Issue Nº 3 - Spring Emerging Artists
10 Art collector Jean Phillipe talks about the thought behind his art collection.
Art Collectors
44 Painter Elsa Plaza analyses the ironic attitude towards stereotypical roles of men and women.
Art Curators
54 Light artist Pavel Korbička reflects on the relation of space with human movements.
bluebee •Magazine•
©Blue Bee Gallery BlueBeeGallery.com Editor:
Stefan Finsinger
Creative Director:
Angy Avendaño
Editorial team:
Elena Isaeva Mónica Müller-Witte Malin Alexandra Evertsz Mendez Jean Mora
Contributor:
Pablo Doblado Herrero
Artwork in Cover:
On longing
Marketing Director:
Stefan Finsinger
Contact:
Stefan@BlueBeeGallery.com
by Lesley Hilling (Photo by Mike Harding)
bluebee is available as digital magazine on BlueBeeGallery.com or as printed version for £21. The magazine was printed on fully recycled paper to reduce the impact on the environment.
Editorial material and opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Blue Bee Gallery or the publisher. Blue Bee Gallery and bluebee magazine do not accept responsibility for the advertising content. Paid for promotions are clearly highlighted with the phrase “Featured Artwork” or similar. Please email Stefan@BlueBeeGallery.com for any comments or complaints.
Stefan Finsinger - Photography Jean Mora & Karin Stöttinger
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Editor’s letter
It is a changing world. I was recently invited to a private view of an art gallery in Milan, although the country is still in lock down. A few weeks earlier, this invitation would have been one of many this week. Nowadays I had to look twice. The invitation was for a digital opening that was streamed live on the Internet. So much has happened in just a few weeks and I hope everyone is safe and sound. But the new situation can become the new norm sooner than later. It is a time to think about the status quo. And who can do that better than artists. Artists have the chance to change the wider society. Agreeably, this is a very ambitious task, but very exciting at the same time. The artist´s obligation is to transmit and to take responsibility for what we think. Art is not just paint on a canvas but should reflect on the artist´s socio-political surrounding and make a statement. I hope that the statement is a positive one. Unfortunately, the current situation has forced us to decide that this edition will not be available in print. It was a difficult decision because we would have loved to hold our magazine in our hands. But the safety of our readers and contributors must come first. Nevertheless, bluebee magazine, like the digital private view, is of course available online. I am very proud of this quarterly edition, many fantastic artists have contributed to this inspiring collection of visual soul food. What does art mean to you? This is the most difficult question for some, but everyone we speak to agrees that it’s such an important part of their lives. It’s like the blood or oxygen in your body. In this issue, the featured artists have thought about raw emotions, life, stigma, and mental health. Socio-political issues were picked out more or less directly as a central issue. Artists from different cultures deal with it differently, which makes it even more interesting to research further. I hope this problem will trigger one or two thoughts to change the way we see the world. A distraction from reality may be just what we need. And I hope it inspires and encourages you to learn more about the artwork. And as always: it’s worth exploring further. Go and explore. Have fun.
Stefan Finsinger Editor in chief
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Index
9 bluebee Meetups
17 bluebee Artists Feature
75 bluebee Something Else
10
Jean Phillipe Vernes
12
Jelena Delic
14
Jesús Hdez-Güero
18
Alisa Aistova
28
Kian Ming Tan
19
Anne Cecile Surga
29
Anna Mańka
20
John Atherton
30
Qeas Pirzad
21
Aleksandr Gordeev
32
Robert Matejcek
22
Anna Snegina
34
Ido Hirshberg
23
Ethan Caflisch
36
Bin Zhou
24
Daniel J. Finaldi
38
Nam Das
25
Deborah Eve Alastra
40
Lesley Hilling
26
Safina Said Kimbokota
42
Jan Lee Johnson
27
Ryo Kajitani
44
Elsa Plaza
76
Pablo Doblado Herrero
46
Jeremy Gluck
57
Geneviève Dumas
67
Tatyana Ostapenko
48
João Saramago
58
Sam Kelly
68
Astha Gandhi
49
Milan Markovicz
59
Constanza Camila
69
Darwin Estacio Martinez
50
Sabrina Choi
60
Chris Rivera
70
Lorena Eloizaga
51
Tony Natsoulas
61
Tania Benito
71
Jana Marie Cariddi
52
Manda Comisari
62
Diógenes M. Potiguara
72
Abdo Hassan
53
Niso Atakhanova
63
Tea Jagodić
73
Manuel Zamudio
54
Pavel Korbička
64
Kamal Obatoyinbo
55
Tic Ikram
65
Alastair Becker
56
Mark Tamer
66
Alejandro Dini
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bluebee Meetups
bluebee is always keen to hear what people in the art world have to say. It doesn’t matter if it’s art curators, collectors, critics, artists or just art lovers. Everyone has something to say, but most people won’t listen to them. We met three brilliant minds. They may be not well known globally yet, but this makes their advise even more intriguing. Here they share some of their thoughts and opinions on the art market and give advises for emerging artists.
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Jean Phillipe Vernes
bluebee met Jean Phillipe to talk about the thought behind his art collection, how emerging artists can meet art collectors and the role of philanthropists in the art world.
Jean Phillipe has been an art collector for most of his life. At 21, he bought his first artwork which materialised this urge to collect. On special occasions, his house near Paris is now even open to the public to show his extensive collection. For him, art nourishes his being. Jean Phillipe is very much only
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interested in conceptual work. He is most intrigued by artists who can bring “Tangibility to Invisibility”. Most of the pieces are sculptures and photographs, and very few paintings. Some of the pieces are beautiful to look at, but all of them have a deeper meaning based on literature, history or philosophy. A majority of them even include words within the
artwork. Jean Phillipe’s collection tells a story; you go from one artist to another and each has a lot to say. He doesn’t do visual art himself but sees his collection to be artwork on its own. When it comes to art, Jean Phillipe is not commercially minded. He doesn’t have an art advisor but likes
to buy art which moves him. To the contrary to other art collectors, Jean Phillipe won’t sell his art works, even if he loses interest. They rather go to storage. Once, he partnered with an art dealer to make money within the art world, but this doesn’t interest him anymore. He wants to remain pure and not influenced by the dark side of the art world. Jean Phillipe sees himself as a philanthropist who helps emerging artists to lift themselves to the next level. This means that he doesn´t only buy one or several pieces but assists by buying them equipment (e.g. a ceramic kilns, canvasses,
etc.) or paying for the production of pieces. He has curated small group shows at friend’s galleries for brilliant artists in the past. Not to make money with them, but to strengthen their reputation and their position in the art world. It is a fine line and a challenge not to waste the financial assistance nor the contributions to make sure they are timely, so as to precisely help them to make that little move to the next step. For Jean Phillipe, the personal chemistry is important and he needs to share the enthusiasm for great work. It is important for him to meet the artists in person to understand the
meaning behind the artwork. Most of the time he gets to know artists during the jury sessions of one of the several renowned art prices which he is a member of. Another way is on art shows. He tries to make himself accessible and visits galleries, foundations and other events. If you go out, you meet. For Jean Phillipe, artists should be represented by a gallery. There are the exceptions of the rule and some good artist-run spaces are emerging. But in general, he thinks it’s a good idea to have representation. A big caveat is, of course, that artists won’t automatically sell and get famous
Another element that Jean Phillipe pays attention to is a degree from an art school. An artist needs to accumulate knowledge and learn the basics. If you are a sculptor, it is important to learn how to use your hands. once signed up. Some galleries perform in a non-orthodox way, to the extreme that some art collectors give half of the purchase amount directly to the artist rather than through the gallery. On the other side, a lot of young artists complain that galleries don’t sell their work. There can be many reasons for it and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the gallery doesn’t work hard. Galleries do normally what they are good in, they show the art. Another element that Jean Phillipe pays attention to is a degree from an art school. An artist needs to
accumulate knowledge and learn the basics. If you are a sculptor, it is important to learn how to use your hands. Furthermore, artists should emerge in thinking and have layers of culture in their work. The better the art school, the higher the artist’s reputation in the artworld. Jean Phillipe tries to never tell an artist that he is great. The piece which he purchases may be great and a good fit with his collection. However, there are many stages in an artist’s career, and the piece is only the point of view at the time the artwork was produced. It’s risky to collect art from emerging artists, as you can’t predict their future
work and impact on the world. Great artists can paint the same scene several times and it always comes out differently. Because circumstances have changed. But others may get repetitive and boring. Maybe they have nothing left to say, which would be the worst for an artist. An artist should show us why he is thinking that way and how he can make us better. Jean Phillipe knows that he is a very ambitious task, but very exciting at the same time.
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Jelena Delic- Photography by © Pro Helvetia
bluebee met Jelena Delic to talk about the inspiring but complex ecosystem of the art world and the impact of foundations on the wider society.
Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, is a public-law foundation, specialising in the promotion of Swiss arts and culture with a focus on diversity and high quality. Jelena works as a specialist for the Visual Arts department and is in charge of the promotion of aspiring artists. As a possible reason for the success of a significant cohort of Swiss artists internationally, Jelena mentions that the country provides a stable ecosystem for cultural promotion comprised of a mix of federal institutions (including Pro Helvetia), cantons, cities and private foundations. Furthermore, renowned
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art schools, a diversity of art institutions (from artist run spaces and Kunsthallen to big international museums), a robust art market, international art fairs and galleries, all contribute to the Swiss art world, whose reach extends internationally. In the field of Visual Arts, Pro Helvetia supports emerging artists by facilitating the launch of a professional career in the arts at a national or international level. In collaboration with selected partner institutions, the Swiss Arts Council offers residencies, enables opportunities for exhibitions, and grants financial support for
networking. Time in art school is a secure and perhaps cosy place. Pro Helvetia helps them to make their first steps afterwards and closely follows the professional trajectories of Swiss artists. Jelena believes that art schools are important in an artist’s development and it’s good to have been through this structured process of initiation into the field. At the same time, there are some autodidacts who became great artists - it’s most certainly not impossible to make it without a degree. But art schools can provide a rich ground for learning the basics, cultivating a network of peers,
Jelena believes that art schools are important in an artist’s development and it’s good to have been through this structured process of initiation into the field.
acquiring exhibition experience and being mentored by a faculty usually comprised of artists, curators and writers influential in the field. To support young artists with their first steps in the scene Pro Helvetia offers different funding schemes. One of them is the support of artistrun-spaces and small and mid-sized institutions, which are exhibiting aspiring artists. In that sense, Jelena proposes that artists should be proactive rather than passive and welcomes the creation of many artist run spaces. While not only gathering exhibition experience, these spaces also provide opportunities for building professional relationships. It’s fundamentally important to have a good network of people that can support one in different ways. Another area of support is reserved for art galleries, which show emerging or rising artists on art fairs internationally. This is a great way for art galleries to partly minimise the risk in showing new talent instead of focusing only on hard sales. Jelena sees art fairs as an important meeting point for the art world. Although it is expensive to exhibit, these are the pre-eminent contexts for exposure to art collectors, curators, gallerists, journalists and other artists. It’s a fact that art galleries have their
place in the art world and for many artists it’s good to be represented, but not for all. For Jelena, the experience of being represented by a gallery only makes sense if there is a good chemistry between the art gallery and the artist, with a set of clear and mutual expectations. Not every artist should be represented and for some, it’s not the right time, yet. It always depends on the personality of the artist, and where they are in their professional trajectory, and shouldn’t be forced. Personally, Jelena likes art which is somehow commenting on the society and the world in general. She is seeing a sustained trend toward questions of ecological sustainability, gender, postcolonialism and the turbulent politics of the present moment. An example of work she finds compelling on many of these fronts, is Uriel Orlow’s “Theatrum Botanicum”, which looks to the botanical world as a stage for politics. She also rated highly the presentation of Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz in the Swiss Pavilion at the Biennale in Venice 2019 which reflected on questions like “Which direction are we moving? Are we moving backwards? How can we integrate a resistance movement in art?”
the few. Jelena is happy to see that in Switzerland, as in the UK and other countries, there is a growing awareness concerning fair pay for artists. In the future, Swiss exhibitors might only get nationally funded if the hosting institutions pay the invited artists professional fees above an agreed minimum. This new strategy is foreseen for the next federal cultural policy statement which will be discussed in parliament this year. Hopefully it will be a decisive step towards improving the lives of artists. However, there is still a lot more to be done. The art world is a complex system and can nowadays sometimes seem even overwhelming. Emerging artists are required to be not just brilliant creators but also communication and marketing experts, administrators and project managers. Still, Jelena thinks it’s worth it. Being part of this world is a very inspiring experience. Never give up.
Living from art may be a struggle for the many, and possible only for
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Jesús Hdez-Güero- Photography courtesy Hdez - Güero Studio
Bluebee met Jesús Hdez-Güero to talk about his opinion about art galleries and how European art is different from Latin American.
Jesús is a conceptual artist from Havana. For him, art is the best language to communicate in life. It is vital for him as blood or oxygen. The reason he is in this world. “Your work always starts with an idea. The medium is secondary and the message is always essential”, he says. His previous works included
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paintings, collages, videos and installations. Jesús sees himself as a political animal and is very vocal in his works of art. Coming from a Latin American origin and having lived most of this life in that continent, he says that there was always enough content to take advantage of.
His passion for art actually began when he watched the boats from the window of his room in Havana that overlooks the sea. Jesús captured these moments and drew ships in the ocean. His grandmother was a very early supporter and pushed him to consider art as his profession. Without this momentum, he
wouldn’t have known about the art world to really consider a career in this field. While at the art academy, Jesús’s work was even more settled and quieter. This changed when he entered the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) and later matured when he moved to Venezuela, where he also obtained representation of a well respected gallery at that time. Unfortunately, this gallery had to close and mutate with another one. Jesús moved to Colombia in 2017, after 7 years of living in Venezuela, where he worked primarily as an art teacher and displayed his personal
exhibition: “Proteus Syndrome”. Since then no gallery has represented him. This doesn´t affect him to continue his artistic research and continue creating. “This allows you to avoid the mainstream and to freely develop your artistic style to another level”, he says Jesús understands that galleries are important in the art world and that most of the important artists in history were represented by one. He says that despite not being represented by a gallery, you can live on art and other works derived from it. Art critics, curators and international art professionals
appreciate the new artistic expression of his voice with political influence. In addition, he thinks that the relationship between a gallery and an artist is normally complicated and the interests are not always the same. But, he is open to sign with a gallery, if the perfect opportunity arises. A gallery is a good platform to showcase new projects and, therefore, can develop art and ideas. Sometimes they open the doors to collectors. For Jesús, collectors are important to support the ideas of artists, their production and
Art critics, curators and international art professionals appreciate the new artistic expression of his voice with political influence.
career. It is important that an artist be included in a good collection and this is an important part of the circuit. It’s fundamental. Currently, art collectors mainly find out about it through their international exhibitions, social networks, the website, among other alternative forms. But most of the time, Jesus meets them at events, exhibitions and inaugurations. Sometimes, through friends or acquaintances. Jesus has observed that collages and his previous engravings are more popular with the broader base of collectors. While the most expressive pieces, such as a video of 8 bullet shots that cross a
Venezuelan flag or an installation of a bent flagpole that places the Venezuelan flag on the floor, are more resonating with art critics and awards, the latter being a finalist in the important Laguna Prize Art, to be held soon at the Arsenal di Venice.
His advice is to be true to yourself, to your thoughts and ideas about art and the world. The obligation and responsibility of the artist is to be honest with his thoughts about life and our existence and make them public through his art.
Since he moved to Europe, a year ago, he can see a big difference in the art scene and thematic. For him, Spain is a kind and safe country, although not without political controversy, but different from its not-so-distant past. Currently, he still reflects mainly on issues of the Latin American culture, but does not rule out an evolution to a further exploration of the European context in the future.
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bluebee Artists Feature
We travelled the world to discover new talents, but feel that we still only scratched the surface of the industry. Every artist is as individual as a snowflake, with their style and urge to artistically transport their message to the wider audience. We tried to give a glimpse of their thought processes, but as mentioned before, we always encourage you to explore them further. The following artists are only a small selection of our creative director and editorial board. Some of the included artworks may be controversial, however other brilliant minds may not have made the shortcut for this issue.
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Three studies for figures- 2020 - Photography Size of artwork: Each. 84 x 119 cm
Alisa Aistova Russian, lives and works between London, Moscow and San Francisco
Alisa considers her work an act of arrangement, a vehicle to investigate the psyche, human boundaries, and transitional states. Having researched the foundations of schizophrenia and doom as lived realities, Alisa is drawn to how they can be transmitted into art. In this piece, the flower is wilting, nearly decaying. Yet it is carefully shown for its ability to
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reach. In these concentrated shots that allude to the quality of life, Alisa confronts the observer’s prejudices and stigmatization of mental health illness. There is an intimate and scaled proximity between the observer and Tryptich that follows from the arrangement. In particular, the dark
values intensify our reception of the image and emit disturbing energy. Both the films Van Sent and Tarr and Czia Zhang Ke inspired Alisa to articulate the transformation and isolation that occur throughout the illness. It is revealing how Tryptich treats the flower as a sketch, or a window into the roundness of the psyche, and not as a mirror.
Untitled I - 2018 - Carrara marble sculpture Size of artwork: 21 x 23 x 19 cm
Anne Cecile Surga France
This sculpture is part of a marble series where the artist meditates about trauma and strong human feelings: Anne Cecile explores how we express emotions and might be controlled by them. The artist uses hand traces coming from different people and proves that even if this
body part is universal for selfexpression, each person uses it in a unique manner. Despite the minimalist stylistics, this sculpture glorifies the human beauty and transmits the sense of harmony, like the masterpieces of the Renaissance epoch. There is
no surprise that Michelangelo is in the list of Anna’s main influencers, besides Brancusi and August Rodin.
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John Atherton British, Lives and works in Gothenburg/Herrljunga, Sweden
This piece is a confrontation of the portrait, sitter, and subject. Detectable pieces of the self become distilled with every new layer of paper, cardboard, and misprinted imagery. We are given a considerable dose of confusion. The physicality of this rupture emphasizes the ephemeral nature of memory. The ‘original’ portrait of Lagerholm (the unidentified subject) is sourced from a 87’ yearbook in rural Sweden. Thus, John’s piece becomes a fragment of a fragment. We may ask, has the subject somehow been preserved? What nuance is applied with these discarded, found, or recycled items? Where this process may imply erasure, John has found new memories. We are provoked and speculative at the same time by this gradual anonymity. John insists that we look for a personal exchange with the image. John is inspired by the sculptures of John Chamberlain and paintings of John Hoyland. Following their treatment of the portrait, John is intrigued by the abstraction and revision that projects from the anti-portrait.
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Lagerholm AV Klass 1987 - 2019 - Screen printed paper Size of artwork: 70 x 120 cm
Aleksandr Gordeev Moscow, Russia
Aleksandr describes his style as “sentimental rebus of survival” and names conceptual Russian poetry and the Dada movement as his inspiration. Through words and graphic symbols, both Cyrillic and Latin, he mediates on the mystery of intuition and complexity of social life. Where is the line between selfconsciousness and unconsciousness? What do we feel when we can’t see the picture clearly or don’t understand the language? How would you describe the idea of this image if you didn’t know the clue: it consists of the repetition of the Russian letter “Я”, which means in English “me”, “myself”, “I am”?
много я / A lot of ego - 2019 - Hand writing Size of artwork: 50 x 65 cm
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Anna Snegina Yekaterinburg, Russia
The role of material is critical to Anna’s assertion of arts’ commodification. Poverty and exhaustion remain the two largest fears that stand between artists and their practice. Anna manages to emphasize a mental spillage that disrupts what it means to be a completed and formalized contribution to exhibition spaces. Honing in on this point, we may consider how the waste bag as the stretched canvas prompts us to discuss how the ‘value’ of this piece may be received. Anna works with bold brushstrokes and experiments with the dripping of paint. For Anna, the natural progress of a piece is the final vision. That is, this piece was not predetermined but instead reached its cohesion while under production. Poverty of Local Artists - 2019 - Acrylic on stretched construction waste bag Size of artwork: 90 x 70 cm
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Ethan Caflisch American, lives and works in London, UK
Ethan currently focuses mainly on painting, but also has experience with sculpture, design, photography and art direction for film. His conceptual artwork, Where the Wall Meets the Floor III, is boiled down to the analysis of the architectural thresholds and the relationship between the exterior and interior, space and place.
Where the Wall Meets the Floor III - 2019 – Quilted linen and canvas Size of artwork: 25.4 x 30.5 cm
This image represents a paradoxical balance of precision versus tolerance. On one side, it is minimalist, geometrical and very thoroughly planned. On another, he allows changes and improvisation in the process and paints the lines by hand, without any ruler. “Perfection is only achieved when I move away from the conscious pursuit of perfection”, Ethan states.
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Pride - 2019 - Oil on canvas Size of artwork: 121.9 x 91.4 cm
Daniel J. Finaldi Italian American, lives and works in Highland Park, USA Daniel is a realist landscapist and portraitist, taught and deeply influenced by the key American postwar artist Lois Dodd. Expressiveness of lines and masterly work with colour layers, everyday settings and loose, natural poses are
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characteristic of his style. His portraits are usually an ensemble of two or more people, mainly the students at the high school he teaches. Daniel currently focuses on those who feel most threatened in the culture of racism and bullying.
Painting of the adolescents of various skin colours, figure types and ethnical roots is a way to offer them a feeling of pride, dignity and heroism.
Fall Contemplation - 2019 – Acrylic on canvas Size of artwork: 83.8 x 83.8 cm
Deborah Eve Alastra Portland, USA
Deborah gets ideas for her artwork from her travels and domestic imagery. She sees beauty in any moment and place and mostly paints what she sees around: villages she visits, views of the neighbourhood outside the window, random street
walkers, vehicles, pets. When the weather allows it, Deborah tends to focus more on rural and city landscapes en plein air. In rainy and cold seasons, she creates whimsical indoor scenes and still life images.
Deborah’s style has a touch of naïve art and primitivism, with an inclination to impressionism. Vivid colours, dynamic lines and vital energy are some of her trademarks.
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Safina Said Kimbokota Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Restorative, informative, and loving. These are the qualities that breathe life into the sculptures. Safina’s series works directly against the media’s dissemination of false prejudices that challenge African beauty. Safina confronts and rejects the skin bleaching industry. In this series, she presents restored narratives of African women and their triumph over social pressure and colourism. Safina reclaims the figurine form to reject harmful beauty standards and instead gives value to natural beauty. Critical to this series is the choice of figurines, as if to reject the influencing power of mannequins. We can immediately sense a wave of resistance, grace, and heritage. The figurines are created with sustainable material and wrapped with various African fabrics (one such fabric is the ‘Kitenge,’ a popular Swahili fabric). Safina’s collages also provide intimate vignettes of labour and land struggles that affect African women across the continent. The power stance in the women of the collage compliment the unapologetic gestures of the figurines.
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Ideal beauty of african woman II - 2019 - Mixed media sculptures and Collages Size of artwork: 55 x 30 cm
Garden of Prayer - 2019 - Mixed Media Size of artwork: 160 x 110 cm
Ryo Kajitani Yokohama, Japan Multilayer composition, meditative colour combination, repetitive and sketchy silhouettes, - this piece has strong hypnotic power: the longer you look at it, the more details you explore and the more selfimmersed you become. It seems an infinite stream of the
artist’s subconscious! Indeed, spontaneity and elements of automatic drawing are Ryo’s trademarks. She is a transgender artist who “relies on sense of belly pain to take pictures of Whereabouts of her body”.
Reflection on the metaphysical concepts are also typical of her: besides her art career she does scientific research on the relation of space with artworks, authors, viewers in it.
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The Exploration of Immigrants: The Ancestor - 2019 - Installation, aluminum foil paper Size of artwork: 500 x 400 x 250 cm
Kian Ming Tan Malaysian, lives and works in London, UK
Looking at the sculpture we feel the presence of both, family and the narrative of a singular person. Bearing the soul of a storage, the installation compels us to trace the lineage and biography of this ancestor. Kian transfers an ancestral tombstone (or site-specific physical archive) into a sculptural installation. As Kian recalls, there is a deep
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‘fragility in monumental spatiality,’ that is made evident during the rubbing procedure and foil sculpting. This act of reconstruction cooperates with the fragility of displacement by redefining belonging. Kian’s migrant narrative inspires him to consider the larger experience of postcolonial
conditions, immigration, and the Chinese diaspora. The Ancestor, with its striking silver luminosity and sweeping form intimately investigates diasporic displacement. It pays homage to Kian’s great grandfather who adopted his grandfather. Thus, the installation unearths a story of mobility and lineage- without borders.
Based on: Lazar Khidekel - Suprematist Design for a Plate -2019 -3D graphics Size of artwork: 35 x 35 cm
a
a ka
Polish, lives and works in The Netherlands
“To show what was not visible, to redefine avant-garde, to modernize the modern” is the slogan of the Země Atelier project, which recreates works by various artists on 3D software. Its founder, Anna Mańka, is deeply influenced by the Bauhaus theories and passionate about merging art with high technologies.
Thanks to her background in architecture, Anna perceives paintings on flat canvas as the building plans that are much more than just the simple lines. She seeks to extrude them, relate to the space and, thus, compare the differences between the physical and virtual realities the image can exist in.
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Promotional Feature
Qeas Pirzad Dutch-Afghani, lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Qeas Pirzad’s work takes a critical view of the creation of personalized realities. A descendant of Afghani transplants to the Netherlands, Pirzad quickly mastered the ability to occupy the contrasting worlds of life both in and out of his home. Much of his work is a reflection of the artist’s revelation of defining his own reality. Pirzad reflects on realizing societal and ancestral influences on his existence. Following an epiphany of these influences’ impact on his existence, Pirzad used his art to analyze and deconstruct the results of his previously prescribed reality. The collection of oil paintings are part of his body of work entitled The First Awakening.
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Promotional Feature
Cemented tails, 2019, oil on canvas Size of artwork: 170 x 110 cm
A jewel and its chasers,2019, oil on canvas Size of artwork: 100 x 70 cm
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Robert Matejcek La Junta, USA
As a multidisciplinary artist, Robert establishes a dialogue between societal norms and expectations, technological advance, and the more traditional aspects of his artistic practice. While inclined to the conceptual stylistics, Robert does not create from a desire to dictate context or meaning and allows freedom of interpretation to the viewers. On a personal level, however, his paintings are often related to anxiety and linked struggles associated with verbal communication. “Contemporary society demands bravado, and, if this trait does not come naturally, we must mimic its appearance to gain rewards”, the artist says, hoping to encourage other neurodivergent individuals to persist in their aspirations.
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Smoke and Mirrors -2019 - Acrylic on MDF/hardboard Size of artwork: 15.4 x 15.4 cm
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Ido Hirshberg Berlin - Germany
In this illustration we find: a Cat Lady, a red-orange tree (likely symbolising a flaming pole), and five kittens. Surprisingly these elements, together, fall into a space of anguish. The cat lady trope, of a woman who falls into madness and bears scratches from her beloved cats, is highlighted into a tragedy. Ido’s work deals with innocence, hazard, and violence. In this scenario, the lady who could also be a child, is tied to the tree. Where did it all go wrong? Ido’s background in comics and transition into illustration and printmaking are reflected in the graphic style of his work. Ido is influenced by the Jugend magazine and Rose O’Neill
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Suffering of the Cat Lady - 2019 - Illustration Size of artwork: 29.7 x 42 cm
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Bin Zhou Qingdao, China
We know from our history, that traditions are never static - they keep on changing, thanks to the creative thinking of humans. Thus, even if the two elements seem absolutely incompatible (e.g., Paper and Fire), they still can paradoxically form a practical and artistic duo. An evidence of this is the invention of the paper lantern in East Asia. And Bin Zhou also works exploring harmony in opposition. The artist burns, tears and folds paper to imitate and rethink the classic Chinese landscape painting. that has been modified by Western ideas and needs to be adapted to the modern social reality.
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Burning Landscape - 2019 - Paper and fire Size of artwork: 50 x 160 cm
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Embrace of the Serpent - 2019 - Oil on canvas Size of artwork: 61 x 101 cm
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Nam Das Baguio, Philippines
Nam’s artworks are not necessarily fixed ideas but are open-ended to encourage the viewers to see patterns based on their own experiences. Dramatic black backgrounds, smooth lines, floral motifs, dynamic postures, and enigmatic auras are some of his trademarks. What could the “Embrace of the Serpent” mean? Does it depict a tragedy or a moment of salvation? Probably it is a surrender to whatever life brings us. But it might also be about hope and knowing that we always have people around that can help us… You decide!
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On Longing - 2017 - Salvaged wood, glass and found objects wall piece Size of artwork: 140 x 140 x 20 cm
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Lesley Hilling London, UK
Lesley’s artworks explore two themes - the exterior, architectural layering of buildings, and the interior, more personal home space. Her typical materials are salvaged wood from old furniture, mixed with found objects, photos and magnifying glasses. Focusing on people and their memories, the artist reflects on the impact of time, which passes and changes our lives. “On Longing” is one of Lesley’s most personal works as it was created after her father’s death. It consists of objects from her parents’ home, through which she seeks to transmit sadness and a nostalgic longing for the past.
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Jan Lee Johnson London, UK
In this portrait of a pair of black shoes, Jan offers a window into the lived experiences of historical figures. Jan builds details from the ground up, applying thick blocks of paint and then adding decorative elements. By connecting us to someone’s past, we are inspired to pick up on the more humorous and routine facets of their otherwise exposed life. Jan carefully treats her artwork as an extension of an archive.
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The Shoes of Jackie O. - 2017 - Acrylic on canvas Size of artwork: 33 x 33 cm
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Elsa Plaza Argentine, Works and Lives in Barcelona, Spain Elsa is a writer, historian, University lecturer and illustrator, strongly associated with the feminism topics. Her artwork transmits the ironic attitude towards the stereotypical roles of men and women in the traditional society and propagates equality of rights, diversity of selfexpression and appearance. This image is a part of her series “My Harems”, where Elsa dignifies women who look far from the accepted beauty paragons: she pictures them attractive, divine and comfortable with their corpulent shapes. Her expressionistic use of colour and lines resonate with the style of the American portraitist Alice Neel and the German painters Otto Dix and Paula Modersohn-Becker.
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La vida en rosa, from the series “My Harems”- 2004 - Acrylic and ink on paper Size of artwork: 69 x 45 cm
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Jeremy Gluck Swansea, UK
Jeremy responds to the subject being photographed. We are invited to understand how the unnoticed gestures and everyday body language we make are integral to an experience. His laborious hand rests like a composed sculpture. Jeremy’s poetic account of this experience is balanced and minimal. This series experiments with various angles to pull the subject inward. We are meant to find the narrative markers of this piece, which are at once concealed and revealed. Jeremy is heavily influenced by Metzger, the Fluxus artists, and Bacon, to name a few.
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The Recording of Thinking - 2019 - Photography
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Invisible Matter IV - 2019 - Ballpoint pen on paper Size of artwork: 60 x 80 cm
João Saramago Lisbon, Portugal
Inspired by nature and music, João’s hypnotic images resemble living cells or roots, seen through a magnifying glass. The artist explores the concepts of time, transformation, stillness, repetition and movement. He tries to translate these matters onto paper and
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leaves space for the viewer to get lost in them. Regardless of any rational meanings, João’s work is primarily about the process of drawing itself. Most of the pieces take him about 50 to 70 hours to complete! The
artist experiments with automatic drawing and confesses, that he can draw circles five hours straight, expressing the subconscious as in a meditative practice.
Phosphorescence-0.24 - 2019 - Combined technique Size of artwork: 100 x 150 cm
Milan Markovic Belgrade, Serbia In Milan’s artistic oeuvre, black and white merge on the canvas and symbolize dualism between light and darkness. They are a natural phenomenon, but also powerful and significant symbols in the religious, mystical, mythological and ontological interpretations
of nature, the physical and the spiritual world. In all ancient civilizations, religious systems and teachings, the respect for Light as a symbol of truth was dominant. Light, therefore, has become synonymous with truth
and knowledge, while darkness is synonymous with falsehood and ignorance. In the search for truth, only to the enlightened viewer these symbols will appear as parts of one whole.
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Heads Up!! - 2019 - Acrylic and ink on cotton canvas Size of artwork: 61 x 91 cm
Sabrina Choi Hongkonger, Lives and Works in London, UK This series is surreal and pop in nature at the same time. The hybridicity draws us forward with bright colors and an air of gothic energy. Characters appear unsettled, divorced, or amused by their environment. Within this range of emotion lies a concentrated
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balance or as Sabrina notes, a ‘twisted’ attitude that we may find to be sensitive as much as it may shock us. Sabrina works through the current social politics in Hong Kong and her personal battle with mental
illness. The series strikes us with the formation and cunningness of Nara Yoshitomo’s illustrations. It also dazzles us with the graphic colour palette that reminds us of Takashi Murakami.
Big Daddy - 2011 - Ceramic, hand blown glass and wire Size of artwork: 67 x 51 x 121 cm
Tony Natsoulas California, USA
Tony pays homage to one of his favourite artists Big Daddy Roth who was known for creating the hot rod character Rat Fink. The Big Daddy ceramic sculpture is grotesque and funky! Rat Fink’s grin and large round ears embrace the flair of camp aesthetics. Big Daddy
Roth winks like a proud creator. Tony’s humorous and large scale figure is a delightful tribute to Big Daddy. Robert Arneson is one of Tony’s mentors, who inspired his path of large-scale figurative sculptures. It’s only fitting that
we get a small tease of Rat Fink’s oversized body, which hides in Big Daddy’s black top hat!
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White Tiger - 2017 - Gouache on paper Size of artwork: 27.9 x 35.5 cm
Manda Comisari Edinburgh, UK
Animals With Problems is a series of illustrations featuring a cast of animal characters faced with funny predicaments reflecting some of their real-life traits. The illustrations serve as a gentle introduction to empathy and emotional learning.
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Its aim is to start a discussion about how we all have problems of some kind, and what does that mean? White Tiger can’t go anywhere without someone staring at her fur. The other tigers treat her different
because she doesn’t look like them. White Tiger hopes a dab of orange will help her fit in, even though her fur looks much better left alone.
Birds. Leaf fall. - 2014 - Oil on canvas Size of artwork: 60 x 60 cm
Niso Atakhanova Moscow, Russia
Niso´s works are colourful, inspired by nature, ancient myth, animal world and travel experience. She likes to mix the organic elements of surroundings with surreal, dream-like subjects. In the pictures, Niso always wants to leave a mystery.
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Dance Calligraphy No.F1 - 2019 - Installation, neon Size of artwork: 545 x 165 x 127 cm - Photo: Jan Vermouzek
Corridor - 2019 - Mixed media Size of artwork: 1770 x 1470 x 210 cm - Photo: Jan Vermouzek
Pavel Korbička Brno, Czech Republic Pavel describes his style as a “sitespecific installation” and Light Art. He is interested in the optics of space perception and its influence on the viewer’s psyche. The source for his artistic inspiration are the works by Olafur Eliasson, James Turrell,
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Robert Irwin and Richard Serra. By means of large-format lightinducing panes, Pavel aims either to disclose hidden meanings of particular spaces or to rethink them absolutely and inscribe new
concepts. These two experimental works reflect on the relation of space with human movement (dancing or walking).
Crowley’s Garden – 2019 - Oil on linen Size of artwork: 76.2 x 101.6cm
Tic Ikram Los Angeles, California Tammy Ikram (known as TIC) is a contemporary realism artist who builds floral dioramas to visually enhance the elegant structures she paints. This unique approach creates an aura of wonder, beauty, and seduction. She explores space, movement, and femininity with the
colours rooted in reflections of her own childhood. Inspired by the fairy tales of Brothers Grimm, voluptuous animations, and the clean line weight of typography design, Tic’s current style enchants the viewer
with elements of balance, depth, and curiosity. In this painting, Crowley’s Garden, she achieves aesthetic harmony by immersing you into the whimsical world of dreamy gardens.
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Untitled double - 123 - 2020 – Photography Size of artwork: Original 35 mm frame
Mark Tamer London, UK
Mark’s approach to photography is strongly graphic and processdriven. He perceives images as ongoing pieces that can be indefinitely remixed and reused, and finds big inspiration in music, especially the minimalist and rhythmically asymmetric
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compositions by Shellac. This piece is a part of Mark’s experimental series where he re-uses old films from discarded cameras of the 1970-s and takes new snapshots over them. As a result, he gets whimsical double-
layered combinations of the images from the two time-lines and epochs. The project revitalizes retro aesthetics but gives it a fresh look by adapting it to the reality of 2020.
Sony Diana -2019 – Mix collage with screen printing Size of artwork: 61 x 45.7 cm
Geneviève Dumas Montreal, Canada Geneviève was inspired by the Dada movement, Marcelle Ferron, as well as Lady Di and mainstream culture. Her style is feminine, sensitive and tender with texture. Her whimsical collages that contain multiple layers of images and letters, look like a rebus. They catch your eye
immediately, perplex you, provoke questions. Geneviève sees art as a medium to give people the opportunity to contemplate on the important issues of existence, memory, identity; to analyse themselves and empathize
with others. How do we deal with life, experience a moment, fall in love? These are some themes the artist raises in her recent work.
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Still LIfe XI - 2019 - Oil, cold wax on paper Size of artwork: 15.2 x 21.6 cm
Sam Kelly Dayton, USA The perceived world is a conduit for Sam’s improvised works of abstraction. What we discover is not a still life, but a referenced motif and the belief that it is devoid of articulation. This contradiction compels us to find what could have been erased or pieced together. But that is not how Sam sees is. By
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lending trust to a palette knife and oil paint, Sam explores how the medium produces an aesthetic. Balthus, Giacometti, and Matisse are Sam’s inspirations. One can observe how the spectrum between abstraction and representation compels Sam to produce a series
that perhaps lies in the middle- the act of evoking. Under this template, the tactile forms and shapes of the paintings become relevant as much as they are to be noticed. This “semiabstract’ series upholds a presence and intensity that could also inspire you.
HYPERISM - 2019 - Jacquard woven fabric Size of artwork: 160 x 120 cm
Constanza Camila German and Chilean, lives and works in Munich, Germany Textile is the key tool for Constanza’s visual expression. The artist meditates on the perceptions of cultural heritage and traditions, their relevance to the modern epoch and their possible adaptation to the future through new technologies.
The “Hyperism” project reflects about the flag used by the Mapuches, natives of Chile, which until today has a deep colonial background. The artwork consists of five prototypes proposing alternative flags, processed with experimentations of jacquard
techniques to encourage change and rethink the meaning and status of historical symbols. Through HYPERISM Constanza analyses the potential of textiles for both, empowerment and disempowerment.
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Dark Matter - 2019 - Photography Size of artwork: 3000 px x 3000 px
Chris Rivera Portland, USA
Rivera’s photography is based on surrealism stylistics through which the artist studies the complexity of human personalities. His images transmit the energy of suspense and enigma like the thriller-movie shots. They are symbolic, have
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an impeccably planned-out composition and are often part of a story with a fantastic plot.
city. The demon shies off, but later leads the hero to a dark portal on the border to another world...
This image, for example, opens the “Dark Matter” mini-series where a man meets a mysterious being in his
This is the end of our spoiler – for more details, please, explore!
Fake News - 2019 - Photography
Tania Benito Madrid, Spain
“Moments of calm just before chaos” is how Tania describes her own style. Having a background in audiovisual communication and always being passionate about film-art, she creates highly cinematographic images, seeking to take pictures that represent stories and emotions. Her
photos have conceptual stylistics and are mainly self-portraits where body expression and colours are the key way to express different ideas and feelings.
music and art of diverse epochs. Some of her favourite photographers are Tim Walker, Eugenio Recuenco and Annie Leibovitz.
Tania comes from an artistic family and gets inspiration from literature, bluebee •M a g a z i n e •
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Body that flees fight and celebrates - 2015 - Performance art documented in photography
Diógenes M. Potiguara Niteroi - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A body turns its back on us, extending its whole being towards the inner backdrop of a dark wood. There is a performative quality to the work that asserts its own autonomy against the observer’s desire to see. Through this corpographic narrative of ‘the body on the run,’ we can trace
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how wounds persist but are also, in a cyclical fashion, healing. Diógenes is inspired by Grada Kilomba, Jota Mombaça and Pedra Costa de Solange tô Aberta. As a queer performing artist, Diógenes explores what it means to be
Indigenous and queer. By divulging the experiences of the anti-colonial body, Diógenes opens a discourse on displacement and resistance.
Swallowed words - 2019 - Photography Size of artwork: 4560 px x 6840 px
ea ago i Serbian, lives and works in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tea is a conceptual photographer and normally reflects on raw emotions, life, stigma topics and mental health. ‘’Swallowed words’’ are about how untold words can hurt so bad, just like stabs in the lungs and soul that are metaphorically represented as an apple.
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Kamal Obatoyinbo Nigeria
Kamal’s principle is to capture and manipulate images by using colours, icons and filters that guide the viewer into his imagination. Every photo is taken by himself, mostly with the mobile phone or DSLR camera. “The Nothingness Series” celebrates life of the fisherman, who looks like a royalty when being in his element. To reach minimalism in the image, the blue background was introduced to give a strong impression of the sky and the water body.
Nothingness 1 - 2019 - Photography Size of artwork: 40.6 x 58.4 cm
From whom does Kamal get his inspiration? Firstly, he names the emergent artists he follows on the social media and, secondly, Picasso and Chechet.
Nothingness 2 - 2019 - Photography Size of artwork: 40.6 x 58.4 cm
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Stormzy - 2019 - Acrylic on paper Size of artwork: 36.5 x 28 cm
Alastair Becker Ipswich, UK
Alastair is a self-taught painter coming from an artistic family, who has been exposing his artwork since 2017. This image is a part of the series “Seascapes”. Depicting the beauty of the water element, it conjures up nostalgic memories
of the shores where we all wish we could spend more of our time. The style merges the elements of figurative and abstract art. Using a blend of delicate brush strokes with bolder palette knife detailing,
the image seems to capture the dynamism and emotion of the waves with the eye tricked into seeing new details and movement every time you look at the artwork.
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The Box of Forgotten Secrets - 2016 - Digital illustration Size of artwork: 60 x 42.4 cm
Alejandro Dini Italian, lives and works in Hong Kong
Alejandro is a professional illustrator currently working with digital techniques. Enigmatic female figures as a subject, dynamism of lines, and visible brush strokes and textures are typical of his artwork. Alejandro’s style is rooted in the passion for
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modern art, especially works by Cezanne, German expressionists and symbolists. Classic novels are another if his sources of inspiration. This image depicts how magic might appear in everyday situations,
making us wonder about the secrets of life itself. By referring to mythology and fairy tales, the artist does not confine the interpretations to anything specific but rather lets the viewer connect to the piece imaginatively.
Tatyana Ostapenko Ukrainian American, Lives and Works in Portland, USA
Corner Store - 2019 - Acrylic on canvas Size of artwork: 55.9 x 50.8 cm
This piece punctuates the setting and clothes with bold and muted colors. Faces are blurred. We feel the people moving and standing together, as a whole. Tatyana presents an unveiled scenario of Ukraine’s failed utopia. Under this disquieting lens, everyday life reveals itself in the corners of the banal. Tatyana recalls: “Old women in flowered kerchiefs, leggy damsels desperate for glamour, indomitable middle aged women dragging heavy bags to the bus stop. My people. The future I never had.” By giving importance to former soviet citizens, Tatyana reminds us of those who failed to be documented. Their absence in the official record books compels Tatyana to tell their story. Some of her strong influences are Adrian Ghenie, Caroline Walker and Andreas Zorn. Inspired by the cross between realism and impressionism, Tayana embraces her community through the style of social realism.
Harvest - 2019 - Acrylic on canvas Size of artwork: 121.9 x 91.4 cm
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Astha Gandhi New Delhi, India
Evolution serves as a source of inspiration for Astha. In this piece, we discover an interpretation of the ontological attachment humans place on technology. There lies a suggested metamorphosis embodied by the protagonist that expresses a degree of contentment. Astha works with bright colours and combines traditional Indian folk styles. By incorporating traditional techniques Astha achieves to articulate the profound impact and similitude of contemporary issues that may have either re-transpired or anticipated. While this piece speaks of the historical coordinates of modernity and its effect on our social ecology, Astha aspires to offer us a sense of tranquility and marvel.
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Connect 2 - 2018 - Mixed media Size of artwork: 61 x 71 cm
Yellow Satin - 2017 - Oil on canvas Size of artwork: 90 x 120 cm
Darwin Estacio Martinez Havana - Cuba
Yellow Satin depicts a figure wearing an intense yellow layered dress, sitting on a blue set of steps. While there is no clear protagonist, we are invited to speculate on its narrative properties. This indetermination heightens our
role as a participant-observer. René Magritte’s influence runs fluidly in this piece: characters are undefined and distilled. We are on the edge of doubt.
produces fragments that present rather than represent. The signified and the signifier are meant to be unearthed by the observer.
Darwin’s cinematic approach
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The Mountains & The Floating Seeds - 2019 - Acrylic on Canvas Size of artwork: 162 x 114 cm
Lore a
loi aga
Colombian, lives and works in Barcelona, Spain A synergetic flow between them pulls us forward into the yellow, pink, and blue hues. Organic forms dance across the painting. Lorena’s innate sense of colour creates a rhythmic arrangement that projects nature’s serenity. The mountains, sky, and sea are accented with
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abstract lines and swirls. This work presents a bond between Lorena Eloizaga and Colombia (her original home). Lorena’s background is in Interior Design and Illustration. Combining street art and illustration, Lorena
personalizes the landscape based on her favourite places. The floating seeds and symbolic open eye further abstracts the topographic identity of the mountains.
Kitchen with Yellow Umbrella - 2019 - Acrylic on canvas Size of artwork: 150 x 90 cm
Jana Marie Cariddi American, lives and works in Berlin, Germany Joy and darkness are heavily woven into Jana’s work. There is an exterior (a hot pink background with water droplets) that reminds us how a kitchen is a part to a whole. With so many items to view, there is an unexpected feeling of isolation. It’s not that the kitchen looks unkempt, but rather it feels congested. Eating
disorders, manic depression, and loneliness are key topics in Jana’s work. Jana’s particular use of flat surfaces and playful colors deliberately bring out the kitchen’s dual properties: comfort/inviting and painful/frightening. For Jana, the Kitchen with Yellow
Umbrella is an object and not merely a representation. Jana casts a femme-surrealist dimension to the spaces in observation, giving these topics a humorous and light articulation. Elizabeth Murray, Lily Van Der Stokker and Yayoi Kusama are a few artists Jana draws inspiration from. bluebee •M a g a z i n e •
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Martha’s Dream - 2019 – Digital collage Size of artwork: 40 x 56 cm
Abdo Hassan Cairo, Egypt
For Abdo Hassan, art is a way to fight and overtly express his opinion about the current world catastrophes and wars, the gap between the rich and the poor and the culture of unlimited human consumption, egoism and careless wasting.
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His collages with bold, surreal compositions and wild colours transmit strong messages and such an expressive and mystical energy, that it makes you feel awe and suspense! It is no surprise that the artist mentions Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and Pablo Picasso as the
three pillars of his inspiration.
Manuel Zamudio McAllen, USA
Manuel’s work is deeply cinematographic – it´s no surprise that the artist mentions the filmmakers Kubrick, Ridley Scott and Tarkovsky as his main influencers. Indeed, these pieces look like episodes from horror movies, put on pause.
Hoping Through the Apocalypse - 2019 - Oil on wood Size of artwork: Ø 38.1 cm
Manuel’s other source of inspiration is underground urban culture and graffiti. Intense colours, expressivity, surreal motifs and symbolism are some of his trademarks. Manuel likes to define his own style as “post-apocalyptic realism”. He aims to make the viewer meditate on the restraints of society which bring our world to ruins, and uses art as a stimulus for independent thinking and unconstraint conclusion-making.
Idol Worship - 2019 - Oil on wood Size of artwork: Ø 38.1 cm
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bluebee Something else
While visual artworks engage with the beholder in a dialog of substance and interpretation, the written word invites us to a completely different dimension. Visual art can be viewed for as long as the beholder wishes. Stories hold the reader hostage until their final words have been said. The final message has been communicated and the reader has the full picture of what the artist wanted to express. But this also makes it interesting, no two people will experience the world they enter through reading alike.
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Pablo Doblado Herrero Sevillian writer, works and lives in Barcelona, Spain. Pablo Doblado Herrero was born in Seville and studied Social Work at the university of Pablo de Olavide, Seville. He is currently living in Barcelona and works in a minors’ centre. Pablo began to write in 2014 and since then has written several short stories with a poetic nuance about different topics. For Pablo, writing is a form of therapy and above all, a form of expressing all that he cannot say with his mouth. In September 2019, he took part in the First Contest of European Stories “Professor Juan Bosch” organized by the “Rovira i Virgili” University
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(Tarragona) where his story “Sin Nombre” was selected to be included in the “Poesia Cercenada y otros Relatos” anthology, which is now being sold in Europe and South America. The same year two of his stories, “Mia” and “Seres del Buen Querer” were chosen to be included in the anthology of short tales and stories “Dona que Dona”, that was organized to commemorate the 25th of November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Someday
We shall accept that those who lose are not always the defeated We shall accept that sometimes the glass is half empty We shall accept that disagreement reasons amongst contradictions We shall accept that contradiction is the mother of good ideas We shall accept that winners lose battles they hadn’t accounted for We shall accept that what we agree upon is not always what was defined We shall accept that roles exist to be changed We shall accept that sometimes we remember what we had forgotten We shall accept that witchcraft has no tricks We shall accept that time doesn’t care about what might have happened We shall accept that there are circumstances that do not grant the standardized word We shall accept that pride always loses the most cherished We shall accept that our ego alienates centrism We shall accept that sometimes we are not owners of ourselves We shall accept that decisions are not always subjected to selfishness We shall accept that opportunities do not always ride on trains we hadn’t chosen We shall accept that someday we will toast to what we are today and to what we would have liked to be.
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Romulus without Remo
He was lying next to insomnia between the pillow and the wall With a hangover in his head and the typical answer “I will never drink again “. He scared off his demons, felt free and light when he did it again. It was an ineffable condition, and for the rest, deplorable He did not understand the reason, but it was the engine for dismissal without a “see you later”. Maybe he did it to soothe his mistakes, or maybe, to negotiate his reasons. Certainly, they were two alcoholics, breastfed by Luferca, he himself and his ego. Entering the gates of Rome and falling face down to the ground It was the solution for his reality, with a full hermitage and an existential void. The eternal duality of escapism between deceit and reality
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A frustrated Caravaggio for not achieving realism within his social complaint A Goya tormented by his black paintings in his dark period. A grieving drunkenness dressed his dull mind’s carelessness A deconstructed trying to reach Freud’s oral stage The aberration of a conceited Narcissus Goliath’s defeat against a child It was a plot of defects and ambitions, crashing against a cliff of violent contradictions An ethylic in search for the coma of a full stop of obligations Another drunkard who adheres to the damnation of a chance encounter, amongst spirit and the gap that leads to the vestiges of an ancient Rome without Cicerone.
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Artists contact
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Jelena Delic
36
@prohelvetia 15
www.jesushdez-guero.com
@thenamdas
20
http://69869.tilda.ws/
@lesleyhilling 42
Anne Cecile Surga
www.janleejohnson.co.uk
www.annececilesurga.com
@jan_leejohnson 44
John Atherton 46
24
25
@annasnegina/
@milanmarkovic.art www.sabrinackt.com
@ethancaflisch
@cktttsehbee www.tonynatsoulas.com
@danfinaldi
@natsoulas
Deborah Eve Alastra
www.mandacomisari.com
/deboraheve-alastra
@mandacomisari
www.tankianming.com
@tic.artist 56
Mark Tamer
Astha Gandhi www.amaraeart.wixsite.com/artist @astha.gandhi
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Darwin Estacio Martinez www.darwinestacioart.com
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Lorena Eloizaga www.eloizaga.com @eloizaga
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Jana Marie Cariddi www.janamariecariddi.com @janamariecariddi
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Abdo Hassan www.abdo-hassan.me @3abdo.h
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Manuel Zamudio www.manuelzamudio-studio.com @raid_33
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Pablo Doblado Herrero
Anna Mańka
www.marktamer.co.uk
www.papelabstracto.wordpress.com/
www.zemeatelier.com
@unreelcity
@la_pablaa
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Geneviève Dumas
Qeas Pirzad
www.goldengen.ca
Editorial writers
www.qeaspirzad.com
@goldengenprint
Elena Isaeva
Sam Kelly
www.boredbutsuddenly.wordpress.com/
www.samkellyart.com
@boredbutsuddenly
Constanza Camila
Malin Alexandra Evertsz Mendez
Ido Hirshberg
www.lifeishyperreal.com
www.mendezmalin.wixsite.com/
www.behance.net/hirshberg
@lifeishyperreal
beetleeyedmalina
Chris Rivera
@beetleeyedmalina
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Robert Matejcek www.robertmatejcek.com
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Tic Ikram www.tic.gallery
@qeas.pirzad 32
@postsovietart 68
Pavel Korbička
Kian Ming Tan
@ zemeatelier 30
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Tatyana Ostapenko www.tatyanaostapenko.com
www.korbicka.cz
Ryo Kajitani
@kiantan519 29
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Alejandro Dini @alejandrodini
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Niso Atakhanova @art_niso
Safina Said Kimbokota
www.ryokajitani.com 28
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Alastair Becker
www.creationspot.com
Manda Comisari
www.pixels.com/profiles
@safinakimbokota 27
52
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Tony Natsoulas
www.danielfinaldi.com
@deborahalastra 26
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@kamal_obat 65
Sabrina Choi
www.ethancaflisch.com Daniel J. Finaldi
Kamal Obatoyinbo www.vsco.com/someoneschild
Milan Markovic www.milanmarkovic.art
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Tea Jagodić @tea.jagodic.photoworld
64
João Saramago
www.annasnegina.com/ Ethan Caflisch
@rastrosdediogenes 63
www.papagprints.com
@saramago.joao 49
www.rastrosdediogenes.blogspot.com
@papa_g_prints
@nonceptualism
Anna Snegina
Diógenes M. Potiguara
Jeremy Gluck www.axisweb.org/p/jeremygluck/
48
@tania.ni 62
www.elsaplaza.tumblr.com
Aleksandr Gordeev @poppanda94
23
Elsa Plaza
@johnathertonart https://www.aleksandrgordeev.com 22
Jan Lee Johnson
Tania Benito www.taniaolby.com
Lesley Hilling www.lesleyhilling.co.uk
www.john-atherton.com 21
40
Alisa Aistova
@acsurga
61
Nam Das www.hnamdas.wixsite.com/paintings
@alice_aistova/ 19
38
Jesús Hdez-Güero @jesushdez_guero
18
Bin Zhou @half_a_book
www.prohelvetia.ch/en/
@ido.hirshberg/
59
60
www.christopherj.org @chris.rivera
