LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Artists Unknown lovers, To many, it has been rough year, one full of unexpected turns and vast participation of social movements. This holiday season, it is the time to accept change, to love one another, to reflect on our actions so that we may improve and grow. I’m excited to share this issue’s selection of works, as it was our most diverse one yet. We have wedding dresses made purely out of paper, body painters and hyper-realistic tattoo artists. Illustrators and mixed media artists grace the pages. We have pieces that offer very perceptive social commentaries, from advocating for the woman’s body, to uncovering what defines the art of steam punk. Artists from all over the world continue to let us into their thoughts, their inspirations, and their aspirations. The mind of a creative is tirelessly interesting. I am always deeply fascinated by the approach different artists take when executing a visual concept. It makes me happy to find out that a large number of people improvise and unearth their best moments in the spur of a moment, because I definitely fall into that category as well. We wish you a happy holidays wherever you are in the world! Let’s look forward to more innovative projects, eye-opening personal stories and beauty to share.
Do what you love,
CindyChen SUBMISSION GUIDELINES www.artistsunknownmag.com/submit GENERAL INFORMATION artistsunknownmag@gmail.com
C O N T E N T S
FEATURED ARTISTS 4 10 15 20 26 28 31 35 40 48 56 57 58
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VIKTORIA TUROK.................... ASYA KOZINA.......................... SARAMARIE BOTTARO............ ANASTASIA BLACK.................. ROBERTO GASPERI................ JOHN DEDO CRISTINA.......... DESPINA KILAKOU................. VASSA JASSA.......................... RACHEL ROMU....................... ELLIE LUKOVA......................... ALEXEANDER NESTEROV....... NOMI NGUYEN...................... KAREN LIBECAP......................
KYIV, UKRAINE MOSCOW, RUSSIA COLORADO, USA RUSSIA FIRENZE, ITALY NEW YORK, USA ATHENS, GREECE MOSCOW, RUSSIA TORONTO, ONTARIO BOSTON, USA KIEV, UKRAINE CALIFORNIA, USA ALABAMA, USA
ON THE COVER DIGITAL UNITY......................
PHOTORAPHER: DAN MCCARTHY MAKEUP, STYLING & EDITING: CINDY CHEN MODELS: DIANA KIM DOMINIQUE BIVENS
Viktoria Turok
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Asya Kozina the paper design mogul
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THE MANIPULATION OF simple raw
materials into unconventional masterpieces brought Asya Kozina to the world’s attention. She has chosen a standard Whatman sheet of paper from an ordinary stationary shop, as the fabric for eccentric wigs and wedding dresses. These extraordinary paper designs that have been surfacing across the web is now her signature mode of expression. Kozina believes that this blank piece of paper allows her to play with form and stay unique in every piece, as none of the shapes are repeated for different clients. She describes her work as the intersection of fashion and contemporary, decorativeapplied art. Her project, “Baroque Paper Wigs” engaged the most viewership on Behance, an artist portfolio social networking site. For this project, she was commissioned to create four wigs for a family, who also served as the models for the photoshoot. Another one of her successful series called, “Brides of the World” were the foundation to a advertising campaign for a major manufacturer of women’s underwear. It was made in collaboration with Wild Orchid Company. Finally the “Mongolian Wedding Costumes” project was a component of a larger series, “Wedding Dresses of the Peoples of the World,” which Kozina plans on expanding in the near future. This year, she began to work on a new project for the GridchinHall Gallery. “Everything begins with a search for the material. I find and study many photographs, publications, and descriptions. When the material has been developed, sketches appear, and only then is the work itself created in the material. It takes a lot of time – about a month. I don’t understand any other material as well. I take paper and it’s a continuation of my hands. For the most part, it’s art for art’s sake, aesthetics for the sake of aesthetics, there is no practical point.” Born in Ukraine to a family of artists, Kozina has a Master’s Degree inVisual and Decorative-Applied Art Faculty from Cherkassky National University. Asya Kozina transforms simple sheets of paper, into masterpieces consisting of eccentric wigs and wedding dresses. She has taken part in over 20 personal, and group exhibitions across Russia and Ukraine. Asya has since organized an annual competition for young talented children and youths to showcase their skills, and has also created a private children’s arts studio. Her works can be found in the State Toy Museum (Kiev), the Cherkassky Arts Museum, the Domodedovsky History-Art Museum and the Surgut Art Museum. 11
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THE VAGINA DENTATA SERIES ART AND ARTICLE BY
SaraMarie Bottaro SEXUAL VIOLENCE IS OFTEN PERCEIVED as a “Wom-
en’s Issue,” as if it were something gender specific and easily corralled into one type of lived experience. Instead, it really is a societal issue everyone’s issue and is certainly not limited to one gender expression.
teeth, and then subjugated to torturous extraction of those teeth through either phallically induced destruction or plier based ripping out. I see this myth, in all of its forms, as an attempt to justify the violent oppression of women.
Within the text of the vagina dentata myth, present in any cultures dating back to ancient times, the vagina is first pathologised as an intensely dangerous space, due to the
Through taking away the female body’s power, by ripping out its teeth, there is an excuse to treat the remaining woman as weak. It is my aim in this work 15
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to add to the conversation questioning expectations of women’s sexual behavior in society, especially in terms of combatting the acceptance of abuse as normative. Personal memories of violence are hugely motivational in the work and are buttressed by anecdotal disclosures from both close friends and strangers who have shared stories of their trauma with me. Issues of representation in medical literature and practice are brought up in the context of knowledge control and distribution. There is often a confrontational line between the medically relevant and the culturally taboo that directly affects women’s health choices and experiences. This manifestation of oppression is reducible to the restrictive cultural attitude that continues to prevail. Reincorporating teeth into the female genitalia is a way of representing the reclamation of offensive, defensive, and expressive potential that the mythical ripping and knocking out had erased. Each of the ten drawings in the V​agina Dentata Series includes lyrical lines of feeling. Many are hard and painful, but others are seeking a more correct path, a healed future. My hope for this work is that it begins conversations that are long overdue, and stands in solidarity with those who sexual violence has affected.
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Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist: Black Anastasia Photography: Solntseva Natasha Model: Larina Mayner
ANASTASIA black CREATING MAGIC IN A STILL image is
a feat that Anastasia Black has accomplished. She creates art through the use of cosmetics and hair styling. Her aesthetic is clean and glamorous, having mastered a method of highlighting a face so beautifully shimmery and bright. Of course, it is no use spending hours perfecting each line and contour, or perfecting the most radiant of cheekbones, unless the photographer can capture the details in the work of a makeup artist. Thankfully, she has found and partnered with photographer Solntseva Natasha that does just that. Black stresses importance of this last process, as it influences the final product in the same way that her inspirations shape the visual impact of her concept. The beginning and end are equally crucial to the success of a magical image.
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Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist: Black Anastasia Photography: Solntseva Natasha Model: Ksenia Levina
Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist: Black Anastasia Photography: Solntseva Natasha Model: Daria Nikolaeva
The effervescence of nature is a major influence to Black’s work. It is translated onto the face via a careful combination of colors, which brings out the freshness and purity of one’s natural skin, eyes and lips. Within same source of inspiration, the mystery to nature is also reflected in her fabulous makeup transformations, mimicking magical constructs, fairytales and other interesting characters.
ROBERTO
GASPERI The 3D tattoo artist from Italy
JOHN DEDO
CRISTINA
JOHN “DEDO” CRISTINA is an artist that, unlike a
photographer or a painter, does not capture what he sees but rather, using his unique medium, creates what he wants to see. He is not one to be hindered by preconceived notions as to whether a mask can only go on one’s face. Instead, he uses the same concept to construct something on the body in order to communicate his vision.
of art, he refined the product by carving and painting until he transformed his spontaneous construction into “what it was meant to be”.
The steam punk look operated less via a stream of consciousness. It involved six months of defining steam punk in different ways. This attachment construction consisted of a wire frame tape and the preferred paper pulp. The design consisted of an aviation jacket with an exaggerated collar and a While making his pieces, Cristina experiences the whole Jules Vern-type stairway winding around a breast. spectrum of creative processes. As an artist, ideas often arrive in a manner that flows uncontrollably in a fit of His ability to manipulate simple material like paper is lauded. exhilarating freedom. This is what Cristina experiences While simple, paper is quite difficult to change, as it can very with his projects, which begin without as much as a easily fall apart in unskilled hands. But when done right, it can sketch. He recalls the feeling of paper pulp squishing result in a product that is extremely lightweight and through his fingers and piling up on his mannequin. This maneuverable, something that is normally compromised for initial formation was not especially pretty, a testament to most wearable constructions. why he called it his “morning mask,” but like any work 29
Fashion Design: John Dedo Cristina Photography: Richard Evans Body Art: Elements of Body Art Model: Amanda Mihalik
Photographer: Lia Termatzidou Makeup Artist: Ioanna Betsi Model: Kirsten Kanella Retoucher: Mironized / Miron Theodoridis
DESPINA KILAKOU
DESPOTNIA The Costume & Accessory Designer and Concept Director from Athens, Greece
“Despotnia” is an accessory brand founded by Despina Kilakou in 2007. Based in Athens, Greece, Kilakou has been creating handmade accessories and clothing using techniques and materials grounded in haute couture. In 2005, she earned a degree in Fashion Design from the Department of Clothing Design and Technology of the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki. Completing courses on Italian technique in Athens, 2006, she also served an apprenticeship in Evangelia’s Panoliaskou haute couture atelier. Several years later, she successfully finished a comprehensive evaluation at TR Platforms, a master class certificated as a TR Master by Shingo Sato (TR Cutting School). Since then Kilakou has participated in many fashion tradeshows and events in Athens, such as “Tell A Story” fashion tradeshow in 2008 and “The Meet Market” in 2009). Boutiques, conceptually edgy stores and galleries such as Occhi, Epidemic, Room 69, to name a few, have embraced her unique accessory creations. The launch of her website and online shop was the most recent achievement. Now people all over the world can find Kilakou’s handmade accessories online.
BLACK CURSE
Photographer: John Tsilidis Makeup Artist: Elizabeth Petrou Model: Elena Fakou Retoucher: Zirconia Starfighter Design
BLACK CURSE
Photographer: John Tsilidis Makeup Artist: Elizabeth Petrou Model: Elena Fakou Retoucher: Zirconia Starfighter Design
DARK AND LIGHT
Photography: Vassa Jassa Schurikhina Makeup and Styling: Vika Schurikhina
Photography: Vassa Jassa Schurikhina Makeup and Styling: Vika Schurikhina
Photography: Vassa Jassa Schurikhina Makeup and Styling: Vika Schurikhina
Photography: Vassa Jassa Schurikhina Makeup and Styling: Vika Schurikhina
Rachel Romu Aquamarine
RACHEL ROMU, A DISABLED MODEL, had a
different life planned. A former elite athlete, she was plagued with connective tissue disease and a spinal tumor, and went under the knife twice. In the process of recovering from a double spinal surgery, she found modeling as a means of connecting with her new and unfamiliar body. While once completely in control, she now needs a cane or walker to get around. In this Aquamarine shoot, she modeled for photographer and scarf designer Brianne Burnelle. Burnelle not only works behind the camera, but is also a freelance illustrator for children’s books. The scarf was one of the digital design projects from her gemstone collection that was made wearable by Silkweed Digital. Directed by Meghan Erin and makeup by Brianna Bisson, the team put together a beautiful shoot full of emotion and elegance.
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ON THE COVER
ELLIE
LUKOVA
A PIECE OF MEAT Ellie Lukova’s illustrations speaks volumes about the self-destructive behavior women need to stop doing to themselves. 1 a doll on string 2 a piece of meat 3 weight limits diptych p1 4 weight limits diptych p2 5 hills like white elephants 6 war zone
A MIXED MEDIA illustrator, Ellie Lukova finds inspiration in the troubles that women face, specifically in the way they constantly critique their physique. She explores the difficult decisions a woman makes to change their bodies in order for them to reach a certain ‘ideal’.
“It’s what fascinates me in the female psyche,” She says. “I try to explore these themes in a visual form, hoping to raise selfawareness as well as possibly give my viewers a highlight of the ugly and destructive actions we could be preventing instead of encouraging through social media, advertising, marketing, and even in our society’s ‘social norms’.”
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Lukova’s illustrations are not only an advocate for others, but also for herself. Her art allows her to understand herself better as a young woman, reflect on her actions and explore those of others. She hopes to provoke the same actions in her viewers. “The female body has been a main focus for me in the past two years, mainly because of the troubles I used to personally face when I was younger. I want to encourage women to have confidence in themselves and their actions, to feel like they are beautiful without having to seek artificial assistance.�
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Photography: Alexander Nesterov Model: Tatyana Serbina
tanya
Photography: Petr Suchomel Model: Domonique Walker Dress: B Chic Fashions
nomi nguyen
Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist from Fremont, California
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karen TINY ART libecap FOR 35 YEARS, KAREN LIBECAP INDULGED in the life of
an artist, while being surrounded by artists. Her mother, an oil painter and sculptor, was the voice of encouragement that pushed her to pursue art as a career. After earning a degree in Graphic Design from Kent State University, she worked as an art director in major cities such as Chicago, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio. Having always been in awe of colors and shapes that surround her, Libecap’s work ranges from photorealistic to painterly. She has worked in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, acrylics, clay, and wax, but pastels and oils were where she felt most at home. Her Instagram feed and Etsy shop is filled with tiny art, currently her social media signature, where she showcases years of technique through very little, and extremely detailed depictions of every day things.
INDEX
FOLLOW OUR AU MAG ARTISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA VIKTORIA TUROK....................@VIKTORIATUROK ASYA KOZINA..........................@ASYA_KOZINA GRIDCHINHALL GALLERY.......@GRIDCHINHALL SARAMARIE BOTTARO............@SARAMARIE_CREATES ANASTASIA BLACK..................@BLACK_ANASTASIA ROBERTO GASPERI................@ROBERTOGASPERITATTOO JOHN DEDO CRISTINA..........@ARTBYDEDO DESPINA KILAKOU.................@DESPOTNIA.JEWELART VASSA JASSA..........................@VASSAJASSA VIKA SCHURIKHINA...............@VIVACASE RACHEL ROMU.......................@RACHELROMU BRIANNE BURNELL................@BRIANNEDONUT BRIANNA BISSON..................@BRIANNABISSONMAKEUP MEGHAN ERIN.......................@WILLOMYNE ELLIE LUKOVA.........................@ELLIELUKOVA ALEXEANDER NESTEROV.......NESTEROVALEX.TUMBLR.COM NOMI NGUYEN......................@ MAKEUPNHAIRBYNOMI KAREN LIBECAP.......................@KLIBECAP
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cindy Chen MANAGING EDITOR Dan McCarthy