DESTIG Issue 5 - March 2019

DESTIG CREATIVES WITHOUT BORDERS

ISSUE 5 - MARCH 2019

HONOLULU

WELCOME TO

HAWAII

DESTIG MAGAZINE 320 PAGES

HONOLULU MEET DESTIG'S TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 DESTIG HOT PICKS

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WE TAKE A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ART OF THE ISLANDS AND THE CAPITAL CITY.

DESTIG TABLE OF CONTENTS

8. DESTIG Awards 18. Hot Picks 30. Welcome to Hawaii 42. Danish Ceramics in Paris 46. Art and Glass Cite du Vin 50. Peter Bremers

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180

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60. Susie Hamilton 68. Donald Russel 76. Jonathan Swanz 84. Judy Aizuss 92. Sylwia Kramarz 100. Jordan Wade 108. Don Slocum 116. Lillian Turner Gracie 124. Lyn Orona 132. Linda Atkinson

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140. Pete Nichols 148. Natalie Ventimiglia 156. Hanaa Al Wardi 164. Kat O'Neill 172. Carolyn Lamuniere

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DESTIG AWARDS 6 REGIONS / 4 CATEGORIES

www.DESTIGAWARDS.com

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180. Heidi McKeown

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ISSUE 5

188. Eva Belishova 194. Joseph B Nya 202. Mike Kenneth Depue 210. Hannah Kane 216. Karen Kanas 224. Marcia Lorente Howell

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216

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230. Chevis Gibbs 238. Allie Bleu 244. India's oldest Gallery 252. Daido Moriyama 260. Max Lamb 264. Turkey's Glass Furnace 268. Raquel Rios 270. Najila El Zein 272. Lebanon 9 278. Copenhagen Project

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252

284. Marcia Spiviak 290. Danny Fox 294. Seat in Miami 298. Prada x Theaster Gates 302. Top Exhibitions

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DESTIG MAGAZINE CREATIVES WITHOUT BORDERS - 3 ISSUES A YEAR www.DESTIG.com

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313. Riiko Sakkinen

Editor's Note

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"A true thing, poorly expressed, is a lie" - Stephen Fry DESTIG always has one simple goal - to be at the same time - the world's most beautiful and effective art magazine. We spare no effort in our quest to achieve these goals. You can be assured that the magazine you are now reading was carefully crafted over a thousand hours by our devoted team.

Flick through DESTIG, if something irresistibly beautiful makes you stop then please do so and allow us to effectively inform you. Otherwise keep flicking through until you arrive at the end. We are confident that within these pages there are things that will make your heart beat faster.

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Mike Walters - Editor-in-Chief

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60 202

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PEGASUS pegasusart.co.uk

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FEATURED ON

DESTIG A W A R D S

2 0 1 8

W I N N E R S

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2018

PAINTING

PHOTORGRAPHY

JOANA CHOUMALI

JENEVIEVE AKEN

JOANACHOUMALI.COM

JENEVIEVEAKEN.COM

MIXED MEDIA

SCULPTURE

MOHAU MODISAKENG

BARBARA WILDENBOER

MOHAUMODISAKENGSTUDIO.COM

BARBARAWILDENBOER.COM

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AFRICA

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2018

PAINTING

PHOTORGRAPHY

SHANE BISHOP

PARTH GUPTA

SHANEBISHOPART.COM

PARTHGUPTA.NET

MIXED MEDIA

SCULPTURE

JORDAN MANG OSAN

CAO FEI

TAM-AWANVILLAGE.COM/ARTIST/JORDAN-MANG-OSAN

CAOFEI.COM

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ASIA - PACIFIC

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2018

PAINTING

PHOTORGRAPHY

GLIB FRANKO

ALEXEY TROFIMOV

SAATCHIART.COM/GLIBFRANKO

TROFIMOV-PHOTO.COM

MIXED MEDIA

SCULPTURE

JONAS LERICHE

DAVID BROGNON & STEPHANIE ROLLIN

LERICHE.BE

BROGNON-ROLLIN.COM

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EUROPE

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2018

PAINTING

PHOTORGRAPHY

DAIRO VARGAS

TAMY HADEED

DAIROVARGAS.COM

PATREON.COM/UHWORKS

MIXED MEDIA

SCULPTURE

EDU DANESI

NARI WARD

EDUDANESI.COM

NARIWARDSTUDIO.COM

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LATIN AMERICA

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2018

PAINTING

PHOTORGRAPHY

HASTI SADARSTI

LARISSA SANSOUR

HASTISARDASHTI.COM

LARISSASANSOUR.COM

MIXED MEDIA

SCULPTURE

TEJBIR SINGH

MONIRA AL QADIRI

TEJBIR.ARTSPAN.COM

MONIRAALQADIRI.COM

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MIDDLE EAST

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2018

PAINTING

PHOTORGRAPHY

JENNY RICHTER

ERIC WILES

JENNYRICHTER.COM

EW-PHOTO.COM

MIXED MEDIA

SCULPTURE

CHANGYEON LEE

PHILIP NOYED

STUDIOGODSGIFT.COM

PHILIPNOYED.COM

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NORTH AMERICA

CREATIVE OF THE YEAR 2018

WORLDWIDE

INNOVATION STAJ OLSON OF IGNEOUS BATH.

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IGNEOUSBATH.COM

TOP ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2018

WORLDWIDE MICHAL ASHKENASI MICHALSART.COM SVETLANA CAMERON SVETLANACAMERON.COM JOE GADREAU JGADREAU.ARTSPAN.COM CLINTON HELMS CANDEARTSSTUDIOS.COM JAMES R JOY JJOY.ARTSPAN.COM DORONI LANG DORONILANG.COM KEVIN MARTY KEVINMARTYPHOTOGRAPHY.ARTSPAN.COM OLIVER PERRY OLLIEPERRY.COM MAIRA REINBERGS MAIRA-ART.COM SAMANTHA SHEPARDSON SSHEPARDSON.ARTSPAN.COM HANNA SUPETRAN HANNASUPETRAN.ARTSPAN.COM JENNIFER TAYLOR JENNIFERSTOTTLETAYLOR.COM INNA TIMOKHINA

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INKAGALLERY.COM

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NOMINATE YOUR BEST ARTISTS OF 2019: DESTIG.COM DESTIGAWARDS.COM

HOT PICKS DESTIG TOP 10

DESIGN SELECTIONS FOR 2019

LOS ANGELES, USA

EDDY SYKES Hovering between conceptual art and functional design, Los Angeles-based artist Eddy Sykes creates unique and unexpected objects. Playful and exacting, his work makes expert use of a startling array of materials and fabrication techniques. Trained as an architect with an emphasis in engineering, he has had numerous public and private art commissions as well as solo exhibitions. He has also collaborated with award-winning architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, designing automated

Website: eddysykes.com

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kinetic architecture.

VINCI, ITALY

MINI BATHTUB Italian firm Glass Design presents the Mini Bathtub. A new way of interpreting the contemporary bathroom spirit, born to satisfy any needs of space. It's a real fusion between a shower and a small bathtub. Minimal, concentrated blend of contemporary lines and formal purity. Space shape that can be easily placed in angular position or free in any space.

It's realized in Bi-Mat, from the merger of fiberglass (80%) with CoolGlass, both integrated to produced an innovative material, lightweight and durable.

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Website: glassdesign.it

CASALGRANDE, ITALY

KONTINUA Casalgrande Padana presents Kontinua.

The collection brings the emotion of natural materials into living spaces, combined with next-generation ceramics technology. Thanks to digital printing, the large porcelain stoneware tiles can now adorn walls with optical illusions, geometric patterns and multicoloured decorations.

The lightness of the material allows for maximum versatility: the tiles, with carefully calibrated dimensions, can easily be cut and drilled to meet special requirements, and personalised for use

Website: casalgrandepadana.com

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in furnishings and interior design.

RINGKØBING, DENMARK

CHIEFTAIN CHAIR The iconic Chieftain Chair is one of Finn Juhl’s absolute masterpieces.

At its introduction in 1949, the chair marked a renewal of the Danish furniture design tradition.

Today, it is perceived as one of the most important exponents of the Danish Modern movement. Finn Juhl is often considered the father of Danish Modern. Inspired by modern art, the Chieftain Chair with its organic shapes, liberated itself from traditional Danish furniture design and strict functionalism in both shape, construction and

Website: finnjuhl.com

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materials.

NETHERLANDS / ISRAEL

SALTS "re-thinking about materials we use as designers, buy as consumers, and neglect as a society" The loss of value of a material which used to set the world in motion now sinking to insignificance.

Could salt literally recover and reclaim its economical cultural status in the material realm?

Erez Nevi Pana(1983) is an explorer who uses design as a significant tool to investigate phenomena through material experimentation. His practice investigates the topic of vegan design.

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Website: ereznevipana.com

PRAGUE / CZECH REPUBLIC

HEER A bench for comfortable breast-feeding in public.

HEER is an ergonomic bench that enables mamas to comfortably breastfeed in public spaces - shopping malls, parks, airports, public institutions, company campuses.

Wherever babies need it and mamas want it. Strangely, in the 21st century moms are still commonly forced to nurture their babies in inadequate places that are often unhygienic and unpleasantly

Website: inviteheer.com

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isolated. This can change.

TOKYO / JAPAN

SWARM Swarm is a series featuring a chair and vases with surfaces composed of aggregates of the same material. Their organic form is generated by many short steel wires being absorbed into the structure by magnetic force. we+ is a contemporary design studio established in 2013 by Toshiya Hayashi and Hokuto Ando based in Tokyo. They develop their experimental approach to products, installations and graphics, by combining unconventional materials and technology to shift perspectives.Â

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Website: weplus.jp

ANTWERP / BELGIUM

ECOBIRDY 90% of plastic toys for babies and toddlers have an average lifetime of only 6 months. ecoBirdy has created a system that goes from the collection and recycling of old, unused plastic toys to the design and production of furniture pieces. The collection of kids furniture pieces is entirely made of recycled plastic.

An accompanying storybook and school-programme has been designed to introduce youngsters to the circular economy and inspire them to contribute to a more sustainable future.

620 .p

Website: ecobirdy.com

MILAN / ITALY

AMISOL Designed by Norwegian product designer Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan, the Amisol project is about making a pendant light that occupies a large physical space with a minimal physical volume, for easy orientation in space.

Like a solar sail, an incredibly powerful light source projects a beam of light onto the large, almost weightless disk, either diffusing or reflecting the light.

Thin rods connect the two main elements together.

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Website: luceplan.com

LONDON / UNITED KINGDOM

LA CITTÀ È MOBILE! London based, Italian designer Matteo Pacella presents a collection of furniture which interprets, at an intermedi-ate scale, the archetypal forms of classical architecture and the wooden building blocks children play with. The tradition of referencing architecture onto furniture goes back to Renaissance times, and here the reference to classical architecture is explicit: the thirteen pieces that form a comprehensive range of seats, steps, tables, consoles and bookshelves are the translation at the scale of furniture of the classical typologies of the arcade, the

Website: matteopacella.com

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temple, the aquaduct.

Kyle Meyer thekylemeyer.com

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FEATURED ON

THE EXPRESSION OF ALOHA

HAWAII

HOME TO THE WORLD’S MOST ACTIVE VOLCANOES, THE ONLY ROYAL PALACE IN THE U.S. AND THE WELCOMING ALOHA SPIRIT - HAWAII IS LIKE NO PLACE ON EARTH. The diverse culture of Hawaii is expressed in (among other things) language, music, art, theater, dance, film, cuisine and a multitude of festivals.

At the core of each is the spirit of aloha, in the fluid arc of a hula dancer’s hands or in the soft rhythm of a slack-key guitar. The "Aloha Spirit" is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It brings each person to the self. Each person must think and emote good feelings to others. In the deepest

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contemplation and presence of life force.

Discover the glimmering ocean, emerald valleys and golden sands; get lost in the spiritual beauty of the hula and find out how the warmth of Hawaii’s people wonderfully complement the islands’

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perfect temperatures.

HAWAII

DESTIG ISSUE 5

Explore the Islands of Aloha to find your own heavenly Hawaii experiences.

As a cultural crossroads, Hawaii's history is unlike any other on earth. Walk in the footsteps of royalty at ancient temples, experience the art of hula and more.

Observe the work of Hawaii’s

The lush, natural landscape of

artists and you’ll see and feel

Kauai inspires painting and

the poetry of the Islands

crafts that are as sophisticated

expressed in color, light, and

as they are direct. Painters,

shadow – painted, printed,

sculptors, and crafts-people

sculpted, etched,

thrive on Maui where the

photographed, and filmed.

whaler’s art of carving on ivory

Likewise, artisans and

art scene is both steeped in

craftspeople, create

tradition and wildly

masterpieces that are both

contemporary. And it

timeless and timely – every

shouldn't surprise you that

one infused with the generous

creativity on Hawaii, the Big

spirit of aloha that’s as much a

Island, can be fiery indeed.

part of our nature as the sun

Best of all, no matter where

itself.

you go in the islands, you’ll

The art experience – and the

find that artists are just as

products of that experience –

accessible as the art they

varies from island to island.

create.

Best of all, no matter where you go in the islands, you’ll find that artists are just as accessible as the art they create.

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is still quite popular. Oahu’s

HAWAII Hawaii has more than its share of museums, celebrating everything from Hawaii’s history and culture to its contemporary art.

The Bishop Museum on Oahu is the largest museum in Hawaii dedicated to studying and preserving the state’s history and is also considered the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific.

And at the Kauai Museum, it’s possible to view galleries showcasing the work of multi-cultural artists, sculptors and craftsmen as well as learn about the geological formation of the Hawaiian Islands, early Native Hawaiian life, and the Hawaiian Monarchy.

On the other side of the spectrum, come be inspired at the Honolulu Museum of Art overlooking Honolulu which has an awesome display of cuttingedge paintings and sculpture, as well as art from many different genres and eras. This museum featured the largest collection of fine art in Hawaii.

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At the Lahaina Heritage Museum, visitors can literally feel the historical and cultural, vitality of Maui’s legendary whaling town.

ISLANDS & MUSUEUMS

looking for art in Hawaii?

There are few better ways to understand a destination than 'Museum-ing' your way through it.

Hawaii is no different. The diversity of art and artifacts found on the Islands today is the result of multiple origins – among them, the indigenous Hawaiian culture, dozens of multicultural influences, and modern-day collections from around the world. We’ve selected several intriguing places to visit to explore Hawaii’s vast and ethnically diverse art and culture.

MUST-VISIT PLACES IN HAWAII

Honolulu Museum of Art

groups that helped shape

Bishop Museum

Honolulu's culture hub on

Hawaii’s unique culture.

Hawaii's museum of natural

three historic properties.

Located in historic

and cultural history.

One of the world’s premier

downtown Hilo, the Lyman

Originally built to house the

art museums, the Honolulu

Museum and Mission House

extensive collection of

Museum of Art presents

tells the story of Hawaii.

Hawaiian artifacts and royal

international caliber special

Built in 1839, the Lyman

family heirlooms of Princess

exhibitions and features a

Mission House is the oldest

Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the

collection that includes

wood frame building on the

Museum has since expanded

Hokusai, van Gogh, Gauguin,

Big Island.

to include millions of artifacts, documents and

as well as traditional Asian

Mike Carroll Gallery

photos about Hawaii and

and Hawaiian art...and it is

Lana'i artist Mike Carroll and

other Pacific cultures.

located in two of Honolulu’s

his wife, Kathy, transformed

most beautiful buildings.

a vintage building into a

Moana Glass by Ryan Staub

gallery that has been called

Moana Glass is Maui's

Lyman Mission Museum

a "jewel of the Islands".

premier glassblowing studio

This Smithsonian-affiliated

Nestled in the lush heart of

and gallery. Moana Glass is a

Museum tells the story of

unspoiled Lana`i, discover

Must See on Maui. Staub’s

Hawaii’s islands and people.

this gallery of paradise-

cutting-edge design and vast

Exhibits trace Hawaii’s

inspired pieces by

experience in glassblowing

history from its volcanic

award-wining artist Mike

are apparent in all of the

origins and the flora and

and his guest artists. You'll

work in the gallery. Moana

fauna that arrived before

find paintings, prints,

Glass ensures that everyone

humans to life in ancient

woodwork, photography,

has a BLAST and takes home

Hawaii and the immigrant

jewelry, Asian antiques, and

a piece they LOVE!

more!

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Monet, Picasso and Warhol,

ISLANDS & MUSEUMS THE PLACES TO EXPERINCE THE HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY ART OF THE HAWAIIN ISLANDS.

Michal Art Studio & Boutique of Hanalei An inspiring artist who is rising to global prominence. Michal captures the vibrant essence of the Islands in every item she creates with a unique and all original style. With crystal clear imagery and pure talent, she transforms the islands' varied complexion of rich hues into living color on canvas, then translates her designs onto fabulous swimwear, silky pareos, lush beach towels, and more. Though her love of painting is priority-an expression of her very soul-

The Waipa Foundation

incorporating fashion and home designs has

Waipa Foundation manages the scenic Waipa

been a welcome addition to Michal’s line of

Ahupua'a, found along Kauai's north shore, as a

favorites.

cultural & community center. Waipa grows and distributes food, educates and inspires

Hawaii State Art Museum

community youth and families, hosts a weekly

The Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM) features

market plus seasonal festivals, and offers

works of art primarily by artists with a connection

transformative eco-cultural programs.

to Hawaii and exhibits on topics of interest to communities in the state.

Kauai Museum

As a venue for the Art in Public Places Program of

The Kauai Museum is the cultural Sanctuary for

the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the

the art and artifacts of Native Hawaiians and it

Arts, the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM)

nurtures the creative spirit of today's artists.

provides a home for artists from the Islands.

The Museum focuses on developing and

Wyland Galleries Waikiki

the heritage and artistic achievements of the

Since 1978, Wyland Galleries has been the art

indigenous and immigrant peoples; while also

community’s pre-eminent showcase for the finest

providing an opportunity for contemporary

in marine life paintings, sculpture and

artist to exhibit their creations which may be the

photography.

artifact of tomorrow.

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preserving outstanding collections which reflect

Observe the work of Hawaii’s artists and you’ll see and feel the poetry of the Islands expressed in color, light, and shadow – painted, printed, sculpted, etched, photographed, and filmed.

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THE POETRY OF HAWAIIAN ART

KING KAMEHAMEHA I THE STORY BEHIND THE STATUES A great warrior, diplomat and leader, King

During this time, warfare between chiefs

Kamehameha I united the Hawaiian Islands

throughout the islands was widespread. In

into one royal kingdom in 1810 after years

1778, Captain James Cook arrived in Hawaii,

of conflict. Kamehameha I was destined for

dovetailing with Kamehameha’s ambitions.

greatness from birth. Hawaiian legend

With the help of western weapons and

prophesized that a light in the sky with

advisors, Kamehameha won fierce battles at

feathers like a bird would signal the birth of

lao Valley in Maui and the Nuuanu Pali on

a great chief. Historians believe

Oahu. The fortress-like Puukohola Heiau on

Kamehameha was born in 1758, the year

the island of Hawaii was built in 1790

Halley’s comet passed over Hawaii.

prophesizing Kamehameha’s conquest.

IN 1810, KAUAI AGREED TO BECOME A TRIBUTARY KINGDOM

Given the birth name Paiea, the future king

Kamehameha’s unification of Hawaii was

was hidden from warring clans in secluded

significant not only because it was an

Waipio Valley after birth. After the death

incredible feat, but also because under

threat passed, Paiea came out of hiding and

separate rule, the Islands may have been

was renamed Kamehameha (The Lonely

torn apart by competing western interests.

One). Kamehameha was trained as a warrior

Today, four commissioned statues stand to

and his legendary strength was proven when

honor King Kamehameha’s memory.

he overturned the Naha Stone, which

Every June 11th, on Kamehameha Day, each

reportedly weighed between 2.5 and 3.5

of these statues are ceremoniously draped

tons. You can still see the Naha Stone today

with flower lei to celebrate Hawaii’s greatest

in Hilo.

king.

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UNDER KAMEHAMEHA, THE PROPHECY WAS FULFILLED.

LEGEND SAID THAT WHOEVER HAD THE STRENGTH TO MOVE THE NAHA STONE WOULD RULE THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. TODAY, THE NAHA STONE IS LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE HILO PUBLIC LIBRARY. Downtown Honolulu, Oahu

National Statuary Hall, Washington D.C

The most recognized Kamehameha statue

In 1969, the third Kamehameha statue was

stands in front of Aliiolani Hale (the judiciary

unveiled in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary

building) across from lolani Palace and a short

Hall where statues of historic figures from all 50

walk from the eclectic art galleries and

states are on display. A statue of Molokai’s Saint

restaurants of Chinatown. Dedicated in 1883,

Damien joins the Kamehameha I statue in this

this was actually the second statue created

amazing collection of art.

after the ship delivering the original statue from Europe was lost at sea.

Hilo, Island of Hawaii

Kohala, Island of Hawaii

government and this statue, dedicated in 1997

The original statue was miraculously recovered

at Wailoa State Park, is the tallest of the four

and in 1912, the restored statue was installed

statues at fourteen feet. Hilo is also home to

near Kamehameha’s birthplace at Kapaau on

the Naha Stone, which a young Kamehameha

the island of Hawaii.

'overturned in a feat of incredible strength'.

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Hilo was Kamehameha’s first seat of

Hawaii’s traditions are as diverse as its people. Rooted in Native Hawaiian culture that has been passed down through generations mixed with the traditions of the peoples from all around the world who have made Hawaii home.

Whether it’s a unique natural wonder, a National Historic Site, Park or Monument, or a sacred place that encapsulates Native Hawaiian customs, beliefs and practices, our Heritage sites will help you gain a deeper understanding of Hawaii.

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WELOME TO HAWAII The Expression of Aloha.

ALLIE BLEU

MY HONOLULU

Best area for art?

I think Downtown Honolulu is the place to go because it is packed with exciting art galleries, events, and museums.

Best areas for food?

I personally like going to Kaimuki for food because there's good Poke places around and other types of local foods to try.

Monsarrat Avenue in Kaimuki also has a good variety of cafes as well, and I would recommend trying the acai bowls and plate lunches if you go there.

Best area for a unique night time experience?

Downtown has a lot of unique bars to go to and they also have this event called first Friday, which is held on the first Friday of every month and it's basically a block party but it's pretty cool because they usually host art events.

Best area for shopping?

There's always Ala Moana but if you're looking for something different and new, I like going to Salt or sometimes South Shore Market in Kaka’ako.

Salt has this cool camera store called Treehouse, and I definitely recommend going there if you're interested in photography.

Where to find the best views?

If it's your first time here then you have to check out Diamond Head. The hike is relatively easy and the view of Waikiki from the top is phenomenal. I also recommend driving around Tantalas as well. I'm not sure exactly where it was around Tantalus, but there is a place where you can see the valleys and it's beautiful. But honestly, I think you have to go outside of Honolulu for the best views if you're here on Oahu.

our Top Artists for 2019. Read her interview on p238.

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Allie Bleu is an Artist based in Honolulu and one of

MARTIN PARR martinparr.com

DESTIG.COM 140 .p

FEATURED ON

100 Years of Danish Ceramics

in Paris

SPECIAL FEATURE

Running until the 3rd of March 2019, a number of Danish collectors will be exhibiting 100 years of Danish ceramics at the Maison du Danemark in Paris.

This exhibition, curated by Carsten Bagge Laustsen, aims at presenting the evolution of Danish ceramic art and showcasing to the international market the vitality and diversity of creation in this field, always ensuring a subtle bond between natural forms, function and technical excellence.

Thanks to the exceptional loans from renowned private collectors, the Maison du Danemark will be opening its doors to a retrospective bringing together over 500 pieces from the most important Danish artists.

Ceramic art appeared in Denmark in the 1880s notably with Thorvald Bindesbøll and Niels Hansen Jacobsen, who worked ceramics in a sculptural manner. They molded clay into busts, sculptures, reliefs as well as dishes adorned with abstract decorations.

An abstract form of expression developed, characterized by glazes which became a central focus in their own right. Instead of pre-delimiting and controlling the glazes, they were let run freely. If this running glaze technique was initially inspired by French art nouveau may also be noted

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Japanese ceramics, the influence of

Most ceramic artists worked

During the years between

for a certain period for the

the two world wars and post

Danish Royal Porcelain

World War Two, ceramic art

Factory and for Bing &

evolved in different

Grøndahl.

directions.

They greatly influenced part of the production of these

Modernist artists such as

companies, particularly that

Erik Nyholm and Asger Jorn

of sculptural objects and of

went in a more uniquely

stoneware pieces.

experimental direction. Both

We are able to discern the

worked their medium in an

early stages of what became

unconventional manner and

the “Scandinavian modern”,

were often assisted by

clean shaped stoneware

potters for technique.

pieces inspired by ceramic utility objects. Superfluous

Another group of ceramists,

decoration disappeared giving

producing high temperature

way to clean lines and simple

fired clay pieces, greatly

glazing – often a single one

drew their inspiration from

per vase.

traditional Danish Pottery.

Gutte Eriksen played a

As the development of

determining role in this

ceramic art and the

regard and her influence,

perception of applied arts as

spoken of in terms of the

being a distinct field

Gutte School, is primarily

progressed, a number of

established in Jutland.

1920s. Within these studios

Artists on the island of

ceramists dedicated

Zealand and around

themselves to working upon

Copenhagen, the capital,

the strong basis of traditional

were attached to a more

Nordic craftsmanship. Saxbo

classical means of

and the functional vocation

expression and often

studio ceramics of the 1930s

created lighter and thinner

to 1960s confirmed Danish

objects with simple

applied arts upon the

decorations. Amongst the

international scene. The most

artists of this tradition,

successful and accomplished

who’s works are exhibited,

works in terms of quality

we find Bodil Manz, Alev

thereafter gained the

Siesbye and Beate

designation “studio ceramics”.

Andersen.

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studios were created as of the

During the 20th century studio ceramics has become a discipline evolving between ceramic art and pottery derived applied arts.

100 YEARS OF DANISH CERAMICS IN PARIS

Finally, particular mention should be made of the

The conceptualization of the relationship

ceramist hub of the small Island of Bornholm in

between art and ceramics gained considerable

the Baltic Sea. Several large manufactories were

significance by the end of the 1990s.

established upon the island, in particular the

Danish groupings have been more and more

Hjort factory that found itself at the origin of

influenced by international interaction and

production of a great number of ceramists.

materiality has become a pivotal element over

Artists often began there before beginning their

The glazing experimentations of Christina Schou

own studio. The two sisters Gertrud Vasegaard

Christensen, Bente Skjøttgaard and Morten

and Lisbeth Munch-Petersen (both born Hjorth),

Løbner Espersen, or the complex sculpture of

both greatly interested in the shapes and colors

Karen Bennicke and Steen Ibsen, are prime

of nature may be cited in this respect.

examples of this material focus.

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the past 20 to 30 years.

ART + GLASS CITÉ DU VIN

CITÉ DU VIN After Bistro! From Baudelaire to Picasso (2017) and Wine and Music, concords and discords (2018), La Cité du Vin presents Mind-blowing! When art and design meet glassfrom 15 March to 30 June 2019.

In a refined setting, the exhibits will sometimes be functional, but more often symbolic or re-purposed. Creations from Gaetano Pesce, Hubert Le Gall, Achille Castiglioni, Arik Levy, Jean-Michel Othoniel or Philippe Starck will rub shoulders with original works from Matali Crasset and the film-maker Jérôme de Gerlache, created especially for the exhibition. Mind-blowing!has been created by the Foundation for Wine Culture and Civilisations and curator Bettina Tschumi.

A 100% contemporary exhibition. Nearly a hundred glass exhibits produced in the past 20 years will be unveiled to visitors. Glass artworks, drawings, projects and performances as well as video works to explore, through the exhibition, the creative process of transformation.

From sand to glass, from grape to wine, from the utilitarian object to the original work. The bottle, the carafe or the drinking glass therefore become the starting point for a broader reflection, leading visitors to the creative diversions of artists and designers who invent surprising and often poetic works.

By focusing on transformation and particularly glassmaking processes that combine tradition and experimentation, the exhibition will also echo the winemaker’s craft, following the work of Stéphane Derenoncourt (biodynamic

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producer) over the course of a vintage.

First-rate artists and designers from France

glassworks, CIRVA (the international research

and abroad.

centre for glass and plastic arts) in Marseille and CIAV (the international centre for glass

Both glass and wine express an identity and

arts) in Meisenthal. La Cité du Vin is offering a

research borne with sincerity and commitment

rich and eclectic cultural programme around

by the featured designers and artists, offering

the exhibition, from 15 March to 30 June 2019.

visitors a unique and remarkable experience:

A catalogue will be published by Editions 5

Nicolas Boulard, Achille Castiglioni, Matali

Continents.

Crasset, Octave de Gaulle, Fabrice Hyber, Hubert Le Gall, Arik Lévy, Beth Lipman,

About La Cité du Vin: La Cité du Vin is a new-

Jean-Michel Othoniel, Gaetano Pesce, Philippe

generation cultural site unique in the world,

Starck, Fabien Verschaere, and many more

where the soul of wine is expressed through

besides will embody the expressive diversity

an immersive and sensory approach at the

of glass as a material through their creations.

heart of an evocative architecture.

Works will be brought from the United States,

across the world, across the ages, in all

Spain, Belgium, UK, Austria, Switzerland, Czech

cultures and in all civilisations. It offers a

Rebuplic and Italy to meet visitors to La Cité

permanent tour, temporary exhibitions,

du Vin in Bordeaux. French creative work will

wine-culture workshops and numerous

be widely represented, in particular through a

events.

rich selection drawn from two exceptional laciteduvin.com

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La Cité du Vin shows wine in a different way,

Alba Blazquez alba-blazquez.tumblr.com

DESTIG.COM 940 .p

FEATURED ON

PETER

BREMERS

Tell us about yourself and

into a glassblowing workshop

background.

with Andries Copier and

I was born in 1957 in the old

Willem and Bernard Heesen

town of Maastricht, in the

at the Jan van Eyck Academy

Netherlands, I developed an

in 1986. Mesmerized by the

interest in fashion, interior

glowing light of hot glass at

decoration, architecture and

the end of a blowpipe, I did

design at an early age.

not only decide to start

It was not until going to the

investigating the possibilities

Art Academy in my home-

of blown glass for my objects

town that I developed a

but also did a post-graduate

profound interest in three-

at the Jan van Eyck Academy.

While studying sculpture, I

Tell us about your work.

found a love for light and its

The following year I started

influence on form resulting in

working in blown glass.

creating light-sculptures. In

Instead of trying to become a

1980 after four years of study

master glassblower myself I

- I kept making light

tried to learn as much as

sculptures and started

possible about the material

exhibiting all over Europe.

by assisting and working with

My work got published in

masters like Lino Tagliapietra

several design books and I

from Murano and Neil Wilkin

would probably still make

in England. Neil and I worked

these light objects and

together

installations if I didn’t walk

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dimensional art.

with a highly skilled team for many years, producing many blown objects. The use of graal technique (glass made with a colour overlay that is cooled, engraved, reheated, and encased in a layer of clear glass and blown again to expand the decorative engravings) and later the development of double graal, resulted in many successful exhibits and my first book Metamorphosis.

Although never being trained beyond an assistant, I love blown glass and learned a great deal about it over the years, studying the way the material behaves, how it flows, what it means to go with the material or against it. In my opinion I am still working with light, colour and form.

Another significant change in my work and my approach to glass as a medium came after a very influential and inspiring voyage to the Antarctic in 2001. Translating my impressions of the land-scapes, the glaciers and the square rigged three-master I travelled on into vessels, I found we could not blow an iceberg! It frustrated me as I was so enthralled with the many icebergs I saw as “nature`s floating sculpture garden”. Being trained as a sculptor, I quite easily changed over to kiln-casting, a technique used specifically successful by Czech artists and makers like Zdenek Lhotsky. In short this compels of making a full-size model in wax, clay or in my case an industrial hard foam. I create my model by chipping away from a block, no different to working in wood or stone. From this model a plaster mould will be formed. Once the mould is dry, it will be filled with glass or crystal parts. It is then placed inside a kiln and fired till the glass melts and takes over the form of the model. After extensive cooling, weeks and sometimes even months, the mould is taken out of the kiln and revealed. Grinding away the ‘skin’ that results from the

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through carefully removing the plaster, the glass shape will be

casting process, the final sculpture will then be ground and polished to equal my model. The series of sculptures known as Icebergs and Paraphernalia became an international success, documented by a book by the same name.

My fascination with ice and the way it is transferring light made me undertake more travels to the Polar Regions, resulting in a vast body of ever-expanding work showing nature`s endless source of inspiration. A visit to Arizona and the canyons and deserts of The Four Corners inspired a new body of work by the same title.

To me it was a logical step to go from the cold transparent ice to the hot density of the desert`s rocks and mountains. Once again, this earth and it's awesome beauty intrigued, leading to a collection of glass sculptures. The town of Sedona became a refuge. A perfect place for long hikes through nature and quiet time for reflection and the development of new ideas that are then executed in my studio in the Netherlands.

Traveling has always been a necessary part of feeling alive for me. My curiosity as a human being and an artist for our planet`s cultural and natural diversity took me to all the continents. When we travel to other countries and cultures, not only does our outer world change but so also does our inner world and the way we perceive our planet and fellow beings. The sculptures of a new series called Inward Journey are

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often quiet and introspective.

"When we travel to other countries and cultures, not only does our outer world change but so also does our inner world and the way we perceive our planet and fellow beings."

see the front and the back of a sculpture at the same time, as well as the matter and space in between. Glass with its transparency and translucency, transforms and shifts light and has an influence on the intensity of color.

It can therefore mold emotion and spirituality, the profane and the celestial. This is always

With titles like Perception, Imprint or

embedded in my work and makes it therefore

Transformation, I share my inner process and life

very personal.

philosophy, meanwhile presenting a mirror, sometimes thought provoking or meditative but

Why is your work a good investment?

always reflecting a need for understanding and

Buying art is an investment in wellbeing.

appreciating the individual as well as the universal.

All the arts, music, literature, dance or film for

What makes your work and approach unique?

provoke.

As I was not trained as a glassblower, I approach

Art is a direct form of communication, whether

material as a sculptor. The idea dictates the

emotional, mental, spiritual or even physical.

technique and the material to use. Even though I

The level of art in a society defines the height of

occasionally work with other materials, I have a

civilisation. Investing in art is also investing in

deep love for glass as it is the only material that

the development of your cultural footprint and

allows you to experience 4 dimensions as you can

legacy.

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example can inspire, uplift, challenge or

Tell us about some of your achievements.

A particularly interesting development is the use of glass outdoors.

With the Czech glass alchemist Ruda Banas and Zdenek Lhotsky and his team of kiln cast experts, we have found a very fruitful collaboration that enabled me to create large glass sculptures that can withstand the changes in temperature in different climates.

We have placed these sculptures in gardens, ponds and architectural sites. Influenced by the change in light, whether sun, moon, clouds or artificial, the sculpture seems to change in translucency, colour and expression.

To have objects outside like this, opened a whole new range of possibilities of using glass interacting with the surroundings.

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"I have a deep love for glass as it is the only material that allows you to experience 4 dimensions as you can see the front and the back of a sculpture at the same time, as well as the matter and space in between."

"In a world with so much manmade ugliness I strive to create things of beauty that touch people`s hearts and give them pleasure as well as food for thought."

What are your sources of inspiration?

The actual creative process can be the result of observation, contemplation and concept. Much of that is intuitively translated into form, though sometimes that process can take years.

I find making art a spiritual journey, a search for what really moves me deeply and helps me understand who I am and what I need to express. The interaction with the public is part of that. That is probably also the reason I love doing commissions, because they challenge me to think out of the box of what I usually want to make. When I get a commission, I look at all aspects, the people, location subject, all the circumstances that help me come up with an idea are completely different from what I normally work with.

I find this different dynamic highly interesting and rewarding.

What are you passionate about?

Traveling! It has always been a big part of my personal growth as a human being and an artist.

My interest in cultures and religions, the differences between cultures and how we express our religious, spiritual identity intrigue and inspire me.

Nature became more and more important over time, the natural world in relationship to the man-made and my own understanding of it.

How do you want your art to affect the viewer/ world?

In a world with so much man-made ugliness I strive to create things of beauty that touch people's hearts and give them pleasure as well as food for thought. Art is joy and passion!

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the quintessential desire to express oneself; it is my

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

Ten years ago, I was asked to make a large outdoor sculpture, to be placed in a commune for people that were disabled by respiratory illnesses and often only partial mobile or even paralyzed. I created “AURA”, the outline or energy field of a 6-foot-tall man. The color is blue like the symbol for healing, oxygen and water.

What I wanted to express is that the people living there may be disabled physically, but they still have the capacity to think, fantasize, dream, travel in their mind, create and communicate as complete as any ‘healthy’ fellow human being.

Over time I have made sculptures for institutes, homes, ships and offices. Every commission is uniquely created to interact with the people present and its surroundings, it is some of my most precious work.

I recently did two installations for an exhibition at the Fort Wayne museum of Art. The first: “7 BODIES”, mental, emotional, vibrational, spiritual, creative and ethereal. The outer shape of these seven sculptures is an identical abstracted form. By deliberately denying gender, race or physical appearance, the viewer is

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represents the human existence as seven individual elements, each containing specific potential: physical,

"I find a lot of contemporary art to lean more on concept than visual experience. The mental aspect often diminishes the emotional experience."

invited to look beyond the political, fashionable,

Share with us your upcoming projects.

aesthetic or social connotations that so much

Now I am working on six larger sculptures

influence our perception of our fellow beings and

representing the original art forms: music,

ourselves. Separating the elements that define our

literature, drama, dance, architecture and

human existence and visualizing them as individual

combined the 2 and 3-dimensional fine arts.

entities, the observer is challenged to reconsider

I got the idea for doing this installation when I

each element, its valuation and importance as part

realized that there are many exciting things

of the whole.

happening in cross-over disciplines and art-forms.

This is not new and has been going on for many

The second installation is called “Perception�.

centuries, foremost in opera and any similar

This installation consists of 13 sculptures that are

performance prior; opera involves stage design,

identical in form but made from different materials

which would include painting and sculpture,

and/or in different colours. Materials and colours

existing and/or created architectural elements,

represent and associate with different emotions.

dance, drama and of course text (libretto) and

They can be cold or warm, gentle our harsh,

music. I love opera! Even though the Greeks

revealing or obscuring. The intricate shape of each

already developed combinations of the arts, the

sculpture has an opening that allows us to see what

Italians lifted it to great heights, therefore all titles

is behind the sculpture. The way the form tilts

are in Italian.

perception. The lines lead the eye in and out but

How do you feel about art and its role today?

always back to the hole, while the levels of

Art is more politicized than ever, relating to the

reflectiveness of the surfaces, from transparent to

hear-and-now. It expresses issues that are no

mirroring, change the periphery of our vision.

different than what gets broadcasted on CNN.

Looking through the hole in any object, we can

I find a lot of contemporary art to lean more on

never see the whole installation. We all look

concept than visual experience. The mental aspect

through a peeping hole; we only see a part of the

often diminishes the emotional experience.

whole. It`s our human condition.

As a contrast, much art seems cartoonesque and

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reminds the viewer of the different angles of

decorative. Damien Hirst`s Venice show “Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable� was the perfect commentary on this phenomenon and maybe therefore not approved of by the fine art world and its critics but well appreciated by the many visitors, myself included!

Tell us about where you are based.

Living between my studio in the Netherlands and my refuge in Sedona, Arizona, I travel as much as my work requires and my heart desires.

www.bremers.com

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The world is my oyster!

SUSIE

HAMILTON

INTERVIEW

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

‘wilderness’ which can be a natural or an urban one, a desert or a shopping mall."

Tell us about yourself and your background.

I studied painting in London at St Martin’s School of Art and Byam Shaw School of Art and I read English Literature at London University, going on to do a Ph.D on the theme of the transformation of identity in Shakespeare’s plays. I am represented by the Paul Stolper Gallery in Museum Street, London and I am married to playwright and poet Peter Hamilton.

Tell us about your work I paint figures in a ‘wilderness’ which can be a natural or an urban one, a desert or a shopping mall for instance. The figures in my paintings are often solitary and may seem overwhelmed or challenged by their environments and also by my method of painting which defaces or abstracts them into mysterious, metamorphic shapes.

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"I paint figures in a

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SUSIE HAMILTON | TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"My drawings and paintings are executed quickly and spontaneously with a combination of speed and precision and an economy of line or mark. "

SUSIE HAMILTON

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"My paintings have been shown internationally with solo shows in Oslo and Moscow and they have been featured in books on contemporary art."

What makes your work and approach unique?

tourists - and the paintings were then exhibited

My drawings and paintings are executed quickly

in the south transept. Then I had a big solo show

and spontaneously with a combination of speed

at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, based on the

and precision and an economy of line or mark.

work of seventeenth-century Hull poet, Andrew

They represent singular yet vulnerable creatures in

Marvell. My paintings have been shown

a dynamic world which, with its flashing light, its

internationally with solo shows in Oslo and

contrast of dazzle and darkness, its free-floating

Moscow and they have been featured in books

cells and reeling particles, is one of excitement and

on contemporary art, for example Picturing

danger.

People by critic and broadcaster Charlotte Mullins.

Why is your work a good investment?

Well, maybe it would be best to ask one of my

What are your sources of inspiration?

buyers but it seems to have become more and

Life. I draw in the street, in supermarkets, in

more widely noticed and collected over recent

malls and on beaches. I have also recently taken

years, for example by some well known gallerists,

my sketchbooks to the ballet in London because I

by Deutsche Bank or St Paul’s Cathedral or The

enjoy the challenge of drawing fast-moving

Murderme Collection of Damien Hirst.

figures and am inspired by the rapid succession

Tell us about some of your achievements.

continually inspired by poetry, especially poetry

I have had some interesting artist residencies

in which nature is made strange (the poems of

including ‘Here Comes Everybody’ at St Paul’s

Marvell, Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Ovid’s

Cathedral. I wanted to paint people in the

Metamorphoses) or in which people, also made

cathedral - cleaners, clergy and processions of

strange, change their identity or appearance.

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of unusual and dramatic poses. I am also

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"I believe that art can communicate complex or profound or valuable thoughts through visual delight."

What are you passionate about?

Predictably, painting and literature: the work of Cy Twombly, de Chirico, Poussin, Bosch, Chaucer, Ovid, Marlowe, Baudelaire, TS Eliot. I also love wild places and the vitality of creatures such as ones I have painted: lorises, lemurs, baboons, honeycreepers, doves. I love to depict things that ‘fly’ or leap: monkeys, insects, birds and recently the gods and demigods in Ovid’s mythology.

How do you feel about Art and its role in the world?

I feel that some art has become too drily theoretical or message-driven and despises the idea of beauty.

I do not believe that beauty and truth, or ideas, are opposed and I believe that art can communicate complex or profound or valuable thoughts through visual delight.

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SUSIE HAMILTON

THE INTERVIEW

"The combination of the hotel’s decay and Eliot's scenes of poetic grime led to my sequence of atmospheric pictures of sordid bedsits, rats in tunnels and commuters descending into an underworld."

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

My recently published book ‘On Margate Sands: Paintings and Drawings based on TS Eliot’s The Waste Land’ grew out of my exhibition at a decaying hotel in Margate, next to the bus shelter where Eliot wrote part of his great poem. The combination of the hotel’s decay and Eliot's scenes of poetic grime led to my sequence of atmospheric pictures of sordid bedsits, rats in tunnels and commuters descending into an underworld. Rereading 'The Waste Land' with its many classical references also led me back to Ovid’s 'Metamorphoses' which, with its descriptions of a swarming, energetic universe and its tales of human vulnerability in beautiful, luminous landscapes, is the source of my current work.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

I am working towards a large exhibition of my Metamorphoses paintings. I shall be participating in a prestigious show of drawings, the Drawing Biennial, at Drawing Room gallery, London and I am working for Hospital Rooms, the UK charity that invites artists to make art in rooms in mental hospitals. The idea is to make the environments less soulless and arid and maybe to make patients feel less alone in their painting a room in a secure psychiatric hospital in Exeter.

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experiences. I shall be doing workshops and then

S U S I E H A M I L T O N

www.susiehamilton.co.uk

"I want it to energise the viewer, to communicate pleasure even when engaging with dark or difficult issues."

Tell us about where you are based.

I live and work in the East End of London with a studio ten minutes walk from my home.

How do you want your Art to affect the viewer?

I want it to energise the viewer, to communicate pleasure even when engaging with dark or difficult issues and to make the viewer feel his or her horizons expanded through looking at my work.

I’d like my pictures to communicate something of the painful, comic, unfinished, gorgeous, untidy spectacle of life.

Eliot said he wanted to write about ‘the boredom, the horror and the glory’ and I suppose that I would like to do that, to express opposite or dissimilar things

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simultaneously in my work.

DONALD

RUSSEL

NATURE'S ART DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"I create sculptures in stone and wood, ranging from small pieces suitable for a residential coffee table, to large works more appropriate for the entrance to a corporate office building or foyer of a hotel."

Tell us about yourself and background.

In my early working years I was always

A native Californian, I grew up in the 1940’s

employed in positions which involved creative

and 50’s in the small rural country town of

work with my hands.

the wonders of nature surrounding me; the

Then approximately 20 years ago, I began

beauty found in rock formations and tree

sculpting in the natural wood and rock

roots intertwined with river rocks.

resources which remain the base for my

Nature’s art was all around and so inspiring.

artistic creativity.

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San Anselmo. Even as a child I was drawn to

Tell us about your work.

I create sculptures in stone and wood, ranging from small pieces suitable for a residential coffee table, to large works more appropriate for the entrance to a corporate office building or foyer of a hotel. I really enjoy working with natural rock shapes and wood formations such as manzanita root burl. The burl being a really hard wood with incredible grain patterns cuts and polishes superbly. The Arizona petrified wood log sections that I sculpt and polish have the most beautiful color and also polish excellently.

Whilst I am drawn to fluid flowing lines with seemingly endless continuity, my works look to capture both the symmetry and asymmetry of all that occurs in the natural world around us.

What makes your work and approach unique?

Working with very hard stones such as granite or agate, a quartz mineral found in petrified wood, is an extremely difficult process. On the Mohs scale, petrified wood has a 7.5 hardness value, while Jade being a semi-precious stone, is 8 to 8.5. As a result of this there are very few stone carvers willing to invest the time to achieve what I undertake. Sculpting my petrified wood and granite creations is an extremely labor intensive procedure as it is much easier to polish a flat surface than a contoured one.

Why is your work a good investment?

I am a carver/artist, and have been working with my hands for over 50 years. Because of the style of my work and the limitations of the materials I am working with, few senior artists do what I do and even fewer younger artists are moving into this niche of sculpting. Therefore, my work has

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great potential for growth in value and I consider any of them to be a sound investment.Â

What are your sources of inspiration?

Although I was inspired in my early years by the abstract works of Henry Moore, I am a selftaught sculptor. This allows me total freedom of expression without reflecting the influence of formal teachers.

My true inspiration comes directly from nature in the natural rock shapes and wood formations with which I work. Elements such as a teak bench, fashioned from a tree stump originating in Java. The Huangyang Décor Tree Root sculptures, with their roots intertwined in natural granite rock, which do indeed come from China, and the Manzanita burls, found in Baja, California. All of these elements, from various land developments, evoke nature, whilst also speaking to “modern progress” as they were salvaged from areas cleared for development, where their beauty would otherwise be lost.

I truly feel a part of nature when I am working with such beautiful and evocative rescued materials.

What are you passionate about.

I love to hike and explore in areas both close to home and further afield. I am passionate about all the beautiful and unique places that are available to us to visit. I am a strong believer in environmental protection and the preservation of our National Parks and open spaces.

I have presented my sculptures at many group and Individual shows including the Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson Arizona, an event that draws visitors and art collectors from around the world.

The Tucson show features a talented group of world class artists and at this venue I have sold my sculptures to natural art museums in China and Japan, as well as to private and corporate art collectors around the world.

Tell us the back story of one of your projects.

Thoughts of materials and inspirations for future art works are never far from my mind, and while hiking and exploring with my son in the vicinity of the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in Guerneville, California, we came across a property which was being prepared for modern development.

As part of the development, the stump of a huge “old growth” giant redwood tree was being removed. I realized immediately that here

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Tell us about some of your achievements.

INTERVIEW | TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

was the potential to find raw material for a future sculpting project. Through discussions and negotiation with the contractor performing the stump removal work, I was able to choose a large slab of redwood from the stump of this giant redwood tree which was estimated to be approximately 2,000 years old.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

In complete contrast to my typical abstract works, I am currently sculpting a lifelike figure of a standing bison from a marble block measuring 48”x44”x22” and weighing 3,600 lbs.

Other future plans involve a return to my abstract background with a large marble sculpture that will incorporate a 20” obsidian sphere.

As part of my Autumn Leaf series, another future work will include a leaf sculpture derived from a redwood slab measuring 9’ long x 3’ wide and tapering from 12’’ to 6” deep. The slab is cut from the stump of an “old growth” California giant redwood tree as mentioned earlier. The live tree was over 12 feet in diameter and was believed to have been originally felled in the late 1800’s.

Tell us about where you are based.

Having been raised in a small rural country town, my love of the countryside has endured and I now live with my artist wife Mary and our dog Daisy on a four acre country property in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in beautiful Nevada County, California. The pond on the property and the unspoiled surrounding countryside are home to many species of wild creatures. Deer, foxes, coyotes and even the occasional cougar roam across the property.

It is in this pristine country environment that I draw the stimulation for my continued artistic

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creations.

about art and its role in the world today?

Art is one of the few entities in our world that knows no borders, no skin colors and no spoken language.

Artistic expression can be appreciated by all nationalities, people of all creeds, skin color, or any other restriction placed on our lives by “modern” man.

How do you want your Art to affect the viewer?

As I create each of my wood carvings or rock sculptures, it is my hope that viewers will appreciate, the inner splendor and magnificence of the beautiful wood grain or exquisite rock composition which my sculpting and carving has revealed, and enhanced.

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DONALD RUSSEL

How do you feel

DONALD RUSSEL

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www.naturesart2000.com

JONATHAN

SWANZ

"I use glass as a medium to investigate, interpret and express my relationship to life.

My work is driven by process and material, and navigated by ideas."

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

Tell us about yourself and background.

I devoted myself to the studio, to seek

I committed to craft as a way of life 20

great teachers, and exhaust the learning

years ago. My creative impulse was

curve. All the while I was engaged in

sparked by the material problem solving I

conversations with great artists, past and

encountered during high school ceramics.

present. During my twenties I apprenticed

The subjective nature of art was much

with two master glassblowers in Europe

more nuanced and elusive than the

and became a voice in the dialogue of

objective concrete logic of algebra and

glass. Now I’m part of history!

scholarships in engineering to double

Tell us about your work.

major in studio art and philosophy.

I use glass as a medium to investigate,

After visiting a professor’s house where

interpret and express my relationship to

nearly everything was handmade, I knew

life. My work is driven by process and

that was how I would live the rest of my

material, and navigated by ideas. I have

life- immersed in a handmade world.

developed two main bodies of work:

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calculus, and I was inspired to bypass

Tropical Abstract and Vibrant Matter.

What makes your work and approach

The blown glass sculptures of TA are

unique?

inspired by Hawaii’s ocean, flora and fauna

Two things stand out- one is that I strongly

crafted using traditional Italian and

identify as both a glass blower and as an

Scandinavian glass techniques filtered

artist, and two is my personal relationship

through my personal aesthetic lens.

to embodiment.

The conceptual work of VM explores

It’s an honor to be a torchbearer of a

parallels in the energetic and social nature

historical glass blowing tradition that is

of materials and humans by investigating

over 2000 years old, and a contemporary

state change and energy transfer through

artist working with glass to create abstract

the manipulation of molten glass, digital

sculpture, installations and experiences.

media, performance, and architectural

I studied with masters to learn technique

installations. I want my sculpture to have an

so that I can more easily become absorbed

anthropomorphic quality, a reference to

in the material and process.

experiencing the materiality of their

I experience my body as a tool, as an

body more deeply.

instrument, as material.

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being embodied that hooks the viewer to

"I often wonder how human’s relationships to Nature, self and other might be altered if there was a greater awareness about our individual and social materiality."

I explore my body thoroughly, through intense physical practices and focused reflective stillness.

I do not want to experience my skin as the limit to limitlessness.

What is integral to your work as an artist?

Spectrum and depth. discipline and spontaneitythese qualities are integral to my work.

Spectrum is the curiosity, the complexity, the simultaneity, the wonder.

Depth is the focus, the refinement, the absorption, the will.

Discipline is the craft, the tradition, the form, the technique.

Spontaneity is the art, the inspiration, the formless, the poetry.

What themes do you pursue?

Embodiment, Alchemy, Paradox, and Ecstasy I experience my body as a tool, as an instrument, as material. I also witness society through a material lens.

I often wonder how human’s relationships to Nature, self and other might be altered if there was a greater awareness about our individual and social materiality.

I like to ask questions about how and why things comingle, what energies brings two things together, pushes them apart, facilitates the transformation of one thing or more into another.

These alchemical questions lead to studio experiments exploring the socio-material qualities and potentialities in glass that result in abstract sculptures.

I believe that abstract art has the potential for an individual that transcends words.

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insight transmissions than can be imprinted onto

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 Why is your work a good investment?

What has been a seminal experience?

My work is a good investment because it has a

I turned 25 working in Paris, France for the

unique potential to make you a better you.

iconic glass duo Philip Baldwin and Monica

I believe art’s purpose it to alter one’s

Guggisberg, It was year of total devotion to

experience of reality, to support individuals

them as their apprentice. I was able to steep in

becoming their best, and to engage

their momentum and magic that had been

conversations from a unique perspective.

cultivated over 20 plus years of working

Art is not something to be purchased for

together, constantly pushing the their edge and

financial gain. That is superficial and boring.

the boundaries of contemporary glass.

The reality is we are here on Earth for a very

It was during this season of my life that I was

short time, and one should surround their self

ingrained with the highest of standards, a

with things that have an impact upon them to

tireless work ethic, and an insatiable desire to

inform, influence and connect one with a greater

make spectacular objects.

sense of self to humanity and creation. unique potential to make you a better you.

My sculpture is a manifestation of my commitment to glass, craft, creativity, consciousness, ecstasy, and community.

I am here to make things that make a difference.

“My work is a good investment because it has a unique potential to make you a better you.”

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My work is a good investment because it has a

Tell us about some of your

What are your sources of

achievements.

inspiration?

Last Summer I had work in my

Nothing is out of bounds as

first major museum exhibition

inspiration.

Raw Design at the San

Again, I want spectrum and

Name three artists you’d like

Francisco Museum of Craft and

depth.

to be compared to.

Design, curated by Glenn

If I had to distill it into parts I

Only three?!

Adamson the former director

would say my inspiration is

Constatine Brancusi,

of MAD in NYC. The exhibition

sourced roughly in equal parts

Lydia Bengalis, Eve Hesse...

was “an exploration of

from observation of Nature

My second three would be

contemporary design as a

(including society and self),

Olafur Eliason, Livio Seguso

material intervention,

reflection on relationships, the

and Anish Kapoor..

demonstrating that palpable

act of making, and a desire for

physicality is a creative force.”

refined beauty.

What are you passionate

The institution chose an image

It’s a cyclical relationship in

about?

of one of my sculptures for

which curiosity inspired

The embodied experience.

their advertisement, resulting

observation translates into

I am a hedonist! I want to taste

in building size posters of my

material explorations that are

every flavor of life.

sculpture in the streets of SF.

perpetuated by more curiosity

I want to feel the subtle and

I recently completed my first

and the challenge of

the sublime.

international commission

refinement. Apparently it is

I’m willing to work harder or

north of Barcelona. For the

endless. I have never found my

surrender, which ever is

past two years I’ve had the

self without inspiration, simply

necessary to feel the most

most work accepted in the

without the time, energy and

alive, to touch ecstasy in that

largest state wide juried

materials to constantly make.

fleeting moment.

exhibition in Hawaii, and both

"Nothing is out of bounds as inspiration."

years the State Foundation of

What art do you most

dynamic reference point in my

HI has acquired a sculpture of

identify with?

life that allows me to track my

mine. This year I also received

Modern sculpture, specifically

ideas of experience as they

the Best of Show award.

abstract art and process art.

evolve, or dissolve.

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Making art is a constant and

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

European Cultural Centre along with other

The Constrictions are part of my Vibrant Matter

institutions to organize a ‘tour’ of Europe for

series, a body of abstract glass sculptures

2020. I'm also working on two commercial

utilizing molten glass as an investigate entry into

projects in Hawaii, one with the Four Seasons on

the reciprocal overlap between society and the

Maui and another with the Sheraton Waikiki on

material world. Social observation of ‘socio-

Oahu.

material’ behaviors assists me in framing studio experiments to create unusual and unexpected

Professionally, what is your goal?

abstract sculptures in glass.

I am an artist. I do not think of it as a profession,

Some ideas find expression in both sculpture and

rather a path. My life goal is to continue making

performance, as with the Constrictions.

art from a place of authentic inspiration as a

I was interested in exploring the relationship

means to evolve the connection to self and to all

between the experiences of movement/expansion

things. I want to be a contributing voice to historic

simultaneously with that of restriction/

dialogue of both glass and contemporary art.

constriction. This resulted in both glass studio

I want to enjoy being alive.

experiments to make sculpture as well as a performance involving my body and an 80’ piece

Tell about where you are based.

of square rubber. My personal exploration of the

I’ve lived in Hawaii for the past 8 years. It is truly

material dynamic deepened my connection to

one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

and understanding the sculptural process.

Hawaii is equally influential on my series Tropical

Share with us your upcoming projects.

swimming with the fish, hiking in the jungle, or

There is a lot on deck! I am participating in the

exploring the lava flow. It is a radical environment

iBiennale in Honolulu this March with both a

that is ceaselessly inspiring.

performance and an installation. I’m in a group

Last week I was playing/ practicing between the

show at a major craft gallery in the Southeast in

ocean and a mountain, with a rainbow in front of

May, making arrangements for two residencies at

me, the sun behind me, and wind surrounding

the end of 2019, and I’m in a dialogue with the

me. It’s magical.

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Abstract as it is Vibrant Matter, whether I’m

www.jonathanswanz.com How do you want your art

and its role in the world

to affect the viewer/world?

today.

I want my art to elicit

I believe art is crucial for the

ecstasy, a momentary lapse

wellness of individuals and

of absorption in the pleasure

humanity.

of being alive here and now.

At a minimum art serves as a

I want my art to provoke new

tool to foster connection.

perspectives about

A greater function of art is

materiality, relationships,

transformation. I believe art

and embodiment.

can be an antidote for the

I want my art to be a positive

experience of disconnection

influence on individuals

people experience from self,

becoming the best they can

from society, from history,

be.

from possibility, from

I want my art to have an

purpose. The subjective

anthropomorphic hook, a

nature of art undermines all

reference to being embodied

ideas of hierarchy. Everything

that gives the viewer an

truly becomes relative and

opportunity to experience

each individual’s experience

the materiality of their body

and expression is valued.

more deeply.

"I believe art is crucial for the wellness of individuals and humanity."

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How do you feel about art

JUDY

AIZUSS

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

Tell us about yourself and background.

As a child, I was always drawing.

Wherever there was blank paper I filled it with my drawings. Recognizing me as “artistic,” my

"I like to think that my artwork speaks of realities and truths that lie beyond our physical senses."

parents enrolled me in art classes. However, college, persuading me that I couldn’t make a

Tell us about your work.

living that way. So I dutifully left art behind,

My paintings are about discovering Light, both

eventually becoming a psychotherapist,

literally and spiritually. I like to think that my

alternative healer and spiritual teacher.

artwork speaks of realities and truths that lie

My passion for painting was reawakened in

beyond our physical senses. As a landscape

the mid 1990’s, but by that time, the chronic

artist, I use physical tools such as brilliantly

physical symptoms I’d had since I was 21

colored pastels organized into carefully

worsened and I couldn’t attend many art

designed images, in an attempt to

classes.

communicate those truths as I understand

So I learned mostly by reading many art books

them. In addition, I use landscapes and

and magazines, and of course, experimenting

cloudscapes to reawaken our reverence for

on my own.

nature. Nature has a restorative, life-giving

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they discouraged me from pursuing art in

energy which I seek to infuse into my work.

heart and soul. In addition, experiences with

My originals are done mostly in pastels

recurring illnesses have compelled me to dive

applied in many layers with frequent blending

below surface values and into life’s meaning

of colors. I work from a combination of photos

and purpose. I believe that my art reflects this

and my imagination. The colors I use are not

through the basic themes I paint, and may

necessarily realistic, but are chosen for how

well be what draws people to my paintings.

they complement each other and for how well they express my feelings about the scene and

Why is your work a good investment?

the message I want to communicate.

I believe that my paintings are an excellent

What makes your work unique?

meant to lift your spirit, to inspire you to

My work is unique because while I admire and

move with greater ease through the

learn from other artists, I don’t try to emulate

challenging times in your life, and to be

anyone. Instead, I work intuitively from my

all that you can be. I can think of no better

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investment… in yourself. My paintings are

investment than that. When placed in a

are in it. We learn that Love works. Kindness

corporate setting, these paintings are bound

works. Hope, faith, and joy all work, while

to lift the spirits of employees, thereby helping

hatred and fear do not. And no matter how

to increase productivity. These images may

dark things get in our lives, and no matter for

also communicate to your customers that your

how long, there is always Light awaiting us.

company adheres to higher human values, which may in turn engender trust in your

What public recognition have you achieved

company.

for your artwork?

Tell us about some of your achievements.

of a major new corporate building installation

I’m proud of how I continue to grow as an

in Silicon Valley, California.

artist. Each time I sit down to work my way

Beauty in Darkness was selected for display in

through a new piece I can see and feel how I

the office of the CEO of the Marin County

am composing differently, using my colors in a

Water District.

new way, and overall incorporating

Three paintings: Misty Morning, Toward the

approaches and techniques that I’ve learned

Morning, and Morning Mist were chosen by

about. But I think that by far my greatest

the President of Marin Conservation League to

achievement is the extent to which I have

be displayed in her office.

grown spiritually and emotionally in my life,

Hailstorm won an award and sold at the

through many losses and health challenges.

Motherlode Art Exhibition in Placerville,

We can learn a lot from the darkness while we

California.

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Sunset Fantasy was recently chosen to be part

"We can learn a lot from the darkness

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

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while we are in it."

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about creating art.

The process feeds my soul. I experience many moments of exhilaration as imagined images in my mind flow through my hand to paper.

Each piece I do is an adventure.

In addition, I’m a passionate lover of animals and the natural world. I view every living creature and plant as sacred and worthy of love.

I’m also a spiritual explorer, always striving to live a life of compassion, kindness, and unconditional love toward others.

Tell us the backstory of some of your projects.

“Sunset Fantasy” began with a sweeping gesture of my arms, representing a feeling of bold expansive energy. I wanted strong colors and lots of movement in the painting to express this.

I consulted a number of photos, which I combined in the design, employing many layers of soft pastels until the colors were just right.

“Beauty in Darkness” is of a scene I encountered at a Lake Bon Tempe, just before a rainstorm.

The weather was dark, cold, and windy. I was only out there because my dog needed exercise, and I didn’t expect to see anything worth painting.

But suddenly, light came through the clouds and reflected a brilliant silver onto the water, with pink highlights from the sunset. I took it as yet another reminder that even through dark times in life, gifts of beauty are always to be had if we just look for them.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

I have more cloudscapes planned, and I would also like to experiment more with mixed media and perhaps more simplified, semi-abstract designs.

There’s no shortage of ideas I want to try.

However, my artwork is a day-to-day, moment to moment thing based on feelings and intuition.

I do plan my paintings, but I’m also capable of that isn’t working as I thought it would.

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changing my plan midway, or re-doing a painting

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?

I think that art at its best aims not to shock, nor even to necessarily be innovative.

Rather, the best art - and the art our world most hungers for, is art that communicates meaning, emotions, and connects viewers with their highest and deepest truths, with what they already know and need to be reminded of in their hearts.

How do you want your work to affect the viewer/world?

Each time someone views a painting of mine, I want them to experience a boost of energy and inspiration, and to be imbued with a renewed sense of possibilities for their life.

I also want them to be reminded that no matter how difficult their circumstances might be, no matter how long it has gone on, solutions will come if they just keep going.

What are your sources of inspiration?

There is always something I’m wanting to say about my internal feelings at a particular time, perceptions I’m currently experiencing about the world and life.

And externally, I am forever inspired by the conversations taking place between Light and Nature: the plants, trees, water, and mountains.

And within the ever-shifting cloud panoramas, I receive emotional and spiritual messages that implore me to paint them.

"I want viewers of my work to experience a boost of energy and inspiration, and to be imbued with a renewed sense of possibilities for their life."

www.judyspaintings.net

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Tell us about where you are based.

I live in a semi-rural town in Marin County, California, surrounded by forests, hills, and lakes, and anchored by Mt. Tamalpais.

SYLWIA

KRAMARZ

"By using unconnected images and having different ideas at the same time, it is essential for me to be alert to what is happening and then to reveal what I am feeling."

Tell us about yourself and background.

I was born in Poland, now I live in United Kingdom-Colchester and work as a teacher at The Sixth Form College in Art and Design Department. I studied in Poland at the University of Zielona Gora and finished my education with a Master's Degree in Social and Cultural Animation with additional specialisation in Art/Photography.

Tell us about your work.

To create my collages mostly I use found images, but occasionally I mix them with my own pictures and drawings too. Modifying existing images by cutting them out, folding and rearranging them, gives me a real sense of exploration in which I can experience how the past is mixing with the intuition of the present, to form ‘reshaped reality‘.

By using unconnected images and having different ideas at the same time, it is essential for me to be alert to what is happening and then to reveal what I am feeling.

What makes your work and approach unique?

I cannot stop experimenting with new materials and techniques, with

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

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hope that the next time it might be perfect- it keeps me going.

"By exploring the layers of meaning in an art work, you could encounter the really strong emotions as well as aesthetic value that would not be possible without it."

Why is your work a good investment?

I do not even know how to answer this question…

In my opinion, investing in art is always a good investment if you think about it in the big picture.

For instance, when you are going to see an exhibition, play, movie etc. or when you are going to buy a piece of art, then it means that you are not only investing in art but also in yourself.

Tell us about some of your achievements.

I have had some small achievements so far.

It has being giving me the real satisfaction of knowing that someone else likes my work, that there is some interaction and/or reaction between me and the viewers… My work has been published in various art magazines and zines such as: A5 Magazine- 2017 and 2018, Contemporary Visual Art Zine - 2017, Average Art Magazine- 2017 and 2018, WOTISART Magazine-2017 and 2018, RAPSODIA Magazine of Arts and Literature-Spring-Summer 2018 N*19 and Oltre Paper Collage Fanzine N*2 2018-/Future Landscape.

layers of meaning in an art work, you could

What are your sources of inspiration?

encounter the really strong emotions as well as

I am inspired by many different aspects of

aesthetic value that would not be possible

present reality, but mainly it often relates to

without it.

certain experiences in my life. When I started

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I believe it is happening, because by exploring the

making collages, I was hugely inspired by Hannah Hoch, John Stezaker and Sergei Sviatchenko.

These days, when I make my collages, the phrases that I can think of as inspirational ones, which move my imagination, are: ‘ lack of permanence of the experienced reality.

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subject’ and/or ‘the lack of permanence of the

"When I make my collages, the phrases that I can think of as inspirational ones, which move my imagination, are: ‘lack of permanence of the subject’ and/or ‘the lack of permanence of the experienced reality."

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about art, art galleries and about making art. I really like being a teacher in an Art and Design Department as it gives me very real pleasure to talk to students about art, sources of inspirations and development of their ideas.

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

The back-story that relates to one of my projects, that I can think of right now, is when I came back to drawing. I assumed that it would not have happened without discovering that something unusual had occurred to my hands due to an illness. I believe, that it was the major trigger which allows me to came back to drawing without any hesitation. I have started to document my condition by making quick drawings of my hands and then feet. Currently, I am expanding my drawings skills and I am very interested in continuing with this experimental process to see where will it lead me.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

As I have mentioned in the previous question, I recently came back to drawing which is very pleasing as I had not done it for about fifteen years. At the moment, it is in an experimental process as I try to use it as a source of additional materials when making my work. It is hard to say where it will lead me, but most importantly I am

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having a great deal of enjoyment.

SYLWIA KRAMARZ | INTERVIEW

Tell us about where you are based.

Nowadays I live in Colchester. It is the oldest recorded town in Britain.

This is a very interesting place with beautiful architecture and surroundings, situated on the River Colne.

One of my favourite places is the town’s art gallery - Firstsite, which presents modern art as well as What is more, the town is located 50 miles of London, which is extremely convenient.

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serving as a social hub for many different initiatives such as a hand-made market or film festivals.

Art as a principal component of culture that exist among members of society with a strong need for participation and interaction between people, plays a very important role in the world today. Art provides enlightenment as well as an unconventional way of thinking, which is more personal, intuitive - which enriches people. These days, we can observe that art helps neutralize social differences by creating a community of humankind.

I believe, that the privilege of living in XXI century is that artists can take inspirations from diverse areas of cultures, which also provides new challenges and opportunities, brings more space to construct and communicate social meanings and values.

www.katephotography.eu

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"These days, we can observe that art helps neutralize social differences by creating a community of humankind."

How do you feel about art and its role today?

JORDAN

WADE

Tell us about yourself and background.

I'm a classic case of someone who discovered a passion for art, writing and music-making later in my life.

When it comes to these art forms, I love getting my hands dirty and diving into new territory right away.

Even if I fail and the final product isn't what I wanted, it's the learning process that has bettered me as the current man that I am. As a kid and a younger adult though, I was super focused on competitive sports and school. I played collegiate soccer and I have a bachelor's degree in accounting. But now I've progressed into the artful side of my twenties, always learning by doing. Self-taught and self-motivated.

Tell us about your work. My work is mostly collage-based with vintage photographs, and digitally made. As I begin a new artwork, generally I have no clear cut intention of how I want it to turn out, which can lead me to more interesting and unexpected outcomes. But at some stage during the process, I will follow a theme (whether it's you get to flip an everyday situation or event into something unique.

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surreal, humorous or nostalgic) that naturally takes shape as I create. What makes collage so great is that

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TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

JORDAN WADE

What makes your work and approach unique?

I've also created different album covers for

I try and keep a sense of reality among the pieces

personal friends of mine. Since I've only started

I make. Many collage artists will cut and paste an

sharing my art in the past two years, I haven't

array of inclusions that don't really relate to the

had much exposure yet. But every feature helps!

source image of the collage, or to what the main

theme of it is. I like to keep a sense of possibility

What are your sources of inspiration?

in my work. Having the viewer asking themselves

Other collage artists without a doubt.

maybe, just maybe, could this be happening in

Movies and books to an extent. I don't try and

some other ethereal plane?

emulate other artists necessarily, but I defintely use them as influence for my own stuff.

Why is your work a good investment?

For digital artists, unintentional collusion is

I wouldn't feel comfortable in my honored,

inevitable. But my inspiration can blossom out of

humble nature to convince others of the quality

the simple fact of creating something out of

of my art. But what I would say is that collage is a

something else, visuals that I and other people

very exciting two-way medium. It can be light and

love to look at and admire, which makes us view

fun, or the same subject matter can get a slight

the world in other shades.

twist and turn real bizarre, real quick.

And I believe that what I create is unique in the

What are you passionate about?

medium of collage, and it would bring a range of

When I was in high school, my favorite band was

intrigue and emotions to those who'd be

Rage Against the Machine. They had this level of

interested.

raw fury and honesty that I'd never known

Tell us about some of your achievements.

I feel like we all have that artisitic fury and grit

My work "I Love You Like Sea Water" has been

that drives us as humans, but in the modern

featured on EatSleepDraw's website amd Tumblr

world we cut ourselves off from that primal,

page. I was featured on the front page of Ello:

creative nature in us. That's why I love art so

The Creator's Community for my submission

much, and why I'm passionate about it.

to Unvael Journal's Issue Four.

It's our last bastian of honesty.

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before.

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CONTENTS • GRILLED

Share with us your upcoming projects.

Soon I'll be creating more cover art for the band Fyoog's second EP. Where I live, there's a wealth of art fesitvals and events that take place monthly and annually, so I am in the slow but fun process of getting prints of my digital works and selling them as a vendor at these events. And I always attempt to make at least one new work a week.

Tell us about where you are based.

The Grand Canyon State! I live in Phoenix, Arizona and absolutely love it. The greater metropolitan area is so expanded and vast that you can honestly get lost trying to find things to do. Downtown Phoenix, Tempe and definitely Mesa are standout locations for the art scene.

And yes, of course yes, it is hot here. But I'm a fan of our heat. Especially since I work inside on the computer,

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and not outside with the sweating muralists.

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"I like to keep a sense of possibility in my work. Having the viewer asking themselves maybe, just maybe, could this be happening in some other ethereal plane?"

How do you feel about art and its role in the world?

Art gets a massive amount of pressure heaped onto it.

On one hand, like I've said, I do think art is one of the few things left in life to be completely honest and forthcoming. But art doesn't need to be a lord and savior for the world. It can be beneficial and spark social change, or be a call for justice, or have a message to tell.

But it's ability to connect our collective unconscious not for a purpose, but just for an entertaining moment, is what I consider its role to be.

www.jordanleewadeartwork.tumblr.com

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What other pursuits would you say you have?

I am also a writer. An aspiring one I'll add, with the perfect pinch of optimism. It varies depending on the day, but truth be told I spend as much time writing as I do making art. I've finished my first novel which I'm hoping to get published, and I'm currently working on a second book.

DON

SLOCUM

Tell us about yourself and background.

I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI., a midwest college town and was exposed to all the cultural and educational benefits afforded by a major university. I later lived in the mountains west of Boulder Colorado. I attended a Community College photography program in Ann Arbor, but most of my skills are self-taught through experimentation and research. I have been involved in photography whether shooting, teaching, or retail camera sales most of my life.

Tell us about your work. What makes your approach unique?

While recording real events, which all of my images are, no composites here, I'm always on the lookout for a tiny hook to draw the viewer in. Something that will catch the eye, but not so obvious to be noticed, many times on the sub-conscious level. I'm a natural at composition, I hardly have to

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think about, it just comes naturally and is a strong point of many of my images.

What are you passionate about?

Protecting the environment, especially Hawaii. We only have one planet and it worries me how we've been treating our spaceship.

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

There is really one for each of my images, many crystal clear in my mind. My image 'Milky Way Rising over Green Sand's, involved, four wheeling on a very rough road at 3 am to shoot just before dawn. Here on the Big Island, there are night owls with a three-foot wingspan that will fly in front of your vehicle while hunting for rodents.

Seeing one is Aumakua or a good luck animal for me.

While driving in I recorded eleven sightings and yes that image is pure magic.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

I have some international locations that I have interest to visit and shoot, but are all in the early planning stages. Â I also have plans to add to my Hawaii images this year by

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creating images on other islands, including Molokai.

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?

I often wonder that if I'm lucky enough for people to view my work in 100 years, will they be able to say the planet is healthier than the time frame I'm recording, or will it be a sad reminder of what we have lost. Â I'm praying it's the first scenario, we have a lot

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of work to do!

What are your sources of inspiration?

I consider my work a spiritual partnership. As a trained intuitive I focus on what comes up for me internally.

There have been numerous times that I've been internally directed to a local or event. When this happens it

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always magical and I know, at times I'm assisted.

"My time spent in Hawaii has been a spiritual journey and this has greatly influenced my photographic images.

As a trained intuitive many times I receive internal information about where to go and when.

This nearly always results in spectacular images.

I get the calling, day or night."

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I really can no longer doubt it when

CONTENTS • GRILLED

Tell us about where you are based.

I'm based on Hawaii Island, the Big Island, in the middle of the Pacific where I've resided for just I'm sure I've been here during past lives.

How do you want your art to affect the viewer/ world?

For me, it's all about sparking a feeling or emotion in people viewing my work. To take someone to calm, introspection is wonderful and if I can hook you into a deeper long-lasting interaction, I'm in heaven. I want to move your eyes around my images, not just a hit and run.

www.donslocum.com

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"I want to move your eyes around my images, not just a hit and run."

over thirty years in this lifetime. Â

LILLIAN

TURNER-GRACIE

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 Tell us about your work.

I don’t intellectualize my paintings. It’s more of an intuitive process, but I do aim for the feeling of an alternate world or existence.

Sometimes when a painting is finished I wonder how I did it, or where it came from.

The approach to making this series, called Mountains and Mazes, has been different.

In spite of being complex, I have no idea what they will look like even though they may look planned in detail. The subject seems to dictate how they should be done.

I might decide to use certain colors, but it mysteriously wants to go its own way.

These are some of the most complex I have done in a different way than previously.

This is partly because I begin at the bottom now, as the pieces are weaving together and growing upward with a destination unbeknownst to me.

What makes your approach unique?

So far, I haven’t wanted to include people.

This is a private world for wandering, an alternate world, a sometimes enigmatic experience for myself and the viewer.

The mazes also seem to be about dilemmas, emerge with time.

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waiting patiently for a clue or an answer to

Top Artists for 2019 LILLIAN TURNER-GRACIE Photography is very important in the process by collecting all kinds of images as symbols to be incorporated to evoke these feelings. The dreamlike worlds of Metaphysical and Surrealistic art and the artists DiChirico and Max Ernst are inspirations. To quote the poet Novartis on the Power of the Dream in Freuds Interpretation of Dreams- “ The dream would seem to be a bulwark against the regularity and commonness of life…”

"This is a private world for wandering, an alternate world, a sometimes enigmatic experience for myself and the viewer."

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What are your sources of inspiration?

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Ideas come from endless sources; dreams and nightmares, observation and fantasy, science and nature or‌ the unexpected.

for working in other materials. Sometimes the media alone is reason enough to create.

Ideas come from endless sources; dreams and nightmares, observation and fantasy, science and nature or… the unexpected.

Tell us about where you are based.

I sensed the magic when I first came here to New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment” in 1986 It almost buzzes with a strange energy.

Visiting the Greek island of Santorini was also important, feeling a similar energy overlooking the harbor at the edges of the ancient volcanic caldera. The sunsets reflected rainbow colors on all of the white buildings along the cliffs. Steps and stairways going up and down were everywhere.

It all seemed symbolic of something I couldn’t explain.

Tell us about yourself and background.

I was born in the northeastern US and graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1968 with a degree in Ceramics.

I have worked with clay and painted for many years exploring many ideas from realism to abstraction and now to a kind of surrealism. Living in West Palm Beach, Florida for many years provided much exposure to European influences in art and interior design as well as traveling in Italy.

My former husband was a restorer of fine paintings, so there was the opportunity and time to study the work of many artists in detail. We also had a business specializing in painted finishes, unusual decorative objects and antiques. This included restoration of 18th and 19th century Italian painted knowledge gained in one media creates ideas

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furniture and custom work for designers. The

"I sensed the magic when I first came here to New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment” in 1986.

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It almost buzzes with a strange energy."

"Sometimes when a

of colors and exotic formations. I didn’t connect

painting is finished I

the space made it feel like I was visiting another

wonder how I did it, or where it came from."

with a way to relate to them yet. The hugeness of planet. After a while I began to see them as mazelike, staggered and layered one in front of the other while moving back into vast landscapes.

This also became the basis for ceramic sculpture of mountains and boulders, as well as paintings.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

Returning to live in New Mexico in 1998, I first

My next project will be to larger work so it seems

thought I shouldn’t paint the mountains here

as if you could enter the scenes. Most of the maze

because they weren’t the Adirondacks of New York

paintings have pathways which can be followed.

State or the Green Mountains of Vermont that I

A way out can be seen or there might be a

grew up with. They were so different with layers

dilemma about which direction to take.

www.lillianturnergracie.artspan.com

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Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

LYN ORONA

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 Tell us about yourself and background My name is Lyn Orona. I was born and grew up in the farmlands of Ohio. I began oil painting and working with clay in the Seventies.

I am a self taught artist and have taken a few college art classes, workshops and read many books. I did not seriously take on competitive

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art until recently.

Painting the Native Americans, old legendary cowboys, and the

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Mexican culture.

19

"I enjoy vivid and rich colors that are true to the Southwest."

much technique or formula. I then can stretch my imagination to follow where the painting wants me to go. Buildings don’t have that rigid look and sometimes have a look of fantasy.

Tell us about your work.

I strive to create scenes that interpret their

I am an intuitive oil and pastel painter leaning

history of what life must have been.

toward Impressionism. Photos are used as reference only. I enjoy vivid and rich colors that

Why is your work a good investment?

are true to the Southwest. I use my imagination

I feel art is always a good investment.

more when painting the Native Americans, old

As time passes, we can forget our history on

legendary cowboys, and the Mexican culture.

how people lived in everyday life.

When I was finally able to move to the

I want my paintings to be a statement to reflect

Southwest, my paint brushes were put to work.

the old cultures of this land and people.

It is my way of painting the history of who they were and how they lived.

Tell us about your achievements.

What makes your work and approach unique?

Shows with awards. I have produced two Fine

Since I am self taught, it allows me the freedom

Art Shows in my area with over 50 Artists.

of being more intuitive in my work. My work can

Both were a success with a percentage of the

then come from my soul and not blocked by too

proceeds to charity.

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I have been in many International and Fine Art

"In today’s world, we need to look with understanding of the different cultures and ways of life. I want my paintings to convey the beauty of the people and the world around us."

I started a jewelry business in 1989 which developed into fabricating Silver with gem stones along with my husband, Richard. We won awards in many Fine Art Shows. We finally retired from making our jewelry a few years ago.

What is the source of your inspiration?

I feel refreshed when out in the open landscape.

Clouds change shape and bathe the mountains in different colors of light. You can see magic in the trees that are bright green in spring to a vibrant autumn. It is good to visit other galleries and artists to keep up with new ideas.

What are you passionate about?

I like to promote the arts and artists no matter what their medium might be. We can hope to spur on the ability to create.

Tell us the back story of some projects Many years back, I was working in a real-estate office. A co-worker was a silk scarf artist doing art shows on the weekends.

She asked me to make up some jewelry broaches to show with her scarves. I didn’t know anything about making jewelry. She said, “You are an artist, I am sure you will figure it out.” So I did make up finished gem stones. She took a few for the upcoming show she was doing. I had a few left and decided to take them to a boutique. Much to my surprise, the boutique bought them.

As a single parent at the time, I saw a way to make money and my jewelry business was born in 1989.

I am now retired from jewelry and focusing on painting. But it proved to me that you never know what you are capable of until you try.

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a few of the broaches with found objects and

Tell us where you are based

I would like viewers to feel the warmth and peace

I live in and love New Mexico. I live in the

of the scene. In today’s world, we need to look

pocket of the old west. The history of the

with understanding of the different cultures and

Southwest with outlaw cowboys, ancient

ways of life. I want my paintings to convey the

peoples, and colorful, vibrant cultures, it is the

beauty of the people and the world around us.

perfect place for my paintings.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

How do you feel about Art and its role in the

Currently, I want to learn more about the Plein

world today?

Air events around the country. It is a different

Art is a healing force in the world.

way of seeing light out in the open. I have been a

Especially today when there is so much turmoil

studio artist for a long time. This will be a

happening.

challenge to work on for a while with much to

Art is used to rehabilitate people with

learn. Plein Air artists are warriors that take the

disabilities. In Hospitals, art helps lift the spirits

freezing cold, the scorching heat, equipment and

and alleviate stress and anxiety. Art is used in

stand in ants to paint. I have to decide if I could

many different programs for education and

be that warrior.

healing.

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How do you want your art to affect viewers?

LYN ORONA

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www.lynorona.com

LINDA

ATKINSON

I began drawing at three and never slowed down. At six I conducted art classes in the attic, my three younger sisters my students. At eleven, Dad built me a studio in the basement, no sisters allowed. At fourteen I pleaded to leave home to attend a school of the arts high school, located in North Carolina. No go, but as a consolation prize, I was given a room in my grandmother’s house for a studio and a Famous Artist Correspondence course. There was never any real question of my becoming an artist.

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 | INTERVIEW

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"There was never any real question of my becoming an artist."

Tell us about yourself.

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TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 | LINDA ATKINSON

"The challenge in painting sculpture is to paint each side differently and uniquely, and by the time you are back at the beginning the painting must come together as a whole."

What makes your work

Tell us about some of

and approach unique?

your achievements.

As a sculptor in graduate

My proudest achievement

school, I worked

was winning the

primarily with professors

commission to carve the

in the painting

Ark doors for Temple

department, particularly

Emanuel in Roanoke.

the photo realist painter

The center piece of the

Robert Bechtle.

sanctuary, the 4’x8’x3”

I made sculptures of

doors are of carved and

potted plants, human

painted mahogany, lit from

scale, painterly,

within and pierced with

gestural.

stain glass.

I painted shadow and light as if the sculptures

What is the backstory of

were flat, giving them a

one of your pieces?

heightened synthetic

When I was invited to

sense of reality.

submit a proposal for the

From sculptures of

Ark doors at Temple

plants I moved on to

Emanuel, I researched

making sculptures that

Jewish symbols and

addressed genres usually

struggled with pulling

florals, still life and landscape. The challenge in painting sculpture is to paint each side differently and uniquely, and by the time you are back at the beginning the painting must come together as a whole.

Why is your work a good investment?

This award, as one of the Top Emerging Artists for 2019 pretty much says it. It is an honor to be included in this publication, with the opportunity to present my art to a global audience. As an art appraiser, I would have to say that the best investment you can make in art is buying something you truly would love to live with. Trust your own judgement, trust your eye.

those symbols together cohesively. Ultimately I settled on a Tree of Life motif, and my design was unanimously chosen by the Temple selection committee. After I carved the doors, I was reading an older brochure about the Temple, and found that the

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reserved for painting–

relief sculpture above the

Share with us your

doors was a combination of

upcoming projects.

Hebrew letters that

One of the most rewarding

signified tree of life! After

projects for me is the

my doors were installed,

yearly Open Studios tour.

I invited my parents to the

A dozen or more artists

dedication, and my Dad

open their studios to the

recognized the Temple as

public for a weekend.

built by my grandfather’s

It’s a beautifully promoted

construction firm of brick

event, a visual art tour

masons. Destiny, perhaps?

that meanders through the Fall countryside.

What are you passionate

It’s an opportunity for

about?

sales, and I enjoy sharing

I’m passionate about color.

my studio with the public,

It’s the color relationships

and educating interested

that I find most interesting,

visitors about the process

and I learn something new

of wood carving.

with each brushstroke.

I might have a general idea

Tell us about where you

of what colors I want to use,

are based.

but once the creative

I am based in the Blue

process takes over, I try to

Ridge Mountains of

stay open to all color

Virginia in the small town

options. My goal is to make

of Fincastle, outside of

it work, to keep it fresh, to

Roanoke. I grew up here,

create an aliveness and

and was very anxious to

energy, to not be too

leave after high school.

predictable.

I went to college in

What are your sources of

Bay Area for graduate

inspiration?

work. I lived a block from

Landscape inspires me.

the ocean in Santa Cruz,

Art history. Other artists.

and went to the beach

The creative process

nearly everyday. I moved

inspires me. But ultimately I

back to southwestern

would have to say my own

Virginia for family, and

work. I make one piece, and

now live in a fairy tale

that piece leads me to

landscape of rolling hills

another, and then another.

and mountains, cornfields

I tend to work in series, and

and cow pastures.

I have three or four

I am confronted by a

directions going on at any

stunning landscape every

one time. I have more ideas

day, and it just feels right,

than I can keep up with.

it is home.

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Richmond and then to the

"I believe that the artist is an envoy of the human spirit who’s job it is to reestablish the 'enchanted' dimensions at the core of human existence."

How do you feel about Art and its role in

objects carved from wood and painted.

the world today?

Another is a series of totems, free-standing

I believe that the artist is an envoy of the

sculptures that combine images one atop

human spirit who’s job it is to re-establish the

another.

existence- poetry, myth, passion, imagination,

The best reaction to your artwork?

true love, magic, the marvelous, dreams.

The best compliment I received of my work

In the words of Michael Lowy, art is also the

was that it was that it was profound. I’m not

utopian and revolutionary aspiration to

satisfied to make pretty objects, I want my

“transform life”- an adventure that is at once

work to have soul, to be humorous,

intellectual and passionate, political and

whimsical, unpredictable, well-made,

magical, poetic and dreamlike.

beautiful, to have heart.

What keeps you coming back to the studio,

What questions are you asked most

day after day?

frequently about your work?

I’m looking for a visual experience that is

What’s the significance of this or that

satisfying to me and unfolds with the making.

element? What’s the snake about? What’s with

In addition to my house sculptures, I have

the ladder? What’s the meaning of the iron?

several other series that I have investigated

In carving recognizable objects from wood I

over the years. One is a series of carved and

get the chance to add layers of meaning.

painted mahogany relief sculptures, life-size

An iron can be a symbol of women’s work,

silhouette shapes of the female form

it can be seen as enslavement or a strength,

enclosing an interior dreamlike landscape.

depending on your point of view.

I have a series of non-objective painted

A ladder can signify progress, ascenscion, and

constructions, as well as a series of still life

spiritual passage.

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“enchanted” dimensions at the core of human

"Art has directed every aspect of my life."

What’s your artist story? (as opposed to your biography and CV) Art has directed every aspect of my life. I have a BFA and MFA in sculpture which enabled me to teach, and I taught sculpture, drawing and art history as a part-time adjunct for many years, as I was never interested in teaching full time. Studio time was my priority, and making art came first.

Somehow being a sculptor emboldened me to undertake a motley collection of jobs including brick-laying, construction, working in a bubblegum factory, a fiberglass technician making mining devices, waitress, book-keeper, gallery director, motel manager, salesperson, childcare worker, art appraiser, mother.

Who is your art for?

I would hope that there is something in my art for everyone. I want these objects to have weight and presence, to provoke curiosity, to be multi-faceted, to be interesting and visually beautiful, to be profound, and to have heart.

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www.lindaatkinsonart.com

PETE NICHOLS

Tell us about yourself and background.

I was born and raised in Colorado and have lived here all my life except for a 10 year span of time when I was in college and graduate school.

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

of an artist because I studied and trained to

Tell us about your work.

perform research in Biochemistry and found

I work hard to find something around me

that I felt socially isolated doing this and

that will be interesting. I want people to think

switched careers to become a teacher in this

about what they are viewing and hope they

area of study. I've never had any formal

think there is more to the photograph than

training in art but pursued studying and

"that is pretty".

learning about photography on my own many

For me, the photographs I have taken tell a

years ago. I began traveling overseas when I

story. Maybe, in part, this is true for me

was 19 and never stopped because of how

because I both saw something I felt was

much I loved taking photos while in a foreign

interesting and decided on taking a

location. I take my camera with me anytime I

photograph of what I was experiencing.

leave home because of that one trip I took

I like color photographs primarily, because

while in college.

they represent what I am seeing, literally.

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I probably don't have the typical back round

PETE NICHOLS | TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"I know I see things differently than most people and I'm very patient in finding and setting up a photograph."

What makes your work and approach unique?

I know I see things differently than most people and I'm very patient in finding and setting up a photograph. I've had people I've traveled with say "I never saw that" when they viewed my photographs.

I believe my desire to find something interesting when I take a photograph is unique. I also find that people and animals provide the most interesting photos so I love this genre of photography.

Why is your work a good investment?

This is an interesting question because I feel art brings out so many subjective feelings.

I personally would never put something on my walls that I didn't love and want to look at every day.

I would desire that anyone who bought my art loved my work and wants to see it every day and maybe find something interesting in the work that they can contemplate. Having something in your home, that art worth while to own.

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you love to look at and that makes you wonder about the world that my photo captures is what makes

PAGE 1 • LE VOYAGE

"I am passionate about travel because so many things arise to stimulate your thinking."

What are your sources of inspiration?

I loved the work of Sebastiao Salgado from the moment I first saw one of his photos. He shoots black and white photographs and he does exactly what I hope to do; he makes the viewer wonder about what they are seeing.

I was twice selected to exhibit 3 photos in the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Colorado Artists Exhibition. I had a photo exhibition in the Manitou Arts Center that displayed about 30 photographs.

Finally, I had photos in a regional art gallery mixed media exhibit and my photograph of one of my dogs in the show was used on the cover of the arts section in the Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper.

Steve McCurry is another great photographer who shoots in color and I enjoy that he finds people very interesting to photograph.

My last inspirational photographer is David Yarrow, who does both black and white and color photography and many of his photos are of animals.

All 3 of these artists provide inspiration because they have a very interesting take on the world around them.

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Tell us about some of your achievements.

"Photography has an essence of Buddhism to it.

What are you passionate about?

Tell us the back-story of some of your

Very early I found a natural curiosity about

projects.

many things. So, I am passionate about

I've wondered why I have really good focus

learning and satiating my curiosity. I believe

when I am out performing photography and I

this curiosity is what directed me to study

believe that where I grew up has a lot to do

science. I loved school and to this day study

with my ability to concentrate and understand

because of my passion for learning.

what is going on around me. We grew up in

I am passionate about travel because so

the poorest part of the city and went to pretty

many things arise to stimulate your thinking.

tough schools.

That, for me, is the great thing about

A skill that was of benefit was to be able to

photography. I try to capture the great things,

quickly understand what was going on around

the incredibly stimulating world around me.

you and the mood of people around you as

Photography has an essence of Buddhism to

well. I have used this ability to judge my

it. You saw something that will never be seen

surroundings well when I am looking for a

again. You found that brief moment that

photograph. I also know that the very first trip

highlights the concept of impermanence and

I took overseas (to Kenya to see my brother

that sight/moment is mine and hopefully my

who was there working with the Peace Corps)

photos translate so that brief moment of time

excited me and helped me to become

can be appreciated by someone else.

passionate about capturing the images I saw.

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You saw something that will never be seen again."

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TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

www.peternicholsphotography.artspan.com

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?

Think about your home, office, etc. and what you have there. My guess (my hope) is art. I can speak best about photography because this is the art form I work with primarily. People will see photos in my home and immediately this opens up conversations about the places and situations they see in my photos.

The world comes to the viewer and stimulates them and I believe art has a very Share with us your upcoming projects.

important role in bringing the world to

I have two places that I want to travel to and

people who otherwise may not be able to

photograph. Papua New Guinea and Bhutan.

experience or even know about a certain

Both of these places have incredible culture to

culture or region. I love that I can look at

experience and seeing the people practicing

the photos all over my walls and think about

their culture in these locations I would find very

that moment. I still remember taking every

intriguing.

photo I have on display and the photos I

I also believe I have unfinished photographic

have on display that I did not take make me

goals in Kamchatka, Russia as well.

wonder just what the artist was able to see and experience when they took that

Tell us about where you are based.

particular shot. Art should make us think,

I don't believe that I have a traditional base that I

wonder and feel that we are part of

operate from. Just about any place I go, my

something, even if we didn't create what we

camera is with me. In fact, I believe living in the

are looking upon.

detriment to using this city as a base of

How do you want your Art to affect the

operation. I say this because I'm just too familiar

viewer/ world?

with things here and I don't often feel stimulated

Nearly every question I've answered seems

by what is around me in an artistic sense.

to find me discussing something about how

This is unfortunate because I know there is a

I have tried to capture something

wealth of great photography here but it is up to

interesting and thought provoking in my

me to refocus on the area to see all the

photographs. I would hope I've achieved

interesting things around me that I have taken

these goals and if I have, I believe I've

for granted.

brought a bit of the world into someone's

Until I make that refocus, I will continue to love

eyes they've never seen or if they have been

traveling to capture a world that is so different

to the same locale, I've captured something

from the one I experience here.

unique for them to contemplate.

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same city for a significant part of my life is a

NATALIE

VENTIMIGLIA

"We can choose to live in a high vibration or a low one.

My work is dedicated to grounding down the highest of vibrations."

Tell us about yourself and background.

I grew up in Michigan where I was mostly interested in science.

I went to Michigan State University to study Biochemistry. I graduated, although sometime during those years I came to realize I wasn’t going to be a scientist in the traditional sense of the word.

After college I moved to San Francisco where I got wrapped up in the Dot-Com era. I was 10 years into a successful run in telecom sales when I decided I could do something more important with my minutes.

I quit my job and enrolled in art school and private instruction in

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forming glass.

Tell us about your work.

My work is a physical manifestation of the inner-word in the outer-world seen through a spiritual lens. I spend an enormous amount of time trying to understand the mysteries of the Universe and why we are here. What speaks to me the most is that we are here to co-create with the Universe and the best way to do that is to see everything in terms of energy and vibration. We can choose to live in a high vibration or a low one. My work is dedicated to grounding down the highest of vibrations.

What makes your work and approach unique?

In order to have the best outcome for every project, I created a process called Intentional Reflection™; intentionally creating our own story, such that it is embodied in glass art, reflecting that portrait back into the space in which the art resides.

Through self reflection the desired look and feel is merged with the reflective qualities of glass. Just as light is refracted by glass, changing its direction, we intentionally direct The Light toward the highest potential of what the space is becoming, affecting both the environment

DESTIG | TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

051 .p

itself and those that may occupy it.

Why is your work a good investment?

Stopping the wheels in motion to explore the

When people buy my work they are really

inner-world was difficult for me.Â

investing in their future. I studied with a feng

Although, once I could clearly define my lane I

shui master and one of the biggest takeaways

was able to completely focus my awareness on

was learning that people tend to gravitate

accomplishing that purpose everyday.

toward, and surround themselves with, items

Everything fell into place after that.

that resonate with who they are in the current moment. One of my gifts is being able to tap

What are your sources of inspiration?

into what people are supposed to be doing.

When I was in high school I met an American

I create a spark, reminding collectors of the

Indian bead artist who taught me how to

agreement they made with the Universe before

channel energy into art.

they got here and hold space for them to walk

I understood in one moment the power art can

into what they are becoming, to experience this

have. It blew my mind wide open.

evolution through art.

I was so inspired by her ability to see that the

Tell us about some of your achievements.

the people who would connect to it and let it

The thing I am most proud of is clearly defining

transform their environment.

the purpose of my work and who my collectors

I am very action oriented and respect those

are. I literally had to stop making art for a

who are also taking steps to be the best version

period in order to regroup and figure this out.

of themselves.

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art she was making wasn’t about her, it was for

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"My passion lies in making every project the best it can be for my collectors and the spaces they occupy."

What are you passionate about?

My passion lies in making every project the best it can be for my collectors and the spaces they occupy. When people walk into a room, I want it to feel good, that is my intention for every project. When people are in the perfect environment for the situation, they are free to thrive on all levels. My process allows my collectors to determine the quality of their surroundings so they can easily shape their world. I can’t think of anything more important than spreading this high vibrational energy out to the world and people really feeling it.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

Right now I am creating a series of 10 pieces for a new hospital in Denver. It will be for the entry hallway and the work will be on either sides of the room. I am imbuing the energy of strength, healing and love into the glass so that when people walk through the front entrance they are surrounded by this energy and can carry it to the rest of the hospital feeling supported in whatever challenging situation brought them there.

Tell us about where you are based.

I am in the middle of moving my studio so I will be across the alley from Flux Glass studio in Denver, CO, home to some super talented glass artists I adore.

We have complementary equipment and different yet overlapping skillsets in forming glass. The value of collaboration is so evident to me and I am grateful we will be able to support each other in our projects and bounce ideas off each other. In general, I am going to keep this studio so I can always work in Denver yet I see myself making art onsite all over the world with the myriad of talented artists I have befriended over the with each other and the world.

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years. We are all uplifted when we share our talents

"We have the ability to catalyze consciousness towards a more unified World and mediate the transition to Heaven on Earth."

How do you feel about art and its role in the world?

Artists are on the cutting edge of what is available in regards to evolution. We have the ability to catalyze consciousness towards a more unified World and mediate the transition to Heaven on Earth. Art has consistently been able to unify and evoke feelings that would otherwise not be so easy to tap into. The visual arts are especially successful in achieving this as there is no language to separate the viewer from the artist/art. It creates a “feels like” response that is universal to all realms. We are so blessed as artists to be able to touch people in this way.

How do you want your art to affect the viewer?

The flow of creativity is the purest expression of our Divine purpose. Art made with the intention to spread the Light can activate parts of our subconscious that are eager to awaken. It is easier to stay in flow if we surround ourselves with people and things that keep us “High Vibe”.

My intention is to make art that is transformative, art that creates an experiential environment that keeps people in this higher state. The longer we can stay in this high vibrational state, the easier it becomes to feel the love available from God, the Universe, the Force or whatever name one gives to a Higher Source. I want people to remember on a daily basis the potential of what they came here to achieve so they can spread and ground this energy as well. The more people who do this, the bigger shift we make as a species and the distance

www.natalieventimiglia.com

451 .p

between us all eventually diminishes.

HANAA

AL-WARDI

Tell us about your yourself and background.

I was born in Baghdad, Iraq and I am the middle of seven siblings. My academic background was always in the Sciences. I worked as a Bacteriologist for a short period, and then came to the U.S. for advanced education in 1970. I received my Master's Degree in Medical Microbiology from California State University, Long Beach in 1973 and my Master's in Fine Arts from Claremont Graduate University in 1990.

I am a Multimedia Artist, Author, and Poet.

I opened my own studio and Art Gallery in Alhambra, California in 1990 and I work and exhibit my art work at the same location.

In 2000, I founded the Museum of Contemporary Arab Art (MOCAA) as a nonprofit organization to house and exhibit

"I founded the Museum of Contemporary Arab Art (MOCAA) as a nonprofit organization to house and exhibit my work and host highly accomplished artists for exhibits and lectures from around the Arab world."

my work and host highly accomplished artists for exhibits

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

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and lectures from around the Arab world.

Tell us about your work.

I am a Multimedia Artist. I use wood, metal, canvas, photographs, oil and acrylic paint, ink and chemicals in my work.

I am not confined to one medium because I like to be free in choosing whatever is necessary that fits the subject that I am working on. For example, if I am working on an environmental subject, I use metal, chemicals and wood. On the other hand, if I am working on a political project, I use acrylic on canvas, photographs, ink and maybe a collage to convey my message. Sometimes I even use newspapers, sand, straws and twigs. I also write poems, slogans or comments and embed them throughout the surface.

What makes your approach unique?

My work and approach are unique as a result of the subject matter and the media I choose to work with. My point of inspiration is

because of my cultural and academic background.

Issues involving the environment, politics, and society are very important to me and affect me emotionally. I am both saddened and uplifted greatly and my emotions ignite my passion to create art about what I am feeling.

I have incorporated my own poetry and messages all over the canvas which has intrigued viewers and evoked their emotions.

Why is your work a good investment?

My work has received significant and meaningful publicity over the decades.

Local, national and international venues have selected my pieces for major group and individual exhibits. My exhibits have also been featured by TV networks, magazines, and newspapers through the years.

Private art collectors and public institutions from all over the world have purchased my art for their own collections over the years.

Also, I have been commissioned by public institutions for ceramic murals and paintings for public buildings.

Some of my art work is featured in major international museums, including the Museum of Art in Baghdad, Iraq. The value of my art work has increased in value with such wide exposure and coverage in the media.

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"Issues involving the environment, politics, and society are very important to me and affect me emotionally. I am both saddened and uplifted greatly and my emotions ignite my passion to create art about what I am feeling."

"Currently, my ongoing solo exhibit entitled 'The Wall' features eleven paintings and five poems all exhibited together as one."

Tell us about some of your achievements.

I believe that my biggest achievement is when I received my MFA and opened my own art gallery in 1990. I hosted my first solo exhibit in 1992 entitled "Collateral Damage." Another significant achievement is the establishment of the Museum of Contemporary Arab Art in Southern California. MOCAA has featured exhibits for many important contemporary Arab artists from around the world and allowed art lovers in Southern California to understand and appreciate diverse perspectives and non-traditional artistic styles. The publication of my first book in 2015, "Paint Your Stress Away," is also a highlight of my career. Currently, my ongoing solo exhibit entitled "The Wall" features eleven paintings and five poems all exhibited together as one. This exhibit has received extensive media attention as it merges war, migration, borders, and pressing social issues of our time. A book about "The Wall" exhibit is currently in

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schedule for publication shortly.

What are your sources of inspiration?

I am most inspired by nature, environmental issues, social and political issues.

I am surrounded by rocks, minerals, jewels, pods, and tree bark when I am working. I keep these items in my studio for inspiration.

What are you passionate about?

I am most passionate about issues involving the health of our environment, nature, society, and politics.

Tell us the back- story of some of your projects.

My recent exhibit entitled "The Wall” originated as a poem that I wrote in response to oppressive conditions in the Middle East, the upsurge of the Arab Spring, and the disappointing outcome shortly after the movement began. My heart was broken and hurt. The mass exodus of people to neighboring countries, the human flow, was truly horrendous and impossible to ignore.

Poetry flooded me and later my verses turned into painting. I was translating my thoughts on to canvas which resulted in eleven panels. I used mixed media on canvas and wrote five more poems to be exhibited in Wall" to document this exhibit and process.

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tandem. Currently, I am publishing a book entitled "The

Share with us your upcoming projects

there are plenty. Artists are typically free thinkers,

I am enthusiastic about my current work which

fearless and honest to voice their opinions loud and

deviates from serious issues. I am currently

clear. They think outside the box to express their

experimenting with the flow of acrylic paint, mixing

thoughts through art and as a result, important

and moving, having fun. Watching the colors move

issues are re-imagined, re-interpreted, and

with freedom and combine without hesitation is

presented with creativity for the world to see.

energizing and beautiful.

How do you want your art to affect the Tell us about where you are based.

viewer/world?

I am based in the lovely city of Alhambra, which is

I hope that my art allows the viewer to become

very close to Los Angeles in Southern California,

more aware and informed of issues important in

California, USA.

the world and around us. I hope that my art invokes

How do you feel about art and its role in the

many dimensions to every side of the story.

world today?

Through my artwork, I hope that viewers can open

Art today is a very powerful tool that can be used to

their eyes and their hearts to see that limitless

address important issues of today, of which

possibilities exist around us.

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reflection and allows viewers to see that there are

"I hope that my art invokes reflection and allows viewers to see that there are many dimensions to every side of the story."

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www.hagallery.com

KAT

O'NEILL

"My oeuvre is eclectic. I am as likely to be found taking photographs off the back of a Harley in Manhattan in the summer as on a commercial fishing dock in Montauk in February or at a cemetery anywhere, any time."

Tell us about yourself and background.

Born in NY, one of seven children. Challenging the left side of the brain with an economics major landed me on Wall Street but no amount of success could keep me from abandoning the street for the path - that painfully beautiful artistic one. Creative director by day, Playwright by night and when not writing, shooting. Though I studied dramatic writing at Columbia and had plays produced all over Manhattan I was never without a Nikon.

Eventually I traded in my artist in residence in the city to be a resident artist and gallery owner in the Hamptons.

Tell us about your work.

My oeuvre is eclectic. I am as likely to be found taking photographs off the back of a Harley in Manhattan in the summer as on a commercial fishing dock in Montauk in February or at a cemetery anywhere, any time.

“Kat creates works of beauty and works of provocation across different media and isn’t afraid to stare mortality or difficult facets of life in the face.”

What makes your work and approach unique?

“O’Neill’s work is a colourful coupling of near abstraction with realism along with a strong dose of implied narration.”

I like exploring the fringe of life and finding unexpected beauty in the darker side - human and graphic - like Walker Evans and Henri Cartier-Bresson though, for me, more through scenes and things versus portraits.

With my photography I often add words to enhance the narrative and layer images to create a sculptural effect.

I work on canvas and metal but what I love about the metal is that it can live everywhere - over the fireplace or at the poolside fire pit. Outside my studio window, fastened to a

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tree, is a 40x40 graffiti image of Frida Kahlo.

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DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

Why did you become an artist?

Blame it on the DNA. My Mother was an artist and my Dad, though a litigator by trade, was a wonderful story teller. At one point I did consider being a psychiatrist until I realized that I would have to listen to other people’s problems all day. But to steal a line from the late great Edith Piaf - je ne regrette rien - because there is nothing like hearing people laugh at something you wrote, or witness them truly reacting to a piece of art that you created. There is definitely struggle in the arts but it is commensurate with love.

Why is your work a good investment?

As a gallery owner and collector I know the importance of appreciation. I only started showing my fine art in 2015 so I have a huge untapped portfolio of photographs, mixed media and ideas to which I am constantly adding - ensuring that my art continues to evolve and engage. Reviews, exposure and the fact that all my pieces are either one of a kind or limited editions have had a significant impact on my market value.

That said, having collectors wanting to live with my art every day is its own form of appreciation.

Tell us about some of your achievements.

I have been awarded Best of the Best East End Artist in the Hamptons and South Fork for the past three years as well as awarded the Award of Excellence three times.

My gallery, The White Room Gallery in Bridgehampton, has also won best gallery in the Hamptons and South Fork for the past three years. And there have been countless awards for creativity in advertising and dramatic

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writing including Best Emerging Playwright.

"There is nothing like hearing people laugh at something you wrote, or witness them truly reacting to a piece of art that you created."

What are your sources of inspiration?

Being a writer as well as an artist I do find much inspiration in the written word, often incorporating insights and humor into my pieces. Beyond that, industrial images and workers have always intrigued me. I’ve snuck into construction sites and crane graveyards. A rusty dumpster is beauty to me.

Nature never disappoints nor does the exploration of life and death. Manhattan – 24 hours with a camera and I return with 500 shots of inspiration. And of course a dark bar anywhere in the world - corner seat, notebook - characters are in the cocktails.

What are you passionate about?

Besides the obvious – the arts - passion lives in the human condition. I incorporate it into all my work – written and visual… the unseen, the overlooked, the ephemeral, the beauty - the good, the bad and especially the perceived ugly. On a personal level I have championed many causes but at the gallery we work with several charities through children and animals as well as cancer and addiction.

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exhibits and our Culture Club, fighting abuse to women,

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

that engage and entice. This summer is our third graffiti exhibit. It is a juried show, titled TAG – the fine art of graffiti.

Outside of the gallery, I am always conceptualizing on the next trigger point. The abstract series where I print one of my photographic images on a canvas and then use layers of spray paints and acrylics to add dimension, texture and impact is my latest, late night exploration… always evaluated in the morning light. And, of course, I shoot pretty much every day so there is also the new revelation to be explored.

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

For my Uncle Jack mixed media series I used vintage album covers, photography and lines from fiction pieces I wrote for the East Hampton Star.

For my Tombstone series I layered 200-year-old tombstones to bring dead narratives to life. The history of the

"For my Tombstone series I layered 200-year-old tombstones to bring dead narratives to life. The history of the tombstones, coupled with the decay over time, creates beautiful monuments to lives long gone and reminds those still here, to live."

tombstones, coupled with the decay over time, creates beautiful monuments to lives long gone and reminds those still here, to live.

My Commercial Fishing Boat Reflections series evolved from the discovery of beauty in the negative space.

My West series is a way to showcase graffiti and the concrete beauty of urban living.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

Our gallery is open year round and we keeps us quite busy. We pride ourselves on curating unique exhibits

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have an exhibit every month, which

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 | KAT O'NEILL

www.katoneillgallery.com Tell us about where you are based.

The cultural Mecca of the east end of Long Island known for its unique light and beauty. 2+ hours from Manhattan.

East Hampton, specifically “The Springs” has been described as the cradle of the abstract expressionist movement. Home of the de Koonings, John Ferren, Krasner and Pollack. The east end was coined The Hamptons in 1879 as part of a destination campaign once the railroad was expanded. I live in East Hampton. Our gallery, as mentioned previously, is on Main Street in Bridgehampton.

To pay homage to the iconic abstract expressionists of East Hampton the “Springs Invitational” was created where certain artists are invited to exhibit in the same gallery where the icons showed. I have been invited several times.

I have also walked through Pollock’s studio, which is right down the road and created a drip painting on his lawn.

Many writers also hail from The Hamptons. I got to write “Uncle Jack’s Steinbeck” in the writing shack that Steinbeck himself built. The piece was published in The East Hampton Star.

How do you feel about art and its role in the world ?

As an artist, gallery owner and mother I feel the role has never been more vital. Through the gallery and The Culture Club that my business partner and I created we are vigilant about expanding the arts. What was wonderful about the renaissance was that it celebrated all forms of cerebral exploration. Today, diversification is not as valued.

Of course math and science have their place in history but, without art, who do you think would be looking up at the Sistine Chapel?

How do you want your art to affect viewers?

To add something. Humor. Compassion. Reflection.

Intrigue. Rage. My plays were all sardonic comedies but if you looked closer there was always some form of suffering and loneliness. I suppose my desired affect is as eclectic as my work. I have no interest in pushing the boundaries to offend but if I can help portray that black lives matter and abuse is never to be tolerated I certainly will. And then we circle back to the word appreciation. Though beauty seems to be underrated in the world today sometimes just serving

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up artworks that are simply beautiful is its own statement.

MAXÂ Siedentopf maxsiedentopf.com

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FEATURED ON

CAROLYN

LAMUNIERE

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 My other part is exterior, it looks at the created world as reflected in architecture.

I love patterns and shapes. I go outside and meet light as it creates these patterns and shapes.

Not the moody light of the interior but the strong direct light of the exterior. I try to focus not just on the building but on the abstraction created by light. The mood of a place also interests me. What does it say of the people who created it? How do they live? What do they value?

Tell us about your work.

Many people see a certain Surrealistic mood to my paintings. They may be responding to a somewhat otherwordly quality.

I would describe myself in that way, I have a part of myself in two worlds.

One part is interior. I believe there is an essential core of aloneness in all of us.

Some people run from it. I try to embrace it.

I paint interiors, empty spaces with low light, but what I feel is the energy of what has been. The spirit in deserted spaces. Sometimes people look at my empty rooms and create scenarios - What has happened here?, Who was in this space?

What is the story?

I do not paint people. I want what is un-shown.

I feel that when one paints people the viewer

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stops there. I hope to take them beyond.

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"Many people see a certain Surrealistic mood to my paintings.

They may be responding to a somewhat otherwordly quality."

Scandinavian Art of the Late

background?

19th and Early 20th

My background is in Art

Centuries".

History. I am a self taught

It struck me like lightening.

artist, I have always

I saw myself in that art.

painted. My life was never

Most of what I had studied

without art. I graduated

had been southern and

from Skidmore College in

continental European and I

Saratoga Springs NY with an

felt something in my core

Art History degree.

had been reached with the

My teachers have been the

Northern art. The artists

painters I love. My mother

which have most influenced

and aunt were both artists.

me are: Felix Vallotton,

My ancestry is northern

Henri le Sidaner, Prince

European. When I was young

Eugen, Vilhelm Hammershoi,

I went to see an exhibit in

Harald Schlberg, and William

Washington DC titled

Degouve de Nunques.

"Northern Light, DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

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Tell us about your

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

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"I am a self taught artist, I have always painted. My life was never without art."

Tell us about some of your

England Artists Under 30”.

Embassy program,

achievements.

From there I became part of

International Juried Exhibition

On the practical side, I have

The National Association of

in the Treasury building,

been painting and selling my

Women Artists, won awards

Annapolis, MD, National

art for a long time. I have been

from the National Association

Association of Painters in

in many galleries for years, the

of Painters in Acrylic and

Acrylic and Casein, and Allied

gallery owners are my friends,

Casein and ADDY (cultural and

Artists, NY, as well as other

and I have sold well for them. I

advertising). Pictures of my

small museums and galleries.

have ideas for new work and

paintings have been in The

I have been in several books

continue to treat my painting,

Village Voice in NY, The New

including “One Hundred Artists

not just as an expression, but

York Art Review, The New York

of the Southwest”, Who’s Who

as a commitment. I have won

Times Gallery Guide, New York

of Western Artists”, The Best of

several awards and been in

Magazine, Better Homes and

Acrylic Painting”, “Who’s Who

many publications. The first

Gardens, The William and Mary

of Business and Professional

was at the DeCordova Museum

Review, Women Artists

People”, “Who’s Who in

where I was part of a

Calendar. The paintings

American Art”, and The

show called “The Top New

exhibited in The Art in

Collector’s Guide Santa Fe, NM.

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"I have been almost too immersed in the history of art.

I don't believe it is possible to really create art without knowing it's history."

"I do believe it is possible for art, in both its creation and experience to be of the moment. The 'Ahah' response."

Tell us about where you are based.

I spend as much time as I can in France, particularly in Aude and Ariege, what is called "Cathar country".

I am at home there. However, living in New Mexico in the US has brought a new perspective to me. The light is so direct and full of color. Sometimes too harsh, but mostly uplifting. The sky is always changing. I used to live near the coast in the northeast part of the US, I have been asked if I miss the water, Not at all. The sky moves faster with more color. There is a purity.

What is your view on art and its role today?

It is hard for me to give too much of an opinion on the art today, I have been almost too immersed in the history of art. I don't believe it is possible to really create art without knowing it's history.

The elements already exist, it is a matter of how they are put together that make what is new.

However, I do believe it is possible for art, in both its creation and experience to be of the moment.

The “Ahah” response.

In terms of art and its role in the world today, I feel more than ever good art is important.

Bad media is everywhere. Art is often not taught in schools. Our society promotes what is quick and superficial.

Art is important because it promotes a feeling reaction, it shows what is beyond the mundane, it gives a perspective, it takes the viewer away to places he or she would never go otherwise, it stimulates the imagination, and it is a release from the hard, often meaningless parameters that surround us.

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www.carolynlamuniere.com

Nello Petrucci nellopetrucci.com

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FEATURED ON

HEIDI

MCKEOWN

Tell us about yourself and background.

Tell us about your work.

I am an emerging artist from Minnesota.

I’m known for my large, colorful abstract

Three years ago I found myself at a

acrylic paintings. I’m also known as a prolific

crossroads having raised my children as an

painter as in this short time I have created

at home mother and then having the

nearly 500 paintings and filled up a 5,000

challenge of reinventing myself as an empty

square foot studio and gallery. I don’t think

nester, so I decided to paint.

of colors as warm or cool, but as loud or

I started painting for my own enrichment

soft. I usually paint horizontally with large

and development, not intending to sell my

scrapers found at hardware stores.

work or to call myself an artist.

I also don’t know what I’m going to paint

It has been an unusual journey as it quickly

when I start out, as I prefer to let the paint

became evident that my paintings resonated

and colors guide me and I’m often shocked

with people and that there was a demand for

to see where they lead. I’m happiest when

what I was doing.

I’m learning and lost in paint.

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"I prefer to let the paint and colors guide me and I’m often shocked to see where they lead."

What makes your work and

Tell us about some of your

approach unique?

achievements.

One of the things that makes my

My painting titled “Anno Domini-

work unique is that I usually don’t

Saint John’s Abbey Church” was the

mix my colors on a pallet; instead I

first painting to leave my studio and

let the colors mix themselves on my

is installed in the university’s library

canvas. The result has been a

that was designed by Marcel Breuer

surprising reaction to the vibrancy

and also hangs over one of his

of the colors. Often my work is

original benches. A client asked me

described as being extremely

to fill their model home with my

uplifting and my studio space is

paintings featured in an Artisan

described this way as well.

Home Tour. I’ve also been accepted into national call juried shows along

Why is your work a good

with being a feature artist in the

investment?

Artful Living Magazine.

If one loves a piece of art then I

My studio and gallery also keep me

think it is a good investment.

busy as I work with designers,

Regarding my art; my sights are set

architects and clients.

work to keep up with demand.

What are your sources of

It is not uncommon for a client to

inspiration?

buy multiple paintings, as my work

My source of inspiration is twofold.

is constantly changing and growing

First; it’s color, paint and curiosity as

as I develop as a painter. This keeps

I love color, I love what paint does,

my clients engaged, as my work

and I love to learn. Second; it’s from

stays fresh and reinvigorated.

painters who have come before me.

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high and my clients know I diligently

HEIDI MCKEOWN | INTERVIEW

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"It has been an unusual journey as it quickly became evident that my paintings resonated with people and that there was a demand for what I was doing."

"I would like my viewer to know that anything is possible; we just have to try."

A quote by August Renoir is printed on my studio

What are you passionate about?

wall: “One must from time to time, attempt things that

I’m passionate about interior design and

are beyond one’s capacity.” The other quote that

architecture.

inspires me is by Andy Warhol: “Don’t think about

My imaginary muse for many of my paintings is

making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decided if

either a red or a cobalt blue womb chair designed by

it’s good or bad whether they love or hate it. While they

Eero Saarinen. I usually feel a painting is complete

are deciding make even more art.”

when I know it can rest comfortably next to one of

When I realized I was an abstract painter it took me

them. I study architecture and interior design, as I

by surprise. I’m self taught and I found I suddenly

aim to put my paintings in certain structures and

spoke a different language. Studying other abstract

designs.

that maybe I’m not crazy and also in amazement of

What projects are you currently working on?

what they have done with this language.

I’m currently working on a large project in Florida.

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painters often brings me to tears both in the relief

Text placeholder

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

The same team that printed the Saint John’s Bible created the print of my painting titled “Anno Domini- Saint John’s Abbey Church”.

It took us nine hours to make the print on a Heidelberg press and during the process I fell in love with the color test sheets that were being discarded, thus “Anno Domini-Winter” was discovered. It intrigues me how technology found its’ way into my work by me digging in the trash bin asking to “save this one!” and “save that one!”

It was a delightful experience in that I also got to hear stories of the arduous work they did on the Saint John’s Bible with master calligrapher Donald Jackson. The experience was a day of gratitude and thrills.

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?

I’m very grateful for all forms of art especially in the challenging world we live in. balance as humans.

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I feel it is essential both for our sanity and for our

HEIDI MCKEOWN

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DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

Heidi McKeown How do you want your art to affect viewers?

My painting journey started at mid-life thus I’d like to inspire people to know that their passions matter regardless of age. As our life circumstances change we can take the changes as an opportunity to find fulfillment in ways we never imagined.

I would like my viewer to know that anything is possible; we just have to try. When people enter my studio and I see their eyes light up and their jaws drop, I know I’ve hit my mark and that indeed, the words of August Renoir hold as true today as when he first said them.

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www.centervillestudio.com

EVA

BELISHOVA

INTERVIEW

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"Eighteen years of painting gave me the wisdom

In my early 20’s my siblings and I

to know that an artist never stops learning."

managed to enter the Italian embassy and seek political asylum. One year after we

I have a vivid imagination, curiosity for the latest in science, metaphysics, love for nature, and deep compassion for human kind. My memory of my childhood years is playing outdoors until dawn with friends, among them my best friend; my identical twin. Reaching puberty, my father one of the best physicians in the country was sentenced to ten years in prison for his political beliefs. At an early age I understood what it meant to live under a dictatorship regime and learned to stand up to humiliation, to lies, and the corruption of a decadent government.

moved to US and have been here since.

Why is your work unique?

I approach my painting purely intuitively even though I had years of training in classical painting. Eighteen years of painting gave me the wisdom to know that an artist never stops learning.

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Tell us about yourself and your background.

"My work is therefore spiritual and about seeking knowledge of being human in the altogether inhuman World."

Tell us about your work.

I’m not concerned with realism or method, I don’t do preliminary work, little to any. I approach the subject with pure spontaneity. While painting I listen to music.

The beat tapping through my sub-consciousness helps me reach and explore the deepest, darkest emotional territories; Angels & Demons, who fight on our plane in forms of our relationships, to self, to others, to the imagined.

Through my artwork I learned to embrace it all, the good and the evil. At times I look at the World through the magic crystal at other times time ironically and thoughtfully. I understand what it is like to live in a perfect imperfect world, how heartbreaking it is, and how wonderful it is.

My work is therefore spiritual and about seeking knowledge of being human in the altogether inhuman World. My paintings are deeply vibrant, lush, and electric. The color palette varies according to the subject. Most of the multilayers of color glazing are done on the canvas where the exuberance of color fields merges with disparate images. I strongly believe that my life remains an unfinished canvas!

How do you want your art to affect the world?

My artwork allows and invites the viewers to their own interpretation.

As my Art is an invitation for a journey into the Kingdom of the Soul, and the Soul of humans is unique.

Art seems to me to be above all a State of the Soul.

World, with the viewers, with the others, even with ourselves.

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Only through our Souls we are connected with the

"Art seems to me to be above all a State of the Soul.

Only through our Souls we are connected with the World, with the viewers, with the others, even with ourselves."

Why is your work a good investment?

Invest in what you really love and trust your judgment.

Tell us about your achievements.

I have pursued my artistic ambitions for almost two decades, I have been featured in juried shows and galleries in the San Francisco bay area. I have been part of Marin Open Studios, a yearly art event in Marin County.

My work is part of private collections in San Francisco, London, and New York.

A few years back my work was featured in Mapo newspaper and American Art Collector Book. Last year I was really excited to have my digital artwork used on the cover of several fiction books.

What are your sources of inspiration?

Music, I listen to a wide range from Paul Oakenfold , Metallica, The Doors, DMX, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin and many others.

The old masters- Rembrandt, Bosch, Brueghel, the impressionist- Pissarro Klimt and the moderns- De Koenig, Warhol, Rauschenberg.

Scify movies, horror movies, the dark sub consciousness.

What are you passionate about?

Painting of course, digital artwork which I self taught myself two years ago, and my instagram account #8labelis666.

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short video installation, all can be seen on

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"My paintings are deeply vibrant, lush, and electric.

The color palette varies according to the subject."

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

"Figurative expressionism " gallery at www.artbyeva.com represents human emotions, like chameleons to their environment and surroundings, in different modes of adaptation in their life. That is manifested physically by painting humans with mechanical parts, humans hanging on time like the painting titled "Suspense" or deforming their body parts, or painting their ghoulish faces like the painting titled "The Gang of Four "or lifeless bodies like the paintings titled "black and white" all done with playful mastery, deep honesty, humiliation and care for human kind.

The message stands for love and acceptance of all human kind.

“Phantasy Landscapes” gallery at www.artbyeva.com These visceral and whimsical paintings are a jazz riff off on the ordinary.

My rhythm takes the viewers into a fantastic World formed of trees and human hearts, bridges and lonely landscapes and melancholic women staring out at viewers from foreign lands, whispering to others, looking to glory.

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understand the World and all its poetic

Powerful, Internal, and Authentic. www.artbyeva.com

"Invest in what

Share with us some of your

Tell us about where you are

you really love

upcoming projects.

based.

My third short video for

“In the cloud “ since I like to

Halloween 2019 will involve

see myself like Boris Pasternak

effects coded by myself in

“a dweller of clouds”.

python, I’m still in the process

Geographically I live in

of learning. For the last couple

Sausalito, a lovely little town by

years I used a combination of

SF bay, five minutes from

my own artwork and digital

golden gate bridge and 15 min

technology to create stunning

from San Francisco.

judgment."

visual effects for my two Halloween trailers one of them

How do you feel about Art

titled “ Number 8” and the

and its role in the world

other “The hunting” both can

today?

be viewed on my instagram

Like G K Chesterton, I strongly

account #8labelis666. I’m also

believe Art is the only

having an upcoming group

authentic signature of human

show at Calabi Gallery in Santa

beings.

Rosa, Ca.

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and trust your

JOSEPH

B

NYA

INTERVIEW | DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

Tell us about yourself and background.

I am a Nigerian-American self-taught artist, a feat I achieved by reading and experimentation. I am a trained attorney by profession with a masters degree in Law. I started doodling from the womb and did not have the courage as a young adult to

"I am intrigued by the diverse nature of the Nigerian culture and decided to use art as a medium to teach history."

tell my parents that it was arts and not law that was my preferred choice. At a young age I started

What makes your work and approach

drawing clothes for my twin sister who now has a

unique?

unique clothing brand DRESSADDICTION in Nigeria.

I have perfected a way of using my own style work. I research an aspect of culture and then

My work is contemporary African in nature and

use my imagination to compose. I do not

specifically Nigerian. I am intrigued by the diverse

sketch in pencil, I let my imagination guide me

nature of the Nigerian culture and decided to use

as I draw. I finish the detailed work, scan and

art as a medium to teach history. I am a very

use some digital effects to enhance amd then

versatile artist and deliver my work in a

finally hand-embellish for extra effects.

combination of intricate ink work, paintings or

I combine both traditional and digital methods

designs for different types of products.

to my approach.

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of abstract symbols to incorporate into my Tell us about your work.

Why is your work a good investment?

A CNN style-marketplace Africa report 18th july 2016 read: 'Looking for an investment?

African art is hotter than gold.'

There is a strong demand for contemporary African art, it is also attracting investors worldwide. The beauty and deep rooted cultural aspect of my work is a worthwhile investment.

Tell us about some of your achievements.

As an emerging artist, being considered for a spot to showcase my work in this magazine is a major achievement. However in this short period of my professional art life, I have established a brand and launched a custom design shoe outfit with Alive Shoes, an Italian shoe manufacturer. I have the belief and confidence in my work that greater things are yet to come.

What are your sources of inspiration?

My inspiration comes from the tribe which represents who you are: your identity. My cultural background plays a major role in how I create. Customs and traditions, folktales, symbols and masquerades are all what I refer to as the tribal mark and the cool thing is that it can be incorporated in today's art.

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"My cultural background plays a major role in how I create. Customs and traditions, folktales, masquerades and symbols are all what I refer to as the tribal mark and the cool thing is that it can be incorporated in today's art."

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"I have recently created a superhero character based on the life of a Scottish/British missionary who stopped the killing of twins in Nigeria more than a century ago. As a twin, this is a project that is very dear to my heart."

What are you passionate about?

Share with us your upcoming projects.

I have always been fascinated about the creative

I have recently created a superhero character

process taking an idea and making it something

based on the life of a Scottish/ British

beautiful. I have designed a superhero, several

missionary who stopped the killing of twins in

shoe design concepts, designs for textiles and

Nigeria more than a century ago.

the like. To sum it up I'm just passionate about

As a twin, this is a project that is very dear to

art and design.

my heart. I intend to start out as a comic book and see where it goes from there.

One of my works featured in this interview is

Tell us about where you are based.

what I call“ bush souls “. I was reading a book

I live in Indianapolis city, Indiana - the racing

about the primitive people of the former Cross

capital of the world.

River State in Nigeria. One of the beliefs was

This is a big city with the feel of a small one;

that there is a link between human beings and

the downtown is outright awesome and the

the plant and animal souls. People were capable

Indy 500 race day is just something words

of sending forth their souls to their plant or

cannot describe... you need to come and see

animal affinity, I then had to use my imagination

for yourself.

to create something based on that concept

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Tell us the back-story of one of your projects.

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"I have always been fascinated about the creative process taking an idea and making it something beautiful."

"I want my art to be considered as a repository of a society's collective memory where fact-based historical records are becoming scarce."

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?

Art influences society by changing opinions, translating experiences across time. It is a powerful medium as it allows people from different cultures and time to communicate through images and stories.

How do you want your art to affect the viewer?

Aside from the need for self expression and fulfillment as an artist, I want my art to be considered as a repository of a society's collective memory where fact-based historical records are becoming scarce. I want people to learn about culture through my art. It's all about a story.

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www.josephbnya.com

Shezad Dawood shezaddawood.com

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FEATURED ON

MICHAEL

KENNETH

DEPUE

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 Tell us about yourself and background.

I was born and raised outside Detroit Michigan.

My father Ken, was a hard working blue-collar guy with a great sense of humor.

Both my father and mother Ann, inspired me. After his passing, I began including my middle name in his memory.

Growing up in the Detroit area, I thought I would end up my life. I studied design and photography in Michigan.

With my design background, I was fortunate to get into the exhibitions business and eventually transfer to California where I studied music studio recording.

I'm a jack-of-all-trades and my passion for music has always been therapy for me.

I'm working on including the original music with my art.

My goal is to give the music away for a donation and develop an Arts scholarship.

"I enjoy creating paintings from old photos and the hunt for the photograph is just as gratifying."

Tell us about your work.

What makes your work and

My favorite quote is "Variety's the

approach unique?

very spice of life"...(William

The images that I collect are part

Cowper - Poet 1785).

of history, they are one-of-kind,

My website is nearly half painting

to me they are priceless.

and half photography. I enjoy

By manipulating these images

creating paintings from old photos

and combining them with my

and the hunt for the photograph is

own, it makes my work unique.

just as gratifying.

This exposure in DESTIG will

I love the happy accidents that

increase my perceived value and

happen in art featured in my

I believe the "Then-and-Now"

Double Exposure series with

series would work very well in

overlapping in-camera film

advertising - celebrating the past

exposures and my Artography

and showing the world just how

series highlighting an alternative

far we have come. As in the case

photographic process that involves

of most artists, they are worth

painting photo chemistry on photo

more dead than alive. I have 20+

paper. So far, I've had the most

years of life expectancy and if I

success with the Then-and-Now

keep going on free-style

series digitally manipulating my

mountain climbing trips with my

photographic collection.

son Alex, it could be sooner.

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drawing hub-caps the rest of

"Both my father Ken and mother Ann, inspired me. After his passing, I began including my middle name in his memory."

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"In this digital world we owe it to ourselves to print out the images that have meaning to us and write on the back so, 100 years from now, that story can be discovered and enjoyed by someone in the future."

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"I have already spent a lifetime in the exhibitions business that has allowed me to gather images from all over the world - some collected and many photographed with camera in tow. "

Tell us about some of your achievements.

My finest achievements are my daughter Amelia who is a talented teacher and musician and my son Alexander who is following in my footsteps including a few of his own, as a talented graphic/media designer and photographer. While he was studying at Cal Poly, I told him he needed to enter a museum exhibition in SLO and in his first exhibition he was awarded best in show and an honorable mention.

I have already spent a lifetime in the exhibitions business that has allowed me to gather images from all over the world - some collected and many photographed with camera in tow.

As far as the art world, my CV includes numerous juried exhibitions with three honorable mentions.

Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.

The kitsch image titled "Fashion Accessories" is sentimentally charming and upon closer observation the high-heel boots the Ostrich is sporting becomes a pleasant surprise. The ostrich feather hat would be at the peak of popularity during the “feather fashion craze” of the early 20th century. I decided to embrace the exhibition's fashion theme utilizing my historic image and adding modern high-heel boots to the Ostrich from a photograph I had taken. It was the comic relief of the exhibition opening. Laughter is the best medicine.

The image "New Guinea TV" is engaging and upon closer observation the inserted early television becomes a profound influence on primitive cultures.

The historic image is from 1944 during a time in which

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visual statement of how western civilization has had

"I love history and take pleasure in the

Japan invaded the New Guinea and

fact that an old photograph can reveal a

1942. I love history and take pleasure in the fact that an old photograph can reveal a story and inspire a journey back in time.

Share your upcoming projects?

The "Western Art" series will feature images from my collection of cowboys, Indians and more coupled with my background photographs.

Some pieces will include mixed media collage incorporating painting, maps and photography.

The design comp image illustrates the first stage of my planning a mixed media painting.

The "Figures in Nature" series features a combination of my landscape photographs of the Sierra back country combined with the figure images from the collection some classic and some playful.

The landscape itself is beautiful; However, the addition of the figure makes the image unique and adds an element of intrigue.

Tell us about where you are based.

My primary residence is in Oakhurst California, thirty minutes from Yosemite National Park and surrounded by the Sierra National Forest. I also spend time in the small town of Mountain Center, population 350, on Mount San Jacinto outside of Palm Springs and an hour from Joshua Tree National Park.

I'm inspired by the beauty the high desert and the mountains have to offer especially the sounds and smells providing a great deal of forest therapy.

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story and inspire a journey back in time."

Australian territories in January of

www.michaeldepue.com

How do you feel about art and its role ?

I love the fact that all forms of art are respected and that anything goes. Art can be as beautiful or ugly, as joyful or rude, as sentimental or political - all supported by the freedom of expression.

How do you want your art to affect viewers?

Even though photography has become such common place provided by every cell phone, I would emphasize that each viewer recognize photography is important and tells a story.

In this digital world we owe it to ourselves to print out the images that have meaning to us and write on the back so, 100 years from now, that story can be discovered and enjoyed by

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someone in the future.

Ben Thomas benthomas.co

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FEATURED ON

HANNAH

KANE

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

Tell us about yourself and background.

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and I graduated with a Studio Art Major from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. I am currently living in Southern California with my husband and my chihuahua.

I'm inspired daily to paint and draw what is around me.

My husband and I are back-country hikers, through some of the most breathtaking locations (Alaska, the floor of the Grand Canyon, the remote side of Catalina Island). I take photographs for reference.

Tell us about your work.

I work in oil and more recently acrylics.

Focusing mostly on the female figure, I utilize sexuality, form and strength as undertones. When creating the figure I like to use color where one would not expect to see that color. This gives life and movement to the piece. I am influenced by my surroundings and my own personal perception of life, sometimes elevated to fantastical expression with a technical foundation.

What makes your work and approach unique?

It has its own imagination. I start with an emotion or expression and then show it literally with the human figure complimented by symbolic references and vibrant colors. I want there to be parts of the piece that one can connect with visually in the hopes that my work is approachable and also interpretive.

Why is your work a good investment?

With each painting you will find differences from my other pieces, sometimes subtle, sometimes major.

My approach/message will change and will continue to change as I go forward. I will not remain in a specific style. I would urge patrons to buy what they find desirable knowing that they are getting a piece that replicated.

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represents a time in my career that will never be

HANNAH KANE:INTERVIEW

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"I want there to be parts of the piece that one can connect with visually in the hopes that my work is approachable and also interpretive."

What are your sources of inspiration?

I use the time I spend running as a way to sort

I am inspired by my own life experiences.

through my life. The majority of the ideas I get

I use art as a way to work through a feeling or

for a painting start while I’m running.

emotion. I often look to nature for inspiration, a timeless reference. I am also inspired by love.

Tell us the back-story of a project.

Being loved and loving someone is both a direct

My piece titled, “Weightless” started with a

and indirect influence of my work.

feeling of being without restrictions ie: gravity.

What are you passionate about?

marginalized-outer space and under water.

Art - not just creating my own but experiencing

It fascinated me that both of these places are

other peoples’ artwork and being inspired by

parallel in their relation to human life.

their perspective all the time. I also find it

Some other examples of their symmetry are

humbling but motivating to look at works by

that; one cannot breath in either, one may

talented artists. I am also passionate about

encounter danger, fluidity of motion. Blue turns

running and staying physically healthy. Over the

black the deeper you get. So I created a piece

years, running has guided the ideas in my work.

that showed all of these facets.

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I thought of two places that gravity is

DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

How do you want your art to affect the viewer?

To put it simply, I want my artwork to affect the viewer independently. To see what one sees.

I do not believe my work represents any mass appeal. It is purposely left open for interpretation by the viewer. My goal is just to stir emotions in the viewer.

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"When creating the figure I like to use color where one would not expect to see that color. This gives life and movement to the piece."

juxtaposition of fine art being viewed and critiqued on a platform by people who have no interest in it at all."

Share with us your upcoming projects.

While not sharing too much, I will continue to work with the female figure as the main subject in my work.

I look to add different techniques in my upcoming pieces, more suggestive in style. I want to place my figures in a larger setting to be a part of a scene.

This is in contrast to my current work where the figure is the main part of the painting, with little or no background reference.

Tell us about where you are based.

I am based out of my home in Southern California. I live by the ocean and have the luxury of watching the sunset over the pacific almost every night from my roof top (weather permitting). My studio is a part of my living space so that I can conveniently transition in and out of pieces with little interruption to my creative process.

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?

The beauty of art is that it is the epitome of society. With the introduction of the internet, social media has influenced artists in both a positive and negative direction.

However the biggest contradiction of art today is the juxtaposition of fine art being viewed and critiqued on a platform by people who have no interest in it at all. The risk is that an artist would be persuaded to change course to interest these viewers, “for the likes�. www.hsueart.artspan.com

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"The biggest contradiction of art today is the

KAREN

KANAS

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 Tell us about yourself and background.

My name is Karen Kanas, and I am a painter from Los Angeles, California.

I was raised in Chicago, Illinois and involved in the arts from a very young age. I studied theatre at the Performing Arts Center, Barat College of DePaul University and hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in production stage management and costume design. I was fortunate enough to work with such theatre companies as Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Theatre and Phoenix Theatre.

Throughout my years in school, I studied painting and art history in addition to architecture and interior design when I moved to Los Angeles, California at UCLA. Art has always been a huge influence in my life influenced by impressionism, post-impressionism and abstract expressionism.

I am represented by Agora Gallery, New York, New York and a member of the Los Angeles Art Association.

Tell us about your work.

I specialize in landscapes, figures and abstract art.

I typically explore my ideas on canvas using both traditional and innovative techniques.

My background in the performing arts influences the themes of my paintings, which change depending on the mood or season I find myself in.

I always learn something new about myself from each of my paintings which motivates me as an artist and brings me great joy.

What makes your work and approach unique?

My artwork captures the beauty and essence from a moment in time or an idea I have that I want to explore on canvas. I prefer creating a custom acrylic palette for each of my paintings, choosing one dominant color to take precedence throughout the piece. I paint from the heart with a lot of

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emotion which comes across in all of my artwork.

"I paint from the heart with a lot of emotion which comes across in all of my artwork."

Why is your work a good investment?

My artwork is approachable, relatable and evokes an emotion but with a calming affect. It’s an expression of myself that I want to share with others. I have often been told by viewers that my artwork reminds them of a memory they have from a specific time or place in their lives.I believe my artwork has a unique style which is evident and all my own.

Tell us about of your achievements.

I recently received a Special Recognition Award for my painting, The Red Balloon, from Light Space & Time On Gallery for their 2019 All Women Art Exhibition. In December 2018 my paintings, Facing the Future, Grounding, Abstract Coastline and Peacock were on exhibit at Conception Art Show - Los Angeles.

My paintings, Ruins, Autumn, Purple Haze, Self Portrait and Abstract Landscape were on exhibit at Agora Gallery in New York City as part of their collective art exhibition: I Remember You, I

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Know This Place, Nov 10 - Dec 1, 2018.

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KAREN KANAS | DESTIG TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

What inspires your work?

me; it is a way of life. Working

crow just stood there looking

I am inspired every day when I

out always motivates me and

majestic, not affected by the

walk out the door by nature,

puts me in a positive mood to

wind at all. My painting Ruins,

people, and places that I have

push myself even further as

is an interpretation and twist

visited which stand out in my

an artist. I also meditate which

on that memory.

mind. I am also inspired by

keeps me balanced and

music and dance, specifically

focused mentally. I believe

Share with us your upcoming

ballet which I love.

these are all necessary and

projects.

My extensive background in

feed into my creative process.

Currently I am working on a painting commission for a new

shaped my creativity as an

Tell us the back-story of

client. This is a contemporary

artist throughout my life.

some of your projects.

piece, for his home. It is also a

I share this quality with Marc

My painting Ruins, always

surprise present for his wife.

Chagall who I relate to the

stands out in my mind. Years

This painting is a mix of

most as the performing arts

back, my husband and I were

elements from his life growing

were a significant source of his

visiting family in Chicago for

up in California and his wife

inspiration throughout his

the holidays. There is a

who grew up in Texas. It is a

artistic career.

beautiful church on Michigan

large scale piece, 60” x 30”,

Avenue with a courtyard, very

acrylic on canvas. Then I am

What are you passionate

Medieval looking. We decided

planning to work on another

about?

to check it out. While in the

portrait and a contemporary

I am passionate about health,

courtyard, there was a crow

piece with an architectural

fitness and overall well-being.

standing on the cement in

influence. I also have two

Eating right, feeling good

between the columns.

upcoming art shows this

inside and out is important to

The wind was howling and the

March in Los Angeles.

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the performing arts has

Tell us about where you are based. I am based in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles has a great multi-cultural art scene. I love to explore the museums, galleries, installations, murals, theatre, and concerts happening around the city. There is always something new to experience no matter what time of year. I enjoy living in Los Angeles for this very reason

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and for the weather! Â

"Put down the cell phone, tablet and stop looking at the computer - go see art in

KAREN KANAS

person, it feeds the body and soul!

What we learn from art carries into how we live our own lives, it creates new memories and reminds us of moments in our lives we may have forgotten about."

How do you feel about art and its role?

I feel art is very relevant in the world today.

With all the social media, art stands on it’s own and will be here for years to come. Viewing art in person is one of the best experiences we as humans can have. Put down the cell phone, tablet and stop looking at the computer - go see art in person, it feeds the body and soul! What we learn from art carries into how we live our own lives, it creates new memories and reminds us of moments in our lives we may have forgotten about. Viewing artwork is also a great way to decompress from the business of every day life. I always enjoy seeing other artists work and the messages they are conveying to the world. Art is inspiring. I feel as an artist, I am the most honest and true to myself in my artwork that I share with the world.

How do you want your art to affect the viewer?

I want my art to affect the viewer/world, in a way that they find the same sense of joy in my work as I do in creating it. I express a lot of my own emotion in my work, which I hope has a calming affect on the viewer/world. My art may remind the viewer/world of a moment they have experienced, whether it relates exactly to my piece or not, it takes them somewhere. My art is meant for others to have their own experience, their own story that is different

www.karenvkanas.com

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than my own.

Hassan Hajjaj instagram.com/hassanhajjaj_larache

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FEATURED ON

MARCIA

LORENTE

HOWELL

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 | INTERVIEW

Tell us about yourself and background.

I’m Spanish, my dad is from Barcelona and my mom from California, but I grew up in Madrid.

I’ve been told my style is “very Spanish”. I guess I’m not afraid of colour!

I had no shortage of art growing up, in Spain a painter is a master, up there with royalty.

Velázquez and Goya were commoners who painted Kings and Popes. Picasso is a national hero. If you could, who wouldn’t want to paint?

Tell us about your work.

Right now, I’m painting beaches. I love painting waves and the ocean, it’s like it transports me there, I can literally feel the sparkle of surf and sunshine. I told my friends I’m a surfer now, it’s such a rush. Madrid has no beach so growing up I treasured my summers in Marbella and Encinitas, nothing like going to “la playa”. Now I have the beaches of Long Island down the road, lucky me.

What makes your work and approach unique?

I think my style is hard to classify, it’s both old and new. I’m a classically trained oil on canvas painter but my brushstroke is fast, it’s more Pollock than Picasso. I put my canvases on the floor and mix highly diluted oils with thick chunks of colour.

The result is textured and fluid and fun to look at.

I’m trying to capture movement so it has to be both delicate and raw, accidental. Just like light.

Why is your work a good investment?

Number one, my art looks great on a wall. I keep getting told how much better my paintings are in person. I think that’s because they’re bigger than you’d expect and fill up the eyes like a good sunset would. And they move, they’re fun to look at from afar and up-close. I stole that from Monet.

Number two, I’m just getting started so I’m very reasonably priced. Number three, I don’t know how to paint the same painting twice. I can

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promise you’ll own a one-of-a-kind.

Tell us about some of your achievements.

I was some sort of kid-artist prodigy in my hometown of Madrid, literally got handed an award from the city Mayor at the age of eight. I can’t stress how important it is to support kids in the arts, a girl from Madrid wouldn’t be where I’m at without a strong sense of achievement early on. I’m most proud of having shown in New York City and in the Hamptons, I’m a member of the Montauk Artists’ Association. I also just did a collaboration with a store in Bridgehampton, Ergun Khorchin. They sponsored The Hamptons Classic and put my art on seven cashmere scarves.

That was so fun.

What are your sources of inspiration?

I’m new to New York and I didn’t know it had a beach.

I go to Montauk a lot. I paint off photographs I take, it’s important to me that what I paint is something I saw and felt. It’s true that New York’s East End has a California feel to it. I also read that it has the same latitude as Madrid, so the same light as home. But it’s its own thing with those dark waters, moody skies, crazy weather. I’d never seen anything like it. It’s my happy version of that Don Henley

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song, Wayfarers on baby!

MARCIA LORENTE HOWELL | TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

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"I think my style is hard to classify, it’s both old and new.

I’m a classically trained oil on canvas painter but my brushstroke is fast, it’s more Pollock than Picasso."

Who are your art mentors?

What are you passionate

other artists?

I’m lucky that my two

about as an artist?

Don’t judge your work, just keep

grandmothers were painters.

I want to depict something

at it, there is no “wrong”.

That’s why I went with Marcia

beautiful. I’m not a tortured

I hit a painter’s block that lasted

Lorente Howell as my artist

artist. A lot of modern art

a decade because my training

name, in homage to them.

rejects beauty, I don’t.

told me that my work couldn’t

In Spain you get two last names,

I’m convinced it exists and the

possibly be good given the

your mom’s and your dad’s, so

eye recognizes it. Italians have a

speed I was doing it at.

that was my actual name

great word for it: “bello”.

I then read that Pollock painted

growing up. My “abuela”

It means not just beautiful, but

57 paintings in one year, during

Filomena Lorente studied with

good. It doesn’t mean perfect,

1950. It was so freeing to know I

Sorolla in Valencia and taught

beauty often is not. But it has

wasn’t alone, to let go of the

me about light. Grammy Marcia

that joy about it, that cocky self-

work and start a fresh canvas

Howell handed me my first oils

awareness and insolence, a

every week.

and told me to go paint her

certain “I know you know” that

That was the inspiration behind

Escondido backyard. I know

makes a viewer smile. A sense

my Instagram handle

they’re smiling on me every time

of being one with nature, which

@apaintingaweeknyc

I pick up a brush.

is how Matisse defined art.

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What advice would you give to

MARCIA LORENTE HOWELL "I want to depict something beautiful.

I’m not a tortured artist. A lot of modern art rejects beauty, I don’t.

I’m convinced it exists and the eye recognizes it."

Share with us your upcoming projects.

Besides showing in New York again this Spring-Summer, I’ve some corporate clients who have shown interest in displaying my art in public spaces. I had a great experience last year with a store and a hotel that showed some of my art. I’m excited about making my art accessible to anyone. America has a bit of an elitist attitude towards art that we don’t have in Europe, and that I don’t share.

Tell us about where you are based.

I’ve my studio in New York City’s West Village. It’s the best city in the world, it’s both brutal and supportive, just what any artist needs. I’m so inspired by Street Art. I paint fast and for a viewer, so I’ve more in common with those artists than with traditional art. They’ve turned the city into a modern art museum, and they do it for free. I wish I could contribute, maybe someday I will, I haven’t tried a spray can yet, that should be fun.

I love the colour, the scale of it, the attention to context.

That’s the kind of art I like. Punch me in the stomach and the eyes please. Leave me in awe.

How do you want your art to affect the viewer?

I hope my art makes people happy and makes them question what they see. I grew up Catholic but taught to question things. As a kid, I must admit, I wasn’t so sure God existed, I needed proof. I found it watching a sunset in the South of Spain: “God is a painter!” I thought, how else could something that insanely beautiful exist? And

www.surfergirlgallery.com

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that is something, or someone, I can relate to.

CHEVIS

GIBBS

GUNZZNBUTTER Tell us about yourself and background.

What is GunZZnButter?

My name is Chevis Gibbs and I am 39 years

GunZZnButter is my brand. GunZZnButter is

old from Paterson, NJ. I am into photo-

a way of thinking that I express through my

graphy, sports, quotes, traveling and helping

camera lens which gives me a sense of

others. My style of photography is a freestyle

balance and understanding. I believe in

/ freelance approach where I capture

looking at everything from different angles

moments wherever I am from my vantage

instead of just the way I was taught.

point to bring a photo to life. I have been

When I shoot, I capture a moment from my

taking pictures since I was much younger

vantage point and try to make something

however I began taking it more serious about

simple become realistic to the viewer.

2 years ago. I take my camera everywhere I

I have 20+ galleries on my site,

go because I believe the best moments can

gunzznbutter.artspan.com, which all have

happen when you are not prepared, so I stay

meanings relating to my vision and what is

prepared.

actually being captured.

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TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

I also have incorporated a

took the picture or even ask

theme which includes the

what I am taking a picture

letter “Z” replacing the letter

of. I tend to think differently

“S” which represents my

when it comes to a lot of

daughter, Z’anni Gibbs.

things and that can

My gallery is personal to me

sometimes show in the

and includes a lot of hidden

photos that I capture.

gems for those that are in

I approach each photo with

the know.

the intent to capture something special from my

What makes your work

vantage point to share with

and approach unique?

the viewer. I also challenge

My work is unique to me

myself each day to get

because of the vision I have

better with my craft which I

when capturing each photo.

believe improves the focus

Some may look at my

for my next step through

pictures and wonder why I

my journey.

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I approach each photo with the intent to capture something special from my vantage point to share with the viewer.

CHEVIS GIBBS

"I am inspired by all that is around me. From the people, to architecture, to cars to nature, I believe you can find a picture everywhere you go."

GunZZnButter

Why is your work a good investment?

I believe my work is a good investment because I think outside the box and I also capture photos from my very own perspective. I can go to a popular place and not take a picture that you have seen before as I focus on seeing from a totally different angle. My work is a good investment as I aim to create a 1 of 1 photo for those that are interested in my work and a photo that can be used for many purposes.

What are your sources of inspiration?

My inspiration is life and it starts every day when I wake up and open my eyes. Some of my other inspirations come from my daughter, nature and being able to help people in any way I can.

Throughout my every day travels and experiences, whether walking or sitting around enjoying the scenery, I am inspired by all that is around me.

From the people, to architecture, to cars to nature,

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I believe you can find a picture everywhere you go.

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"I am passionate about showing the world what I saw when I captured each photo."

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about sharing my work with everybody and showing the world what I saw when I captured each photo.

I enjoy making people smile and laugh and

"All of my galleries have a concept and theme associated with them that breaks down what each gallery consists of."

believe photographic memories will always be

from a 2-day road trip to Canada. Paterson

a treasure. I also believe in inspiring others to

Timez is a gallery from a trip back to my

be great and to focus on what they do and

hometown, Paterson NJ. Auto Componentz is a

never give up. I want everyone to succeed and

gallery based on my love for cars and trucks.

to enjoy doing whatever it is they do best.

When Nature Callz is a gallery about nature

I lend a hand to those I can because I believe in

including animals, trees and plants.

progress no matter how slow you move, as

Artlezz Beauty is a gallery that expresses

long as you move forward.

beauty from a different point of view rather Street Craftz is a gallery designed to showcase

projects.

artists paintings and sculptures in areas I have

Infloresencez for Mom is a gallery of photos I

travelled to. All of my galleries have a concept

took based on the love my late mother had

and theme associated with them that breaks

with flowers. Up North Collectionz is a gallery

down what each gallery consists of.

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than the beauty we are accustomed to.

Tell us the back-story of some of your

"Art can be anything the artist wants it to be as it can provide inspiration as well as peace."

How do you feel about art's role in the world?

I believe art is everywhere we go and a part of everything we do. Art is about expression of creative skills and imagination from the artist to

Share with us your upcoming projects.

the viewer. Art can be anything the artist wants

I have a few projects lined up in the coming

it to be as it can provide inspiration as well as

months as I plan to release a gallery called

peace. Art assists with bringing people of all

Every Day Peoplez where I capture people of all

colors and nationalities together as it has its

ages, races and nationalities doing what people

own language which reflects humanity.Â

do every day. This gallery is designed to show how much alike people really are. Some other

How do you want your art to affect the

galleries coming soon will be a series of

viewer?

Collection photo galleries where I travel to

I would like my art to inspire people to think

different cities, states and/or countries and

outside the box. I want my art to capture the

capture different photos during my travels.Â

minds and connect people together while

(I currently I have a gallery called Up North

producing true meanings to what they see or

Collections where I travelled to Canada for 2

how they view things. I want my art to bring

days) After that, I have a gallery in the works

forth an element of belief that anything is

dedicated to my daughter which is currently

possible if you work hard at what you love and

being put together and will also appear on my

believe in yourself and that it can be done.Â

site.

I enjoy taking pictures whenever possible and I believe that even if you love just one photo, I did

Tell us about where you are based.

my job as a photographer.

always lived here.

www.gunzznbutter.artspan.com

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I currently reside in New Jersey and have

JAMES TURRELL jamesturrell.com

DESTIG.COM 732 .p

FEATURED ON

ALLIE

BLEU

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019 Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised near Tokyo, Japan. I started drawing since I was very little, and it was something I never got bored of.

Growing up, I took various performance arts, martial arts, and music lessons.

After graduating high school, I majored in information technology for college, but I realized it wasn’t something that I wanted to do for my life. I dropped out of school, picked up a camera, and was instantly obsessed with taking photos. I decided to move to Hawaii for a new source of inspiration, and I’ve been living here for three years now.

Tell us about your work.

I like taking pictures of nature, fruits, and anything that I think would look interesting in black and white. Sometimes I like using colors too, but it really depends on the random stuff, but I usually like to keep things simple.

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subject. As for my drawings, I draw

What makes your work / approach unique?

I’m not sure, sometimes I take pictures, sometimes I draw, and sometimes I paint.

I can’t stick to doing one thing so I experiment with different mediums and I go back and forth with my dslr and film camera, and sometimes my polaroid camera.

Why is your work a good investment?

I don’t know how to answer that question.

I’m just doing what I like to do, creating what I want to create.

Tell us about some of your achievements.

After moving to Hawaii, I had an opportunity to shoot photos and model for a local hat store.

Shortly after that, I was reached out to by an agency. I got to study how people worked during photoshoots so it was an interesting experience for me. But most importantly, having my first interview with an art magazine is my biggest achievement.

What are your sources of inspiration?

Music, nature, and traveling, but out of all I’d say music inspires me the most. I listen to all kinds of music depending on how I feel, and it really creates the mood when I’m working on something.

What are you passionate about?

Living life.

Tell us the back-story of a project.

I took some of these photos while I was on a trip to Los Angeles and New Mexico. When I got back, I was able to see my surroundings in a fresh new perspective and I was able to try out new things. Other than that it's pretty random as it gets. I went to the grocery store one day,

"I picked up some fruits while I was shopping for groceries and I was like: Maybe I should take photos before I eat them.”

picked up of some fruits and thought, "Maybe I

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should take photos before I eat them."

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"Currently, I’m based here in Honolulu.

Nature is truly beautiful on this island and I’m grateful to experience life here."Â

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2019

"Art just does that. It makes you think and reconnect with yourself."

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?

Art is a form of communication and I think it has always affected people in some way, shape, or form. For an example, you go to an art exhibit... well, it can be any type of art, from live performances to watching movies, but it gives you some kind of an inspiration or a feeling afterwards. Art just does that. It makes you think and reconnect with yourself.

And I think it’s important to experience something like that, especially in this day and age we’re living in.

How do you want your work to affect the viewer/world?

I don’t know to be honest. But I do want to inspire people to be comfortable with who they truly are. I know, it sounds cliché.

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ALLIE BLEU

Tell us about where you are based.

Share with us your upcoming projects.

Currently, I’m based here in Honolulu.

Right now, I'm working on commissioned

Nature is truly beautiful on this island and

projects but I'll be traveling back to Japan

I’m grateful to experience life here.

soon so I'm excited to be working over there.

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www.alicobleu.com

INDIA A COLLECTION OF ART FROM INDIA'S OLDEST GALLERY

NEW DELHI, INDIA

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GITA ART GALLERY

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GITA ART INDIA'S OLDEST GALLERY

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www.gitaartgallery1964.com

SPECIAL FEATURE

JAPAN

Daido Moriyama is one of the most important 20th century Japanese artists.

His major exhibition at the Tate Modern in 2013 was a critical success and his work has been exhibited in many of the worlds greatest museums such as MOMA in New York, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Fondation Cartier in Paris and the San Francisco MoMA. Moriyama’s reputation as one of Japans greatest living artists does not prevent him from continuing to make new work and publish seminal books.

His unique printing style has strongly resonated throuought the photography world and has had many imitators.

practice and Japanese visual culture and he is respected as one of the senior members of the PROVOKE movement whose influence has been hugely significant within the photographic world.

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DAIDO MORIYAMA

Daido Moriyama has written several books on his

www.moriyamadaido.com Confrontational, black-and-white images depicting the contrast of traditional values and 352 .p

modern society in postwar Japan.

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Lagos, Nigeria From ‘Gadawan Kura’ – The Hyena Men Series II

By Pieter Hugo, courtesy Priska Pasquer, Cologne.

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PETER HUGO

« Hustling »

By Mohamed Bourouissa Courtesy Kamel Mennour Gallery Paris/London

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MOHAMED BOUROUISSA

DOLORES SMART NEW MEXICO, USA

depth of field and differing angles to tell their woeful tales. An award winning artist, her works have appeared on billboards, books and cd covers and numerous juried exhibits in the United States and Europe. Dee was a featured artist in a TV documentary entitled “Mountain Shadow” which highlighted artists of Appalachian descent.

Though she’s been a photographer for over 30 (Dee) becomes a spirited young girl when she straps on her camera.

People, especially children and animals, always dominate her lens, as do odd juxtapositions, like a placid woman ignoring the huge fish in front of her or mannikins thrown crazily about the floor of a hastily closing department store.

She photographed them just as they lay, using

A national and international award winning artist.

She’s been told her home is magical — an Aladdins’ cave of art, gilded decoration and yes — theres mannikins! — all composed with an air of fun, elegance and whimsey.

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years and boasts 15 grandchildren, Dolores

Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio 1994.

INSIGHTFUL PHOTOGRAPHY FROM NEW MEXICO.

"My passion for photography arrived fairly late in life while returning to college after my children had grown. A course in photography with a darkroom lab changed my life forever.

I've been a photographer for over 30 years, largely

B&W Magazine Portfolio Contest Award Winner, 2018.

Documentary, "Mountain Shadow," featuring four Appalachian-born artists.

The Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, finalist, "Adia," 2017. Prague.

The 11th Pollux Award, Series Nature, Barcelona Foto Biennale 2018.

LECTURES Cincinnati Women's Club.

TEACHER Creative Fun with Photography.

www.doloressmart.com

Private collectors throughout the USA.

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self taught."

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IMAGINATIVE, THEATRICAL AND

Two Old Bananas

By Mark Handforth. Photo: Stefan Altenburger. Courtesy Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich / NYC

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MARK HANDFORTH

Red Paper Bride

By Zeng Chuanxing Courtesy Tanya Baxter Contemporary, London, UK.

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ZENG CHUANXING

THE BALANCING ART 15TH CENTURY TRADITION + MODERN STONE TECHNOLOGY

MAX LAMB

Marmoreal, Bathroom, Furniture by Max Lamb was presented at Design Miami/Basel.

The installation (produced in partnership with the Brisith Architectural materials and products company: Dzek) addressed material design, bathroom furnishings, and interiors. It featured a new black Marmoreal engineered marble created by the British designer.

Marmoreal is an engineered marble devised by Max Lamb. Suitable for both interior and exterior architectural surfaces, this large aggregate precast marble terrazzo offers an original material language with immense visual value. It skillfully balances 15th-century craft traditions with modern engineered-stone technologies in an approach that is architectonic and sculptural. background and an edited range of standard tile and slab dimensions.

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Marmoreal is available in a black or white marble

MAX LAMB: A modern day craftsman, Max Lamb is a furniture designer whose design sensibility is informed by his extensive knowledge of manufacturing techniques, respect for materials, and skill as a maker. A native of Cornwall, Max has been tinkering with objects and engaging with the physical landscape since he was a small boy, a curiosity that led to an MA in Design Products at the Royal College of Art and ultimately, the foundation of his process-driven design practice. Max explores traditional and unconventional materials and processes, informed by his travels to China, India, Japan, Nigeria, Italy, and beyond.

He has exhibited his pieces internationally.

FLAVOR PROFILE:

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parmesan cheese

Uncertain Journey

By Chiharu Shiota Courtesy lain|Southern Berlin, Germany.

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CHIHARU SHIOTA

Arising from the Ground

By Mariken Wessels Courtesy The Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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MARIEKEN WESSELS

THE GLASS FURNACE TURKEY A world-class furnace on the serene banks of the Riva River.

A The secret of glass can be found in its unique form of existence.

It is a magical material, dancing gracefully within its states of matter.

It becomes a work of art with the touch of masters who can unveil its mystery.

Glass is a refined medium for artistic expression.

However, utmost dedication, enthusiasm and a certain aesthetic sensibility are essential to gain experience in producing glass artwork.

A creative environment to develop the skills required for the production of glass objects is also necessary. Glass Furnace provides the necessary atmosphere and the equipment to

B

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use all the aspects of this unique material.

D C

The Glass Furnace is Turkey's largest and best-equipped glass and art center. On the shore of the Riva river, the campus surrounded by green nature offers a creative and serene atmosphere. Our mission is to be the center of all glass related works and make glass art one of the basic art branches in our country.

Originally designed as a glass studio but soon became a worldclass glass center. It has a glass collection including works by some of the world's leading contemporary glass artists.

Images from collection featured: A) Michael Bishop B) Lino Tagliapietra C Carmen Lozar) D) Jonathan Tepperman E) Bertil Vallien glassfurnace.org

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E

Sucrologist

By Paul Leitner Courtesy UNTTLD Contemporary, Vienna, Austria.

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PAUL LEITNER

Cocina de la Casa Grande

By Mar Hernรกndez Courtesy White Noise Gallery, Rome, Italy.

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MAR HERNร NDEZ

RAQUEL RIOS "Life Alignment and Spirituality with a Galactic Twist!

Creatives will benefit from professional assistance to help unlock their fullest powers."

What are your creative philosophies /beliefs?

If you could change some things in your

Life is a journey, if taken too seriously it loses its

industry what would they be?

purpose. Inspiration comes when you are having

I would change one thing: the fact that spirituality,

fun. Creative people need this for authentic output.

is defined as religious or a belief belonging to a group of people. I would redefine this as including

Why do you do what you do?

all beings as a part of it. From my perspective each

Because finding the answers inside is not always

individual is a spirit. In this sense, spirituality is a

easy. I wanted to reassure myself, this led me into a

part of who we really are as eternal beings.

healing journey and now I help other people doing

The belief of life having an end; it is because of

the same. This is especially beneficial to creatives.

seeing oneself just as a physical entity, but each individual has more to discover about themselves

How long have you done what you do?

than they may have possibly first imagined.

I have been working as a life alignment practitioner for 5 years but of course a lifetime of seeing life

What trends can you see coming ahead and how

from a spiritual perspective. In today's society there

are you responding to them?

is an awakening, more people are trying to find

Over the last decade, there has been an increase

answers inside and their purpose in life.

of interest in health and fitness, I think the step

Tell us about some highlights of your career?

into healing and spirituality.

There are many but over the last few years I have

How do I respond to these trends? Simply being

been dedicating my attention to a book I am writing.

myself and doing my own thing.

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further is for more people to start going deeper,

What do you love about the The inter-culturality and diversity, its like traveling but being in one place: London.

Where are your favourite places to travel to and why?

Everywhere, each country has its own special uniqueness, I feel at home in any land in the world.

Bio: Raquel Rios was born in 1986 and raised in a small town in the south of Spain. With a passion to increase her learning, she soon left to study Pedagogy at the University of Granada and travelled around the world exploring different cultures to enrich her spirit and understanding.

After university, she moved to Madrid and studied drama as a way to help people deal with emotions and mental states.

This move led her to make the decision in 2010 to follow her intuition and move to London.

She trained at the College of Psychic Studies and at the beginning of 2013 she qualified as a Life Alignment practitioner, then continued with advanced levels in South Africa. Now she shares inspiration and helps people to find inner guidance in personal sessions and in events as well as running a popular blog. www.galacticrhythm.com

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"The belief of life having an end; it is because of seeing oneself just as a physical entity, but each individual has more to discover about themselves  than they may have possibly first imagined."

city/ town where you live?

SEDUCTION

NAJILA EL ZEIN

Seduction portrays stages of proximity between two entities, from introversion to connection, rejection to desire. The abstract forms illustrate the emotional dialogue of the different interactions through the understanding of their contexts, materiality and

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT

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gestures.

THE BIO>> Najla El Zein was born in Beirut in 1983. She graduated from Ecole Camondo, Paris, France in Product Design and Interior Architecture. Her work has been exhibited internationally at the Victoria and Albert Museum and most recently at the exhibition Women + Design: New Works El Zein's Seduction, Pair 01 was acquired by the Dallas Museum of Art for their permanent collection. El Zein currently lives and works in Beirut.

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(October 28, 2018 - February 17, 2019) at the Dallas Museum of Art.Â

Switzerand of the Middle-East, Lebanon really is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

The country is blessed by incredible variety in it's geography, rich history and archaeological sites, a vibrant culture and irresistible cuisine both it's music and food are generally regarded as the best in the region.

Lebanon like all beauties has suffered its share of sorrows; conflict and wars have torn at the fabric that binds its diverse communities together.

Over the last decade and a half, Creativity has emerges as both stimulus and conduit for positive change and unity in Lebanon. Its resilient people have a lot to be proud of: its cities and towns bustle with galleries, theatres and outdoor exhibitions by world-class artists and designers.

We bring you 9 of the best leading the way for Lebanon towards a brighter future.

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9 BRAVE ARTISTS CHANGING LEBANON

Often described as the

LEBANON 9 Zoukak Ayman Baalbaki Hady Sy

Ayman Baalbaki was born in

Hady Sy is a world-renowned

non-hierarchical structure,

Odeissé, Lebanon in 1975. He

artist, born from a Senegalese

dedicated to theatre practice as a

lives and works in Beirut,

father and a Lebanese mother, he

social and political involvement,

Lebanon. Ayman studied Fine

lives in Beirut. Hady created the

with a belief in theatre as a space

Arts in Beirut and at the École

“International Festival of Fashion

for common reflection and in

Nationale Supérieure des Arts

Photography” which takes place

collectivity as a position against

Decoratifs in Paris. Born during

in a different city every year. He

marginalizing systems.

the Lebanese civil war in the

has brought together the biggest

Zoukak endeavours to develop an

1970s, Ayman draws most of his

names in the fashion industry,

environment of dialogue and

inspiration from this subject

collaborating with icons such as

reflection around the performing

matter. His work depicted

Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell,

arts in Lebanon and to provide

warriors wearing veils or casks.

Garouste and Bonetti, André

artistic development and

His paintings often describe the

Putman, Paloma Picasso, Karl

international touring

seemingly endless conflicts that

Lagerfeld, Isabella Rossellini, Jean

opportunities for local artists.

haunt the Middle East.

Paul Gaultier and others.

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Zoukak was created in 2006 as a

LEBANON 9 Marc Baroud Zeina Daccache Lina Saneh

Zeina Daccache founded

Lina Saneh (born in Beirut 1966)

work spanning over various fields.

Catharsis-Lebanese Center for

is a theater maker. She has acted

His enthusiasm for new ventures

Drama Therapy in 2007,

in and has written and directed

led him to experiment his

establishing Lebanon’s first

several plays, among them:

approach in projects that are

organization dedicated to theatre

Les Chaises, 1996; Ovrira, 1997;

seemingly unrelated to design.

as a social and psychological

Extrait d'Etat Civil, 2000;

In his method, the process is

therapy tool. Both her theatrical

Biokhraphia, 2002; Appendice,

designed first, thus turning it into

and film productions of Twelve

2007. She made her first video,

a stand-alone outcome as it takes

Angry Lebanese, interpreted by

I Had a Dream, Mom in 2006.

a form of its own. In 2012, he

male inmates residing in the

Today, Saneh spotlights over the

founded the Design Department

Roumieh Prison, received

nature and role of acts on stage,

at Académie Libanaise des

international recognition and

asking about the role which might

Beaux-Arts. His works have been

brought much-needed attention

be carried out by body language

shown in Beirut, Paris, Milan,

to the issue of penitentiary

in a virtual world marked by the

Dubai, Miami and Basel.

reform in Lebanon.

idealization of the physical body.

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Marc Baroud is a designer, with

LEBANON 9 Marwan Rechnaoui Yazan Halwani Mireille Honein

Yazan Halwani is an artist from

Mireille Honein is a Lebanese

Lebanese artist whose work often

Beirut combining Arabic

sculptor who lives and works

deals with themes of urban

calligraphy and graffiti on walls.

between Paris and Beirut. She is a

development and social history.

By breaking away from the

committed feminist and strong

His Beirut Caoutchouc is a large

meaning of the word, Yazan

advocate for freedom. Among her

black rubber floor mat in the

makes calligraphy understood to

various works, she created a

shape of Beirut’s current map.

everyone. He has painted and

paper wedding dress as a protest

Embossed in precise detail with

exhibited his work in Lebanon,

against rape. "I will go so far as to

roads and byways and segmented

UAE, France, Germany, Tunisia,

twist the standards of beauty so

into 60 individual pieces that

Singapore and the USA.

that my work is at the service of

demarcate the neighbourhoods,

His murals are distinctive by their

my cause,”Since 1988, Honeïn

Rechmaoui’s powerful installation

incorporation into the city and

sculpts and produces installations

scrutinises the physical and social

their strong messages relating to

with varied materials. Her works

formation of one of the world’s

the current context in the world

have been exhibited in many

most conflicted cities.

and specifically the Middle-East.

shows and in public spaces.

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Marwan Rechmaoui is a

Turning Inward

By Ramsey Dau Courtesy Ramsey Dau/ Creative Superstore.

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RAMSEY DAU

Fall in big red leaves fall on me

By Jisan Ahn Courtesy Jisan Ahn.

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JISAN AHN

THE WARM SOUL OF COPENHAGEN

ÅRSTIDERNE ARCHITECTS X HOUSE OF FINN JUHL The Interior of Dehn's Mansion, Copenhagen.

The interior of Dehn's historical mansion

Dehn's Mansion is a classical Copenhagen

in the inner city of Copenhagen turns

building that is worthy of preservation.

back time, paying homage to the soul of

It resides as the neighbor to the Marble

Copenhagen.

Church and Amalienborg. Today the building houses a philanthropic foundation and is

This is achieved via a dark colour scheme,

carefully designed by balancing the richness

natural materials, the characteristic

of detail and historical architecture with the

architecture of the property, mood, richness

needs of modern business life.

exclusive designs.

The interior is made up of an open office

To complement the beautiful rooms of the

plan, lounge, reception area, quiet zones,

classical property a selection of furniture

private offices and a special innovation room,

from House of Finn Juhl - Onecollection has

which can be modified for multiple purposes

been used to decorate many of the rooms in

- for instance group work, informal meetings,

the mansion.

lectures or events for business partners.

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of detail and a selection of Finn Juhl's

THE WARM SOUL OF COPENHAGEN The interior is made up of an open office plan, lounge, reception area, quiet zones, private offices and a special innovation room, which can be modified for multiple purposes - for instance group work, informal meetings, lectures or events for business partners.

"When designing the interior at Dehn's Mansion, we have extensively attempted to recreate and conserve as much of the original expression in every room as possible. At the same time, we have tried to create a modern workspace. Instead of fighting against and trying to hide the quirks and crookedness of the house we have opted to highlight them.

We did so consciously, using materials and colours that would incorporate them, making them an active part of the architecture" says Mette Gravergaard. She is the creative manager of Spaceplanning & Interior Design at the architecture firm Årstiderne Arkitekter, who has been responsible for the mansion's interior design.

characterized by dark and powerful colours, that underline the architecture of each room, such as woodwork and high panels.

The colour scheme remains consistent throughout the building and is even employed to create niches and smaller confined zones within the rooms.

The entire interior shares a common use of materials. Natural materials such as browned copper, natural stone, wood, wool and aniline leather are present in every room.

A common trait for these materials is that they all patinate beautifully. Furthermore, curtains, rugs and upholstered furniture are incorporated to increase the acoustic quality and create a warm and welcoming mood.

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The interior design of Dehn's Mansion is

To complement the beautiful rooms of the classical property a selection of furniture from House of Finn Juhl Onecollection has been used to decorate many of the rooms in the mansion.

For example, Kasper Salto and Thomas Sigsgaard's modern, classic Council Chair has been used to furnish the large meeting room. Additionally, selected Finn Juhl pieces adorn the interior.

"Finn Juhl is the perfect example of a designer who lives up to the functional demands of the present, while also maintaining an unusually high standard in terms of design, aesthetics and quality. His furniture is famous for being extremely well crafted while patinating beautifully. Both are elements that go hand in hand with the textures, architecture and atmosphere that we have been striving to obtain here at Dehn's Man-sion" Mette Gravergaard states.

The furniture has been chosen in close collaboration with House of Finn Juhl Onecollection.

Hans Henrik Sørensen, founder of House of Finn Juhl - Onecollection, says about the furnishing of Dehn's Mansion: "To Finn Juhl, it was crucial to make all elements of an interior interact and complement each other, thus creating a objective always was to create so called "Gesamtkunstwerk" [defined by the Germans as works of art in which several art forms are united].

His furniture suits modern and classical architecture alike, because they are organic and natural. The same applies to Salto & Sigsgaard's Council Chair, which was designed for the Finn Juhl Chamber in the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York.

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uniform expression. Finn Juhl's

functional interior that please both the body

In Dehn's distinguished mansion, Årstiderne Architects have shown a particularly clever understanding of

and the senses at a very high level - just like a

the old bulding. They have created

true 'Gesamtkunstwerk' should."

an unpreten-tious and functional interior that please both the body and the senses at a very high level just like a true "Gesamtkunstwerk" should".

As part of the interior design, modern glass walls have been incorporated in carefully selected spots, to define and separate meeting and conversational rooms.

The glass walls have been constructed with a refined degree of detail, that integrate with the architecture of the rooms. On some glass surfaces, shielding fabrics of a poetic, paperlike and Japanese expression have been used to complete Finn Juhl's impeccable designs. The lighting has been designed such that it is adjusted to the specific room and professional purpose hereof. Light and shadow effects have been deliberately exploited to underline various expressions, quirks and moods.

"When working with the lighting we have not shied away from shadows and dark corners. These have an effect and help in bringing forth the details of each room and workzone with their different purposes and atmospheres. In the casual areas of the office we have used dampened lighting" Mette Gravergaard says.

The lighting design has been executed in cooperation with Møller and Rothe.

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"They have created an unpreten-tious and

Joachim West joachimwest.com

DESTIG.COM 382 .p

FEATURED ON

"A SCULPTOR WITH A DEEP PASSION AND UNIQUELY REFINED TOUCH" - DESTIGÂ

IN MEMORIAM - WRITTEN BY HER HUSBAND BURTON SPIVAK

1438 2. p. p

MARCIA SPIVAK

ERUTAEF LAICEPS A sculptor of metal horses, Marcia Spivak

One day I was walking on the boardwalk, head

worked at her art for more than a decade

buried in a book, when I bumped into a woman,

until her untimely death in February 2015.

causing her to drop the book she was carrying.

I picked it up, the same book that I was reading!

Her love of horses probably began in Omaha,

The stars had aligned for me that day.

Nebraska, where her maternal grandfather bought and sold cattle from his own stockyards. Marcia spent some early summers there, working and riding alongside her grandfather, Fritz, and she returned to this

"THE ZEN OF FLUID MOTION."

heartland city to visit family throughout our

She grew up in Columbus, Ohio in an equestrian culture, grooming, training and riding horses through her teenage years.

She continued to ride and jump at various barns near our home in Wilton, Connecticut.

I met Marcia in St. Lucia, where she went to ride, and I went to lie on the beach and read.

Marcia’s intimate knowledge of the allure, conformation, performance, and majesty of horses translated magically into authentic sculptural renderings that conjured the power and energy of horses from found sheet steel scraps in what one equestrian magazine has called “the Zen of Fluid Motion.” Often mounted on wood, steel, or stone bases, her pieces ranged from tabletop size to larger than life.

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marriage.

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She had one serious accident when the saw

www.marciaspivak.com

slipped and cut deeply into her right hand.

There was fear of nerve damage, but a brilliant hand surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City saved the day, and Marcia did

Her technique was mid-welding, using heat and

some of her best work after her surgery.

electricity to bend and shape a steel scrap into the perfect form, size, and placement of a rib, an

Marcia’s works have been sold to collectors

ear or a mane that she had already imagined as

around the country and the world, from

an intricate part of a fully formed and artistically

Connecticut to California, from New York to

proportioned horse. Like all inspired artists, she

Qatar. My favorite piece stood in the atrium of

saw with her hands, and sometimes I think she

the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, the

could have created her frozen images of horses

centerpiece exhibit in the Aria’s 2014 celebration

in motion in the dark.

of the Year of the Horse on the Chinese calendar.

Another favorite stands stunningly on loan on the

Marcia’s work as a sculptor was physically

lawn of the Governor’s Mansion in Connecticut,

demanding and dirty. Her studio resembled a

selected along with the works of a handful of

construction site and on days when I brought her

other Connecticut artists.

smoke and metal filings.

Marcia is buried in the Temple Israel Cemetery in

The work was also dangerous. When she worked

Norwalk, Connecticut, and her headstone

with a high-speed circular metal saw, she could

epitaph, selected by our son Ben, concludes with

protect her eyes with goggles but not her hands.

the words “Ride with God.”

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lunch, she sometimes was covered with grime,

MARCIA SPIVAK

Prizes • Best in Show, Spectrum Show, New Canaan Society for the Arts, Juried Exhibition – 2013 • 1st Prize, Sculpture, Spectrum Show, New Canaan Society for the Arts, Juried Exhibition – 2009 • 1st Prize, Sculpture, Silvermine Galleries, 18th Annual Juried Student Exhibition – 2008 • Honorable Mention, Sculpture, Silvermine Galleries, 15th Annual Juried Student Exhibition – 2003 Education • Silvermine School of Art, New Canaan, CT • Sculpture Barn, New Fairfield, CT • Monotypes, Pratt Institute of Art, New York City • B.A., Communications Arts, University of Wisconsin, Madison

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• Monotypes, Women’s Studio Workshop, Rosendale, CT

PhiliPP Pieroth philipp-pieroth.de

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FEATURED ON

DANNY FOX The history and present day story of LA's skid row told through the art of a Brit.

Throughout the twentieth century, the district welcomed those displaced by the currents of history. More than 10,000 homeless lived there during the Great Depression; in the 1960s, returning Vietnam veterans with

addiction came to its treatment centers.

Today, Skid Row has one of the country’s largest consistent homeless populations.

Its character has been forged by newly arrived young men, often immigrants or travelers looking for a new start.

Fox, a Cornwall native who arrived in Los Angeles in 2015 from England, on the chance meeting of painter Henry Taylor in a pub, fits squarely into this narrative.

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The history of Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles, where Danny Fox works, pivots on the stories of migrants. Formerly an agricultural center, the 54-block area was transformed by railroads in the 1870s, becoming a hub for recent arrivals with its brothels, bars, and seedy hotels.

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WHITE-CAKE.COM

DANNY FOX

His paintings, which often train an eye on Skid

chance, environment - than by what he

Row’s inhabitants and rituals, entwine the

perceives as elitist preoccupations with

brutality of contemporary life with idealized

content and its perceived value.

historical imagery.

“Painting isn’t about that for me,” he notes.

Like Taylor, Fox relies on a raw, unfiltered style

In an age of algorithmic means of

of painting that draws attention to the act of

deciphering tastes, Fox remains committed

making itself. In various works in Blood Spots

to thematically painting on a human scale.

on Apple Flesh, Fox looks toward Victorian

He encounters his subject matter through

icons; namely, David Livingstone and the

walks, routines, and habits, keeping his

prodigal son lithographs of the Kellogg

images based on a kind of bartering system

Brothers, celebrated nineteenth-century

with the visual world, reflecting the primitive

American lithographers - realized through

inflections of his works.

flashes of his immediate surroundings.

These famed stories of travelers are captured

Self-taught artist Danny Fox was born in

in the present, both metaphorically and

St.Ives, Cornwall, UK, a seaside town made

figuratively, as Fox paints them through the

famous by its numerous artist residents.

raw, gritty portraiture that is his signature.

Despite moving from the town many years

Fox often asserts that his subject matter is

his work.

arbitrary, realized more so by organic means

After setting his studio in Los Angeles, Fox

of disseminating information-discovery,

recently moved back to the UK.

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ago, Fox’s cornish lineage remains visible in

Kader Attia kaderattia.de

DESTIG.COM 392 .p

FEATURED ON

ENTREVERO

By Cristián Mohaded

RUISEÑOR CHAIR

RIBBON DANCE

By Oscar Hagerman

By André Fu for Louis Vuitton

SEAT IN MIAMI The DESTIG team was on hand at both Art Miami and Design Miami.

We decided to focus on chairs for you. seating to enhance the qualities of any space with a touch of opulent artistry.

MEANDER

By Mattia Bonetti

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Enjoy our selection of wonderful art

TO SIT OR STARE?

CHAISE CB

By Marcel Gascoin

SMILE CHAIR

By Giancarlo Valle

 By Harry Nuriev

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THE OFFICE

GROUP ARMCHAIR

By Philippe Malouin for SCP

UNICORN ROCKER

83-INCH FOAM SOFA

By Daniel Jackson

By Sang Hoon Kim

UNICORN ROCKER

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By Daniel Jackson

"THE BLACK IMAGE CORPORATION" Prada Mode is a branded, culture-themed event platform featuring music, conversation, food, and fashion that generates site-specific experiences in concurrence with diverse global cultural events.

Imagined as a club that augments and extends significant global cultural gatherings at diverse locations worldwide, Prada Mode offers guests exclusive access to unique programs and parties that complement the themes and subjects of the host event. The inaugural iteration – at Freehand Miami from December 4th to 6th 2018 – served as both an exclusive destination and a discreet, elegant retreat from the daily clamor of high-intensity cultural engagements during Art Basel in Miami Beach.

A site-specific intervention by Theaster Gates was present throughout the club.

The installation referenced Gates’s “The Black Image Corporation” exhibition at Fondazione Prada.

Gates highlighted images of contemporary black identity - drawn from an archive of more than four million.

John H. Johnson’s eponymous publishing company launched Ebony in 1945 and Jet in 1951. The impact of these monthly magazines on the dialogue regarding black culture and visual identity remains undeniably important. Further, Gates primarily focuses on sharing imagery of black women.

"It is a way of celebrating the black American image and the under-known photographers and creatives."

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PRADA & THEASTER GATES

THE POWER OF VISION Theaster Gates, a potter by training and a social activist by calling, wanted to do something about the sorry state of

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his neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. So he did,

Theaster Gates, a potter by

Internationally, Gates has

training and a social

also reflected on the

activist by calling, wanted

capacity of art to renew

to do something about the

traditions, upraise

sorry state of his home

connectivity among

area on the south side of

communities or set up

Chicago.

dialogues and exchange

So he did; he began

cultural heritage among

transforming abandoned

cities through his projects,

buildings to create

such as those in Istanbul,

community hubs that

Bristol or Kassel.

connect and inspire those who still live there (and

Some of his propositions

draw in those who don't).

have generated solid

Gates is driven by a fervent

institutions, such as the

belief that culture can be a

Rebuild Foundation.

catalyst for social change

Gates holds a chair at the

in any city, anywhere.

Department of Visual Arts at Chicago University

Gates’s practice embraces

where he supervises the

a wide range of disciplines

Arts and Public Life

and a variety of artistic

program.

vocabularies – sculpture, painting, installation art,

Gates commented: "'The

music and performance –

Black Image Corporation'

as well as urban

is a redeployment of an

development and social

image archive, and an

practice. Starting on the

attempt to wed it to

South Side of Chicago, St

fashion so that the images

Louis and Omaha where

are amplified. In some

his first initiatives on art

cases, these are images

and social activism took

that have never been seen.

place, Gates has

It is a way of celebrating

subsequently advised

the black American image,

individuals and

but also a way of

organizations in other US

celebrating the under-

cities (Detroit, Akron, and

known photographers and

Gary, to name just a few)

creatives in the context for

on how to conceive and

which those images were

carry out initiatives

made, which is exactly this

aiming to regenerate

context."

deprived urban areas by merging pragmatism and and “artistic gestures”.

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creativity, urban planning

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THE BEST EXHIBTIONSÂ OF THIS SEASON

NAJILA EL ZEIN TRANSITION FRIEDMAN BENDA, NYC, USA February - April 2019 Transition will be Beirut-based designer Najla El Zein’s first solo exhibition.

Developed over the course of two years, this marks the debut presentation of three series: Distortion, Fragmented Pillar and Seduction.

Organic and gestural, these objects act as varied embodiments of El Zein’s personal journey and progression as a designer.

Alluding to the pregnant form, Distortion illustrates various stages of the body’s transformation. Demonstrated in a series of concrete benches, this body of work explores how this impact is experienced through material and spatial composition.

These highly-contoured silhouettes create a surrealist sense of dislocation, while embracing the sense of femininity and sensuality.

Najla El Zein was born in Beirut in 1983.

Product Design and Interior Architecture.

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She graduated from Ecole Camondo, Paris, in

NICK BRANDT THIS EMPTY WORLD ATLAS GALLERY, LONDON, UK February – March 2019 Nick Brandt is a British photographer known for his striking black-and-white images of animals on the African continent, as seen in his photobook Inherit the Dust (2016).

Melding fine art with activism, Brandt focuses on endangered animals and environmental threats. The artist often stages large blown up photographs within industrial wastelands or cities, multiplying the metaphor inherent to his work. “My images are unashamedly idyllic and romantic, a kind of enchanted Africa,” he has said of his work. “They're my elegy to a world that is steadily, tragically vanishing.”

Born in 1964 in London, United Kingdom, Brandt studied film and painting at Saint Martin’s School of Art. It was while he was directing a video for Michael Jackson in the East African wilderness first came to him.

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Tanzania in 1995 that the idea of photographing

VARIOUS ARTISTS SAMARITANS GALERIE EVA PRESENHUBER, NYC, USA January – March 2019 Curated by Dan Nadel. Featuring works: Ellen Berkenblit, Huma Bhabha, Joe Bradley, Joan Brown, Steve DiBenedetto, Carroll Dunham, Christopher Forgues, Jason Fox, Mike Kelley, Takeshi Murata, Gary Panter, Sarah Peters, Laurie Simmons, Kyle Staver, Alan Turner, Michael Williams.

Myth-making; emotive figuration; idol worship; humanism and its defects. There is also a sprawling and sometimes gnarled network here: Each artist is connected to at least one other, and usually more, by friendship, inspiration, and influence.

A few ways in: Gary Panter’s drawing of a gentle metaphysical picnic, which is used as a map; Ellen Berkenblit’s striding familiar offering hope; Jason Fox’s eternal hulk bridging mud and brink of saving or suiciding; The amorphous figure of refusal by Mike Kelley.

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cosmos; Laurie Simmons’ action figure, on the

ULRIKE ROSENBACH & ANGELA BRANDYS FEMININE PRISKA PASQUER, COLOGNE, GERMANY December 2018 – February 2019 ULRIKE ROSENBACH (born 1943), the pioneer of feminist art, has used photography and performance video since 1972. She has been enormously influential for younger generations of artists. Rather than seeing video as a documentation medium, ULRIKE ROSENBACH harnesses it for experimental and artistic purposes. In her “Action/Performances” and “Video Live Actions”, she was one of the first artists – of any gender – to work with live video cameras. The video camera allowed her to better define her role as a woman artist and subject of her own art while challenging

which she explores the complex interplay

traditional female representations. Her themes

between physical and mental experience.

remain highly topical and relevant.

ANGELA BRANDYS constructs sculpturally experiences. Her photos show herself as the

BRANDYS (born 1988) works with painting,

onscreen protagonist in her own plot where the

sculpture and photography. The key

subconscious is re-experienced and where the

characteristic of her work is its hybridity.

virtual and the physical worlds often overlap

This applies both to the fashion creations made

through the reprocessing of imagery through

from found objects and the artistic works in

the screen.

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focused scenes using her own body or its Coming from a fashion background, ANGELA

OSKAR KOKOSCHKA A RETROSPECTIVE KUNSTHAUS ZURICH, SWITZERLAND December 2018 – March 2019 The Kunsthaus Zürich presents Oskar Kokoschka – Expressionist, migrant and pacifist – in the first retrospective of his work in Switzerland for 30 years. The highlights among the more than 200 exhibits include the monumental ‘Prometheus Triptych’ and the ‘Mural for Alma Mahler’, which have never before been seen in Switzerland.

Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980) is, along with Francis Picabia and Pablo Picasso, one of a generation of artists who retained their Second World War, even as abstract art was

brushwork, praise his open-minded,

consolidating its predominance. It is also thanks

cosmopolitan attitudes or share the pacifism

to them that non-representational painting and

that, especially after the traumatic experiences of

figurative art can now be practised side by side

the First World War, runs like a thread through

without partisan feuding. Artists of the present

Kokoschka’s work, life and legacy.

day acknowledge their debt to Kokoschka in

Following his last major solo show in 1986, the

particular. For Nancy Spero, Herbert Brandl and

Kunsthaus now sets out to acquaint a new

Denis Savary, his expressionistic style is an

generation of visitors with this artist, who died by

explicit or implicit source of inspiration. They

Lake Geneva in 1980 and whose works are held in

value the gestural articulation of his

substantial numbers in both Vevey and Zurich.

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allegiance to figurative painting after the

DIANA THATER

A Runaway World (2016–17) features two twin

A RUNAWAY WORLD

video installations recently produced in Kenya,

GUGGENHEIM BILBAO

through which Thater explores the lives and

November 29, 2018 – March 18, 2019

habitats of two species that are close to extinction - rhinos and elephants - and evokes the illicit

Since the early 1990s, Diana Thater (b. 1962, San

economies that threaten their survival.

Francisco) has been a pioneer of video installation, combining new technologies of the moving image

As Radical as Reality follows Sudan, the world's last

with forms that defy the narrative conventions of

living male northern white rhino, and the guards

film and video.

who protect him from poachers in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

By manipulating color in the exhibition space and using projection screens and monitors as a

A Runaway World, the work that lends its title to

medium, Thater’s works simultaneously engage in

the exhibition, portrays a herd of bull elephants

dialogue with key references in art history - from

and their habitat in Kenya's Chyulu Hills.

Impressionism to Minimal art - and address major concerns in contemporary culture. Her immersive,

Both works display a similar distant, descriptive,

color-saturated video environments dramatically

sometimes wandering gaze; both observe their

affect the hosting architecture. They stage a

subjects in silence, and tacitly invite us to consider

coalescence of beauty and criticality, or, in the

their existence on earth, and their disappearance.

artist’s own words, “the tension between science

Using a signature display mode in her work, the

and magic”. Meanwhile, her installations skillfully

artist superimposes the abstract and the

point out the nuanced differences that distinguish

descriptive, confronting sheer color planes with

seeing from looking. Amongst key themes in

documentary images.

species as a result of human activity.

Curator: Manuel Cirauqui

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Thater’s oeuvre are the life conditions of animal

SIMONE FATTAL

She fled Lebanon in 1980 and settled in California,

A RETROSPECTIVE

where she founded the Post-Apollo Press, a

MoMA NYC

publishing house dedicated to innovative and

March 31–September 2, 2019

experimental literary work. In 1988 she enrolled in a course at the Art Institute of San Francisco, which

MoMA PS1 presents the first solo museum

prompted a return to her artistic practice and a

exhibition in the United States of the work of

newfound dedication to sculpture and ceramics.

Simone Fattal (Lebanese and American, b. 1942).

Fattal currently lives in Paris, and she has had

This retrospective brings together a selection of

recent exhibitions at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent

over 100 abstract and figurative ceramic

Marrakech (2018), the Rochechouart Departmental

sculptures, paintings, and collages created over

Museum of Contemporary Art (2017), and the

the last 40 years, drawing from a range of sources

Sharjah Art Foundation (2016).

including war narratives, landscape painting, ancient history, mythology, and Sufi poetry to

Time is the great conceit of the sculptures of

explore the impact of displacement as well as the

Simone Fattal. Kneaded clay suggests the repeated

politics of archeology and excavation.

touch of a human hand, but also summons up the ravages of time. Figures look as old as the earth and

Fattal was born in Damascus, Syria, and raised in

yet they breathe. “The dead are coming back in

Lebanon, where she studied philosophy at the

order to fight again” reads a line from The

École des Lettres in Beirut. She then moved to

Beirut-Hell Express, a poem from 1983 by Etel

Paris, where she continued her philosophical

Adnan. The dead speak to us, too: I once was a

pursuits at the Sorbonne. In 1969 she returned to

warrior. I once was a father. I once was master of

Beirut and began working as a visual artist,

this land. I once was, I once was echoes again and

exhibiting her paintings locally until the start of

again. Their grandiloquence is shabby.

Organized by Ruba Katrib, Curator, with Josephine Graf, Curatorial Assistant, MoMA PS1.

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the Lebanese Civil War.

STEPHANIE J. FROSTAD

This quality lends her stories a seemingly

THE EVOCATIVE MOMENT

supernatural, yet universal quality, a morality

MONTANA MUSEUM OF ART & CULTURE

perhaps most closely identified with fables. Indeed,

February 28 - June 15, 2019

her fascination with traditions and myths is befitting her long-standing inquiry into identity,

Through works spanning the artist’s career, this

relationships, community, and place.

exhibition surveys Frostad’s creative concern with

As she explains, “I explore these with equal interest

myths and metaphors brought to life as pictorial

in the actual and the metaphorical, striving always

realism. The storytelling tradition is vital to her

to combine convincing naturalism with provocative

mission: to create a truly democratic art. “As a

symbolism.” Ultimately, Frostad is fulfilled by the

narrative painter,” she states, “my objective is to

response her pictures bring about in her viewers, as

present the essential elements of a story…”

they respond with their own stories.

In striving toward this aim, she builds pictures that are sometimes joyful, sometimes mysterious, uncanny, even dark.

In the most arresting works, the viewer is struck with a prevailing sense that a pivotal event is looming, or has just taken place. By her own description, this is no accident: “With careful measures of clarity and ambiguity, I hope to create imaginative space for viewers to bring their own perspectives and experiences into the tale.”

to drawing, using graphite to delineate form while imbuing her work with an enigmatic aura.

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In her most recent compositions, Frostad returns

PAULA REGO

autobiographical elements and elements of real

THE CRUEL STORIES OF PAULA REGO

life, that of the contemporary world and its social

MUSEE DEL ORANGERIE PARIS

and political issues, with a contemporary twist.

Ongoing Exhibition

Dark narratives, her paintings seem to be taken from a cruel tale and evoke women's issues in

The only female artist in the London Group, Paula

strange scenes, going against social codes.

Rego set herself apart with her strongly figurative, literary, incisive and singular work.

"My favourite themes are power games and hierarchies. I always want to turn things on their

Born in Lisbon in 1935, Paula Rego left Portugal

heads, to upset the established order, to change

and Salazar’s oppressive dictatorship as an

heroines and idiots".

adolescent to study in London where she has now

In this aspect, Paula Rego’s ideas reflect those of

lived for over fifty years.

Hogarth, Goya and Grosz, questioning established conventions and revealing with irony the traits of

Trained at the Slade School of Arts, she rubbed

bourgeois society embodied by family, religion and

shoulders with the likes of Francis Bacon, Lucian

the State.

Freud, Frank Auerbach, and David Hockney.

Drawing her inspiration from the mannequins, dolls As a painter, she produces large pastel polyptychs

and masks staged in her studio, Paula Rego creates

with exceptional flair. Obsessed by a certain

characters and animals which she transforms and

literature and cultural vision of the 19th century,

distorts, thus creating large-format playlets where

both realistic and imaginary, like her fellow

reality and fiction, dreams and nightmares merge.

Paula Rego intertwines these references (Jane

General curator

Eyre, Peter Pan, Daumier, Goya, Lewis Carroll,

Cécile Debray, Chief Curator, director of the

Hogarth, Ensor, Degas, etc.) with strongly

Musée de l'Orangerie

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countryman and film director Manoel de Oliveira,

VARIOUS ARTISTS APPROACHING AMERICAN ABSTRACTION SAN FRANCISCO MOMA Ongoing Exhibition This exhibition of selected American artists explores the diverse approaches to abstraction developed since 1950, from the forceful brushwork of Lee Krasner to the contemplative canvases and reliefs of Ellsworth Kelly and the enigmatic wood forms of Martin Puryear.

The variety of materials and techniques included in this presentation testifies to abstraction’s enduring potential as a form of artistic expression.

Approaching American Abstraction is the result of an innovative partnership established in 2009 between the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection and the San Francisco Museum of Museum Art. The galleries showcase the shared strengths and complementary nature of the Museum's holdings through presentations that blend artworks from the Fishers with pieces from the museum’s

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collection and occasionally other lenders.

RIIKO SAKKINEN

Riiko Sakkinen was born 1976 in Helsinki, Finland.

After graduating from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, in 2002, he moved to Spain, where he is

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headquartered in Pepino, a tiny village in the province of Toledo.

RIIKO SAKKINEN

He is the founder of Turbo Realism, a 21st century art movement which depicts the globalized capitalism with a mocking verisimilitude. He does drawings, paintings, murals, objects, slideshows, hypermarkets to drug cartels.

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installations and interventions about the consumer culture from fast-food to prostitution and from

RIIKO SAKKINEN

He believes, according to Pablo Picasso's words, that the art is not made to decorate rooms.

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It is an offensive weapon in the defense against the enemy.

RIIKO SAKKINEN

Riiko Sakkinen's works have been exhibited widely around the world in galleries, museums and biennials, such as Museum of Modern Art, New York; Camden Arts Centre, London; Musac Beijing 798 Biennale.

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Museum of Contemporary Art, Leon, Spain; Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki and

RIIKO SAKKINEN

His works are included in the permanent collections of several museums including The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Helsinki Art Museum HAM, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki,

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Serlachius Museums, Mänttä, and Bury Art Museum.

RIIKO SAKKINEN THE FOUNDER OF TURBO REALISM

www.riikosakkinen.com