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DONTPOSTME #6 FALL ISSUE DONTPOSTME - A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE ABOUT THE LATEST TRENDS OF CONTEMPORARY ART.

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PROLOGUE:

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PHOTOGRAPHY

pt.1 ANGEX LIN...............................................................9

DENISSE GARCIA..................................................16

CLAIRE DORN........................................................23 JUSTIN BARTELS..................................................27

JESSICA DONNELAN...........................................38

INTERVIEW

ANGEX LIN Minimalistic works, created by a Taiwan-based photographer Angex Lin, are often inspired by the romance of youth, and at the very first sight they carry the viewer into their own secret world of calmness and tranquility. To get into this world it is enough to see Lin’s ‘where/to’ series, which is a part of his travel photography collection. In this issue of DONTPOSTME you can read the interview with the author of this series, share his thoughts and see the world through his eyes.

WHERE/TO

http://angexlin.com/

INTERVIEW

WHERE/TO

INTERVIEW

“I SHOOT WHAT I KNOW, WHATEVER AND WHENEVER I WANT”

DPM: Hello, Angex. To start with, could you please introduce yourself to our readers? Angex: Born and live in Taipei, Taiwan. A chemist. R’n’R and caffeine addict. Self-taught photographer. DPM: Angex, but how did you become a photographer? Angex: I don't know whether I should be called a photographer. I am not a professional one who makes a living from photography, and I do not receive education in art or anything like that. Actually, I didn't own ANY camera until 25. Photography is like a parallel universe to me at that time. Then one day I happened to bought a DSLR for the trip to Germany, and I soon realized that I had discovered a new world. However, I quickly became bored with the sterile image it produced and started to shoot film. I like to try different kind of camera, from Holga, Polaroid, medium format to point-and-shoot camera. I have been a photoholic for 6 years and I carry my camera everywhere. Why there is such a dramatic transformation is still beyond my understanding. DPM: Where does your creative inspiration come from? Angex: My inspiration mostly comes from ordinary daily life. I like to take snap shot without a fixed type of subject or style. I shoot what I know, whatever and whenever I want. Interestingly, those daily "junk" photos and the process of photographing them in turn inspire me. They open a different perspective on life and let me appreciate all the good things I already have. DPM: How did you create a "where/to" project? Who participated in this project and where exactly were the photographs taken? Angex: I'm lucky to meet some friends from flickr who are passionate about photography. Over the past few year we have traveled around Taiwan to look for the abandoned places and rare landscapes. “Where / To” series is part of my travel photography collection. Photos were taken at desert, abandoned beach and deep forest, with tiny people blend into the ethereal simplicity, to express the emotional impact from the given time and space. Most of the people in the photos are strangers, and some of them are my friends. Unfortunately, the progress of the project is quite slow due to the fact that Taiwan is too small and not so photogenic. It's too crowded and over developed. DPM: Are you looking forward to creating any exciting projects in the near future? Angex: I love to sleep, and I'm planning a project of photographing people falling asleep, at work.

WHERE/TO

INTERVIEW

WHERE/TO

INTERVIEW

WHERE/TO

INTERVIEW

WHERE/TO

INTERVIEW

WHERE/TO

INTERVIEW

DENISSE GARCIA Denisse Garcia lives and studies in Barcelona (Spain), where she has moved to from her native La Habana. Despite her young age, Denisse has already managed to create her own style in such a complex form of art as photography. In this issue of dontpostme we are glad to represent you the photographs from her latest project with a mysterious name â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Reifiedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. http://cargocollective.com/denisse

REIFIED

INTERVIEW

REIFIED

INTERVIEW

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I'VE TRIED HIGHLIGHT OUR INTENTION TO CONSTANTLY SEARCH THE MEANING OF ALL THINGSâ&#x20AC;? 19

DPM: Denisse, what inspired you to create the "Reified" project? Denisse: The inspiration came when I was viewing photographs about crime scenes in New York and some of Weegee's photographs. I liked the way these photographers "staged" a fact as horrible as it was a murder and the way they portrayed the corpse giving them a beautiful compositional harmony compared with the fact that photography itself tells. I have always been inclined by an aseptic tone in my photos and I guess I was inspired by these elements and bringing them my way of making photographs born my project "Reified". DPM: Who participated in your project? Denisse: It was a personal project, but obviously I was helped by some friends and teachers who guided me in the process. DPM: What is the main message of "Reified" photo project? Denisse: Message of this project is to ask if we can pictures irrationally. In domestic places where I gave to the scene an absurd tone which a reified anonymous human being appears, I've tried highlight our intention to constantly search the meaning of all things. In order to achieve my purpose I intended to make pictures that break our perception of everyday life.

REIFIED

INTERVIEW

REIFIED

OVERVIEW

CLAIRE DORN Claire Dorn was born in 1980, french with german background. Now she is living and working in Paris. The work revolves around delicacy and rigor, always with a pictorial result firmly in mind. Precise direction, square format, light and color calibration, are wandering between poetry and concrete art. http://www.clairedorn.com/index.htm

COLORFIELD

OVERVIEW

24 Colorfied (2010/2012) â&#x20AC;&#x153;A study tribute to the work of Rothko. The starting point of these images is contemplative, and ultimately revolve around a search for more abstract photographyâ&#x20AC;?.

COLORFIELD

OVERVIEW

COLORFIELD

INTERVIEW

JUSTIN BARTELS “IMPRESSION Series, showing what women wear to attract men and how that literally hurts/binds/imprints them.”

IMPRESSION

http://justinalexanderbartels.com/

INTERVIEW

“I LOVE TO EXPLORE IT WITH MY EYES AND SENSES AND BECOME IMMERSED IN IT”

DPM: Hello, Justin. First of all, could you please tell few words about yourself to our readers. Justin: I'm 28 years old and currently live in San Diego, California. I own my own photography and retouching business as well as the Creative Coordinator for ResorTime.com, shooting various resorts in the United States. I love photographing commercial sports and fashion, but have experience in a wide variety of other genres such as product and lifestyle imagery. DPM: Please, tell us about your “IMPRESSION” series, which is considered to be the one of the most sexual projects of the present. Justin: My “IMPRESSION” series came about from my background in Sociology from my first Bachelor's Degree at Cal. State University of San Marcos. I always found it interesting the trends in fashion and what women specifically do to enhance their features to gain attraction or attention. DPM: How did you create this project? Justin: Through relationships I noticed that once these enhancing articles of clothing were off there was always a distinct impression in the skin. I would hear complaints of discomfort, and was curious why these women put themselves through that for getting noticed. The psychological elements interested me, so I researched what other items of fashion that cause discomfort and went out to document it. From the foot to the head there were different ways a woman alters their appearance that physically discomforts them, all in the name of projecting a certain image of themselves.

IMPRESSION

"NEED A LIFT?"

"HOT JEANS FOR A HOT BODY"

"UNDERWIRE CUPS GIVE LAUREN'S BOOBS A BOOST"

"HEAD TURNING HEELS"

"JUST THE RIGHT DECORATION TO GET HIS BLOOD PUMPING"

"BOUDOIR-LICIOUS LINGERIE"

"GET THE CELEBRITY LOOK WITH THESE SKINNY JEANS"

INTERVIEW

DPM: Justin, how did you get into photography? Justin: I started taking pictures since I was a child on our numerous vacations that I was fortunate to go on. I loved exploring new worlds and capturing that on film, and sharing that with the people closest to me. I love everything visual from a great photograph, cinema, or a piece of art from a variety of mediums, I love to explore it with my eyes and senses and become immersed in it. DPM: And aside from work, what are you in to? Justin: I truly love athletics, as an athlete myself I know what it is to push your body to the limit, and I always want to capture that in my photographs. I also have a big passion for fashion, always keeping up with current trends and marketing. I love to work with a model directing them and pushing them to give their most to create the best image where the viewer can truly be transformed by it. DPM: Where does your creative inspiration come from? Justin: Inspiration comes from a variety of sources, movies, television, books, conversations, I have drawn from it all. I usually will be going through a variety or artistic channels and get a "light bulb" epiphany moment of an idea for a shoot, and from there I start researching what has been done before. I love to push myself in creating a truly unique image, creating an image instead of just taking an image.

IMPRESSION

"GET SEXY CLEAVAGE"

OVERVIEW

JESSICA DONNELAN Photographs taken by Jessica Donnelan canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave the audience cold to the feeling of affection and beauty they are permeated with. Mixing fashion style to the best trends of contemporary photography Jessica manages to create an intimate atmosphere in every shot. http://jessicadonnellan.4ormat.com/

PERSONAL

OVERVIEW

I was born in Brooklyn, New York twenty-years-ago. Photography quickly became a passion of mine after receiving my first camera at the age of eleven. I always have been interested in portraiture and fashion, specifically because of the creative freedom you have with every element in the photograph. My subjects are often my family and friends and focus on the intimate connection I have with them. By using fashion I can create a new character for these individuals, showcasing a certain trait I see within this person. I am currently living on Long Island, New York and am studying at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan for my BFA in Photography. This Fall I will be moving to Paris for the semester to broaden my skills, as well as expand myself as a fashion photographer.

PERSONAL

pt.2 MIYA ANDO...........................................................47

DANIEL STEPANEK..............................................58

HENRIETTA HARRIS.............................................66 JOAN SALO............................................................77

ANDY DENZLER....................................................84

HENRIK ULDALEN................................................103

FINE ARTS

INTERVIEW

MIYA ANDO

Miya Ando is one of the most popular users of tumblr.com web-site. The secret of her fame is that she is an incredibly talented artist from America, and her subtle works are worth-seeing for anyone interested in post-minimalist contemporary art. Each of her projects and exhibitions attracts the attention of both common people and the mass media. Living in New York and being engaged in her favorite process of making art, Miya creates amazing minimalistic paintings, sculptures, installations and photographs.

MIYA ANDO

http://miyaando.com/

INTERVIEW

Personal photo: credit by L. Young for Dixten

â&#x20AC;&#x153;MY STYLE IS THE RESULT OF MY CONTINUED SEEKING OF SIMPLICITY IN MY PROCESS AND AESTHETICâ&#x20AC;?

49 DPM: To start with, please, tell us how did you get into illustration? When did you understand that it has become a part of your life? Miya: I grew up seeing Buddhist Imagery and sculptures around me; I was always fascinated by these objects which contained ancient teachings. I loved the idea of having a dialogue without speaking and only with images. I was compelled to make things on my own and as soon as I started to show people, I realized that I was on my path. DPM: Miya, how did you find personal, original style in art? Where does your creative inspiration usually come from ? Miya: I am inspired by the nature of my materials, to reveal and pay homage to steel, for example. My style is the result of my continued seeking of simplicity in my process and aesthetic. I hope to distill each piece I make to the point of refinement. DPM: And as for the main idea of your projects, what is it? What message are you trying to convey to your audience? Miya: Interconnectivity and peacefulness, harmony, transformation and transcendence. Awareness of the beauty in all things in life being transitory and the idea that this force connects each of us. DPM: Your CV contains a lot of information about your exhibitions and collaborations. Could you please tell us about some key moments of your career? When did you realize that you have become a famous painter and how did it feel? Miya: I am not sure if I am a famous painter or not, but key moments in my career thus far was was when I had the privilege and honor of creating two sculptures out of World Trade Center Steel to commemorate September 11. Also my most happy moment was when Kankai Roushi, the former head priest of Daitoku-ji, Japan's largest Zen temple acquired my painting.

MIYA ANDO

INTERVIEW

GHOST SERIES

INTERVIEW

STEEL PAINTING SERIES

INTERVIEW

54 DPM: Miya, are you working on any exciting new projects now? Miya: Yes, I am very excited about my solo exhibition in New York, opening June 20, 2013 at Sundaram Tagore Gallery. The show is called 'Mujo' Impermanence. I am also excited to travel to Denmark later this month, I have been commissioned by Bang and Olufsen to create a special, limited edition artist project. DPM: Is there anyone who has recently astonished you in art? Who is it, if yes? Miya: I was astonished by the very powerful and profoundly moving works of Hiroshi Senju. DPM: And aside from work, what are you in to? Miya: I am very into my family and my loved ones, spending time with my friends is my most important thing. DPM: Few questions about Russia. In one of your interviews there was said that you are ethnically half-Japanese and half-Russian. Please, tell us few words about your origin. Miya: My father's parents immigrated to America from Odessa, they landed first in New York. I very much hope to visit Russia and that region someday! DPM: What places (cities, museums, etc.) in Russia seem interesting and worth-visiting to you? Miya: I was very blessed to be part of a traveling exhibition to The State Hermitage curated by Leah Stuhltrager last year. I would very much like to visit this museum and St. Petersburg. DPM: And this question is the last question. Miya, what would you wish to our kind readership? Miya: I thank you for your time in reading about my work and I wish you peace and tranquility.

MIYA ANDO

INTERVIEW

LUMINOUS STEEL SERIES

REFLECTION

CUBES

INTERVIEW

DANIEL STEPANEK Daniel Stepanek is a self-taught artist living in Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdom. Influenced by such artists as Antony Micallef, Basquiat, Johan Van Mullem, Cesare Lucchini and Melissa Cooke, Daniel has created his own specific style with non-standard approaches and original techniques, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what makes him different from other artists. http://danstep.deviantart.com/ http://www.danielstepanek.co.uk

PAINTINGS

LOVE, 2013

LORD, 2013

INTERVIEW

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I LOVE ART THAT HAS SOME GRRRRRRâ&#x20AC;?

61 DPM: First of all, Daniel, could you please introduce yourself to the readers of dontpostme? Daniel: Hello readers of dontpostme, my name is Dan. Pleased to meet you. DPM: Daniel, how did you start your career as an illustrator? Daniel: I have been drawing ever since I was boy, people used to say I was good so I just carried on. Friends and family have always encouraged me to draw and it is something I would often lose myself in. I would copy my favorite cartoon characters and stick them to my bedroom wall and have piles of sketch books with random little characters in that I would make up. I studied Illustration at university but changed after the first year to Graphic Design. My work then had no direction; I didn't really understand what it was all about. I was just painting nice pictures with no real message. It took another 10 years after that to realize there shouldn't be any restrictions to my ideas which lead me to really look at art with bigger eyes. The first time I watched the film Basquiat I was hooked. The raw style he has fascinated me. Five years after that I finally managed to find some sort of a style and it's only from last December I really tried to use oil paints as a medium. Better late than never hey! DPM: What are the main sources of your creative incpiration? Daniel: There is inspiration everywhere. I love passionate people, regardless of what they do. If someone loves what they are doing it gives me a massive boost. The positivity they shine is infectious. Artist Antony Micallef is right at the top. That is the standard I am trying to follow. Basquiat, Johan Van Mullem, Cesare Lucchini, Melissa Cooke and Ross Bowns all have that spark that makes me stop and stare. I love art that has some Grrrrrr. You can receive great visions when you are feeling really tired too. I could be walking around like a zombie but I am flying inside. Sleep deprivation can make the simplest of things glow. DPM: Are you planning to create any exciting projects in the near future? Daniel: My plan now is create bigger and bolder pieces. I have 2 huge blank canvases growling at me that I plan to attack. Just recently I have been signed up to a great gallery called RedPropeller and they have some great artists with them so my standards have to rise. It's a really exciting time for me now, it's taken a long time to get this far and I feel like I've just started, like it's the first day at school... Am I late for class again? :)

PAINTINGS

INTERVIEW

TOMMY, 2013 30CM X 45CM OIL

INTERVIEW

MARCO, 2013 30CM X 45CM

OIL AND ACRYLIC ON MDF

INTERVIEW

HENRIETTA HARRIS New-Zealand based illustrator Henrietta Harris creates dreamlike watercolor and gouache portraits in a specific style of her own. Although her work uses traditional techniques, it is extremely difficult to refer these paintings to any trend of contemporary art, as they retain a modern subject matter and style. Henriettaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paintings depict states of fleeting consciousness, and the fact remains that this masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works are among the most interesting and vivid works due to her specific style which has resulted in an extensive, mutable, and memorable body of work. http://henriettaharris.com/

HOLD STILL

GLIMPSE, 2012

YOUR TOMORROW, 2012

INTERVIEW

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...TAKING THINGS FROM EVERYWHERE AND DRAWING/PAINTING EVERY DAYâ&#x20AC;?

69 DPM: Henrietta, how did you first get into illustration? Was it difficult for you at the very beginning? Henrietta: It wasn't really conscious I don't think, I originally studied fine art but found a more illustrate-y style and the jobs and opportunities I got snow-balled to where I am at now. I suppose it was difficult, I've put hours and hours of work in so it didn't come easy in that respect but I wouldn't change anything. DPM: How did you find your personal and original style in art? Henrietta: By constantly practicing and trying out styles and ideas, taking things from everywhere and drawing/painting every day. DPM: Could you please name the most important milestones of your job (f.e. exhibitions, galleries and etc.)? Henrietta: I'd say the three solo shows I've put together myself, two of them with barely any help from anyone else. DPM: What kinds of commercial projects did you participate in? Which of them were the most interesting? Henrietta: I kind of take on most of the commercial jobs I am offered as they give me the funds to support myself on the lesser paying jobs/my personal work. The most interesting was definitely a huge billboard I designed for Auckland shop "The Department Store" which was on a busy road in Auckland for about 3 weeks. work?

DPM: Please take us through your design process, where do you start? What tools do you use for your

Henrietta: Winsor & Newton Watercolor paints, various brands of Gouache, lots of different types on paper I like to mix it up.

HOLD STILL

INTERVIEW

HOLD STILL, 2012

INTERVIEW

DPM: What is the main theme of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hold Stillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; project? Henrietta: Coping. DPM: Where does your creative inspiration come from? Henrietta: Ha! I'm inspired by everything from everywhere. I don't switch it on and off, inspiration is always there. Mainly trying to convey moods and emotions. DPM: If there are any artists whose works astonish you the most, could you please name them? Henrietta: At the moment I am really enjoying work by Anthony Cudahy, Maxi Quy, Andrew Hem, Gavin Hurley, and many others. DPM: What kind of music do you listen to while painting? Henrietta: I can listen to any kind of music; I don't get "put off". Audiobooks are good, I like drifting in and out of concentration. DPM: And the last question is our traditional one: are you looking forward to visiting Russia? And what gallery or museum would you visit in Moscow or Saint Petersburg? Henrietta: I had to do some research to be honest, but it seems like an amazing country. I love to see the cathedrals and The Hermitage!

HOLD STILL

WE WON THAT BATTLE, 2012

INTERVIEW

THE GREATEST, 2012

INTERVIEW

JOAN SALO

One will say: it’s abstract. The other one will dispute: it’s minimalistic. The rest will add that it’s just the same thing as Jackson Pollock’s expressionism. The only thing we are sure is that paintings created by the Spanish artist Joan Salo are totally different from any works you’ve seen before. As far as they are executed in a unique style, they capture the viewer’s attention and can’t leave him cold. http://joansalo.net/

PAINTINGS

INTERVIEW

â&#x20AC;&#x153;WHEN I'M SHOWING MY WORK IT IS A BIT LIKE CONFRONTING MYSELF WITH THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;?

78 DPM: To start with, how did you get into painting? Joan: I think when you chose a way is because you are saying no to the rest of possibilities. I guess that's how. DPM: How did you find your personal, original style in art? Was it a difficult process? Joan: It's been a long process since I started to find my own language, and somehow I'm still looking for it. I think I started this research when I was student. When I was in the university my work was closer to conceptual art. After that I had a short period when I was doing something more similar to abstract expressionism, probably as a natural reaction against the conceptual work. I would like to think that the work I'm doing now is a kind of harmonic mix of these two periods. DPM: Joan, could you please name the most important milestones of your job (f.e. exhibitions, galleries and etc.)? Joan: I studied Arts in Barcelona and I finished my BA in 2005. Before I spend one year in Seville in an exchange program and I think that was also important for my career. After my year of studies in Bologna, I made my first solo show in 2007 at Kgallery in Milan. Then I participated in some art fairs in Italy with Valente Arte Contemporanea. In 2010-11 I had a solo show in the Mustang Art Gallery in Spain. Recently I've showed my work in Carmichael Gallery in New York and I participated in some group exhibitions in Berlin. DPM: And please take us through the process of your work. How and where do you create your projects? Joan: I'm also doing some little sculptures and some works on paper that somehow pretend to be an extension of the paintings. Most of the time with my paintings, I start them having a little idea regarding the composition, or even the colors. Once I begin on the canvas, the work evolves and most of the time I change even the first ideas I had in mind.

JOAN SALO

INTERVIEW

JOAN SALO

INTERVIEW

81 DPM: What message do you want to convey to your viewers through art? Joan: That's a good question, and I think I don't really have an answer. When I'm showing my work it is a bit like confronting myself with the world. Also I think there are some ideas behind my work that could be interesting for the people, but these ideas don't always correspond to particular concepts. That's why I think art is interesting. DPM: Is there anything that attracts and maybe inspires you in life? What is it, if yes? Joan: I think I don't believe in inspiration in the romantic way of the word. There is nothing in particular that "inspires" me. I think is more about finding a particular way to see the things. DPM: Is there any artist whose works you find astonishing? Who is it, if yes? Joan: Well, that is something it could change depending of the week you ask me. Recently I'm very interested with the work of the Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra. DPM: What do you think about Russian contemporary artists? Can they compete with European and American artists on equal terms? Joan: I don't have any particular thinking. I don't think art is a matter of nationality. In this globalized world all the art scene is moving with the same parameters, no matter where you are. DPM: And the last question is our traditional one, Joan. Are you looking forward to visiting Russia? If yes, what galleries or museums would you visit, for example, in Moscow or Saint Petersburg? Joan: To be honest it's not in my immediate plans. At least not before summerâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;ŚBerlin is enough cold at the moment. If I visit Saint Petersburg for sure I will visit the Hermitage Museum.

JOAN SALO

TEXT

ANDY DENZLER Andy Denzler is one of the world’s greatest contemporary artists, respected by millions of people for his incredible talent. It will be fair to admit that he is a living legend, and his works can be considered as glitch classics. Denzler’s personal exhibitions are being held all over the world, and the most famous galleries and museums wish to purchase at least one of his paintings for their collections. However, we managed to do the impossible: in this issue of the DONTPOSTME magazine we publish the history of Andy Denzler’s art and his old and well-known works along with the new ones. http://www.andydenzler.com

GLITCH PAINTINGS

PURPLE LEAVES FALL INTO THE WATER, 2013 OIL ON CANVAS 170 X 180 CM

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STORY BY ULRICH PTAK

meet up with Andy Denzler in Zurich. It has been snowing again. We take the car down to the shores of Lake Zurich and park on an old industrial wasteland. In the past they dyed textiles here; a polluted area. Graphic designers, artists, and architects are using one of the few remaining buildings. Andy Denzler’s studio is spacious with high ceilings and sports a large window front. Outside, there is a network of rails. Noiselessly trains glide by. Though Andy Denzler has travelled widely, Zurich has always remained the centre, the point of return. His first voyage was to South Africa, undertaken, as he says, to get away from it all. Then there were studies in foreign countries: University of California, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London. We sit in a corner of the studio, talking about the presentation of the show in Rostock and, of course, about the nature of the artist’s work. It all began with photography, in the eighties. Denzler was sixteen then and worked as a prepress reproduction photographer both for Bruno Bischofberger and Thomas Ammann Fine Art. What Denzler shot at the time left impressions. He saw originals by Monet from the safes of private collectors and Kandinskys and Picassos from museum storages. He has never forgotten, so he says, the impact Jean-Michel Basquiat’s works had on him. Later Denzler became military photographer in the Swiss Army and used the time to hone his skills with the camera, made reportages, designed newspapers. Andy Denzler decided to become a graphic designer, a profession he followed for ten years. Simultaneously, he developed a strong sympathy for painting and eventually switched professions. He says that his way of painting is influenced by the media and explains that his works are marked by the memories of a media world in which black and white television still reigned supreme. In terrestrial transmission, it was a matter of course that there were also image disturbances. Or the firstmoving images from the moon: The lack of image quality which seemingly or really had to do with the distance over which the transmission took place. Did these vague and blurred images not fire our imagination (even spurring wild conspiracy theories) and create images beyond those seen? In Eastern Germany many Western radio stations could only be received on the medium wave band, and they had as many disturbances as those television channels received more rough than ready by dubious means. Sender and receiver had to make a compromise. Direction and distance were decisive benchmarks of transmission.

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These disturbances of the real in the direction of the abstract have accompanied Denzler’s artistic development. For two years, he worked painstakingly, almost alchemistically, on a method to combine both the figurative and the abstract side of his painting in one expression. The camera still plays a role in that, serving him to a certain extent as a sketchbook, stimulus, and helping in his choice of motifs. Denzler paints in a highly concentrated manner. The picture may be finished in one day. But it is a high-risk process. To cross over the paint with a palette-knife demands fast and sometimes bold decisions; the pressure and the speed with which the artist acts on the pastose color surface are pictorially decisive. As a matter of principle, Andy Denzler works conceptually and in thematic contexts that are increasingly instigated by political and sociocritical considerations. In 2005, while painting his “American Paintings,” he included portraits of people in the Bush Administration. Harper’s Magazine printed these images full of critical intent in an equally critical contribution, with great success. One of the paintings even ended up in the White House, acquired by an unsuspecting female government official. In Lisbon, Denzler showed a series of works breaching the subject of sleeplessness. Associations to daydreams, the uncanny and the magical crop up when looking into the faces of the actors (who are putting on an act). What is beautiful and seductive becomes ambiguous. Portraits and faces, in particular: Andy Denzler is fascinated by them. Not too long ago, he met Lukas Maeder, a Swiss photographer portraying the famous of showbiz. In collaboration and agreement, he uses these images to produce his own series of portraits of international stars. The “Empire Inc. (Rappers, DJs & Producers)” series shows celebrities posing and with all the visual messages which can influence the mentalities of whole generations. Especially in the specific realm of hip-hop and RnB, the “black music”culture, almost royal patterns of behavior are being copied, with a dose of provocation, of course. Andy Denzler is not after the soft-focus blur so popular today in many contexts and variants both in painting and photography. His works are, in the true sense of the word, image disturbances, “resistors”, provoked distortions of the real world into the abstract. Looking at the oeuvre, there are different dissents and resistances, as, for instance, in the elegiac attitude of the actors in the pictures and the rupture of the painting surface. With the specific positioning of the rear-view figure and the horizon behind it – a central pictorial concept of Caspar David Friedrich – even Romanticism comes into play. Other settings involve references to iconic motifs of recent art history. Denzler's pictorial strategies have a certain sophistication and are, by all means, multimedia-based in character. Beside all connotations on the discursive level, the surface plays a great, if not decisive part. Any disturbance of pictorial content is counterbalanced by painterly sensitivity and smart rhythmical accents. What is painful in pictorial displacement is sublimated and suspended in the aesthetic.

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MODEL IN THE STUDIO, 2011 OIL ON CANVAS 140 X 120 CM

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JAMES BLAKE (RAPPERS, DJS & PRODUCERS), 2013 OIL ON CANVAS 120 X 140 CM

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BENEATH THE WIDE SUBURBAN SKY, 2012 OIL ON CANVAS 120 X 140 CM

AS IF NATURE TALKED BACK TO ME, 2011 OIL ON CANVAS 120 X 140 CM

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OPHELIA II, 2012 OIL ON CANVAS 120 X 140 CM

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TOUCH, 2012 OIL ON CANVAS 120 X 140 CM

UNTITLED, 2007 ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 70 X 100 CM

INTERVIEW

HENRIK ULDALEN Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen is a Norwegian oil painter, a self-taught artist whose creative production revolves around classic figurative painting, presented in a contemporary manner. Uldalenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large-scale works, usually described as photosurrealism, have made him one of the most popular young Scandinavian painters of our time.

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http://henrikaau.com/

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INTERVIEW

“I TRY TO SAY DIFFERENT THINGS WITH EVERY PAINTING”

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DPM: Henrik, how did you first get into illustration? Henrik: I’ve always been interested in art, especially drawing. I've been drawing since I was a little kid, getting a lot of motivation from teachers, friends and parents. Drawing is in many ways been the only thing I'm remotely good at. I didn't start with painting until later in life, when I discovered oils. It was a revelation for me, letting me do what I always been trying to do, but couldn't manage with water-based paint. DPM: How did you come to your own specific style in art? Was it difficult for you? Henrik: I'm not sure if I have. I always work with setting myself apart from other artists that has explored the same grounds that I'm on. Not that I think that is the most important thing. DPM: And could you please take us through your creative process? Do you use any photographs of people while painting? Henrik: It starts out with a rather abstract and vague idea, which first takes form after I’ve been taking a lot of photos. From here I cut, paste and experiments with colors and compositions in Photoshop. When the photo reference is done, I paint it from one side to the other, finishing every step on the way. I paint in three stages. First I block in the big shapes, applying a transparent color-wash. Then I paint alla prima, in one set, finishing the different parts of the motive. At the end, I might go in and adjust the colors or value. DPM: What do you want to show to your viewers? Could you please characterize your philosophy? Henrik: I try to say different things with every painting, but there are overall themes and concepts that you find throughout my portfolio. As I am a representational painter, I can allow my concepts to be more abstract. So I work with atmospheres and feelings rather than narratives. DPM: Henrik, could you please name the most important exhibition, which has opened you as an artist to your audience? Henrik: I'm not sure if I have one exhibition that has been more important than others. But I was so lucky to get the cover of Hi Fructose, and that opened up a lot of doors for me. I'm very grateful for every show that I've been in. Every show has been important.

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107 DPM: What are the main sources of inspiration for you? Henrik: I always listen to music and watch a lot of films that inspires me a lot. But mostly my inspiration comes from other artists and people around me. But it's not that I'm sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike. I will get the job done even without inspiration. Painting is a lot of hard work, for me at least. DPM: If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an artist whose works astonish you the most, who is it? Henrik: My latest inspiration must be the chinese artist Xia Xiaowan, that does these incredible paintings on glass in many layers. I would love to try it at some point. Also, the band "Other Lives" has given me a lot of inspiration lately. DPM: Can you name 2 or 3 artworks which have changed a sense of contemporary art in XXI century, in your personal opinion? Henrik: That is a really hard question for me. I don't really pay too much attention to whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on in the art world. I deal mostly with painters and artists that work with more classical tools, and even though I think the world of many of these artists, they probably don't change the art scene with their art. Making great shifts in art like the great "-isms" in earlier days. But big contemporary names, that seems to be getting a lot of recognition, is for me Odd Nerdrum, Jenny Saville and Gottfried Helnwein DPM: And the last question isour traditional one: Henrik, are you looking forward to visiting Russia? And what gallery or museum would you really like to visit in Moscow or Saint Petersburg? Henrik: I've actually been to Russia a couple of times already. Mostly in Moscow, but also with the trans-Siberian railroad. I absolutely love the Russian museums. There is so much history stored in these buildings. Ilja Repin and Ivan Kramskoi has been one of my all-time heroes for a long time. So seeing these works in real life was amazing for me. I hope to visit St. Petersburg soon. I've heard a lot of good things about it.

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