are you all originally from Liverpool? Carl and James were born here. Vidar is from Norway, I (Tim) grew up in London. What are some major differences/similarities between the music scene in England and the U.S.? Honestly, I don’t know too much about the US music scene. I know that for a band to try and make any kind of impact in America, you need to tour a lot more than you would in the UK. You’d struggle to tour for more than three weeks in the UK. You can cover most of it in that time. (We have toured) across Europe and UK. We have toured in the US a bit some years ago and would love to go back. What inspired you to start this music project? We’ve all always had the urge to be involved in band life. The idea
Which part of the music-making process is your favorite? Probably that first rush of energy when you put a demo together. I find it hard to sit still and leave it alone. I can’t eat properly or go to bed; I need to keep taking the song to next stage to see if it’s going to work. It’s exciting. I like listening to the ideas really loud. What did it mean when you first developed the idea to create your music and how has it changed since? We wanted to make something with a good dose of energy and oddness for the first album. This time, things are a bit heavier, a bit more melancholic. We still like to focus on melody and songwriting, though. I felt like I needed to try and make something a bit darker, which was more reflective of how I, as a writer, feel at this point in my life... I hope that the album is a grower that people will get more
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out of it the more they listen. I find those kinds of albums the most satisfying. The track “Ill Fit” sounds very groovy, what was the process in making this particular track? The song was put together much like the others - demoed first, then recorded by the band, then reworked with Lex until we felt we had the right feel. The chorus was written at the end, though. It went through a number of different stages, until I had a lyric that really felt good enough for the track.
officers dancing at a crime scene. The idea jumped off the page at us, and we knew we wanted to make it. Carl has a friend that was working at the London School of Contemporary Dance, so we were able to tap his brains and ended up working with some very talented dancers and a wonderful choreographer. What about when you won the 9th Annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop vote for Best Dance/Electronica Song for that same song? It was nice to have someone say they think your song is a good one. I am not sure how I feel about awards for music. Unless there’s a cash prize.
Why is the title of the album Pollen, as it pertains to the album as a whole?
Have you collaborated with any musicians? If so, whom? Which was your favorite experience?
Three members of the band had kids while the album was being made, so it seemed like an appropriate title for that time. Fertility, pollination… you get the picture.
I wrote a song with The Shoes, a band from France. It was a really nice experience, and I would certainly do more of the same. Until that time, a bit of remixing keeps things interesting.
Did you use any different/new techniques or instruments?
What is your go-to musician/band to gain insight/inspiration/ motivation?
We worked with Lex, our co-producer who introduced a lot of new programming techniques. He makes his own soft samplers and drum machines which have interesting ways of playing with timing, so you get a lot of sounds being generated that aren’t as straight as your regular drum machine programming. It makes things a bit more chaotic. What did it mean to be awarded with Best Choreography at the 2011 UK Music Video Awards for “Keep the Lights On”? The video was pitched by the director, Aniel Karia. He gave us a list of five different scenes, one of which read something like: forensic 26 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
That’s a tough question to throw in at the end. I really don’t think I have any one that I constantly refer to. I think if you do have one source like that there’s a chance you’ll end up sounding too close to it anyway. Any messages for the public? Acquire your music responsibly. Tour dates information visit the site. Go to www.wavemachines.co.uk for all the latest.
“Acquire your music responsibly”
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Keaton SImons By Jesenia Meraz
“For me everything is a progression and a forward motion. That comes in to play when I make a record...because to make a record can be terrifying. There it is! It’s there. It’s locked. You can perform the song a million different ways but that record is always going to sound the same. “
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Picture this. Keaton opens the door and greets us as his amiable girlfriend (Laura) approaches us from the hallway and his gorgeous Saint Bernard (Bentley) curiously sniffs at our feet. As we begin our slow but promising interview, Keaton relaxes on his plum couch caressing Bentley. Oh, and might I add this commonly large pup is twice my size with the misconception that she can swiftly move on and about the living-room as she pleases. Boy am I distracted by her beautiful fur and grand size! So anyway, we begin chatting about his early introduction to music and his interest in guitar at the age of 7. He tells about his unpleasant struggle to conquer the strings. He began with a guitar which belonged to his great grandfather passed down to his mother. As a graduate in musicology from Evergreen State College in
Olympia, Washington, one would say Keaton is a well-grounded musician with a degree to back it up. After listening to Keaton’s music it was a little unexpected to find out his initial involvement with music included plenty activity in the hip-hop scene. He worked with major influences like Kim Hill (Black Eyed Peas), Trevant Hardson (The Pharcyde, whom Magda and I had just seen at The Roxy), and Snoop Dogg. Keaton, how did you transition from hip-hop to a much more relaxed, soulful, and bluesy-type of music? It was something that I did on my own. I never really wanted to force anything so I started doing my own thing, whatever felt more natural. I really believe in filling myself up with influence and inspiration as possible. I just let it come out from my heart. Generally this is the type of songs that seem to come out. I’m a huge Beatles fan so lyrics are really important to me. Where do you think you find the most inspiration?
I don’t even know where I find inspiration from; it varies. I’m just open to inspiration so I find it wherever it happens. The best case scenario is when it just exists in space, in the air and I’m pulling it out. I just go with the flow. How do you write a song like Beautiful Pain? That song is so special for many reasons because it’s the story for Laura (girlfriend) and I and our relationship. That song was only able to get to the point that we were able to get to. And it’s a good thing that everything happened so fast or else that would have frustrated the heck out of me! It’s a concept of something that I’ve been wanting to put into a song for a really long time. I’m relieved and really glad I was finally able to do it. Do you have special stories like that for all of your songs? Every song in one way or another has a story. I like to see other people’s interpretation about a song. Just because it means something specific to me, does not at all mean that’s what it needs to mean to somebody else. That’s the thing most powerful about any kind of artistic expression. The potential for universal appeal
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comes not from the specific goal to create a universally appealing piece of work , but rather it is something that the artist connects so deeply with themselves that it stimulates and inspires that universality. Basically what they’re seeing is not that I’m connecting to them, but that I’m connecting to myself, and that inspires them to connect to themselves. Through that role we are connected, that’s how that universality happens. So it’s really important for me not to force my perspective down anybody’s throat. Just to represent it, be that, and hope it will inspire people to connect with themselves. Do you think you’re more of an in-studio musician or a performer? When I’m performing live the goal is to capture most of what happens; I ask myself what does is mean to me right now? This moment has never existed before and it’s never going to exist again, how do I feel about this in this moment? I would say it is where my heart is; there’s something magical about performing live. I like the raw aspect of it, it’s not be too perfect and polished. Would you say you sound better on record or do you enjoy live performances best? I think they’re really different things. I love them both for different reasons. My goal is to catch the moment live because there’s something really magical that happens live and it’s a real challenge to try to capture that on a record. That’s part of the reason why I have a live album too that will be released in the Fall (2013). Man I do love playing live; that’s where a big part of my heart is. As a student of jazz and other different improvisational styles of music, the ability to improvise and to interpret a situation (is what it’s all about)...A live performance and that type of expression is so important to me. Do you think it’s a continuation/ evolution of your work? My Initial response is that it’s a progression, an evolution. For me everything is a progression and a forward motion. That comes in to play when I make a record... because to make a record can be terrifying. There it is! It’s there. It’s locked. You can perform the song a million different ways
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but that record is always going to sound the same. For me as a person who prides myself on constant growth and development, I can’t be a perfectionist when it comes to recording because no matter what I’m going to be able to come back and be able to do it better or different. It’s about embracing that moment in time and not living in the past. It’s not about going ‘how can I do this better?’ but ‘what can I do next?’. Do you find it difficult making a living as a musician? I’ve been really fortunate because this is a tough industry no matter how you slice it. There are fewer opportunities in some areas and more opportunities in other areas. A big part of the reason why I started my own label with CEG is precisely because of that. There are always going to be big struggles. There’s a lot of rejection and a lot of up and downs. It’s important for me to remember why I do it, I do it because I love music...and that’s it. Everything
else kind of just falls in place around it. Even-though we only merely spoke for about an hour, there are many sincere things I can say about Keaton but I will only say one: he’s a genuinely passionate musician and love advocate and he’s truly inspirational. Many thanks to him and Laura for letting us invade his home and for being awesome enough to sing Beautiful Pain for us, which you can see on artnois.com. Oh! You can also see a picture of him holding a sketch of him as a Simpson.
Check out his album Beautiful Pain featuring Robin DiMaggio on drums, which will release in April! He is having a show on April 6th at Universal CityWalk so stop by and enjoy some live music.
m o c . s mon
i s n o keat
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Dahlia Khodur
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“It’s important to learn that having a deep passion for what you do lets you overcome any obstacles throughout your creative process and it encourages you to constantly improve.” -Dahlia
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facebook.com/dahliakhodurart
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Franรงoise Nielly
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Meet Fraçoise’s Nielly. An artist who specializes in creating portraits using clean thick knife strokes with beautiful bold colors. She has a very clean style which can be attributed to her fathers teachings about there being little room for mistakes. These beautiful paint layered portraits have been featured in many exhibitions around Europe including Spain and France as well as in the US and Canada. She has also collaborated with the Survolt racing concept car and IRM design. To see more of her work be sure to visit her site and catch an exhibit whenever possible.
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www.francoise-nielly.com 39 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Asian Heritage Trang Nguyen
May is Asian Heritage Month, you guys! For you history geeks out there (I’m a bit of one too), it started out as only ten days and a bill, probably because the US felt like they owed us a couple of holidays. It coincided with two significant dates pertaining to the Asians: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the US on May 7, 1943 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad--the majority of the workers were Chinese immigrants--on May 10, 1869. President Jimmy Carter signed it into reality. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush extended the week to the whole month. Canada followed suit in 2002. Finally, in 2009, President Barack Obama officially proclaimed May as “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month” (what a mouthful, but we’ll keep the shorter version from now on). It’s hard to resist the Asian persuasion. Alright, let’s get to the funner things in life. Parties go hand-in-hand with celebrations and you can expect each country’s finest treasures: their food. Vietnamese pho, Chinese wontons, Japanese udon, Korean BBQ, ohhh my mouth’s watering. Oh and I’m sure you’re dying to ask, “O wise Asian beauty descended from a nine-tailed fox and a colorful wingless dragon, please bestow the knowledge of how Asians eat tiny rice with two measly sticks!” First of all, oh stop it, you, flattery gets you nowhere. Second, those sticks are power rods made to direct our natural chi to grip food with the might of a thousand ninja wolves. But really, it’s the eye of the tiger, baby.
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So meditate your chakra well to prepare for the upcoming events around Los Angeles: -May 2nd-12th, the 29th edition of The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival presented by Visual Communications at the Directors Guild of America, CGV Cinemas, and the Art Theatre of Long Beach. Ticket packages are now on sale. Show some love for your family and friends! -May 11th, the Asian Cultural Festival of San Diego lasting from 10 AM to 5 PM at the NTC Park at Liberty Station. Watch out, there’ll be martial art performances! Free for all! -May 18th, the 9th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration in the Civic Center/Little Saigon of San Francisco which features some tribal belly dancing and foodie heaven! And now to the core of this article: why we wanted to acknowledge this month. Well, for one, I mentioned the power of the Asian persuasion. It’s the “good-at-math” thing plus I hear we can’t get hypnotized easily. Go figure. But back to the point, the art and music is simply incredible. The living breathing exotic Asian form is a masterpiece, if I do say so myself. Beauty begets beauty. Rich histories begets amazing art. Each one fights tooth and nail their way to where they are now, be it to America or the frontline of a company. Their art is their story and their ancestors’ stories. It’s a topic that can never be too emphasized or grand. I mean, seriously, have you seen some? That shit cray. From yakuza tattoos to contemporary art and all the genres inbetween, it’s something that celebration and accolades should be flung all around (and in the case of the tattoos, sake). I just can’t
get enough (and now I have that song stuck in my head). Really, I won’t have to convince you any further. The might of the Asian form is too powerful, like a crouching tiger and hidden dragon. If you’re in the mood to tour some venues dedicated exclusively to Asian art or just cruising and wanna see some pale skin and silky hair in paint form, you can go to any of these upcoming events and more: -April 21st, jumping the gun a bit is the Songkran Thai New Year Festival in San Jose. Muay Thai kickboxing and Miss Songkran Beauty pageant, ooh la la~! Not to mention the Singha Beer Garden. Yes, it is free. -May 3rd-25th, The Future is Now exhibits at the SOMArts Main Gallery. Gotta love anything that’s free, am I right? -May 12th-19th, Asian Contemporary Art Week in San Francisco. That’s right, folks, a week long celebration through the artMRKT, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and ten other venues down the street. -May 17th, from midnight to 7 AM is the Phantom of Asia Launch Party at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, opening the exhibit with drinks, nibblets, and DJ Vin Sol and DJ King Most. Well, that’s it for my end. Hope you guys enjoy this issue and many more to come! How can you not? More pure awesomeness is on the way. Oh hey, and next year, take a swing down to Garden Grove and check out the Lunar New Year Festival (the world’s largest in fact) in February and you’ll definitely see me in all my glorious glory...eating skewer after skewer of meat.
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Helen Huang
Ashlyn
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Wall Of Colors
Cqgirl
Pampering
Love Me Love Me Not 43 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Wonderland State of Mind
“I am a self taught digital artist based in Los Angeles. Art has always been my true passion and motivated me to change my career choice from being a lawyer to a designer. During the day, I am
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an Art Director at an interactive ad agency. In my spare time, I wander in my fantasy art world, trying to capture every inspiration I have and share my vision with the world.
I see my art as being feminine and elegant. I use vector art as the main medium for my fresh and clean style. It’s often filled with soft pastel palettes and flowing curves with delightful and playful characters in a surreal, imaginative world. I consider manga, fashion and my Chinese heritage the major influences on my work.
My current work focuses on fashion illustration, editorial and character design. Clients include Mattel, Random House, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, American Girl, Shutter Stock and Imagezoo. “ -Helen
Soft Spot
helen-huang.com 45 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Last summer
I know because it happened in my city, it’s my story. I grew up in Shanghai during a period of profound change. Endless high-rise buildings, changing the landscape and way of life forever, were consuming old street-level neighborhoods. Today, only a heavy dust in the air
remains of most of these communities. I was raised in an apartment that contained seven families. My relationship to the community was much different then. During the summer months, the heat would bring our lives into the street. We would cook and bath in the open air. Our way of life was simple, communal and we had few of the luxuries that seem common today. These old neighborhoods are vanishing in the irreversible process of urban development, along with them the lifestyle and memories of people who have lived there for centuries. My project starts in Chongqing, a major city that lies well inside the country’s interior. It is 46 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Wenjie YAng
growing faster than mapmakers or even government officials can track. One street divided from the city’s flourishing city center is the “Shi Ba Ti”, a neighborhood that has resisted this progress until recently. The government began resettling the residents in 2009 and hopes to make the area fully available for development in 2012.
Through photographing these neighborhoods, I have rediscovered my own past. I am documenting a disappearing way of life, the type of community in which I was raised.
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Wenjie Yang was born and raised in Shanghai and recently returned to Mainland China after graduating from the International Center of Photography’s Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program in New York City. After receiving her BFA from the Beijing Film Academy in 2000, Wenjie worked as an executive producer in advertising and associate director in the film industry. In 2008 and 2010 Wenjie was the recipient of the National Geographic International Photography Contest China Region 3rd Prize. In 2010, Wenjie received the Xu Xiaobing Photography Award, the honorable mention of International Photography Awards and was chosen as finalist of the Luceo Image Student Award. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, GQ, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Burn Magazine, China Photo Press, Elle Décor, Elle Men, amongst others, exhibited nationally and internationally.
To view the entire series and for more on the artist and other work: Website: www.wenjieyang.com Tumblrwenjieyang.tumblr.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/wenjieyang Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/baibai.yang
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Sol: 46 1/2” x 47 1/2”
Blame: 40” x 41”
Kurtis Brand Cease Fire Machine: 16 1/2” x 25”
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Ascension (for John Coltrane): 30.5” x 29”
Kurtis Brand brings together two innate aspects of life: the tangible and intangible. Both are essential for a balanced existence, together they merge opportunity for discussion with a set of skills, refinement, practice and raw talent. He is a wealth of art, bursting with historical references, modern day innovation and knowledge of the art world. His work is full of ideas following a complete working spectrum of materials and process. Kurtis finds muses in nature and nurture, formed from his depth of experiences as a raw food chef, a musician,
a Zen Buddhist and a life full of projects. He has remained consistently a painter. He has covered the gamete within the contemporary movement, some with expressionistic styles and in his recent years, sculptures and small, meaningful found objects. Kurtis would describe his own work as process and exploratory, always trying to create a conversation with viewer and work. Although he is classically trained from two well-known art programs and is over 2 decades marked with
his degrees, his coursework has only just completed. It is only now that he is ready to join the ranks of the other emerging artists in his field and invite the viewer to receive his work. Being a more established person than his peers, with still an unestablished art career, has kept him humble, willing and focused. He does not have the youthful adolescent mindset of a typical emerging artist. Instead he is cultured, cautious and exact about each opportunity, ensuring calculated decisions to help his work to be more successful.
Travelers: 55 1/2� x 52 1/2�
Ass 9: 42" x 40"
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Fools Fetter: 22” x 36”
External and internal are ultimately one thing and I believe it is my job to connect the two and help the viewer to realize correlations between seemingly disparate elements. The ambiguity that joins (or more appropriately, separates) two things is where the interest is. It can’t be defined but something is sensed or felt that these elements coexist. I try to thread things together that will disorient the viewer in order to give them a different sense of what is real, whether they believe it or are open to it or not. In his own words, “There is a burning desire to express the inexpressible, 52 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
A Bridge: 71” x 45”
a deep need for discovery within the ambiguity of an image. Though it is often a feeble attempt, it is the exact attempt repeated over and over again until, when thought disappears, something special occurs. To guide the viewer’s direction of thought to a place they did not know existed, ultimately they will discover that they have no need to define what was/is seen. Trying to just occupy the same space and being patient to see where it will go and allowing it to give the image time to unfold. What pulls you in is unknown, but it feels as though it has been there before or always has been.”
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Laura
Bifano
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“Menagerie” is a series of 12 polygonal animal paintings inspired by Laura’s love of nature and classic video games.
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www.laurabifano.com 57 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Meredith
Dittmar
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Meredith Dittmar is an artist living and playing in Portland OR. Born near Boston Mass, she grew up in a world of pet pigs, horses, hay-forts and spy games . Follow this with an education in computer science, a career in interactive design, a compulsive need to create, and a drive to Seek and you get the major elements of her person and work. Dittmars work has been featured in various books on contemporary art, art toys, illustration, and polymer clay, along with numerous magazines and online publications. In conjunction with her artwork, she works as an independent character designer, illustrator, and maintains her company Corporatepig, through which she continues to create thousands of unique handmade characters called “My Guys”.
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portfolio.corporatepig.com 62 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
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STASIA
BURRINGTON
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“ I want to communicate the desire to feel included in a bigger picture, and to mark ourselves in order to communicate this desire. “
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“People are my subject matter, because I’m a romantic and strive to make beautiful work. I use pencil, ink, charcoal, watercolor and paint to do the initial drawings, which I then layer with flowers and leaves I cut out of quilt fabric, mimicking tattoos and falling petals. I love the composition of Japanese artwork, the strong lines of art nouveau, and the diversity in contemporary tattoo culture. I want to emphasize outlines -
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both between self and others, and the outlines we use in body modification, and then to blur those lines by using the same patterns both on bodies and background. I want to communicate the desire to feel included in a bigger picture, and to mark ourselves in order to communicate this desire. The flowers reference impermanence, and the bittersweet feeling of falling petals.�
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The Moon I see 68 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
daehyun kim Daehyun Kim is from Seoul, South Korea. He currently works in various design projects to make a living. He has been drawing the series ‘moonasi’ since 2008. Using traditional technique he has created dreamline imagery. Here are some of his pieces and an interview. Enjoy. What is your creative process? I usually make note of feelings and memories when I have an idea, and keep thinking about the idea until I really want to make it real. And at some moment a certain image comes into my mind, and I start to draw. This process could be finished in a day, or a month, or a year. What was your inspiration for the moonasi series?
At the beginning, it was all about feelings and thoughts on relationships with my intimate friends. When I felt something was wrong in the relationship, I tried to understand what the problem was in me, and the series was the result of that. But at one point, I felt that I was saying the same thing over again. At that point, I tried to get inspirations from various things. I read that you studied traditional east/asian art, how has that influenced your own art? And why did you choose to study this form? As you can see on the face of the character, they are inspired by old portraits of Buddha, which were produced by many Buddhist during the Koryo Dynasty. I pursue simplicity of expression and thoughts of emptiness in my drawing. My drawings are heavily influenced by Zen Buddhism.
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Faces that I have to face before I sleep
Face the whole (Martini) 70 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Oo, darling
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Bright darkness
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The moment that I loved you
For more on Daehyun Kim and his other works and collaborations visit his website at:
www.moonassi.com 73 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Ola Liola
“My Path. Following the process of human perception alteration by the Internet and television in daily life, I see how boundaries between reality and illusion create brutal myths and heavy virtual worlds. The process of exploring tendencies in the culture I call “Virology of modern pop culture”. Through the discovery I create my works, which is a counterplea to pessimistic changes. In my works I try to create strong experience that sparks a curiosity to explore the world around us and start to dream again.
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75 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
My creative process is similar to creation of science fiction stories. I draw my inspirations from ancient mythology, microbiology, biotechnology, genetics, and zoology, mix it with ethnic textile embroidery motives and Japanese pop culture. Next, I combine natural proportions with bright, almost chemical, colors. The result is appearing as experience based surrealism, reality turning into a joyful myth. The images are decorative, almost trying too hard to be pretty. In a closer look, though, one can see different layers and an abundance of details, meanings embedded in a story of nature and urban motives, underlying
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messages in a hybrid style. The artworks are fulfilled with a constant dialogue between two worlds: artificial and natural worlds. A collection of many fine details and textures emphasize the characteristic and energy of the figure I’m creating. My art is influenced by contemporary Asian artists like Murakami Takashi, James Jean, Yayoi Kusama, Chiharu Shiota. However, not only
east culture replicates in my art, some western creators like Ernst Haeckel artist of “Art Forms In Nature”, William Morris, Mikhail Vrubel fascinate me. On the other side, I find some interest in Lowbrow art. Moreover, I find Franz Kafka stories as great source to my inspiration.” -Ola Liola
www.olaliola.com
77 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
78 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
79 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013
Art & Music Magazine 80 ARTNOIS No 4, April 2013