Issue 53 | www.fokus.org
Atiba T. Edwards // Founder & Chief Curator
Atiba is an engineer focused on making and connecting creative people through moments so that they can impact their own world.
Jozi Zwerdling // Curator
Jozi is an artist enabler, educator and organizer who loves the INSIGHT project as a means of re-imagining, linking and documenting selves, stories and worlds.
Shani Cohen // Curator
Shani is a Brooklyn based writer who believes in uniting our diverse communities through art and the power of words.
Cheryl Lee Bowers // Curator
Cheryl is a Brooklyn based visual artist who believes photography and art is her freedom. “Visual Art is all about revelation, communication and celebration.”
Jordan Kifer // Curator
Jordan is a Brooklyn based writer focused on creating art that invites conversation and inspires larger cultural impact.
Marja Lankinen // Curator
Marja is a LA based writer, commercial dancer and founder of Yoga For Dancers. She believes that voices speak volumes, and it’s time for the visionaries and vanguards for a more just and equitable world to be heard.
INSIGHT Magazine showcases and archives emerging contemporary artists from all art disciplines. FOKUS produces this magazine to provide insight into people who are creating art, traditional and non-traditional, in their own way.
INSIGHT: Migration Cover by Julian Potulicki Contributing Artists:
Langston Allston • Peter Buchman • Shani Cohen • Amarachi Crystal Esowe • Emma Magenta • Anymal Masheen • Lou Patrou • Mika Revell • SKOVeS • Christine Stoddard • Marilena Stavrakidis • Yogi Taji • Anduin Vaid
/FOKUS
/FOKUSart
/FOKUS
/FOKUSart
Questions, comments and contributions can be sent to insightsubmit@gmail.com. To view older issues of INSIGHT, visit www.fokus.org/insight. Copyright © 2017. INSIGHT (ISSN 2164-7771) is a publication of FOKUS, Inc. All rights reserved on entire contents. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
INSIGHT: MIGRATION Contents 4 10 14 15 18 19 20 29 32 38 42 48 60
Anduin Vaid Migrate Mika Revell Dialogue Shani Cohen I Am Not A Woman Anymal Masheen Original Migration Lou Patrou Green Message Christine Stoddard Border Trauma Langston Allston Relationship SKOVeS Finding Focus Peter Buchman Found Traveler Amarachi Crystal Esowe Healing and Empowerment Yogi Taji SHE-murai Marilena Stavrakidis So We Became Refugees Emma Magenta Migration to the 5th Dimension
Photography
Visual Art
Creative Writing
Articles
INSIGHT: Migration
Migrate
Anduin Vaid
Alexandra-Grace
4 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Anatomical-Helen
www.fokus.org |
5
INSIGHT: Migration
Anti
6 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Copeland
www.fokus.org |
7
INSIGHT: Migration
Anatomie-(Paris)
8 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Extant Vaid’s work has been featured across America in gallery and home alike; abroad in Canada, England, France, and Italy; and for such notable brands as Gucci, H&M, Calvin Klein, Kettle One, Jaguar Land Rover, Cartier, and Crown Royal. www.anduinvaid.com www.fokus.org |
9
INSIGHT: Migration
Dialogue Mika Revell
Infinite
Mika’s work focuses on an international dialogue and the translation of cultures in the arts through conversation, performance and collaboration. Mika is an installation artist, painter and writer. Her disparate backgrounds are a blend of cultures; Chinese, Australian, European and North American. Through new media we each create our visual identities. In navigating our own cultural journeys, we create a conversation about our bodies, our identities and how we migrate literally, racially and poetically through time. Mika Revell is an Asian-American, female artist focusing on issues of displacement, cultural diaspora and identity. Her imagery draws from personal and communal histories creating a collage of contrasting and contradicting ideas. www.mikarevell.com 10 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Eternal Return
www.fokus.org |
11
INSIGHT: Migration
12 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Savage Evolution www.fokus.org |
13
INSIGHT: Migration
I Am Not A Woman Shani Cohen
I am not a woman. I am a sun and a son And a daughter of the universe I am everywhere and here, then and now I am created from the center of the infinite and the eternal With stars for eyes and the wind as my companion The birds are my sisters and nature’s paradise restores me For we are one and everything I am eternally in transit, illuminating the sky, planning for new days My light is a shield but also a sword, cutting through the densest darkness Beyond the ever expanding horizon of infinity I stand in the circle of truth and light, beauty and love My words are universes unto themselves Each sound a song of heart I am not a woman. I am a sun and a son A daughter of the universe My light is here and everywhere Illuminating the path to oneness in the skies
Shani Cohen is a writer, fashion stylist, illustrator and INSIGHT co-Curator, living in Brooklyn, NY. Her work is influenced by her experience as an African-American woman, feminist politics, and how mysticism and spirituality have impacted cultures around the world. 14 | www.fokus.org
Original Migration
INSIGHT: Migration
Anymal Masheen
Out of Africa Theory www.fokus.org |
15
INSIGHT: Migration
16 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Bye, Dixie!
Anymal Masheen (Born Ronald A. Barnett, Jr.) is a Merchant Marine and proud father. www.fokus.org |
17
INSIGHT: Migration
Green Movement Lou Patrou
Lou Patrou. an American born artist, has been drawing and painting faces and figures for over four decades. He often incorporates puzzling designs and design elements into his work. Lou has also been interested in product collaborations and design for the past 10 or so years. www.patrou.com 18 | www.fokus.org
Border Trauma
INSIGHT: Migration
Christine Stoddard
My mother is from El Salvador and came to the United States during her home country’s civil war. Growing up, I was always aware of my American privilege. Because I was born here, I never had to worry about my status as an immigrant. This made me acutely aware of people who did.
Christine Stoddard is the founder of Quail Bell Magazine and a former Annmarie Sculpture Garden visiting artist. Her latest books are Water for the Cactus Woman (Spuyten Duyvil Publishing) and The Silhouette Woman (Moonchaps). www.WorldOfChristineStoddard.com www.fokus.org |
19
INSIGHT: Migration
Relationship
Langston Allston
Langston Allston is an artist living and working in New Orleans. His work recently has been focused on telling clear and honest stories about the places he finds himself and the people he loves. www.langstonallston.com 20 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
21
INSIGHT: Migration
22 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
23
INSIGHT: Migration
24 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
25
INSIGHT: Migration
26 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
27
INSIGHT: Migration
28 | www.fokus.org
Finding Focus
INSIGHT: Migration
SKOVeS
“Crown� is migration in the way that one thinks about their own self worth. It is about embracing the journey of self-love, of seeing and being inspired by others proudly stating that they are Queens worth investing in, worth their own self acceptance, in a world that wishes anything but. It is choosing to do what you love despite it being the hardest, most unknown path, with the hope that your journey inspires others to pick up their own crowns, place them on their heads, and radiate. www.fokus.org |
29
INSIGHT: Migration
“Breathe� is about how in migration, in movement, in change, your body and surroundings are shifting and the one thing that remains constant is your breath. This rise and fall of your chest is the control you wield in listening to the journey of oxygen throughout your body, as you lose control of the familiar, the safe, the known. All that is constant in flux is the sound that make you human, and your ability to calm yourself through each measured breath. 30 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
SKOVeS is a multimedia art experimentalist, navigating materials and subjects with empathy, integrity, and earnestness. They are passionate about breaking plates, beeswax, and all things warm. www.skoves.com www.fokus.org |
31
INSIGHT: Migration
Found Traveler Peter Buchman
Middle Eastern Man - Benjamin Hotel
32 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Bag Lady - New York
www.fokus.org |
33
INSIGHT: Migration
Demonstrator in Prague
34 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Hawaii Hotel Stationery www.fokus.org |
35
INSIGHT: Migration
Brooklyn Family in Miami Born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1959, Peter Buchman lives and works in East Hampton, Long Island. He received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and had a Sculpture Department Residency at The School of Visual Arts. Buchman’s art uses a wide range of materials such as wood, neon, and plexiglass. His recent work continues an exploration of contemporary themes through sculptural vocabulary and pop-culture references. His mixed media paintings have been included in many significant exhibitions across the country and are in numerous private collections around the world. www.PeterBuchman.com 36 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Pan Am Lighter
www.fokus.org |
37
INSIGHT: Migration
Healing and Empowerment Amarachi Crystal Esowe
38 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
The works I create, both in visual arts and writing, are mainly concerning female and mental health empowerment. They are personal to myself as I am a Feminist who deals with certain mental health issues. I want to continue the advocacy for mental health awareness and stand in my feminism creatively. I want to share with the world that, though mental illness can be gloomy and despondent at times, there can still be beauty in that despondency and gloom place. Most of all, I want to illustrate that mental illness is not something to be ashamed abouT, but a place that can be as equally beautiful, inspiring, and powerful as it is to be cheerful and lively. www.fokus.org |
39
INSIGHT: Migration
40 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Amarachi Crystal Esowe is a Nigerian visual and fine artist, raised in NYC. Esowe breathes life and depicts her dreams, reality, and language in her artwork, giving her viewers an emotional connection to her work. www.amarachiesowe.com www.fokus.org |
41
INSIGHT: Migration
SHE-murai Yogi Taji
42 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
43
INSIGHT: Migration
44 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
45
INSIGHT: Migration
46 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Born Yaemi, the artist changed her name to Yogi Taji in 2015, which carries the meanings of meditation and the dreamer. She was born in the Bronx, New York City and moved to Florida at the age of 8. She dropped out of college before completing an associates degree because her consciousness began to grow around that time and she started to realize the problems with society’s conditioned systems. Since growing deeper spiritually, she has been pursuing her soul’s dreams with the medium of photography and film, thus creating Soul Dreamin. www.SoulDreamin.com www.fokus.org |
47
INSIGHT: Migration
So We Became Refugees Marilena Stavrakidis
48 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
49
INSIGHT: Migration
50 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
51
INSIGHT: Migration
52 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
53
INSIGHT: Migration
54 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
55
INSIGHT: Migration
56 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
www.fokus.org |
57
INSIGHT: Migration
58 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Marilena Stavrakidis was born in Athens, Greece in 1991. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts BFA program. Her work, which focuses on sociopolitical issues, has been awarded the Anthony M. Ruotolo Photojournalism award from the Imaging Alliance Foundation. Her approach interweaves text, statistics, and images in order to inform and challenge the viewer. www.marilenastav.com
www.fokus.org |
59
INSIGHT: Migration
Migration to the 5th Dimension Emma Magenta
60 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: Migration
Emma Magenta is an Australian artist, author and film director. She has written and illustrated several adult graphic books, written, drawn and directed an animation series for The ABC and has just recently made her first live action film which includes animation and magical realism. www.emmamagenta.wordpress.com www.fokus.org |
61
Thank You for reading INSIGHT: Migration We hope you enjoyed the work shared with you. The theme for the next issue is: SHADOWS Read more issues @ www.fokus.org/insight