Rebecca Cairns Volume 1 Issue 1
www.issuu.com/oil./ 2
SHONDA WHITE
Creator
Shonda White is an Aboriginal artist, musician, and aspiring animator from Stephenville, Newfoundland. Oil Magazine was brought to life by her desire to connect to the international art scene in a new way and share it with others. She now lives in Guelph, Ontario.
Editor
Oil Magazine is a magazine dedicated to artists from all across the world. Each month, Oil highlights the background, work, achievements, inspirations and intricacies of one artist.
CONTACT: oilmagazine@outlook.com TWITTER: @OilMagazine FACEBOOK: Oil Magazine
STINE DANIELLE
COVER by Rebecca Cairns
Joanna Gutowska is a Canadian student and graphic designer currently living in Mississauga, Ontario. Influenced by print media and her Slavic heritage, she wants to make art a commonplace understanding. Oil Magazine is her opportunity to do so.
All photos by Rebecca Cairns unless stated otherwise.
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“Being creative means to voice a light that is within one’s stomach, heart and head.”
REBECCA CAIRNS
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Canadian artist Rebecca Cairns was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in the Greater Toronto Area. Her home is borderless, as she now resides in Montreal, Quebec and previously spent some time living in Berlin, Germany.
after finishing her program, Cairns is currently re-applying to universities to begin studying again, an obvious example that learning never really stops. Learning does go beyond the classroom, though. Drawn to the music, art scene and culture of Berlin, it was the perfect place for Cairns to explore new ground, meet new Cairns naturally excelled in art-based courses during her people, draw new inspirations, and share her art within secondary school years. She moved forward to study Europe. creative photography at Humber College. Three years
“I suppose I can’t entirely explain the pull that was within me, but it just felt like the right place to be during that period of time.” 7
“What ten words would you use to describe yourself?�
quiet determined cynical pensive fatalist awkward dreamer wanderer ambitious nomad
Moving to Berlin seemed to be the ideal next step for Cairns as her creative juices flowed, her photography flourished, and she added many exhibitions to her list of accomplishments. One of Cairns’s favourite exhibitions took place in Berlin and was a collaboration with German artist and friend Utku Tavil. Her solo show with Akasha Art Projects held last year also holds a special place in her heart as a very positive happening. “I was so pleased to work with such fabulous curators who were supportive of what I was doing,” Cairns explained.
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Upcoming Shows/Exhibitions 2012 March 7 | SNAP! Live Auction and Gala | 571 Adelaide St. E. Toronto 2012 exhibition (date TBA) | ‘Daguerre’, Brno, Czech Republic Past Shows/Exhibitions 2012 Splice Group Show | UofT Art Centre, Toronto 2012 Splice Group Show | Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga 2012 “Anonymia” Group Show | OCAD Student Gallery, Toronto, Canada. 2012 Group Show | Galerie Sakura, Paris 2012 Personae Group Show | Castell Photography Gallery, North Carolina 2012 August | Iseamonster Group Show | The Gladstone Gallery, Toronto 2012 “Two and a Quarter” Contact Group Exhibition | The Lomography Store/Gallery, Toronto 2012 Exhibition with Utku Tavil | Black Board/515 Creative Shop, Berlin, Germany 2012 “Modern Love” Group Show | The Print Space, London, England. 2012 Solo Exhibition | “The Club”, Berlin, Germany. 2012 Neu-OWL-Kiez Design and Art market | Sameheads Gallery, Berlin, Germany. 2012 “Inchoate” Solo Exhibition | Akasha Art Projects, Toronto 2011 Photoboite “30 Under 30” online exhibition of female photographers 2011 Feroces Festival de Photographie | Lyon, France 2011 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition | Toronto 2011 “Escapism or how to lose the plot” Group Show | Museum of Young Art, Vienna 2011 ‘Anthology’ Group Show | Twist Gallery, Toronto 2010 ‘Essence de la Lumiere’ Group Show | Twist Gallery, Toronto
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That being said, finding support can be one of the biggest blockades in an artist’s life. Common stereotypes suggest an artist’s life to be poor and impractical, frequently perpetuated by unsupportive families. With the odds against them, what is it that keeps artists going? For Cairns, it’s personal fulfillment, an understanding family, and a community of pleasant, inspiring and creative people. All of this encourages her to keep her chin up even when things aren’t going as planned. The young photographer takes all of her experiences as important lessons. On the odd occasion, bad company has been kept, but Cairns thinks of their unresponsiveness and lack of support as a valuable life lesson. Unfortunately, the dreaded creative block is also a realistic experience for most, whether it’s writing or painting. Cairns experiences a similar artistic block on a more regular basis now than in previous years, but she is well aware of how she can overcome it. Going outside of her comfort zone to places that are isolated and quiet allow her to reconnect with nature or hidden and desolate places, helping to push past the periods of frustration. She takes it with a grain of salt by stating that, “I believe that they are a crucial and necessary tool which aids in further development and growth.”
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“I just couldn’t envision myself doing anything else. In the end, it is the thing that I come home to at the end of the day.”
More often than not, things just fall into your hands. How else can you describe it? In a way, the stars just align to be that way and it feels right. That’s exactly how photography happened for Rebecca and is the reason she has stuck with it for so long.
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“[Photography] just felt natural, like I had finally come in contact with a feeling that I had been waiting for my whole life.”
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“Which artists do you look u
Diane Arbus, Three Puerto Rican ladies, NYC (1963)
Sally Mann, From The Battlefields Series (2000-2003)
Deborah Turbeville, Bath House (1975)
Henri Cartier-Bresson, Me
Francesca Woodman, Polka Dots (1976)
up to and are inspired by?””
Ralph Meatyard, Romance from Ambrose Bierce #3 (1962)
excio City, Mexico (1934)
Joel-Peter Witkin, Ars Moriendi (2007)
Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #3 (1977)
Duane Michals, Violent Women (1982)
“My (personal) relationship with digital cameras is one that is malleable; always changing and taking different forms. If the option is there to shoot film first, I would certainly pick that over digital any day.�
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Photography has never been typical from Cairns’s creative eye. She started by shooting with digital cameras and has since moved far away from it. In a digital age, she works with film and analogue based means as long as her wallet doesn’t grunt and groan about it. A handme-down 35mm Fujica from her father is special and often used, as is the recent addition to her camera collection, an Agfa Isolette.
Cairns’s longing to explore painting and drawing again has led her to begin incorporating other mediums and combining them with her photographic processes. Making images from more than typical photographic material is one example. This has resulted in plans for future performances and installation based works, hopefully to be seen within the next year.
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Cairns commonly distorts and damages her images in order to bring attention to the subject matter and draw intense emotion from the viewer. She usually does this after processing the photos, and occasionally tries to do it before or during the processing. This has left Cairns with collections of unique photos. It is not always intentional damage, but it’s a lot of experimentation and exploration of her curiosities.
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“I spend a lot of time thinking about the layers in-between the known and unknown and often find myself drawing inspiration from things as simple as the way that the morning light falls on the walls.�
Inspiration can spawn from anywhere, often from the depths of an unwanted place, but being able to act on that inspiration can be a challenge for some. Being able to fearlessly explore the unknown is what makes Cairns’s artwork stand out.
could develop into. Sketches, as well as mental and physical preparation, lead up to the completion of the project. Other days, she will pick up a camera and shoot during the moment. Cairns’s ability to let the subject act naturally and let the surrounding environment influence them brings a unique quality to her photos. The camera When inspiration strikes, Cairns sometimes spends often seems to be unnoticed and simply observing from months letting it dance around to see what else the idea the distance.
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“I just like to show others what I see through my own eyes.”
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Quite often, Cairns is the subject of her photos. Since the beginning of her career in photography, she has been shooting mostly self-portraits. “There is something alluring about the act of creating a self-portrait, in any form or with any medium - mostly for its honesty and sincerity,” Cairns stated. “I often think to myself that ‘I would like to take a photograph, right now,’ but I don’t often say ‘I would like to take a photograph of myself right now.’ I am fully aware of the fact that I am indeed photographing myself, but I prefer to stay neutral and provoke some kind of anonymity. I want people to create their own stories and meanings of my work.” Cairns also creates an anonymity through titling, or should we say, a lack there of. The young artist finds that titles can be important and sometimes necessary, but it more often serves to remove the intended context of her works. This also applies to how she views writing or musical pieces. Most believe that the purpose of art is to allow the viewer to apply their own meanings and interpretations before being given any additional information such as a title. Cairns would like this for her own photographs, and even withholds information in her artist’s statements to help create that full experience.
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“I don’t think I considered myself to be an artist five years ago; it’s even hard for me to title myself as one now. I do know that I have progressed significantly, both mentally and physically, as I’ve learned so much from others and my surroundings. I think a lot changed in 1825 days.”
It is because of her unique and sophisticated perspective that Rebecca Cairns stands out as an exceptional artist and an inspiration to young artists of the present time. Her poise and grace are evident through her work and words, as well as her attention to the most delicate of details. She continues to take each moment as a valuable lesson and apply it with great care to inspire and influence her own life.
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“One must always possess persistence, drive, and ambition. In order to move forward, you must have your heart and head completely entwined in your creative field. It can be very hard on the soul at times, especially when you are first ‘starting’ to follow your path... but the reward is endless gratitude, and you will certainly meet some extremely talented and interesting human beings along the way.”