LandEscape Art Review // Special Issue // Summer2017

LandEscape Contemporary

A r t

R e v i e w

Anniversary Edition

EDAN GORLICKI THODORIS TRAMPAS HATSUKO HATTORI TRACEY SNELLING SAPIR KESEM LEARY MILANA YALIR NICOLE BENNER SARAH JANE MARK LIEN-CHENG WANG , 2016 six channel digital video installation at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery

ART

Land

scape

SUMMARY

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

C o n t e m p o r a r y

A r t

R e v i e w

Edan Gorlicki

Thodoris Trampas

Natsuko Hattori

Tracey Snelling

Milana Yalir

Sapir Kesem Leary

Israel/ the Netherlands

Greece

Canada

USA

Israel / the Netherlands

Switzerland

The philosophy and beliefs surrounding Edan’s artistic approach are based on searching the self within its surroundings. Inspired yet confronted by the world around him, Edan finds artistic comfort within the search for belonging and connecting. Edan’s work always explores psychological and emotional realms. He believes that through personal experience he can use his work as a mirror for both his audience and himself.

In the past Edan has made stage works on numerous subjects such as hierarchy, fantasy, stress, addictions, belonging and perceptions amongst others. Every work of Edan has been a personal and touching transparency of what we all as humans go through on a daily basis.

Thodoris Trampas is a visual artist has been working with performance art and installation in space. He searches the limits inside and outside the body; while it moves, it generates some pace, which affects its relation to the space, it makes natural sounds, which sometimes interrupt and sometimes connect the constant flow. He changes the properties of the said materials to give certain meanings to them, which are related mostly to the concerns of the human and in general, of the today’s society. Through improvisation he lets respiration get into every cell, recall memories, awaken the existence. Through experiential reality, he aims to highlight a human condition.

Fabric is my medium of choice because people everywhere can relate more easily to this material, which conveys warmth, natural softness and the intimate human touch.

Time is so relative. In film it

My introduction to Visual Arts and Dance was at a young age and that was after I've been a gymnast engaged with an intensive training program. I think the energy of flying in the air and having to trust my physical instincts always stayed as the base to the drive I had ever since. I have to say that especially with my experience on the Rietveld Academy I was stimulated to film myself dance, my vision was to edit those registrations in order to design the space with projections of dance. In the piece I created Gallery of Dance which was a one hour solo show with panels moving on wheels and on the panels appeared collages of self portraits partly photographed and partly painted in black and white mixed media, this piece was the beginning of a journey towards installation.

In my work I try to share my life with the viewer as if they were my close friend, as if we are companions to great discoveries. From loneliness, to love, to boredom to friendship.

I connect to radical feminism art theories that suggest – the personal is political. Trying to intertwine daily feminine life prosaic moments and distressed moments.

My main attractions is exploring body limitation in a spiritual manner. Tring to connect to elements outside myself – people, plants, moods.

The inner body and the outer world try to be symbiotic.

Spending time out in the world has greater value to me than spending days on days in the Atelier. Hoping to meet new people and experiences that will inspire me.

Capturing moments and reenacting them through painting and video. My presence in the work is rather constant.

Special Issue

The act of wrapping is central to my sculptures. My sculptures are created from balls that are individually wrapped with fabric and bounded together to make up an entire whole. Each ball represents the inner state of mankind.

can be used to present one minute of time happening in various ways, a lifetime happening in an hour, time being long and lasting seemingly forever, or time being so quick and then it's over. For Nothing, the tempo was so important, and was part of my original idea from the conception of the film.

For most of the film, time drags on and the day seems to last forever. Then, upon Jane's realization that she is

The gesture of wrapping each round ball, is an act of transformation that converts pain, sadness and despair into positive energy, such as love or a prayer for comfort. My work conveys a sense of happiness and celebrates the human spirit.

stuck in a dead-end life and must get out, the pace picks up quickly, and the sound follows. Once there has been the dramatic climax and and is free, driving on the road, things slow down to a regular pace as she stops to get gas.

Land

SUMMARY

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

4

Edan Gorlicki lives and works in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

18

Thodoris Trampas lives and works in Athens, Greece

Natsuko Hattori

32

lives and works in Montréal, Canada

Milana Yalir

46

lives and works in The Hague, the Netherlands

Lien-Cheng Wang

60

lives and works in Taiwan

Nicole Benner Sarah Jane Mark

Nicole Benner

Lien-Cheng Wang

USA

USA

Taiwan

I am a fiber artist and fashion designer who is inspired by the colors, textures, shapes and patterns found in nature and in various cultural expressions found around the world. My spiritual practice of prayer and studying sacred text are an important part of my process as well as inspiration. My work is also heavily influenced by my practice of re-purposing materials. The work is slow and is a contemplative practice for me to renew my mind, slow down, dream, pray, and listen. I am interested in how art can become alive on the human form and I am honored when I get to witness a person's inner transformation as they put on a garment that makes them feel beautiful and alive.

My work examines the numerous layers of the body affected by chronic pain, as it relates to spinal health. This includes the physical, psychological, and emotional impact that chronic pain has on different individuals. I engage with the complexities of the human anatomy through objects that exist, or could exist, on the figure. Each piece allows for the consideration of how the object affects the wearer/viewer and how the wearer/viewer affects the object. My responsiveness to the spine as a subject initiates through my own chronic back pain and the knowledge that spinal issues are very common.

Most people with back pain are constantly aware of the role the backbone plays in supporting their body and facilitating movement. Comfort/Confine is a full body casing that considers the broad, restrictive isolation placed on the body when an individual deals with chronic pain. I utilize the copper yarn as a reference to the nervous system: an aspect of my own chronic pain that can be debilitating.

My works involve the use of interactive devices with sound performances. Devices often utilize a volume approach to achieve a specific physical erception, while images in the sound performances are generated real-time to materialize corresponding forms. In recent years, I have been committed to the seamless combination of images and sounds created through computer algorithms.

In my work, I want to convert the Internet data—the 1s and 0s—into the CD-ROM drives’ physical ejection and retraction, thus making the activity of logging on to the Internet both visible and audible. Audience stands in front of a wall linked by CDROM drives, they get sensation as if placing bodies in the data stream. It gives audience in a grand informational torrent materialized by a collective of actions.

74

lives and works in Atlanta, GA, USA

Sapir Kesem Leary

88

lives and works in Bern, Switzerland

Sarah Jane Mark

102

lives and works in Detroit, Michigan, USA

Tracey Snelling

114

lives and works in Sacramento, California, USA Special thanks to Haylee Lenkey, Martin Gantman , Krzysztof Kaczmar, Joshua White, Nicolas Vionnet, Genevieve Favre Petroff, Sandra Hunter, MyLoan Dinh, John Moran, Marya Vyrra, Gemma Pepper, Michael Nelson, Hannah Hiaseen and Scarlett Bowman, Yelena York Tonoyan, Miya Ando, Martin Gantman , Krzysztof Kaczmar and Robyn Ellenbogen.

Special Issue

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

E dan Gorlicki Living and working between Groningen, the Netherlands and Heidelberg, Germany

T

he philosophy and beliefs surrounding Edan’s artistic approach are based on the self within its surroundings.

Inspired yet confronted by the world around him, Edan finds artistic comfort within the search for belonging and connecting. What better way to explore life then through movement and researching the body within the space around it?

Edan’s work always explores psychological and emotional realms.

He believes that through personal experience he can use his work as a mirror for both his audience and himself. In the past Edan has made stage works on numerous subjects such as hierarchy, sexuality, fantasy, stress, addictions, belonging and perceptions amongst others.

4

Every work of Edan has been a personal and touching transparency of what we all as humans go through on a daily basis. Through his work he has dared to approach these difficult issues and expose them respectfully yet courageously to his audience.

Edan Gorlicki Born in Haifa, Israel, Edan Gorlicki is a choreographer, teacher and movement research artist based between Heidelberg, Germany and Groningen, the Netherlands. As a dancer he has worked in Israel with the Batsheva Ensemble Dance Company and Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Theater.

In the Netherlands he has danced for NND/Galilidance and Club Guy and Roni. Edan has performed the works of may choreographers such as: Ohad Naharin, Inbal Pinto, Sharon Eyal, Itzik Galili, Paul Selwyn Norton, Emmanuel Gat, Guy Weizman & Roni Haver and many more.

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

22

Land

E

scape

Maya Gelfman

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

LandEscape meets

Edan Gorlicki An interview by and

, curator , curator

Hi! Thank you for having me! Yes I started dancing at a very young age and have been fortunate to have studied at very good schools

6

in Israel. My teachers there were a great contribution to my development as a choreographer and I am very grateful for their mentorship. At school I was the only boy in the dance department. Of course this was difficult on many levels but it was also a great benefit as I was able to receive allot of attention from my teachers. They invested allot more energy in me then they did to the rest of my class. I am not sure that my school or my teachers have a direct influence on the way I conceive and produce my works today but I imagine that being an Israeli has something to do with that. I think we all are very influenced by our cultural upbringing. Especially growing up in such a complex survival driven country like Israel. I think that that survival instinct is imbedded in my attitude towards my work and lifestyle in general.

Well first of all I must point out that every creation process has a different identity, process and outcome. In most cases I have an indication of what the next work will be like but then discover as I go that actually the work is something else completely. I guess I could say that the creation process is for me more of a listening process and following where the work is taking me rather then directing the work. It is more of a relationship between my goals for the work and the work

Land

E

scape

Edan Gorlicki

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

itself. The choreographer in me then becomes a mediator.

I normally start with a clear direction that interests me, weather its a feeling, a visual image, a scenario or atmosphere, a personal experience or even just an interest to work with a certain dancer or collaborator. It is never the same. Inspiration comes from everywhere. In the freelance dance scene, unfortunately the development of a work mostly doesn’t start in the studio or experimenting with materials, those things come later. I never work alone. In dance we are always collaborating with many people.

Because of this, the amount of organization, productional preparations and grant confirmations always needs to be done first. In the beginning I really had allot of problems with this because I was impatient and just wanted to get into the studio. Now I have more appreciation for this process because it shapes the way the work will be made and forces the first conceptual steps and ideas to form.

I think I enjoy more the creations that are driven from a personal psychological place where the process for me might be more therapeutical. I think I just care more about those pieces. Funny enough though, with a critical eye, I think those pieces don’t end up my best work. Maybe they are too emotionally charged, Im not sure, but I can tell that those works are not the most communicative to the public in the end.

Production:

‘Body Language’ is actually one of the works that grew more organically through time.

8

During the creation process of another piece of mine ‘A little too close’ I developed together with my dancers an improvisational movement vocabulary that was quite unique to me. After we finished that creation process I became quite fascinated with the idea of diving deeper into this unique physicality to explore what exists further in this quality. I went into the studio with one of my dancers who deeply

Edan Gorlicki

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

inspires me: ’Mayke van Kruchten’. While watching her move this way it seemed to me as though her body was deciding for her what she was doing. This triggered an interest for us to see if it is possible to have our body choreograph what we do. We developed a step by step process that attempted to eliminate (as much as possible) mental creativity, judgment and decision making

while improvising. This resulted in a fascinating journey where Mayke was discovering where her body is taking her, something that was equally exciting to watch.

This is where the idea came to present this form of movement and live experimentation to the public as a performance installation rather then a theatrical work. I called it ‘Body Language’ and we started to perform it in

9

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Production:

10

Edan Gorlicki

Edan Gorlicki

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

diverse locations. During the performances we started to notice that Mayke’s body was behaving and producing interestingly different qualities and physicality’s based on the space and environment that she was in. Now for me ‘Body Language’ is an installation that exposes the authenticity of a certain environment created by the space, energy and people in it through the physicality of the dancers body.

Yes I think that is very interesting way of putting it and touches the essence of the identity of an artist as well. I do think that the role of the artist is to mirror society in some way and create a form that could offer the platform for discourse and interpretation, especially relating to our inner nature as people and our nature as a society. I think that I frame my work around exploring the self within its surroundings because it is a natural thing for me to do. I feel it is the basic need we have as social animals for belonging and connection, whether its to one another, one with nature, one with his/her beliefs and spirituality and so on…

11

Land

E

scape

Edan Gorlicki

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

I don’t know much about this to state a clear hypothesis. The only think I can do is speak from my own personal experience. In that case for me many of the subjects in my works are driven from an emotional place of personal experience. However, it is my inspiration more then it is my practice. I don’t think its either this way or that way. I think its possible to create something that has no personal experiential influence and it can be great. I think that its possible to do both. In fact I would encourage to give that a try and explore the difference. I definitely think that personal experience is intrinsically implemented into what ever we do - its what we know. But shouldn’t a creation process be more about what we don’t know?

Like I said, every work is different and therefore needs diverse strategies and

12

Edan Gorlicki

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Production:

13

Production: Photographer:

Edan Gorlicki

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

methods to be able to communicate what you want to say. Clarity is very important to me. It offers the viewer freedom to experience and feel more then to have to think, analyze or solve some sort of puzzle or mystery of ‘what is the artist trying to tell me’. In some cases the tool of narrativity can be very useful for clarity. I try my best to layer my works in a way that offers the viewer both the clarity of what this work is discussing but also the abstraction to interpret your own take on it. In my work ‘A little too close’ I consciously chose to work with a very well known pop-song. I am aware that this creates a very specific association to most of my audiences, immediately narrating a direct story. However, I then repeat this song in the piece using 7-8 different cover versions that then distorts this association, suggesting that there are many ways of seeing something that was a moment ago perfectly clear and simple. Simultaneously very aesthetically presenting abstract movement that offers plenty of room for interpretation.

I guess its a little bit of both. In general I am quite systematic in my head with what I want but the moment intuition comes to play I immediately let go of my systematic thinking and let the intuition take over. I appreciate what you say about HUNGER, I really wanted

in this piece to show the complexities of the addictive patterns and cycles. The triangular psychological relationship between the addict, co-addict and the addiction itself was at the heart of this work. This systematic cycle is very clear when you lay out the roles of each participant, however, the cycle itself becomes an entity of its own when you begin to look at the bigger picture and consider all three participants as one existing issue.

Quite allot. I make work for public of all kinds of people. Although (unfortunately) most of my audiences are cultural intellectual types of people and I very much care for their experiences while watching my works. I am still very interested in capturing the hearts of the (lets call them) un(dance)educated public who for whatever reason find themselves in the theater watching this. A little too close talks about such a simple subject that anyone can relate to which is the power of and in a relationship. It was important for me to make this work very easy to watch. That is actually another layer in the piece as well.

Relationships are tricky yet from the outside they always seem simple. Other couples always look like they have it all figured out -

15

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Production:

16

Edan Gorlicki

Edan Gorlicki

Land

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

but do they really? The visual aesthetics in this work offer that kind of starting point. It seems so beautiful, until you get used to the attractive image and then you see whats really happening inside. Everybody understands this, and I love that.

Absolutely! I not only believe this is true, we even have the evidence to prove it. In 2007 I had the privilege to co-found Random Collision together with my friend Kirsten Krans. Random Collision is a company that develops work in a very unique way involving the general public in the creation process. Part of our programs were collaborations with other fields, especially scientific fields of research.

Recently, Kirsten developed a trilogy titled Experiment A, B and B+. This project was a scientific experiment about group formations and was collaboratively developed by social psychologists and choreographers. These experiments manage to prove that the visual performance that the public is watching directly affects the behavior of the public after the performance and the way they interact with one another. This is a fascinating project and I recommend looking it up at www.randomcollision.net

17

Land

E

scape

Edan Gorlicki

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

I might be making allot of my work for my own satisfaction but I first and foremost create things that I feel I want and need to share with others. Those others are my audiences. We need to be a bit more selective on what we present to the general public. If we (artists) want to make a difference on any level in whatever way, we have to think of who is watching what we are making first and then see what it is we can show them and think how can we surprise, touch, educate, transform, develop and create more thoughts, questions and discourse amongst the public. I personally do care about what they see and experience. Not necessarily what they think about it as in like or not like. But I try to remind myself that the reaction or reception I get from the public after a performance can be a great guide for me towards understanding more the way they see things.

This can improve my next pieces. For me, the public reception is my critic.

Well, as a freelance choreographer I am forced to exist in my past, present and future simultaneously. I am still reflecting my last project, am working on several current projects and busy with organizing and developing future projects as well. I am currently working on a new full evening production called ‘The Players’. This piece is the final part of my three-year study on power and control. Inspired by the theme of Psychopathy, The Players raises questions about social status, manipulation, peoples’ intentions, what is reality, hierarchy, deceit, and how far are we willing to go to get what

18

Land

Edan Gorlicki

E

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Production: Photographer:

19

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Thodoris Trampas Lives and works in Athens, Greece

T

he ongoing search of the human beings for their own image is found in the conscious and unconscious need “to be”.

We are in the depths of an existence experiencing the loneliness in front of two empty tables, declaratory of the absence of “those who never came”. It is waiting and searching at the same time. It experiences rejection.

However, the hope that they will come transfers those human beings to the area of utopia. With stereotypical moves, with quickly-moving hands and feet and after that, with an ear-splitting creeping, they try to bridge the distance between the ideal and the real. A conflict of wishes upsets the ego, which wishes to escape from a sense of confinement by recalling desirable moments of integration in order to be able to balance. They daydream, they lead themselves beyond what has happened to them, they lose themselves within fantasy, they stand still waiting for what shall come.

In the light, the form loses its outline, it fills with soil and water, it struggles to build all of “them” as well as their own image in the reality that they want to live and by means of the above-mentioned archetypal materials, that is the soil and water, by which human existence on earth begins.

They free themselves from unconscious

internal prohibitions, they break the limits of compromise, they clear themselves, they take any necessary time, they consciously experience fantasy, they surrender themselves to a concealed flow, they travel towards the satisfaction of the primary need; that of “to be”.

Thodoris Trampas is a visual artist has been working with performance art and installation in space. He searches the limits inside and outside the body; while it moves, it generates some pace, which affects its relation to the space, it makes natural sounds, which sometimes interrupt and sometimes connect the constant flow. He also uses items and materials of modern life, such as trash bags and nylon together with organic materials, such as soil and water. He changes the properties of the said materials to give certain meanings to them, which are related mostly to the concerns of the human and in general, of the today’s society. Through improvisation, the free movement, he lets respiration get into every cell, recall memories, awaken the existence. Through experiential reality, he aims to highlight a human condition as an endless effort to balance within an “area”, which is constantly changing in space and time.

scape

Land

Thodoris Trampas

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Thodoris Trampas An interview by and

, curator , curator

Multidisciplinary artist Thodoris Trampas' work ranges from installation to performance to explore the limits inside and outside the body. In his work Scorched Earth that we'll be discussing in the following pages his inquiry into the the concerns of our contemporary and unstable society allows him to draw the viewers into an immersive experience in which they are urged to rethink the elusive notions of time and space. One of the most convincing aspects of Trampas' practice is the way it accomplishes the difficult task of creating a deep and autonomous synergy between our limbic parameters and our rational categories to highlight a human condition as an endless effort to balance within an “area”, which is constantly changing in space and time: we are very pleased to introduce our readers to his multifaceted artistic production.

Hello Thodoris and welcome to ARTiculAction: to start this interview, would you like to tell us something about your background? You have a solid formal training and after having graduated with honors from the Athens School of Fine Arts you started your career as a multidisciplinary artists, nurturing your education with experiences at ΜΑΙ (Marina Abramović Institute) and NEON (Culture and Development Agency): how do these experiences influence your evolution as an artist?

And in particular, how does your cultural substratum inform the way you relate yourself to

art making and to the aesthetic problem in general?

At first, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to share some paths of my artistic journey with you.

My embryonic relationship with performance art began in the third year of my studies in the School of Fine Arts, when my teacher, Aimilia Bouriti, trained me through physical and mental exercises. As a result, I was initiated in performance. Those exercises were directly influenced by butoh, yoga and meditation and they still help me in self-concentration, stamina and flow to this day, aiming at the better performance of each project. As regards my collaboration with MAI (Marina Abramović Institute) and NEON (Culture and Development Agency), they brought me into contact with the legacy of Marina Abramovic, namely long-lasting performance. It was the first time in my artistic career that I faced the limits of myself and my mental and physical strength to such an extent.

The process of the long-lasting performance has got inside me, after 329 hours of performance at the As One exhibition, leaving me with a strong realization of the concept of present Time and the confrontation with our personal limits. Due to my education in visual education, visual terminology almost always accompanies my work, giving rise to matters about composition, light and shadow, colour and sculpture.

Cohesiveness, sound and silence, movement and stillness are also a part of my aesthetics.

Ranging from performance art to installation in

Land

scape

Thodoris Trampas

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

space, your approach coherently encapsulates several techniques and viewpoints, revealing an incessant search of an organic symbiosis between a variety of viewpoints. The results convey together a consistent sense of harmony. Before starting to elaborate about your production, we would suggest to our readers to visit http://thodoristrampas.com in order to get a synoptic view of your multifaceted artistic production: while walking our readers through your process, we would like to ask you if you have you ever happened to realize that a symbiosis between different disciplines is the only way to express and convey the ideas you explore.

According to the way I work, convergence is the way in which I face art. Sculpture, painting, video and dance often meet performance. All of them coexist, as if the limits of one art expand within the limits of the other. The coexistence of performance through installation and vice versa is something very important to the way I work. I take care that the materials I use have the strength and the value to support the theme on which I choose to work and that they create a full installation. In addition, my purpose is to create an installation using cheap materials and elements of nature, which can invoke an emotive atmosphere to the audience even after performance has ended. The place given to me each time, along with the current circumstances and its history, allows the work to be incorporated without leaving its central core.

For this special edition of LandEscape we have selected Scorched Earth, an extremely interesting project that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article. We have appreciated the way the combination between the atemporal feature of ash and the ephemeral nature of human body accomplishes you to create a concrete aesthetics playing with the notions of time and memory. While walking our readers through the genesis of Scorched Earth would you shed light on the role of memory in your process? We are particularly interested if you try to achieve a faithful translation of

your previous experiences or if you rather use memory as starting point to create.

A real-life knowledge, an experience can be so strong sometimes that they play a definitive role in the creation of a performance, but other times

Thodoris Trampas

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

external factors can provide a reason for searching and awareness, even something from the past that comes to the present through the memories of various events; everything contributes to the creation of an idea. In this case, being a child of immigrants myself, I felt the

memories waking up after seeing the thousands of refugees being stacked and dying in their effort to come to my country, Greece, by sea.

This is something that degrades human existence and an unprepared Europe, as the EU has said so itself. The Burned Earth deals with the bloody

Land

scape

Thodoris Trampas

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

issue of immigration and being torn up by your roots, leaving your own country because there is no other solution. In this case I work with ash, which symbolizes the country that has been completely destroyed and has nothing to offer to you and the endless effort of the individuals not

to uproot themselves on one hand and the deep need to survive on the other hand. Then we continue to the liquid element, which symbolizes the Aegean Sea, with sea water sealed in plastic bags hanging along the installation.

Thodoris Trampas

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

manifold nature of human perceptual categories.

So we would take this occasion to ask you if in your opinion personal experience is an absolutely indispensable part of a creative process... Do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience?

Everyone carries with them their own experiences, which are an inseparable part of their life and personality. I unconsciously meet experiences in front of me too, which I have to face and insist in delving deeper inside myself and study them. The final project arises as a personal “psychoanalysis” in this effort. Through the direct experience offered by the performance, you seek the multisensory communication with the audience hear and now.

Another interesting project of yours that has particularly impacted on us and on which we would like to spend some words is entitled Pangaia, that has been commissioned and produced by NEON + MAI. What has at once captured our attention of the process of union through destruction you have highlighted in this captivating piece is the way you unveil the elusive still ubiquitous relationship between the intrisic atemporal feature of nature and its continuous process of transformation. How did you balance the performative aspect with the performative feature for this stimulating piece?

Scorched Earth captures non-sharpness with an universal kind of language, accomplishig the difficult task of establishing a channel of communication between the subconscious sphere and the conscious one, to unveil and challenge the

Pangaea was a project which was taking shape every day. It was never the same. There were four processes in the project: •catharsis •imitation •creation • destruction. Each time the audience completed one of the processes, the project changed as regards its visual terminology depending on the intention I put into it. Every day, my body tried to experience the existence of nature through my connection with the rock. I had never imagined that this project would advance to such an extent. It was finally taken out of the platform and filled the atrium of the museum. It looked like a bombed place. As I have mentioned

Land

scape

Thodoris Trampas

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

before, the balance between the performing procedure and the human factor was difficult.

As the late Franz West did in his installations, Pangaia shows unconventional features in the way it deconstructs perceptual images in order to assemble them in a collective imagery, urging the viewers to a process of self-reflection. Artists are always interested in probing to see what is beneath the surface: maybe one of the roles of an artist could be to reveal unexpected sides of Nature, especially of our inner Nature... what's your view about this?

For me, the artist is a part of society itself. S/he is not isolated and s/he must listen to the heartbeat of society and observe it. The artist is the restless intermediary of the existential matters of man. The best for me is to incorporate the audience into my process so that it feels free. The nature is always there to remind us that we have forsaken it in the quest for another, unnatural life. This is the sense I am trying to give to the public with Pangaea, that “despite all this destruction, Pangaea is still there�.

Amorphous Mass accomplishes an effective investigation about the liminal area in which the subconscious sphere and the conscious dimension find unexpected points of convergence. Your inquiry into the themes of rejections and loneliness accomplishes an insightful exploration of the thin line that separes abstract symbolism that belongs to the realm of utopia from reminders to the everyday. German multidisciplinary artist Thomas Demand once stated that "nowadays art can no longer rely so much on symbolic strategies and has to probe psychological, narrative elements within the medium instead". What is your opinion about it? And in particular how do you conceive the narrative and especialy the visual unity for your works?

Of course there are several symbolisms in art which are necessary for some works, the purpose of which is to arouse the human mind. Thomas Demand’s view comes to ratify to a great extent the role of performance as regards the psychoanalytic

Thodoris Trampas

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Thodoris Trampas

Thodoris Trampas

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

approaches of man. Of course a skeptical way of thinking nowadays has brought us to a point of material saturation and individualism. Precious values have been lost along the way and this is why the man has been isolated. This is the point where art must bring new channels to the surface in order to liberate humanity. The visual result is not an end in itself in my work. It arises through visual composition so that it serves the purposes of the narrative. In fact the narrative I use is the text of the performance, which gives the meaning in composition with image.

Your works always provide the viewers with an intense, immersive experience: how do you see the relationship between public sphere and the role of art in public space? In particular, how much do you consider the immersive nature of the viewing experience and how much importance has improvisation in your process?

My purpose is not to impress the audience but to trigger their interest. What matters is the way in which I seek the reaction of the audience and the change in its way of thinking through the performance. The times we live in are very hard and inhumane. Art cannot stay the same like the old times, by wearing “a nice suit�. It must change and take a stand. And this change will be brought by the artists themselves and their work.

During the last years, the audience has been moving towards performance art because it seeks this change. Performance art offers generously another kind of operation of society, more emotive, more real and humane.

How much important is the role of improvisation in your art practice? And how do you develope your works?

In general, every project seeks its own way to exist. In some projects I only improvise, without having rehearsed anything, other times I work on a concept with a kind of structureless narrative which then starts growing into a full, organized

Land

scape

Thodoris Trampas

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

and structured performance leaving a little room for improvisation, for the mistake of the moment. There are moments when I am moved by an internal need, an experience or a material which manages to infringe all the rules of structure on a project of mine without leaving

room for a rehearsal. It is so sure and ready to be exposed.

Over your career you have exhibited in several occasions, including your recent Mitsero/ Mine Kokkinopezoulas & Mine Kokkinogias: one of the hallmarks of your projects is strictly connected to

Thodoris Trampas

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?

I would say at this point that there works of mine to which the audience must react or interact, creating thus the final result. Other times the audience must notice and feel what has happened. Given this opportunity, I would like to clarify the importance of interaction with someone else and the importance of reacting to something that is happening. Beginning with the latter, I have to say that reaction may be a shout, or stopping the action or even utter silence.

Interaction needs something more: it means awareness of what has happened and what I am doing together with someone else. More specifically, in my latest project, “hostages”, I asked for the immediate reaction and interaction of the audience. I was tying people up and at the same time they had to decide for how long they would stay tied up, if they would release themselves, if they would tie me up.

Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Thodoris. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects?

How do you see your work evolving?

the chance of establishing a direct involvement with the viewers, who are called to evolve from a mere spectatorship to conscious participants on an intellectual level, so before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience. Do you consider the issue of

At the moment I am already working on my next project, which is titled “Convergence”. It is a live performance laboratory where we will work together with the audience very day and record every moment through various recording means.

At the same time the recordings will be projected live. In this project I want to focus even more on the common experience, the personal testimonies and the energy level shared with the audience. The audience will be given the opportunity to create, feel and comprehend performance in a common framework, the purpose of which will be the softening of our personal boundaries and the study of our internal world. It is an experimental journey where I will

Land

scape

Thodoris Trampas

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

try to incorporate various techniques and methods

one. It would be ideal if we could create a global

so that the audience becomes familiar with

art for all, which would unite society through free

performance art as a new form of communication

expression and the emerging of human relations

which arises mainly from the experience of every

in common quests. I am also preparing the

Land

Thodoris Trampas

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Pangaea documentary, which shows all the progress of the project in almost an hour, a miniature of my experience there. Moreover, I'm going to take part to the Florence Biennale, in Toscana, Italy..

Thank you for this great interview!

An interview by and

, curator , curator

Land

scape

Special edition

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

LandEscape meets

Natsuko Hattori Lives and works in MontrĂŠal, Canada

Fabric is my medium of choice because people everywhere can relate more easily to this material, which conveys warmth, natural softness and the intimate human touch. The act of wrapping is central to my sculptures.

My sculptures are created from balls that are individually wrapped with fabric and bounded together to make up an entire whole. Each ball represents the inner state of mankind. The gesture of wrapping each round ball, is an act of transformation that converts pain, sadness and despair into positive energy, such as love or a prayer for comfort.

My work conveys a sense of happiness and celebrates the human spirit.

Artist Natsuko Hattori crosses a large range of genres. In her body of works that we'll be discussing in the following pages, she effectively challenges the relationship between the viewers' perceptual parameters and their cultural substratum to induce them to elaborate personal associations, offering them a multilayered aesthetic experience. One of the most impressive aspects of Hattori's work is the way the sense of happiness conveyed by her artworks celebrates the human spirit, accomplishing a successful attempt to establish a channel of communication between the perceptual sphere and imagination. We are very pleased to introduce our readers to her multifaceted artistic production.

Hello Natsuko and welcome to LandEscape: before starting to elaborate about your artistic

production would you like to tell us something about your background? You have a solid formal training and after having degreed in Art and Design from the University of Tsukuba, you moved to the United States to nurture your education at The Art Students League of New York: how did your studies influence your evolution as an artist? And in particular, how does your cultural substratum due to your Japanese roots inform the way you relate yourself to art making and to the aesthetic problem in general?

I was in oil painting major at the University of Tsukuba.

I learned the knowledge of oil and the techniques and expression methods of art; paintings, drawing, sculpture, prints and

Natsuko Hattori

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

etc. However I always felt unsatisfactory.

Because at that time, I was not interested at all in how the work is made technically.

I was interested in how I can see, how beautiful it is and how it can be informed to others. I thought that was the most important points on my works.

Knowledge and skills are certainly necessary and I think that learning them was a great experience for me. However, I wanted to find new expressions, to create beautiful things that none had ever seen, and had always thought of that while drawing pictures in my college days. That kind of feeling took me to NY and led to the desire to see various arts to pursue more art.

In The Art Student League, I chose a "mix media class". There were reasons to take this class in the presence of many classes of paintings and sculptures. The "mix media" was a word that I could not hear much in Japan. Also, the class that you can use anything in materials was a class that I had not experienced in college days. At that time, as I was looking for my way of expression, I entered that class I had never experienced more than the classes of painting I studied. So I wanted to do something new.

In making a work, I have never expressed something to think whether to express it in Japanese like, or to do more like Japanese-ish for overseas to show

exoticness intentionally. But, I have often been told that my work is Japanese-ish.

That's because I grew up in Japan. I saw the four seasons there, Japanese art, listened to music, and grew up touching many beautiful things in Japan. The MocoMoco I'm making is the same as how to make a beanbag (an old Japanese play, like a juggling), but this is not because I tried to make a beanbag. While making it, I found that I like this shape as a result and realized that beauty of a circle shape.

Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production, we would suggest to our readers to visit https://www.natsukohattori.net in order to get a synoptic view of your work. In the meanwhile, would you like to tell to our readers something about your process and set up? In particular, would you tell our readers something about the evolution of your style?

In particular, are your works conceived instinctively? Or do you methodically transpose preparatory schemes?

There were no particular reasons to use cotton and cloth, but those just suited me.

And I felt that while making it, I was convinced that those mediums are that I could express most.

When I was in Japan, I drew dark paintings a lot. Some of them crumbled their face.

And some are that there were many paintings that feel something quiet and lonely. It was the most natural way to draw a picture when expressing my own emotions and was the most expressive

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Natsuko Hattori

Natsuko Hattori

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

way to express my feelings. However, I was wondering what I would like to do, is to give out my own feelings with drawing such a dark picture.

When the use of cloth and cotton materials began to be interesting, Japan's Great East Earthquake occurred. That made a big impact in my art. When turning on TV, it was full of the horrifying news; many people suffering and crying.

Then I asked myself what I was making dark things for. There are lots of frightening and sad things around us. It suddenly comes up to you, even if you do not want to see it. And there are still people suffering for various reasons all over the world. If you are going to live in it, I wish that art would be always pure and beautiful to heal people. I started wanting to increase more beautiful things as much as possible. Then, instead of expressing sadness as sad, I started wanting to make art that could be wrapped in kindness that could embrace that sad feeling. That is the origin of The MocoMoco.

Some of works are shaped instinctively from flashed things out of nowhere and some are that I decide on a theme and make it over time.

For this special edition of LandEscape we have selected the MocoMoco Soft Sculpture series, an interesting project that our readers have already started to admire in the introductory pages of this article. What has at once captured our attention of your artistic research is the way you provided the visual results of your analysis with

Land

scape

Natsuko Hattori

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

autonomous aesthetics: while walking our readers through the genesis of MocoMoco Soft Sculpture series, would you shed light to your main sources of inspiration?

As mentioned earlier, it is said that the new idea using those materials was attributed to the assignment of the class in The Art Student League. I did not know what to bring to the class first and did not know what to do until just before I went to school. On that morning when I went to school, I brought bed linen in the dormitory and cotton from the Christmas tree. And I somehow used them to create works.

Using those materials: cloth and cotton for the first time made me feel the joy of making that I never felt before. Surely, I think that the soft texture and the feel of wrinkles in the fabric, the place where I can make the shape freely was suitable for me.

After that, I was absorbed in making new things by using cloth and cotton. The main idea is to repeat the act of wrapping, coming from the point that I want to encapsulate the works one by one with kindness.

The word "MocoMoco" is referred to a soft or puffy surface and the comforting feelings that one might get from holding a toy stuffed animal, or being wrapped up in a down coat.

How much importance has in your work the tactile feature of your creations?

I think that art and people needs to be closer mutually. I want to shorten the distance between the work and the viewer.

In that point, cloth is very familiar material

Natsuko Hattori

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Natsuko Hattori

Natsuko Hattori

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

in our lives such as clothes, bed sheets etc. I think that I want to make a gentle, warm and comforting art, close to people so that the material is important in shortening the distance between the work and the viewer.

As you have remarked in your artist's statement, the act of wrapping is central to your sculptures. For an increasing number of artists from the contemporary scene, the act of painting — its physical act, itself — plays a crucial role in their process. German visual artist Gerhard Richter once remarked that "it is always only a matter of seeing: the physical act is unavoidable": how do you see the relationship between the abstract nature of the ideas you translate on your pieces and the physical act of producing your artworks?

I hope that people and art will interact more when making the work. It also leads to making dancers' costumes. First of all, I would like to talk about how the cloth material matches the art I want to make.

On each one of MocoMoco, I have my wishes and emotions. Since the collection of acts of wrapping is a work, it has meaning in the making process as well. It can also be said that the work using the body electrifies MocoMoco which do not have movement. However, its relationship is my inhabitants of The MocoMoco World.

So I think the relationship is very natural as it is only mixed in works with one theme.

Despite to clear references to perceptual reality, your visual vocabulary, has a very ambivalent quality. How do you view the concepts of the

Land

scape

Natsuko Hattori

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

real and the imagined playing out within your works? How would you define the relationship between abstraction and representation in your practice?

My work is made up of emotions and experiences. Although it may be an aggregate of circles, I think that it is possible to express emotions sufficiently only by color and form. Abstraction and concretion seem to be in both polarities, but it seems to me that it is only the difference whether they look clear or neither clearly. I see them as being essentially collinear. It attracts each other such as light and shade, so that they are necessary for each other.

Fabric is my medium of choice because people everywhere can relate more easily to this material, which conveys warmth, natural softness and the intimate human touch.

Multidisciplinary artist Angela Bulloch once remarked "that works of arts often continue to evolve after they have been realised, simply by the fact that they are conceived with an element of change, or an inherent potential for some kind of shift to occur". Do you think that the role of the artist has changed these days with the new global communications and the new sensibility created by new media?

I think media is a medium to convey to people quickly. As my works are not plane but solid, it is doubtful whether it will convey to a viewer well. In that respect I do not know the change in the role of the artist.

Natsuko Hattori

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

scape

Natsuko Hattori

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

I think that the art viewed from the media and the Internet and the art seen in life are totally different. For example, I love Monet's water lilies in MOMA. In front of that picture I can sit and watch for hours and hours. While watching it, I am in the painting, not in the real world, but in Monet's water lilies. You can feel the sound of water, the smell of the flower, even the temperature. But even if I see the same picture on the Internet, I do not think I will see that picture for hours. When it passes through the media and the Internet, it becomes different from the live power and the thought of the author directly transmitted. It is quite different from seeing my work on live and seeing in the photograph. Especially my work uses fabrics of different textures and makes a totally different facial expression depending on how light is applied. I think that those made by hand will see the real thing. On the other hand, it is wonderful to be handy and to be able to see the art quickly. However, I think that it would be better not to forget to look and feel the real thing.

It's no doubt that interdisciplinary collaborations as the ones you have established with artists Mark D. Schmidt & Courtney Acomb, are today ever growing forces in Contemporary Art and that the most exciting things happen when creative minds from different fields of practice meet and collaborate on a project... could you tell us something about this effective synergy? By the way, Peter Tabor once stated

Jacqueline van de Geer

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

Natsuko Hattori

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

that "collaboration is working together with another to create something as a synthesis of two practices, that alone one could not": what's your point about this? Can you explain how your work demonstrates communication between several artists from different disciplines?

Regarding synergy, I believe that one or more things will naturally be made in that two or more ideas merge.

I think that I can do something that I could not do alone. When collaborating and watching the dancers who are dancing while wearing the work I made, I am always impressed with my work I think that it is because wonderful dancers wear my works and dance beautifully. Every time they move, my work shines beautifully. It will produce exactly unexpected output and it definitely adds new spice to join my work.

Over the years you have exhibited your artworks in several group exhibitions, including your recent participation at the 18th Annual WAH Salon Show, at the WAH Center, in New York City. One of the hallmarks of your work is the capability to create direct involvement with the viewers, who are urged to evolve from a condition of mere spectatorship. So before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience. Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?

It is important that the size of the work also

changes depending on the size of the exhibition hall. But there is no particular differentiation as to who the viewer is or how to catch it. It may be said that some works have used languages that are not usually used, as there are things that make the spheres irregular in order to express human greediness.

Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Natsuko. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving?

Until a couple of years ago, I was thinking about various things such as wanting to build MocoMoco's house, trying to float it on the river. I even want it to fly to the sky.

But I think now that it is a bit different.

Because my works are all made up of my feelings and experiences. From people who have seen my work for many years, it is said that each piece of work represents my life and idea. It seems to see my life. For me, the work is like a diary, which confined the feelings of that time. Just watching my work, the thoughts of the time I made it will get in. As of now, I do not see how my works evolve in the future. That is because I am about how to live in the future.

An interview by and

, curator curator

M ilana Yalir M

scape

Land

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

LandEscape meets

Milana Yalir An interview by and

, curator , curator

My introduction to Visual Arts and Dance was at a young age and that was after I've been a gymnast engaged with an intensive training program. I think the energy of flying in the air and having to trust my physical instincts always stayed as the base to the drive I had ever since. The research of Relationships between Visual Arts and Dance was formatted in the Thesis I wrote with that title and that was what lead me eventually to the exploration of dance on video. I have to say that especially with my experience on the Rietveld Academy I was stimulated to film myself dance, my vision was to edit those registrations in order to design the space with projections of dance.

In the piece I created Gallery of Dance which was a one hour solo show with panels moving on wheels and on the panels appeared collages of self portraits partly photographed and partly painted in black and white mixed media, this piece was the beginning of a journey towards installation.

My background was universal and rather Cosmo political so in this respect my art was dis attached to my Hebrew roots, it felt like an open horizon to relate to time and space regardless a specific place. The aesthetic element comes in my work from a classical approach based on the academic studies I had for composition, colour,

Christopher Reid

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

scape

Milana Yalir

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

texture and dynamics but the question what do I want to say with it is the first initiative for its creation.

The roles of chance and improvisation play a major part in my approach and take part in my set up right from the beginning of the process of a production. It developed from my request for new motivations in the research of dance. Personally for me it came from the inspiration to interact with different spaces of architecture and nature. I wanted to leave the studio and become one with the composition of the location I choose. I liked to play a role in front and behind the camera at the same time. In this way I could explore the moment with movement which is true to this moment and comes from an inner impulse. While doing that I would constantly look at the film created and make my decision for the next composition. A good example for chance meetings are shown in the installation Street Dancing. As I was dancing on different locations in the small village Kremniza in the Slovak Republic, on one of the locations behind me dancing on the path and as I wasn't even aware of it, the Gardner of the place run into the composition of the frame of my camera, jumped into a split then jumped back to his feet and run out of the frame.

When I saw it on the film I edit it in a loop, so that this action will continue forever and this was played simultaneously on the two side

Milana Yalir

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Milana Yalir

Milana Yalir

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

screens of the installation while in the middle screen I edit my dance on several other locations in that village. As I open the situation for chance, all kind of things that I could have never plan in advance happen.

My sources of inspiration were first of all the place where the film was shot, a beautiful village in the Netherlands called Vreeland meaning Free Land. I walked everyday to the same path wanted to capture the leafs on the water. The slow movement fascinated me it seemed like meditation while the colours and light kept changing. My second inspiration was the text of the poem by Linda Hogan, the context of her words: "Walking I'm listening to a deeper way, suddenly all my ancestors are behind me, be still they say, watch and listen, you are the result of the love of thousands."

The words of the poem came in the sound editing of my voice and influenced the text I wrote further for this piece which were intuitively inspired by the visuals. The metaphor was created while I edited the sound and image together. The leafs laid out behind each other seemed to me like all these generations Linda was talking about in the poem, therefore they represent the fragility of life. I conceive the metaphors within the process of the work, the content is growing into the matter by the cross over between sound and image.

Land

scape

Milana Yalir

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

I think that there is a constant flow between the imagined and the real since my concepts come from elements that I find intriguing to explore. Whether it is a visual element or an intellectual, a character I want to convey or an image. There is a dialogue created between the realm and the expansion of the idea once it takes a form and becomes alive. Movement eventually is abstract and so is the composition in my paintings. There is a strong connection to an inner energy which is influenced by the external movement of the body, this is a meeting point between the real and the imagined, the exchange is rather associative in most works. It comes from the belief that the soul is the highest element in the human structure and the most intriguing and complicated to understand as well as to manifest. With that said I try to be true to my feelings and research the subcontinent of the body. It's like a land floating in an ocean of memories, impressions and emotions. The body acknowledgement brings to a better understanding of the spirit of the mind and heart. As I strongly believe in instincts, movement and motion are coming from a deep feeling and energy which are true to the moment and keep changing. There is a vibrant communication between the body and the space around it, in that respect weather it's an architectural environment or that of nature the connection is created by a greater force like a sublime relationship.

Milana Yalir

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Milana Yalir

Milana Yalir

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Each work of mine takes a different approach towards Art role in public space and creating public sphere whether in doors or out doors, location, gallery, museum or theatre. In the piece Other Half I experimented with the public questions and experiences from daily life actions that everyone can relate to in their own personal way. Related to gender, identity, femininity and other topics the piece challenged the viewer with intimacy and provoked their imagination with self love and ego. Other Half took a few shapes and has been shifted from a theatre installation where the public was confronted with those issues.

Later on the piece was edited for an exhibition in the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam. There it took a conceptual form of the feminine identity through rituals in the Jewish culture, behind the editing of the work I tried to enter and touch the source of my inspiration from childhood by the festivities of Purim, which result in Carnaval time when people put on costumes and disguise themselves into their fantasy figures. So I edited my self changing image in a rapid repetitive patterns. I keep changing the nature of the pieces in this way on different locations it creates a different public sphere and brings another message.

The relation between body and music for me

Land

scape

Milana Yalir

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

is ever changing. Especially since I started to edit body movement on video I could endlessly experiment with the relation to sound. A major part in the concept of my work with music is to film dance with a specific choice of music but when I edit the work and keep changing it, I set every time another music and sound. In that way I work with chance meetings as well, the piece is edited with music and then I change it to another sound and when it seems just as if it was designed together on the first place, I see it as the 'hand of God' something which is beyond planning and beyond the human thought. That is the mystic part in my work and it goes further into my dance improvisation where I specifically ignore the music and research the dissonance between body and music.

The more I open this relationship to an unexpected connections the more interesting it becomes through the progress of the work as well as in the result.

Improvisation takes many shapes in the process of my work. In my paintings I throw the paint directly from the tube as it creates lines and shapes I relate to that and start to build the composition carefully, with that it is most expressionist and brings out my inner feeling. My dance methodology is based on improvisation from the beginning of the process to the end. While improvising I chose several physical elements which I repeat later on. The choreography is designed with patterns in the space but that would allow later on the freedom to improvise the movements when the public is there as well. The only part which is set in the installation is the video editing. To demonstrate this idea I could say that with my commission from the Amsterdam Fund

Milana Yalir

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Milana Yalir

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

for the Arts for the Tropenmuseum which resulted in the piece It Takes Two To Tango.

I asked to film myself dance in the space of the conference halls of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. As I was all alone I set the camera on a tripod in a low angle shot and filmed 5 hours of dance improvisation. The composition was set to play the space with mirror reverse imagery so that on the final installation which was 14 meter long with 8 screens and a mirror opposite, this particular fragment will transform into the shape of a cathedral. Out of 5 hours I choose 2 minutes which were edited for the installation. I related to the shape of the space but the dance movements is pure improvisation.

platform and send a most important message against animals abuse, the suffering of animals is unbearable, for example the killing of dogs and cats in China, but of course all the rest of the animals that are being killed around the world that's shameful for the human kind. I hope with messages of artists and more people to communities around the world will make this problem grow less and less.

I definitely think the role of the artist has changed with the globalisation of the world.

The means of communication are there to bring people, artists and viewers together.

In my personal preconceived way of looking at art it works well towards the universal approach I was always striving for. At the end 80 percent of communications are non verbal but of body language. Art is there to create a greater understanding to communicate universal messages which will create a bridge between people from different places and make the world a better place. I would like to take this

The energy created between artists working together and collaborating is most inspiring.

My work demonstrates collaboration with photographers and camera men as Marcel Bode in Other Half. Since the movement is based on improvisation the movement of Marcel is playing along with mine, there is synergy and intense feeling created between two people which an individual can't create on his own. The space is designed with a large mirror of 5 meter long and two projections screens in diagonals of 6 meter each. The reflection of Marcel appears in the mirror at times and his

Land

scape

Milana Yalir

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

shadow appears on the projection screens. In several editing I made I took in account to bring another atmosphere and feeling.

Another collaboration was with the dancer Megumi Eda in the pieces I created From the Soul and Rhythm of Chance. This beautiful dancer with the excellent classical technique was a great inspiration especially when I was behind the camera filming her dance with a long tale wedding dress. I set the rules of improvisation according to the pattern of the floor and took top shot view to expand the movement of Megumi in relation to the pattern beneath her. Other inspiring meetings for example with the composer Ben Witkins (known as Juno Reactor) who invited me to edit my visuals with his music. I created many experiments of video editing with several pieces of him as well as after meeting the composer Roni Porat and found his compositions very intriguing and compelling to edit the visuals I create with.

As an addition I studied web design and worked in a game developer company. It was most inspiring to experience 3D design of very talented artists as well as the possibilities created with motion capture.

The language I choose for a particular context has to do on the first place with what I would like to communicate. As my messages deal with identity, with personal

struggles and the shortness of life, abuse of animals and abuse of people. In the last year I gave a performance at the Church of the Salvation Army in Amsterdam in front of women that have been abused. The core of my performance wanted to give them the power and inspiration to gain the energy within themselves and to find ways to step away from their past and focus on the present and future. There was a vibrant conversation after the performance and in this respect the nature of my art cross points with the women and my choice for a language took in consideration their background. It was very touching and amazing to experience their impressions from the performance and the talk afterwards.

In my future projects for 2017 I have an invitation from a gallery in Amsterdam to exhibit my new works selected from drawings of self portraits. In this drawings I reached for minimalism after researching to express a moment in as little means as possible.

Further there will be in the exhibition prints of film stills of self portraits from different times of my life to express the time flow and film stills taken out of video of self portraits as well. The subject of self portrait had been a cross line in my works since I started to create art and now evolved to my main focus. Further my plan is to design dance installations for public spaces.

An interview by and

, curator , curator

Milana Yalir

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

, 2015 Three channel projection, Stereo speaker

scape

Land

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Lien-Cheng Wang Lives and works in Dallas, USA

An interview by and

, curator , curator

Highly stimulating in its communicative concreteness, Regeneration Movement is an extremely interesting project by Taiwan based multidisciplinary artist Lien-Cheng Wang. His work reject any conventional classification and condenses a stimulating symbiosis between Art and Technology to provide the viewers with an immersive and multilayered experience. One of the most convincing aspects of Wang's practice is his successful attempt to go beyond the dichotomy between artist and spectatorship, urging them to evolve to conscious and active participants. We are very pleased to introduce our readers to his stimulating artistic production.

Hello Lien-Cheng and a warm welcome to LandEscape. We would start this interview posing you some questions about your background. You have a solid formal training: you hold a B.F.A. in Computer Science and Information Engineering and you are currently studying at the Graduate Institute of Art and Technology, in Taipei: how do these experiences influence the way you conceive and produce your artworks? In particular, how does your Taiwanese cultural substratum inform the way you realte yourself to art making?

I am from computer engineering background, it gave me a good foundation in using technological materials. My works are also very related with digitalization and technological art.

It must be said Taiwan's culture deeply influenced my creation although I am used to use a smarthidden way to package it and cover it well. People would not notice it at very first sight. For example, in my work "Electric Position", the main concept is from electric fly swatter and mosquitoes.

These two elements are mostly existed in low latitude country and lived in torrid zone; in "Regeneration movement", there are many CDROM drivers which generated by Taiwan in the past 10 years. I tried to discuss issues of globalization and how technology bring to our daily life in using taiwanese point of view.

You are a versatile artist your experimental practice encapsulates several techniques, involving a stimulating use of interactive devices with sound performances: your practice reveals an incessant search of an organic symbiosis between a variety of viewpoints. The results convey together a coherent sense of unity, that rejects any conventional classification: so before starting to elaborate about your production, we would suggest to our readers to visit http://soulblighter0122.blogspot.it in order to get a synoptic view of your multifaceted artistic production: while walking our readers through your usual process, we would like to ask you if you have you ever happened to realize that such multidisciplinary approach is the only way to express and convey the idea you explore.

First of all, thanks for the compliment. I am for sure to focus on the uniqueness of combination between formality and concept. It is very important for me. In my work, the audience participation is essential. There are less interaction with the audience in the traditional

Land

scape

Maya Gelfman

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

, 2008 Refit electric shock, Refit electric mosquito zapper, Relay, Ultrasonic sensor

Lien-Cheng Wang

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

arts whereas I use modern technology to express my artistic concept.

For this special issue of ARTiculAction we have selected Regeneration Movement, a project that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article. What has at once caught our attention of this project is the way your successful attempt estabish direct reations with the viewers when they get sensation as if placing bodies in the data stream: when walking our readers through the genesis of Regeneration Movement we would ask you what are your main sources of inspiration and what is your usual process to develope the ideas you explore.

The inspiration came from one day, my desktop CD-ROM drive was ejected and restored automatically without any warning. In such an orderly world we live, it is as if a tiny abnormal matter that could trigger a chain reaction, where things would turn strange one by one. I found this abnormality is interesting and wanted to enlarge it to a wall landscape. In the process of collecting scraped CD-ROM drives, which was relatively accessible for me because Taiwan is an electric products kingdom where numerous IT products manufactured and discarded every day, I realized those products I collected were still usable. We throw them away because new models comes to replace. Therefore, I started to build this work and made scraped CD-ROMs brought them back to live.

Your works almost always offer fruible set of elements that trigger the viewers' primordial parameters concerning our relation with physicality and with everyday life, inviting us to a multilayered experience. So we would like to ask you if in your opinion personal experience is an absolutely indispensable part of a creative process... Do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience?

No, I don’t think so. I consider personal experiences produce the process of creation. If a person has no experience of life, he/she cannot connect to any creation. If I would not live in

Land

scape

Maya Gelfman

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Taiwan, I could not create works such as �Regeneration movement", and "Parallel Cities� etc.

Another interesting work of yours that has particularly impressed us and on which we would like to spend some words is Computed Scenery, that questions impact of cutting edge techniques in our unstable and ever changing contemporary age. The impetuous way modern technology has nowadays came out on the top has dramatically revolutionized the concept of Art: in a certain sense, we are forced to rethink about the intimate aspect of the materiality of an artwork itself, since just few years ago it was a tactile materialization of an idea. We are sort of convinced that new media will definitely fill the apparent dichotomy between art and technology and we will dare to say that Art and Technology are going to assimilate one to each other... what's your point about this?

Since the computer was invented, more and more digitalization came into our life as well as into art industry.

People use technology to help their creation. For instance, nowadays we can use projector as assistant to complete the large mural. I consider art and technology will NOT combine to assimilate one. But I think the direction of both will become the process of approach as close as possible. It just like digital and life, they are two different words.

Your works could be considered multisensorial biographies that univeil the aestethic consequences of a combination between sound and light exploring unexpected aspects of the functionality of language on the aesthetic level: as Gerhard Richter once remarked, "my concern is never art, but always what art can be used for": what is your opinion about the functional aspect of Art in the contemporary age?

In my point of view, contemporary art is like a transition hub (like train station and airport), an interface of communication and exchange, strings different location, race, occupation and generation etc. and put them into conversation. Interactive art uses the method of technology to reduce the threshold and distance between audience and the artwork.

You regularly take part in performances and art projects in public space, as you interesting performative piece

Lien-Cheng Wang

scape

Land

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

, 2014 Laser, Diffractive optical element, Magnifier, Mirror, Metal structure

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Maya Gelfman

Lien-Cheng Wang

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

entitled The Displacement: your practice provides the viewers with an intense, immersive experience: how do you see the relationship between public sphere and the role of art in public space? In particular, how much do you consider the immersive nature of the viewing experience and how much importance has improvisation in your process?

I think display art in public space is very essential because it represents a process of communication with the people. As I mentioned before, immersive way is a form of communication.

The improvisation in my performance is very critical, it reflects a direct relationship with the audience, make audience easy accessible.

Wave Phenomena provokes direct relations in the viewers and accomplishes the difficult task of going beyond the surface of communication. We find this aspect particularly interesting since it is probabily the only way to accomplish the vital restoration you pursued in this work, concerning both the individuals and thier place in our ever changing societies: what kind of reactions did you expect to provoke in the viewers?

"Wave Phenomena" discusses a relationship between light, time and wave. It is a site specific artwork because there was a transparent celling at exhibition space. Natural sunlight shine through the space and through the installation. When audiences walk in the installation, the floor switch is sensed and installation be activated. The material "smart films" becomes transparent, people would feel like walk under the water, the ripples from light would spill from above. I expect the viewers to feel nature, technology and aesthetic unify in this installation.

Over these years you works have been exhibited in several occasions, including your recent participations at OSTRALE´O16 in Dresden and your performance at the CONCIERTOS AUDIOVISUALES MADATAC. Your practice is strictly connected to the chance of establishing a direct involvement with the viewers, who are urged to evolve from a mere spectatorship to conscious participants on an intellectual level, so before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your

Land

scape

Maya Gelfman

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

2014, Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp, Smart Film, Stereo sound, single-frequency projection, New

art with your audience. Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?

Acceptance of the audience is important for me, but not the most. It’s due to I think that contemporary art often has a problem and people

usually tell me: they do not understand. I intend to break this line, then establish a bridge of communication with the audience. I use Mandarin and English to express my concept, never less to say, computer language as well.

Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your

Land

Lien-Cheng Wang

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Media Art

thoughts, Lien-Cheng. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects.

How do you see your work evolving?

primary school class in Taiwan is 23. The work will play out the voice reading the book from primary school's students, and discuss cybernetics, education, and the history of Taiwan.

I am currently developing a work called "Reading Project.� It is about 23 automatic machines which are flipping book. The average student number of

An interview by and

, curator , curator

Nicole Benner Lives and works in Atlanta, GA, USA

My work examines the numerous layers of the body affected by chronic pain, as it relates to spinal health. This includes the physical, psychological, and emotional impact that chronic pain has on different individuals. I engage with the complexities of the human anatomy through objects that exist, or could exist, on the figure. Each piece allows for the consideration of how the object affects the wearer/viewer and how the wearer/viewer affects the object.

My responsiveness to the spine as a subject initiates through my own chronic back pain and the knowledge that spinal issues are very common. Most people with back pain are constantly aware of the role the backbone plays in supporting their body and facilitating movement. Comfort/Confine is a full body casing that considers the broad, restrictive isolation placed on the body when an individual deals with chronic pain. I utilize the copper yarn as a reference to the nervous system: an aspect of my own chronic pain that can be debilitating. Here, the body has defined mobility, only capable of reaching where the textile allows. The materials chosen to create these objects are thoughtfully considered to reflect these ideas. I explore how a material references different layers of the body, what properties the material has, how it can be manipulated, and what impact it will have on the body as it is transformed into a garment or panel construction. The techniques and materials I choose are familiar to us through our understanding of apparel and the function of specific textiles. I utilize that familiarity to engage with the viewer and encourage them to question what those garments could mean.

The textiles that exist on the body consider what it is like when you are forced into an awareness of your own body. Sometimes that is through pain or injury, but that awareness can also come from places of confidence and self-consciousness. I encourage the viewer to approach the work and consider what awareness they have when imagining the comfort/discomfort of wearing the garments.

Sentience, Incubator Gallery, Kranzberg Arts Center, St. Louis, Missouri

Land

scape

Special edition

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

LandEscape meets

Nicole Benner Lives and works in Atlanta, GA, USA Nicole is a textile artist and Lecturer in Textiles at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She received an MFA in Textile Arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Central Missouri. Her work has been featured in the international publications, Fiber Art Now and Surface Design, and is part of the Crossing Generations: Past, Present & Future exhibition at the 2017 Surface Design Association Conference in Portland, Oregon. Nicole is also a current artist of the 2017-2018 Walthall Fellowship in Atlanta, GA.

An interview by Dario Rutigliano, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator

introduce our readers to her stimulating and multifaceted artistic production.

land.escape@europe.com

Hello Nicole and welcome to LandEscape we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your multifaceted background. You have a solid background and after having earned your BFA in Sculpture you nurtured your education with a Master of Fine Arts with emphasis on Textiles, that you received from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville: how did these experiences influence the way you currently conceive your works?

Experimenting with a wide variety of materials, artist Nicole Benner's work rejects any conventional classification regarding its style, to examines the numerous layers of the body affected by chronic pain, as it relates to spinal health. Drawing from her personal experience, Benner addresses the viewers through a multilayered experience and as in her body of works that we'll be discussing in the following pages, she successfully attempts to trigger the spectatorship's perceptual parameters, with a deeper focus on a complementary dialogue between materiality, content and the encounter with the viewers. One of the most impressive aspects of Benner's work is the way it accomplishes the difficult task of utilizing the familiarity of the materials she combines in her works to encourage the spectatorship to elaborate personal associations and interpretations: we are very pleased to

Hello, and thank you for having me.

When working through my undergraduate degree, fibers and fabric manipulation was formally new to me. I had been sewing clothing and costumes since I was very young, but everything I knew about working with fibers and fabrics was primarily self-taught.

Toward the end of my undergraduate studies, I was dedicated to exploring sculptural forms through felting, knitting, and crocheting, while simultaneously researching whatever I could

Nicole Benner

Comfort/Confine Detail, Crocheted metallic yarn

Nicole Benner

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

about historic and contemporary textile artists. Moving toward my graduate degree at SIUE, I was welcomed into a community of amazing mentors and artists. There was always a productive and positive challenge brought forth in every discussion, and it was that constant dialogue that kept me motivated. This experience allowed me to fearlessly jump into new ideas, new materials, try, fail, and problem solve confidently. That has definitely carried through to my current practice. Additionally, I had the time and incredible resources to absorb as much as I could about the multifaceted world of textiles. I spent a whole semester focusing primarily on learning new techniques. This led into my exploration of working with a more interdisciplinary approach, because I did not want to focus on one material or process, but explore the same conceptual ideas through different means. This stands true to my current practice. I will find a material I am really motivated by and weave it into my conceptual ideas working with chronic pain and the human anatomy.

techniques, some ideas move fluidly from brain to hand, and other times I need to experiment with a material and process an idea from hand to brain. In turn, I will spend time working on a piece that I know has a clear direction, while simultaneously experimenting with new techniques in different materials. It essentially keeps both sides of my brain busy, and that is how I enjoy working. I would say it is rare for me to have only one piece in progress at a time. When working on a piece that requires a lot of repetition, such as crocheting skeins and skeins of yarn in Comfort/Confine, I will have another methodical, and tedious piece going as well. This was the case when constructing Brace. With this piece, I was manipulating corset-making techniques into a brace form that extends from under the bust, down to the ankles. The brace itself being made out of aluminum mesh, I was searching for a way to construct the piece safely for a person to wear. So, I very methodically created hand sewn French Seams so all of the rough edges were hidden.

Your works convey a coherent sense of unity, that rejects any conventional classification.

Before starting to elaborate about your production, we would suggest to our readers to visit http://nicolebenner.com in order to get a synoptic view of your work: in the meanwhile, would you like to tell our readers something about your process and set up?

How much importance does spontaneity play in your work? In particular, do you conceive you works instinctively or do you methodically elaborate your pieces?

I am also particularly interested in traditional textile techniques that we associate with domestic items and clothing. I like to form associations between the object and the viewer with this familiarity, and that is often a jumping off point for my experimentation.

I would have to say a little of both. When working with a range of materials and

You are a versatile artist: the spectrum of the materials that you combine in your works include silk gauze, steel, cotton, organza and we have appreciated the way you explore the tactile contrasts that you obtain with such variety of materials: Michael Fried once stated that 'materials do not represent, signify, or allude to anything; they are what

Land

scape

Natsuko Hattori

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

they are and nothing more.' What are the properties that you search for in the materials that you combine? In particular, what does appeal you of fibers?

Materials play a key component in my work. I would say they are responsible for half the narrative I am putting forth, at least. There will be times when a material jumps out at me and I spend time considering how to incorporate it into my work, but more often, I am judging a material based on how I associate it with the human anatomy. When I am talking about the numerous layers of the body affected by chronic pain, I often begin by connecting a material with a physical layer: muscles, nervous system, skeletal structure. I look for materials that represent a hard and soft quality as reference to strength and weakness. I am especially drawn to materials that are transparent and allow the human form to be seen when the object is being worn. When working with an ethereal transparent material like soft silk organza, I will establish the “strength” in the technique I use, since the fabric is seemingly so delicate. That is true for Plaited Constraint. The piece is very structured, but constructed from a delicate, “soft tissue-like” fabric.

In regard to what about textiles appeals to me, I would say the tactile quality of textiles is something I have not found in other media.

When I began working with fibers and felting, I knew it was a medium I was truly in love with.

Partially, I believe my deep childhood interest in making clothing and costumes jump-started my captivation. Every aspect of textiles requests that I touch the material, or I am intrigued on a level that requires I get closer to the fabric. So, while I work in a range of materials, textiles and textile processes remain my constant. With my

Nicole Benner

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Comfort/Confine

Land

scape

Natsuko Hattori

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

focus on the human anatomy, this media lends itself effortlessly, but I am engaged in the different processes and the rich history of textiles as a whole. As I mentioned before, I utilize materials and techniques as an association between the viewer and the object. Regardless of an individual’s background, every person has an association with textiles that allows them an immediate entrance into my work.

For this special edition of Peripheral ARTeries we have selected Comfort/Confine, a full body casing that considers the broad, restrictive isolation placed on the body when an individual deals with chronic pain.

What has at once captured our attention of your artistic inquiry is the way you provided the visual results of your analysis with autonomous aesthetics: when walking our readers through the genesis of Comfort/Confine would you tell us your sources of inspiration? How did you develop the initial idea?

While my whole body of work originates from a place of personal narrative, I do research and listen to the experiences of other individuals dealing with chronic pain.

Comfort/Confine is a piece closely associated to my own experience with spinal health because it originated while I was dealing with a rough stint of severe back pain.

Without getting into too much detail about the medical side of it, disc issues in my lower spine can cause severe nerve pain to travel down my leg. Additionally, it can cause spinal alignment to be off and create severe muscle spasms. At this time, I was focused on a type of pain that controls my whole body, not just my back. Beyond that, it controls what I am able to do all together,

and to have that amount of control out of my hands, I found harrowing. So, I refocused that pain into my work, and problem solved how to put these feeling into a piece that would demonstrate the experience I was having at the time. Equally, I was problem solving how I could work from the comfort of my bed. With that, I began crocheting a dimensional form, fitting the contours to my body. Thoughtfully, I was working with a metallic yarn that I had found some months before, and it was the perfect fit for the material relationship I wanted for this piece. I chose to crochet because of the close association everyone has with this technique.

Whether it be a blanket, hat, scarf, or stuffed animal, each of these elements is something we associate with comfort. While the yarn is truly soft and light, the metallic quality translates visually to something that may be hard and heavy. As the piece evolved, I knew it needed to not only encompass the body, but extend beyond the feet. On one hand, this is a personal space, a cocoon, and the circular footprint isolates the individual. On the other side, the piece is restrictive, and that pain or loss of control extends beyond the physical and into that individual’s larger space. This was the duality I wanted to create with.

As you have remarked in your artist's statement, your responsiveness to the spine as a subject initiates through your own chronic back pain and the knowledge that spinal issues are very common: how would you consider the relationship between everyday life's experience and your creative process? How does direct experience fuel your imagination?

Comfort/Confine

Plaited Constraint, Hand dyed silk organza

Nicole Benner

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

still working. So, even when my back decides to cooperate, the awareness and that direct experience is still present. Making is my way to control it. It is a journaling process, and a way to tell a narrative I know many people associate with.

I would say, in turn, I am never lacking a story to tell, but maybe my materials cannot keep up! I believe when I am having a stint where pain is minimal, that likely reflects in the work I am making at the time, whether it is referencing strength in materiality, or focusing on a specific physical layer that is very controlled. Ultimately, my experience reminds me of my ability to problem solve, find a positive, and focus on making.

We daresay that Plaited Constraint provides abstract feelings with a tactile sense of permanence, to create materiality of the immaterial: how did you come up with the idea of this captivating artwork?

Plaited Constraint Detail

As I mentioned in regard to Comfort/Confine, part of my creative process is finding control in an uncontrollable issue. At this point, my spinal issues have become a part of my studio practice. I arrange my working space in specific ways to add comfort, and I consciously stretch and make sure I am not hunched over my sewing machine for too long. This is an additional reason I usually have multiple pieces in progress at the same time. I am aware of what I need to do to take care of myself, to prevent or ease pain while

As I have mentioned, I like to work with materials and processes that people have an association with. Plaiting is a technique used heavily in basket-making, but it is also used as decorative elements on pillows, and in the small “finger trap� toys so many of us are familiar with. I was able to immediately draw parallels to this technique being traditionally used to make vessels and how chronic pain takes over the body and there is an encompassing feeling of being stuck in one’s own skin (vessel). Part of my practice digs into research about chronic pain in regard to spinal health. It is an issue I deal with constantly, so I never lack reference, but I have also read numerous studies that note 80% of the population deal with back issues at some point in their life. I found that

Land

scape

Natsuko Hattori

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Brace Detail, Wire mesh, steel, nuts and bolts

number staggering. Chronic pain tends to be a hidden ailment until it affects your ability to stand or walk properly. When I was approaching this body of work, I was

considering how to shift the emotional perspective of what is happening on the interior and bringing it to the exterior. While no one can see chronic pain, the physical and

Brace

How Would You Rate Your Pain, Silk gauze, yarn, thread

Land

scape

Natsuko Hattori

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

emotional side of this issue move into your larger space. It is reaching beyond your head and beyond your toes. Ultimately, I approach this piece just like the others: I am identifying one more layer of the body affected by chronic pain. For Plaited Constraint, that layer is not as much a physical layer as it is emotional.

Despite to clear references to tactile reality your visual vocabulary, as revealed by the interesting Underarm Brace, has a very ambivalent, almost ethereal quality. How do you view the concepts of the real and the imagined playing out within your works?

How would you define the relationship between abstraction and representation in your practice?

When talking about the interior workings of the human anatomy, it is not always as simple as drawing a spine, muscle structures, etc. Often, the emotional impact and how I interpret an experience comes forward as being very abstract. I talk about the multiple layers of the body affected by chronic pain. I would say I can easily draw parallels between representation and the physical layers, and abstraction and the emotional layers. Depending on the origin of a piece, I then look for a balance between abstraction and representation to better understand the narrative. In the case of Underarm Brace, I began with representation: a type of brace used to treat scoliosis. Then the abstraction came forward by forcing a delicate material that references muscle and soft-tissue to make up the surface material of the brace framed in steel.

It pulls back and forth between functional

and nonfunctional. If the viewer was to imagine wearing the object they would have to consider the discomfort of the brace, but also the inability to move for fear of damaging the seemingly delicate fabric. I avidly try to find a balance between the abstraction and representation, the emotional and the physical in order to clearly translate a narrative.

You use familiar materials to engage with the viewer and encourage them to challenge their perceptual and cultural parameters.

The power of visual arts in the contemporary age is enormous: at the same time, the role of the viewer’s disposition and attitude is equally important. Both our minds and our bodies need to actively participate in the experience of contemplating a piece of art: it demands your total attention and a particular kind of effort — it’s almost a commitment. What do you think about the role of the viewer? Are you particularly interested if you try to achieve to trigger the viewers' perception as starting point to urge them to elaborate personal interpretations?

While my works originate from a place of personal narrative, I am very engaged in the role of the viewer. While a large portion of the population deals with some form of the chronic pain, I also acknowledge that many people do not. In particular with the objects that exist on a human form, I hope to encourage the viewer to input themselves into the position of the figure and consider the way they would feel if they were wearing that object. Both physically and mentally. Through the familiar materials and

Circulate Silk gauze, silk organza, cotton thread, PLA plastic

Circulate

Nicole Benner

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

the human figure, I try to engage with all viewers so they can input their personal interpretation. I enjoy hearing people acknowledge a similar understanding of the piece as my experience, but equally, some interpretations may come from a place of anxiety, or pain that comes from an accident. I find those additional personal interpretations to inspire beyond even my original intention.

familiarity to materials come from my own experience, but it also comes with research on how specific fabrics and techniques are used for different items in different places.

Over the years your works have been showcased on several occasions, including your recent participation to Crossing Generations: Past, Present, & Future, at the Hoffman Art Gallery, Portland, Oregon curated by Jane Sauer. One of the hallmarks of your practice is the capability to create direct involvement with the viewers, who are urged to evolve from a condition of mere spectatorship. So before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience.

Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?

I consider the works that exist on the body to be fresh with a lot of room for evolution and growth, so currently, I am doing more in-depth exploration into crocheted forms.

Simultaneously, I am focusing on the way these works are activated. The human figure plays such a huge role in these works, and the experience is much different when the piece is on a human vs. on a mannequin.

When I collaborated with Arica Brown and Consuming Kinetics Dance Company, I saw Comfort/Confine activated in a way that I am really interested in. Since then, I have shown the video documentation of the performance Molecular Memory, alongside the object and I am digging into how performance and this form of documentation have the potential to elevate the objects. I hope to have more of these ideas incorporated into my portfolio in the coming months.

Chronic pain is a universal physical issue. My work begins from my narrative, but I always say originates, because I want the work to extend beyond me to a place where different individuals can input themselves into the work, and interpret from their perspective. To do this, I believe I have to consider audience reception through different stages of my decision-making process. As I have mentioned in previous questions, drawing people in with a

Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Nicole. Finally, would you like to tell our readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving?

Thanks so much for this opportunity.

An interview by Dario Rutigliano, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator land.escape@europe.com

scape

Land

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Sapir Kesem Leary Lives and works in Bern, Switzerland

I

n my work I try to share my life with the viewer as if they were my close friend, as if we are companions to great discoveries. From loneliness, to love, to boredom to friendship.

I connect to radical feminism art theories that suggest – the personal is political. Trying to intertwine daily feminine life prosaic moments and distressed moments.

My main attractions is exploring body limitation in a spiritual manner. Tring to connect to elements outside myself – people, plants, moods. The inner body and the outer world try to be symbiotic.

Spending time out in the world has greater value to me than spending days on days in the Atelier. Hoping to meet new people and experiences that will inspire me.

Capturing moments and reenacting them through painting and video. My presence in the work is rather constant. From intimate moments with nature to private lonely moments at home.

From video to painting, you will usually find my blonde [or wigged] presence in the work. I try and include the viewer as much as possible, to create a body which allows the audience to reflect themselves.

scape

Land

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

LandEscape meets

Sapir Kesem Leary An interview by and

, curator , curator

Exploring the expressive potential of a wide variety of materials, artist Sapir Kesem Leary's work draw the viewers through a multi-layered journey. In her recent project “Phase to Face� that will be discussed in the following pages, Leary encapsulates both elements from daily life and unconventional sensitiveness, to trigger the viewers' perceptual parameters. One of the most impressive aspects of Leary's work is the way it accomplishes the difficult task of breaking distinctions between form and nature and between interactions of people. We are very pleased to introduce our readers to her stimulating and multifaceted artistic production.

Hello Sapir and welcome to LandEscape: we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your multifaceted background.

You have a solid formal training and after your studies in theatre and design, you graduated Shenkar, The Multidisciplinary Art School, with a degree in Art. How do these experience influence the way you currently conceive and produce your works? And in particular, how does your cultural substratum inform the way you relate yourself to the aesthetic problem in general?

Hello to LandEscape and its readers. My first introduction to art and art making was when I studied theatre. To be perfectly honest, growing up, I dreamed of becoming actress and studied

acting while in elementary and high school. Once I finished my compulsory military service, I have begun official training in a Theatre school. After two years I left the acting school in search of a new direction. I think that performing on stage was too emotionally demanding, and being the total person that I am, I immersed myself in the characters I played. By the time we were done with rehearsals I was emotionally and physically drained.

That experience made me realize the importance of the interconnection: I needed to eliminate the element of the director and connect more to my own character. Maybe that was the reason I started documenting myself in videos.

In my opinion, honesty is the most valued quality in an actor/actress which translates for me to honesty with oneself and a sense of freedom in front of the camera. I was lucky to find art as means of expression, it is another stage but the scenes write themselves - they are not directed and I try to be an honest spectator or an active participant in the story.

My love for television, animation, comics and film is a core element in my cultural substratum. The ability to be so wrapped in a story in a way that make one feel a part of something outside of oneself. The connection one has with fictional characters can sometimes feel liberating and meaningful. I wanted to make that connection from the other side of the screen. Reach out to the viewer.

Christopher Reid

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

In my paintings and drawings stand as well my personal experience as a means to tell a story. In other words, I try to transcend my specific experience so that its core speaks of something bigger. I try to see the experience as it was, but naturally - memory can be tricky and some things get distorted. I love that. Our memory can make such profoundly more precise impact than a camera, because of the emotions it carries. I use photos and videos to jog my memory, but painting a realistic picture does not interest me. I prefer painting my own memory. As this is a main aspect of my painting aesthetics - to be able to transfer the feeling of the experience into a painting while trying to stay true to the natural surroundings of the experience.

Over these years you have experimented with a wide variety of different techniques. The figurative language you convey in your pieces is the result of a constant evolution of your searching for new means to express the ideas you explore in your works: your inquiry into the expressive potential of colors combines together figurative as subtle abstract feature into a coherent balance. We would suggest to our readers to visit http://sapirkleary.com/ in order to get a synoptic view of your work: in the meanwhile, would you like to tell to our readers something about the evolution of your style? In particular, would you shed light on your usual process and set up?

That actually depends on the medium I choose to work with. It’s a different set up for drawing, painting, sculpturing or video. Although the first thing that needs to occur in any medium is paying attention to something while it is happening. Since my work is mostly focused on my personal experience, I must first choose the experience. It doesn’t have to be an earth shattering understanding. Sometimes just noticing the lighting in a certain scene can feel meaningful enough to try and live it again through art.

I try to be attuned to the environment I’m present in. When I am having a conversation with a friend and suddenly get the urgency to film it [in real

time] -- it can become a very delicate situation.

The friend I am conversing with must feel comfortable with the camera otherwise I will lose both the conversation and the documentation. In this scenario the best set up

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

is a mental one. If my friend doesn’t feel comfortable with the camera then it is all gone. If I am too focused on the frame rather than on intimacy, everything is lost. The process of documentation everything is very delicate. Even

when I film myself, if I do not approach it with an open and willing heart and just worry about the end product, the magic is gone.

With painting it varies. Sometimes I paint scenes that I have already filmed, then I let the videos

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

and photos run on the computer screen while I

a feeling or a memory for a consecutive amount of

paint or I spread drawings on the table. The format

time. Still, a painting can take between 2 hours and

is chosen by the shape of the memory. Some

two weeks [usually not longer]. In painting, I feel

memories are panoramic, some are zoomed in, etc.

exploration needs to always occur. When I lose

I take many brakes while painting, it’s hard to hold

curiosity and go to previously found solutions, it

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

memory fits a format I have, I get excited and eager to paint. In choosing colors, I also try to stay loyal to the scenario while connecting to the feeling of the experience. It is also important to hold both these ends while remaining playful. For instance, in „Missing the Gondola“ the mountains have many colors: brown, white, green that actually exist in the landscape. At the same time, the red, purple and blue of the mountains in the picture stand for the passion and emotion of fantasy I was experiencing from seeing the Alps for the first time. This painting actually has a funny story because I got stuck on top of mount Pilatus [after literally missing the Gondola down the mountain] with my newfound love and current partner. The whole painting is chaotic: the mountains look like gushing waves while my partner and I are colorless, immersed in each other. Even the blankets on the bed create two winged figures observing one another.

For this special edition of LandEscape we have selected Phase to Face, an extremely interesting video that has been screened at Mica Film Festival in Brazil and that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article.

What has at once caught our attention of your effective inquiry into the dichotomy of love and loneliness is the way you have been capable of creating an autonomous aesthetics: when walking our readers through the genesis of Phase to Face would you tell us your usual sources of inspiration?

usually feels boring and not genuine. I find it hard to commit to a specific format or surface.

Sometimes, a specific paper draws me in, sometimes it can be a block of wood I found. I collect surfaces and then when a shape of a

Phase to Face is an autobiographical video following my experience in a student exchange program in Switzerland. The first part of the video investigates the quiet space of being alone while flirting with a new persona. The second part, follows encounters between me, new friends and strangers, deepening the search of meaning in loneliness and love in a foreign country. I actually arrived to Switzerland heartbroken after finishing a relationship of eight years. It was my first time completely on my own. I have never travelled anywhere for more than two weeks and have been in a committed relationship since I was 19. So being alone was a new and exciting experience for me. The camera became my partner

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

in the process of discovering Switzerland and my newfound independence. She [the camera] was the one I confided in. I took her everywhere and felt she was my confidant. Everything felt so new, that I could be inspired even by the structure of a house. I was inspired even by the leafless, naked trees [not a common phenomenon in Israel]. I made one important decision: to never be lazy and always take the camera with me, and to never shy from asking the person in front of me if I can film him/her. I was editing throughout the duration of my stay in Switzerland. It was interesting to discover myself and my friends in the edit process. When filming without a script, one gathers an enormous amount of material. I watched a lot and tried to carefully choose the scenes that fitted the mood I wanted to create. I searched for specific moments of honesty and connection between the film and the viewer. If I had to make a list of inspirational sources it would be too long to read. I think it’s about connection and intimacy. Once I am able to feel intimacy with a tree, human or even a wind breeze; there is potential for art.

For Phase to Face you drew from your autobiographical the daily life experience as a student exchange program in Switzerland. So we would take this occasion to ask you if in your opinion personal experience is an absolutely indispensable part of a creative process... Do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience?

In order to answer this question I think I need first to define what „direct experience“ is. Direct experience is generally experience gained through immediate sense perception. I believe some people can get into a creative process from mind stimulation rather than the senses. Sometimes, an idea is so exciting and stimulating that it inspire us to create whether we had a personal and direct experience with it or not. For me personally, the direct experience is very important. If I am stimulated by a concept I will search a way to meet that concept in a more intimate way in order to enter the creative process. For instant, the video Tea

Ceremony is a mixture between direct encounter with material and inspiration triggered by a book about Wabi Sabi*. I was never in a tea ceremony, and all my information about it came from movies or the Wabi Sabi book. The experience

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

was not direct, but I tried to make it direct. I tried exploring that notion and make it personal. I wanted to gain that ceremony despite the fact that I did not have an opportunity to participate in a proper tea ceremony.

Nonetheless, while collecting pieces of sand and glass on stormy days from the beach, I thought I felt that spark, which Wabi Sabi refers to. So maybe it was inspired by the direct experience

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

after all‌ :) Thinking back on my classmates in Shenker, I cannot think of any work created that had nothing to do with the creator in one way or another. It is true that I do a direct documentation, but everyone in my class ended

up interpreting their personal experience in one way or another. Some tried to clean the personal aspect once the process was on the go and some left it visible.

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Your work is marked out with an interesting multidisciplinary feature and you produce both drawings, paintings and video, we would like to ask you if you have you ever happened to realize that such multidisciplinary approach is the only way to express and convey the idea you explore.

Yes. Many times I feel that one medium is very limiting. Different media open options for many more ways of exploring a certain concept. The body and mind react different to each medium and being playful is a huge inspiration source.

Filming documentary can feel very direct. This scene is interesting so I film it. Then in editing things change a bit to capture the atmosphere. Video is more than one shot. It is an event and the editing process can take a long time. With Phase to Face, the editing process took a few months. The process of documenting is different from the editing and is different from the end product and each process adds another layer that transforms the original experience. So the end product is actually not direct at all, but is concreated through different lenses, through bridges and valleys.

Painting is actually much more direct, there is an immediate reaction of the painting surface to the colors. The oil colors tell a different story from the camera. I have less control in painting. I try to create the image mostly from memory and as we know a memory distorts the situation. Nevertheless it feels much more personal than a photo. The painting can tell me something new about the video and vise versa.

* Wabi-sabi represents Japanese aesthetics and a Japanese world view centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"

It’s hard to explain how the different materials affect the mind process. When one thinks in 3D, in 2D or in media; each medium tells a story a bit different.

Above all I love to experiment and be surprised by the material.

Another interesting project of yours that has particularly impressed us and on which we would like to spend some words is entitled Tea Ceremony: it is an arts project that connects the tradition of sculpture with the moving image to create an object

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

of contemporary video art. As you have remarked once, the sculptures were made with plaster and pieces of glasses, trash and sand you collected from the beach: how much important is for you the history that a material conveys?

Many times one feels the history of the material and this can affect the mood of the work, especially if one is attune to it. In the year 2001 there was a suicide terror attack in a nightclub located on the Dolphinarum beach in Tel-Aviv, it injured 120 people and killed 21, mostly teenagers.

Today, this beach is neglected and is full of trash, glass, sand and leftovers from that night club. So as you can imagine, it carries a heavy load. I mixed all those materials together with plaster in order to create a tea set. I was interested in the contradiction between rubbish and destruction to a peaceful act of drinking tea and contemplating.

Even while watching the video, I can feel how much the tea set creates an atmosphere that my colleague and I had to surrender to. It starts out playfully with the sound, which contradicts the serious expressions we have. The entire mood is about imperfection and failure, and that has an immense grace thanks to the tea set. I believe this kind of things could only happen when the material has a history and by pouring more meaning and feeling into it. I attempted to capture the Wabi Sabi sentiment in the work.

We like the way Tea Ceremony leaves space for the spectators to replay the scenes in their own intimate lives, letting them become emotionally involved in what you are attempting to communicate. What do you think about the role of the viewer? Are you particularly interested if you try to achieve to trigger the viewers' perception as starting point to urge them to elaborate personal interpretations?

The viewer is very important to me. The most important thing in my art is to make a connection with the viewer so that we can become allies. It is quite hard to imagine what each person would feel and how she would respond, so when I begin

the process of editing—I try to remove the spectator from the equation and cater to my own aesthetic preferences. If I feel that I managed to create something that interest me or makes my stomach move in one way or another, I know I am on the right track. When I show works in

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

progress to colleagues and friends I try to be very open to new descriptions of the work. It is very exciting to hear something I did not have in mind, sprout out in someone else’s mind. When a viewer is curious enough to create his own interpretation, then surly there is something interesting that is

worth exploring in the work. I start by trying to challenge myself and the people I work with in my videos. Then, they challenge me back and a discussion is created. So, yes. It is very important for me to trigger the viewers’ perception. If I manage to do so, I feel accomplished.

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

In New Form you have explored the liminal area that represents the boundary between ourselves and what’s in front of ourselves: it's a captivating intimate investigation about the notion of identity. Do you see a definite relationship

between nature and identity in your work?

I think we all have a relationship with nature.

While working on New Form, I felt that connection in a more visible way. I grew up in a

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

a deeper curiosity and awareness to my surroundings. I realized how disconnected I was from nature. I found myself stopping on the side of the road to observe a random grass field, a random bird. In the city I watched the sky in the middle of hectic traffic jam and went to the beach much more frequently. I think being attuned to Nature [by 'nature' I refer to any environment that is not industrial] we can deepen our connection to our own human nature, and to the way we observe ourselves and our surroundings. The nature in my works reveals the mood and emotions that cannot be spoken. The most direct metaphor is probably the stormy sky that expresses and/ or stands for the stormy mood. In painting, since there is no text, other visible signals are more needed than in video. The nature helps to go deeper in to the story. The main thing I feel the nature in work convey is: Stop. Don’t rush forward. Let yourself be bored or amazed by what’s around you.

We like the way you structure your pieces leave space for the viewers to replay the ideas you explore in their own intimate lives, letting them become emotionally involved in what you are attempting to communicate. As Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco once stated, "the artist’s role differs depending on which part of the world you’re in. It depends on the political system you’re living under". Do you think that the role of the artist has changed these days with the new global communications and the new sensibility created by new media?

city and growing up, I didn’t spend much time in nature. The time I made New Form I was very interested in meditation. I have been practicing meditation for a while, but at the time I created New Form I experienced a particular opening and

In my work I usually deal with my own life but in my school it was often said that the mere act of creating art in Israel-- already makes our work political. My sister, Sharon Avital, who is a researcher in the humanities, recently wrote that even the decision to be joyful and going to musical and spiritual festivals (that are very popular in Israel)—has political implications. She claims that by choosing to participate in an alternative way of life, we choose by default to not succumb to the propaganda of fear and the politics of identities

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

that divides Israel and actually the entire world. So it is easy to see that in Israel each decision we make as individuals and as artists has political overtones. But now I live in Switzerland and I think that it is not so different even if not as obvious: my decisions to consume meat, or use plastic, or create art rather than to work in another industry – all have wider implications. The challenges I face as a young woman in this world are shared by more people of my generation. As the feminists said: the personal is always political.

So what I try to do in my own work is to explore what I am familiar with and allow the audience to feel the reverberations. To answer your question more directly, I am not sure that the role of the artist has changed over time or that it is a question of geography. I guess it also depends on the personality and the urgency of one’s call. As for new media, I think that what it allows us is to share and to share more quickly. Artists, intellectuals and travellers traditionally had the ability or took on the role of looking at their lives and cultures from a different perspective and articulate what they saw in their respective media.

Perhaps now with the increased movement and flow of information—more people can look at their lives and cultures with fresh eyes. I don’t think that it make our work as artists less relevant, but actually adds a new sensibility since we can develop a conversation more easily. When I was fresh out of theatre school I started a video blog and got comments from all over the world. It was amazing and really inspired me.

Over these years you have internationally exhibited and you recently won a honourable mention award in the film competition of The 2016 Indie Gathering International Film Festival: one of the hallmarks of your work is the capability to create a direct involvement with the viewers, who are urged to evolve from a condition of mere spectatorship. So before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience.

Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Audience reception is very important to me.

Nevertheless, I will not compromise on important matters just to be accessible. I feel that my videos can sometimes be difficult for some viewers, since

they can be slow going. I like to linger on certain points, not rush to the next scene. I am not afraid of boredom. My hope is that the audience can surrender to it. Or even feel the need to fight, but

Land

scape

Sapir Kesem Leary

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

feel it and let it be. Each context demand different effort and different actions. Despite trying to challenge the audience, I also surrender back into the walk I want us to take together. If I feel I have

gone too far with my demands, my decisions will change.

Regarding speaking language - When I was just working in Israel I didn’t give it much thought. Once

Sapir Kesem Leary

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

friend from Israel came to visit. We spoke Hebrew and it felt much more personal. Now I am learning German and I am curious to make a work that intertwines all three languages. The deeper I go into German, the more I discover the differences between the languages. A different language has different expressions that create a different state of mind and shapes a different world view. In the past year I have been working on a new video about the one year my Swiss boyfriend [artist Andreas Jenny] and I had to keep in long distance. There is much more English - Hebrew alteration and the subtitle making process made me realize how much a language affects the way we think and act. It also affect the mood of the film.

Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Sapir. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects?

How do you see your work evolving?

I am currently editing footage of a colleague [Artist Guy Aon]. He documented himself for a period of time and now I took over the materials in order to make a short video from it. It’s interesting to go into someone else’s world and try editing it. It is a very different process and experience than when I am editing myself. I am currently living in Switzerland and hope to travel a bit more. To continue documenting and also make an attempt to write a more scripted video. arriving in Switzerland it became more urgent to be understood so the main language became English. The situations are not directed and must feel natural. For example, in a certain scene a

I’m working on another project about swimming pools [I have been working as a lifeguard for this past summer]. And, of course, always carry on with painting and drawing.

Land

scape

Special edition

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

LandEscape meets

Sarah Jane Mark Lives and works in Detroit, Michigan, USA I am a fiber artist and fashion designer who is inspired by the colors, textures, shapes and patterns found in nature and in various cultural expressions found around the world. My spiritual practice of prayer and studying sacred text are an important part of my process as well as inspiration. My work is also heavily influenced by my practice of re-purposing materials. The work is slow and is a contemplative practice for me to renew my mind, slow down, dream, pray, and listen. I am interested in how art can become alive on the human form and I am honored when I get to witness a person's inner transformation as they put on a garment that makes them feel beautiful and alive.

An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator land.escape@europe.com

Inspired by the ethereal intricacies found in nature as well as the colors, textures, and tribal symbols discovered in her travels throughout Africa and Asia, artist Sarah Jane Mark produces captivating mixed media artworks that provide the viewers with such a multilayered experience. Mark's practice is focussed on the inquiry into what it means for an installation to become alive on the human form and accomplishes the difficult task of urging the viewers to evolve from the condition of mere spectatorship to conscious participants to the artist's creative process, discovering new meanings in her artworks: we are very pleased to introduce our readers to Sarah Jane Mark's stimulating and multifaceted artistic production.

Hello Sarah and welcome to Peripheral ARTeries: before starting to elaborate about your artistic production would you like to tell us something about your background? You have a solid formal training and after having earned your Bachelor of Fine Arts from Seattle Pacific University you nurtured your education with an Associates degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City for Fashion Design: how do these experiences along with your career in the field of women's high fashion sportswear Design influence your evolution as an artist? And in particular, how does your cultural substratum dued to your travels throughout Africa and Asia inform the way you relate yourself to art making?

After a decade of working as a fashion designer for large clothing manufacturers, I found myself overworked and disenchanted with the industry on many levels. I decided to quit my job and take a sabbatical period

Descent Kimono

Descent Installation & Kimono

Sarah Jane Mark

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

dedicated to spiritual seeking through art making. It was at this time of my life I came to realize how drawn I was to working with textiles as my medium of personal artistic expression. I am fascinated by the process of how textiles are made and how the endless variation of colors and textures can tell stories. I particularly love to find uses for textiles that have been discarded, especially utilizing scrap waste from the garment industry. After witnessing such waste and unethical practices so common in the fashion industry, I turned to art making and also desire to be an advocate for ethical fashion. I hope the stories I can convey through my art can open people’s eyes to the lives of real people behind products.

http://www.sarahjanemark.com in order to get a synoptic view of your work: in the meanwhile, would you like to tell to our readers something about your process and set up? How much importance does play spontaneity in your work? In particular, do you conceive you works instinctively or do you methodically elaborate your pieces?

Throughout my travels in Africa and Asia, I came to love the people there and continue to be inspired by the colors, textures, smells, and cultural traditions I encountered. I was also deeply impacted by the poverty I witnessed, which has transformed my way of thinking and has inspired me to live a life filled with more social awareness to make choices which hopefully can contribute to a more socially just world.

As far as process, I try to spend every morning in a state of prayer to connect with the Divine.

This centers my thoughts, my heart, gives me peace, and guides me throughout the day. It is from this deeper place that I try to work from. From there I get an inspiration or idea about a piece and then I usually try to make use of materials I have or find as repurposing is an important method for me. Spontaneity is important because when I develop a piece I try out different materials, colors, shapes, etc. until I get that feeling of “yes-that’s it!”.

Sometimes it’s a frustrating process with a lot of experimentation. My process is a bit of a combination of conceiving works instinctively as well as methodically elaborating each piece.

Your approach is very personal and your technique condenses a variety of viewpoints, that you combine into coherent balance. We would suggest to our readers to visit

For this special edition of Peripheral ARTeries we have selected Descent, an interesting project that our readers have already started to admire in the introductory pages of this article.

Land

scape

Special Edition

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Emma Hope, 36" x 28'

What has at once captured our attention of your captivating exploration of the question "what does prayer look like"? is the way you

provided the visual results of your analysis with autonomous aesthetics: while walking our readers through the genesis of Descent, would you

Sarah Jane Mark

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

shed light to your main sources of inspiration?

For the piece entitled, Descent, I explored

with visual themes the question of “what does prayer look like?” I was playing with the arrow shapes pointing upwards as well as downwards. I used gold and silver

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Emma Hope

Special Edition

Sarah Jane Mark

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

metallics to give the feeling of the supernatural sphere and light. I hung many dangling cone-like floral shapes from above representing nature and how we can connect with the Divine through creation. I also used translucent recycled plastic milk jugs cut into leaflike shapes and then dipped the tips in gold paint. I like the juxtaposition of a plastic and man made item turned into a shape that’s found in nature. The installation speaks of this interplay between what’s above and what’s below. I later created a kimono reflecting those same themes and a friend wore the piece to explore how an installation can come alive on the human form.

You are a versatile artist, capable of crossing from a medium to another and over the years you expanded your love for fibers into new areas including fine art, installation, and clothing design.

We daresay that are always seeking for the most coherent way to tell a story: what draws you to such cross disciplinary approach? What are the qualities that you are searching for in the materials that you include in your works? And in particular, when do you recognize that one of the mediums has exhausted its expressive potential to self?

I enjoy the cross-disciplinary approach of making art, installation and clothing

Land

scape

Special Edition

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

design. I love the art of clothing design, however, after years of designing for clothing companies, I found it hard to unwind my “designer” brain to purely make something sellable for the average consumer. I have found freedom in creating art and installation for solely the purpose of creative expression, rather than creating something that is “sellable”. Only recently have I been able to approach clothing design again and I’ve used my installations as an inspiration for the kimono pieces. I would like to continue to create clothing but more from the approach of an artistic expression. I am also very curious about identity and interested in developing some clothing pieces that play with how someone feels in the clothing and how that affects their sense of self and message about themselves they convey to the outside world.

As you have remarked in your artist's statement, your spiritual practice of prayer and studying sacred text are an important part of your process as well as inspiration. How would you consider the relationship between spirituality and creativity?

For me, the relationship between spirituality an creativity are extremely important and if I am not in touch spiritually, I am not able to create well.

Spirituality is what keeps me open, free,

Sarah Jane Mark

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Modern Woman Installation

Modern Woman Installation

Land

scape

Special Edition

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

and challenges me to create from a deep place of seeking truth.

We would like to spend some words about Emma Hope, that is the first fiber art piece you created after leaving the fashion industry: would you like to introduce our readers to this captivating work?

Emma Hope began with the intentional purpose to seek inner healing from the loss of my first child. A drawing emerged from the question, “I wonder what the spiritual realm looks like?� I began to cut out fetus shapes that were the size of eight-week old babies. It was a very meditative, healing, and prayerful process for me as I spent the first three years of this project tracing and cutting out 3700 individual fetuses. Then I spent the following three years creating the background panels composed of layers and layers of fabric scrap waste from the fashion industry.

Each fetus was sewn on top of the panels by hand with invisible thread. The work is composed of ten fabric panels all slightly overlapping to create one visual landscape of souls ascending in an upward direction from one reality to the next. The landscape reflects one day of abortion in the United States. During the six years it took to make this piece, the tedious hours were consumed with many prayers for those who have also lost children due to abortion. Loss of life is real no matter how it happened and it

Sarah Jane Mark

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Withering Glory Installation & Kimono

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Withering Glory Installation & Kimono

Special Edition

Sarah Jane Mark

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

has been important for me to grieve the loss of my first child, Emma Hope.

Another interesting work from your artistic production that has particularly impressed us and that we would like to discuss is entitled Modern Woman. As you have explained once, the piece was inspired by women who pushed the envelope in their work, in both content and form and the contributions these women made socially and artistically.

Do you think that your being a woman provides your artistic research with some special value or with a particular kind of sensitiveness?

Being a woman and a mother has given me a special perspective as an artist. The miracle of being able to carry a child inside my body and then the process of birth itself have been life altering experiences that will always remain a deep source of inspiration for me. These experiences have deepened my faith and understanding of the Divine in profound ways. Also for the last 7 years that I have been making work, I have also been a stay at home mom with my two sons, Silas and Nekoda. These years have been filled with such blessing and joy being with my children, but they have also been extremely challenging.

The amount of self-sacrifice that is required has pushed me to my limits and the lack of time to myself and lack of creative time has been very difficult. My husband is also an artist, is very supportive, and he knows for me to be

Land

scape

Special Edition

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

at my best, it is important for me to be creative. I am very grateful to be able to be a wife, mother, and artist.

You draw inspiration from tribal symbols you discovered in your travels throughout Africa and Asia: your works could be considered as explorations of the insterstitial point between perceptual reality and the abstract nature of the process of manipulation of symbols: German multidisciplinary artist Thomas Demand once stated that "nowadays art can no longer rely so much on symbolic strategies and has to probe psychological, narrative elements within the medium instead". What is your opinion about it? And in particular how would you consider the role of symbols within your work as an artist?

I believe storytelling through any art medium is powerful and important. I think any way an artist chooses to communicate story is valid, as long as it is honest and authentic. In some cases, I have chosen to use symbols within my work as a way of telling stories. For example, my piece The Woman Behind is an example of this, and is part of a series called Hands of the Maker. In this series, I utilized muslin packaging that once was used to transport fair trade goods made by artisans in India. My friends and I went to Northern India to work with artisans and we began selling their hand made items in the U.S. The first shipment arrived bundled in this muslin

material with hand-stitched and resin stamped seams.

I was amazed at their method of packaging with fabric and hand sewing compared to the paper and tape we use in the West. I then created pieces with sewn images to convey stories of these artisans I encountered. On many of the pieces you can see the difference between my stitching and the Indian person’s stitching whose job was to hand stitch packages. The Woman Behind tells the story of how most women around the world are viewed as second class citizens with less rights than men. I then used gold thread to sew a symbol I found of hands linking together which represented “restorative justice�. The artisans we met in India were a beautiful group of women who reminded me of this symbol. Their hands all working together as a group restored their value of themselves and also gave value to the entire group. This is also evident in many successful micro-loan models around the world where people overcome poverty not as individuals, but as a a group.

We like the way your your practice of re-purposing materials accomplishes the difficult task of providing an object with new life: what does appeal you of this aspect of your work?

I began repurposing materials as a young child, so it comes very natural to

Withering Glory Kimono

The Woman Behind, 32" x 32", Hands of the Maker series

Sarah Jane Mark

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

me. We had a family friend who was a fashion designer and she used these 80’s metallic and satin materials for her prom dress business. I would go to the factory and pick out a bag of scraps with the most metallic pieces as possible to create fashions for my Barbies with scissors and tape. It is funny to me now that I still have an obsession for using scraps in everything I do today.

I still use that same gold metallic fabric! I love the spiritual story of redemption and I think this is a deeper reason why I love giving materials new life. Also I believe it’s important for everyone to reuse as many items as they can in a global effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle. My boys love to create things out of trash and I see it in their school curriculums as well so hopefully it will become more of mainstream way of operating.

One of the hallmarks of your work is the capability to create direct involvement with the viewers, who are urged to evolve from a condition of mere spectatorship. So before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience. Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?

I think I used to be more concerned how my work would be received by an audience. At this point, I am more motivated to create work from a deep place inside of me and it’s wonderful if that impacts people in a way they can relate. I do believe that God can speak powerfully to people through art. My hope is that I can be a conduit for God to move and speak and that I won’t get in the way.

Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Sarah. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects?

How do you see your work evolving?

I would like to continue to explore the intersection of installation and clothing design. I also did a recent collaboration called Primal Flash with a painter named Saffell Gardner. We created a series of painted, sewn and adorned wearable art pieces that were inspired by traditional African hunter’s garments. It was a beautiful collaboration that pushed my boundaries and so I hope to continue to challenge myself with future collaborations.

An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator land.escape@europe.com

Model: Mahogany Jones Photographers: Jennifer Anibal and Jennie Warren

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Tracey Snelling Lives and works in Sacramento, California, USA

T

hrough the use of sculpture, photography, video, and installation, Tracey Snelling gives her impression of a place, its people and their experience. Often, the cinematic image stands in for real life as it plays out behind windows in the buildings, sometimes creating a sense of mystery, other times stressing the mundane.

Snelling has shown work in museums such as Gemeentemuseum Helmond, the Netherlands; Shanghai Zendai MOMA, China; The Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Germany; El Museo de Arte de Banco de la Republica, Bogota; and Stenersen Museet, Oslo. She has had solo exhibitions throughout the US as well as in China, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and London, and has been awarded residencies in Beijing and Shanghai. Her large-scale installation Woman on the Run was originally commissioned by Selfridges, London during Frieze 2008, and has traveled to Smack Mellon, Brooklyn; 21c Museum, Louisville;

Frist, Nashville; SECCA, Winston-Salem; and the Virginia MOCA, Virginia Beach.

Her first short film "Nothing" premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival 2012, and showed at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Circuito Off in Venice, and the AC Institute in New York.

Snelling recently had solo exhibitions at Aeroplastics Contemporary in Brussels, Rena Bransten Gallery in San Francisco, and Krupic Kersting in Cologne. Her most recent installation was commissioned for an exhibit at the Negev Museum in Israel.

Snelling recently had solo exhibitions at Aeroplastics Contemporary in Brussels and Krupic Kersting in Cologne. Her recent commissions include and installation for exhibit at the Negev Museum in Israel and a sculptural commission for the Historical Museum of Frankfurt.

Snelling's newest film The Stranger will be showing at the Arquiteturas Film Festival Lisboa in Portugal, and her work will be in forthcoming exhibits in Germany, Brussels, the Netherlands, and the US.

3

short film, 15:00, with Elizabeth Guest as Jane

scape

Land

Tracey Snelling

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

LandEscape meets

Tracey Snelling An interview by and by

, curator , curator

.

Yes, sometimes I feel that showing a subject and/or idea in multiple physical

manifestations can be the most comprehensive, ideal way to get an idea across. For example: the film Nothing stands on its own. Yet, my ideal installment of the film would have the film projected to fill a large wall in the space, still photographs that I took on location of the film hung on a different wall, and installations of motel room beds, nightstands, and dimly lit lamps spaced unevenly throughout the space, so that the viewers could lay on the bed and watch the film. This added installation and participation dimension lets the viewers become part of the film, and allows them the opportunity to imagine they are guests at the motel.

I've been fascinated by motels, desert, and travel since I was young, so when I began to write my ideas for a film, I naturally leaned towards this setting. A few films that, in hindsight, influenced this work include Badlands, written and directed by Terrance Malick; Paris, Texas, written by LM Kit Carson and Sam Shepard and directed by Wim Wenders; Wild at Heart written and

Tracey Snelling (photo by Rebecca Brown George)

Land

scape

Tracey Snelling

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

directed by David Lynch; and See the Sea written and directed by Francois Ozon, among other films.

I was interested in presenting the desert as a character in the film, with quiet shots of large expanses of the landscape. I wanted to capture the feeling of the desert, of a small rundown town and being lost. I was most interested in presenting the exact moment when someone goes from denial or ennui, and being stuck in a situation without the energy to act, to the point of action and change. How does this come about? What causes the actual propulsion? I could have easily presented this using a male or female character, but I chose a woman, perhaps because I am a woman.

I had the rough story idea in my head, so I sat down and wrote it out on three sheets of paper in an hour or so. I still have the papers somewhere here... I wrote a description of the feeling and mood, and what one would see-waking up in the trailer, Jane driving, the hum of the air conditioner in the motel room, the heat causing everything to move so slow, the three motel rooms, the drive and gas station stop. I don't remember if the title came first or the the title came while writing the story, but I wanted the film to follow the meaning of the title. While things actually happen in the film, it's a very slow, methodical timeline, where seemingly nothing happens. Form following function.

On another level, Jane's life at the beginning of the film is really nothing--she goes through the motions of life and does the bare minimum. Her decision in life is to make as few decisions as possible. She's stuck.

Influenced by the sometimes quiet and contemplative scenes in the films listed above, I wanted the film to trudge along,

Tracey Snelling

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

short film, 15:00, with Elizabeth Guest as Jane

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

short film, 15:00, with Elizabeth Guest as Jane

Tracey Snelling

Tracey Snelling

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

feeling like the heat of the desert was weighing it down. It's so hot that even the film can barely move! And the end, or the anticlimax after the climax, is an example of the mundanity of everyday life. In Hollywood, The movie ends when the hero rides off into the sunset. In my film, my heroine needs to stop to fill up her gas tank. This type of anticlimax is often found in French and other European films, or in some of the great American films from the 1970's. I find this a much more thought provoking ending, which echoes the continuity of life, going from dramatic events to the general, everyday acts that everyone must do.

Another interesting aside is that I had originally written the character of Jane to be a much harder, tougher, worn-down young woman: someone who is much older than they really are from rough life experiences. But while casting, this one actress, Elizabeth Guest, was so captivating and engrossing. We weren't able to look away from her.

She had something that was so interesting, but she also had an innocence and listlessness. After seeing her, I realized that my character Jane would have to change to a more lost, less hardened character. The film elevates to another level because of Guest's talent and the contrast between not being able to look away from Jane, and Jane being so passive and almost invisible.

I initially had ideas of what the shots would be in my head, wrote them down, and sketched out a few. Many of the ideas were worked out during a location scouting trip that the cinematographer Todd Banhazl, the producer Idan Levin, and myself made down to Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree. All three of us had input on what would be interesting and could add to the film.

We also came up with new ideas at this time on some shots, and added or changed some shots during the actual shooting. We shot the film over

ART ICUL ACTION

C o n t e m p o r a r y

A r t

R e v i e w

Summer 2015

Tracey Snelling

Tracey Snelling

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

three days, did the initial editing in four days, and I worked with the sound editor for a few days over the internet while I was in Greece for an exhibition. The entire film was made in a month, from scouting and casting to color correction and completion, in order to reach a deadline. It was intense, but also interesting to see what can be done in one month.

When making The Stranger, I collaborated with the producer of Nothing, Idan Levin.

We directed the film and both acted as cinematographer. I wrote the two poems that alternate during the film. One poem is about being alone, and is narrated in English and Spanish, and subtitled in Arabic And Hebrew. The other poem, which echoes the first poem line for line, is about us all being similar and at times, all being one, and is narrated in Arabic and Hebrew and subtitled in English and Spanish. The

multiple layers of the poems, their meanings, the languages and the relations between the locations of these languages (both border places--the US and Mexico; Israel and Gaza Strip), in addition to the visuals and ambient audio, give multiple clues and associations that are layered and must be extracted by the viewer, making a kind of Adrian's thread.

When editing the film and figuring out the placement of poems, narration and subtitles, we worked as both mathematicians and detectives--on one hand following a formula or structure that we came up with to piece the film together; the other aspect was figuring out which scenes went best with the lines from the poem, and how these scenes interacted together. The many layers of the film, poems, narration, subtitles, and sounds make The Stranger a film that asks to be viewed multiple times, in order to pick up on the different nuances.

The concept of non lieu is an interesting one, and I find these places to be of more interest that notable locations. When traveling, I always try to find a local grocery store and corner shop. One can tell a lot about a particular culture from the grocery store, what's on the shelves, what people are buying, and who is shopping there.

What these non places do is to bring together groups of people from the place.

The people and their characters become more important than the location or building. By presenting these places in The Stranger, the idea of being nowhere and everywhere, and of the global world being smaller and more similar than one might initially think, is emphasized.

Land

scape

Tracey Snelling

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Time is so relative. In film it can be used to present one minute of time happening in various ways, a lifetime happening in an hour, time being long and lasting seemingly forever, or time being so quick and then it's over. For Nothing, the tempo was so important, and was part of my original idea from the conception of the film. For most of the film, time drags on and the day seems to last forever.

Then, upon Jane's realization that she is stuck in a dead-end life and must get out, the pace picks up quickly, and the sound follows. Once there has been the dramatic climax and and is free, driving on the road, things slow down to a regular pace as she stops to get gas. Regular, everyday life enters the picture and the mundanity of the many unexciting life tasks brings the time back to an undramatic, more contemplative pace.

In The Stranger, the pace is not as slow, but there is a point at which the pace picks up and then returns to a more regular timing.

This is done through length of clips and sound. The general pace is methodical and constant, with the exception of the faster section. The Stranger's relation to time should be timeless in a way, as the film is addressing universal ideas of belonging and loneliness.

The idea of time and pace in my sculptures is interesting to think about. They function as capturing my idea of a place or culture.

In many of my sculptures, the videos loop the same scenes, such as a woman unloading her groceries in a kitchen or a

couple having sex or sleeping in a bedroom.

In these cases, the pace of a sculpture stays the same, and reinforces the idea of the dayto-day banality of life.

Other times the video in a piece might go from day to night, quiet and slow to loud. In this case the sculpture both has a pace on one hand and is timeless on the other,

Tracey Snelling

Land

scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

depending if you are viewing it more from a static view or a viewing the sculpture in the round.

Land

scape

Tracey Snelling

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

possible, and to follow my vision. I've been showing my art for many years and I'm used to the second act of it being presented and I try not to think of an audience when I'm making my work, whether it be film, sculpture, or photo. I want the work to be as pure as

viewed by others (after the first act of creation). Sitting in a dark theater at a film

scape

Land

Tracey Snelling

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

audience. It's a new and sometimes uncomfortable feeling for me to sit with an audience in a dark room and watch my film.

The one time I do focus more on the viewer while creating is in an installation. I often want my installations to immerse the viewer, and for this reason I take many considerations towards the viewer, such as lights, placement, flow of the space, and sound.

Presently, I'm working on a large scale installation called One Thousand Shacks.

Addressing the immense issue of extreme global poverty, the installation will be a 5 meter high x 3 meter wide wall of small scale shacks and favelas, with lights, video and sound. I will be presenting part of the sculpture and speaking about it at a conference on poverty in New York this fall, and the installation will possibly show at Art Basel Miami or Frieze NY. I am partnering up with an organization that builds houses in poverty stricken areas, and will donate part of the proceeds from the sales to this cause.

I would like to start exploring the presentation and installation of my work in unusual outdoor spaces, such as a lake or a freeway underpass. I like the idea of coming across unexpected experiences. I'm also in the beginning stages of developing an idea for a feature length film with my collaborator on The Stranger, Idan Levin.

festival watching my film with an audience has been a completely different experience.

When a film or video is shown in a museum or art space, viewers can wander in and out as they choose. At a film festival, short films are viewed in sequence in one sitting, and it's a captured

An interview by

, curator

and by

, curator

.