Open Color Magazine - The Taste Issue by OPEN COLOR

THE taste ISSUE

From the editor

Dear Readers,

Taste, that elusive concept governing our inclinations in fashion, companionship, cuisine, architecture, and so on, isn’t merely preference—it’s a compass dictating our passion and purpose. For this issue, we interviewed artists from around the world who have discovered their tastes and are directing their visions into work that moves and inspires audiences; an honorable undertaking in the world’s current atmosphere of uncertainty and turmoil. Kelsey O. Daniels, for instance, has a taste for joy and infuses it into everything from stand-up comedy to advocacy work. Nadiia Shapoval’s taste for resistance has led her to discover her passion for ceramics, and she creates and curates beautiful pieces that honor the fearlessness of her homeland, Ukraine. Chef Virgilio Martinez has a taste for Peru, and prepares brilliantly innovative dishes—truly edible art, as a form of tribute to his beloved country. In these times, we are so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to create and celebrate art. The year 2023 has seen millions affected by devastating events including catastrophic earthquakes in Morocco, devastating floods in Libya, a relentless battle between Ukrainians and Russian invaders, and most recently, people around the world are gripped with heartache as war unfolds between Israel and Palestine. I spoke in my last letter to you about the role artists played in helping the world get through the worst of Covid-19. Now, I am so incredibly moved to see the role art is playing in this era of violence and devastation. Art serves us in so many ways; sometimes it is the shelter, sometimes it is the storm. Sometimes the collective “we” feel helpless as we watch tragedy unfold, but art can give voice to the silenced; it can expose us to new cultures, new concepts, new viewpoints; honoring the creators of this living record grants a form of education not offered by any other means. We dedicate this issue to those artists we lost this year through war and disaster. Let us celebrate their memory the way only the arts community can—by dreaming, by creating, by inspiring. By lifting up the world and reminding us all why we are here: to experience the beauty of this life to the fullest. We are so thankful to the artists we interviewed for this issue, not just for sharing their stories, but for their courage in putting their work out into the world. We need it now, more than ever.

With gratitude, Kate Zaliznock

weareopencolor.com | @open.color

Features Opening Sequence

Christian Siriano & Anna Schilling

yuni yoshida

Nadiia Shapoval

Virgilio Martínez

Nina McNeely

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Gab B0is

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Vico Velez

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In bad taste

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Abhijna Vemuru Kasa Ally Hilfiger Jana Cruder Kelsey O. Daniels Melissa Uroff

Contributors Kate zaliznocK

FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF

Kate has explored numerous creative communities from a multitude of angles. As a writer, editor, publicist, event director, art consultant, and brand manager, her uniquely diverse abilities have all been grounded in a central focus on supporting the arts. Open Color is the culmination of over a decade’s experience in these fields, and its events, exhibitions, and magazine serve to connect creative communities around the world.

weareopencolor.com | @kate.zaliznock

Gabriella lovazzano FASHION EDITOR

Gabby is a vibrant and colorful creative force. The Bay Area native’s experiences as an art director, stylist, designer and cosmetologist all work in tandem as she builds a rainbow universe that’s warm and welcome to all. She sees the world for its possibilities more than its limitations. Her dopeness runs deep, having cut her teeth in grade school modifying clothes. As co-owner of Ejects Collection, she continues to create her own cool as she repurposes outdated mediums into retro-future accessories. An avid fan of the electronic scene, she surrounds herself with DJs, producers and other musical minds, drawing inspiration from the neon hum of urban nightlife scenes. Anything can spark an idea, be it a plush toy, technicolor candy, off-the-path junk shops, or the unbridled beauty nature. Lovazzano now splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles in a state of constant creation and discovery. Always cooler than cool, her style and approach can only be described as ice cold.

gabriellalovazzano.com | @gabriellajlovazzano

ADAM Soltau CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GR APHIC DESIGNER

Adam is a renaissance man through to his core. An artist whose prowess for all things creative is rivaled only by his imagination. He is not only a designer, art director, and digital artist, but also a highly skilled photographer, accomplished painter, and DJ/music producer. You can try to catch him as he slides between the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. He is always working to expand his talents to new frontiers while consistently pushing the boundaries of conceptual aesthetics. Adam’s artistic wizardry and indepth knowledge have made him an invaluable asset to countless projects and an endless source of inspiration. A spellcaster with his impeccable style, he is a proven tastemaker. In his lifelong pursuit of the arts, Adam has always believed in the shared community that is inherent in the arts and music. He fully invests himself in any project he undertakes and the amount of love and energy that is mixed in is palpable. All-around good human being to know, Meow is the one all the cats are talking about.

adammeow.com | @adamsoltau

Lindsey Fay GR APHIC DESIGNER

Lindsey Fay is a designer based in Northern California with a keen sense for cultural phenomenon. She is an interdisciplinary professional with over 15 years in the design industry. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Lindsey holds a BFA in Interior Design from Suffolk University. She began working in design firms at age 20, working on large scale retail projects, nightclubs, corporate offices in Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco. From Autocad to Adobe, Lindsey’s aesthetic is an inviting, feminie but futuristic, geometry-forward style. Lindsey’s breadth of inspiration explores colors and patterns from her extensive travels in Asia, Indonesia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Europe, Latin and South America. She loves traveling, snowboarding, sneaker collections, and live music.

lindseyfaydesign.studio | @lindzefay

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Forty thousand years ago in what is now Germany, an ancestor of modern humans collected a chunk of ivory from a mammoth tusk and began the arduous task of carving the first known depiction of a person. At just under two-and-a-half inches, the Venus of Hohle Fels gives us a tiny glimpse into an ancient culture—one that included some sort of reverence for, fascination with, or fear of the female form. Perhaps the most documented subject in art history (one worthy of marble carved and scraped and sanded a thousand times over), the image of a woman has been conjured from soot, clay, steel, and every other medium. She has been drawn out from her hiding place in the dark room, called forward by the red glow. The amount of labor that has gone into replicating her is simultaneously staggering and confounding, and seems to stand in contradiction to the subjugated role of women in societies throughout time and place. Art, however, seems to be the lens through which a culture can suspend its belief in male superiority and regard the feminine with awe. 9

Artist Abhijna Vemuru Kasa reflects on this topic through her paintings, whether they be created on a canvas or her own face. She questions what it means to be feminine, and tests the ties with which we bind ourselves to concepts like soft, docile, quietly strong. Kasa is both inspired by and critical of her Indian heritage, which includes a divine appreciation of the feminine but is also steeped in patriarchal values. She celebrates the brilliance of this culture without bowing to the shadows of male dominance—and in the process presents deeply meaningful concepts to her audience. Kasa’s journey is a celebration of feminine strength, a homage to beauty, and a testament to the enduring power of creativity— and she shares it here with Open Color. Your work explores themes of feminism, womanhood, and mythology. Can you share some key perspectives your work communicates? I was raised in a culture that glamorized religion and always took examples from mythology to teach ethics, morals or good conduct. However, sometimes as a girl these lessons tended to teach me rules that were discriminatory and gender-biased. I always wanted to question them, which led me to study and understand mythology. I realized my culture at home was extremely bound

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to the patriarchal perspective of mythology which eliminates the feminine power and glamorizes sexist gender roles in the society. While debating those lessons, breaking those gender rules and unlearning most of the society’s patriarchal theories, it kind of inspired me to reflect these topics in art. My work represents these feminine figures from mythology and juxtaposes them with contemporary women (especially Indian women). I like to reflect their complexities and gender fluid nature that questions the common sense in the gender roles termed by the society. Your art spans various mediums, from painting to fiber and photography. How do you choose which medium to use in order to best express the message of each piece? Painting was and is my primary mode of art expression to translate my dialogue into a physical form of art. I am very much influenced by the Impressionists who believed in spontaneity of art expression and I often use those techniques while painting the day-to-day femininity in the world. I discovered painting on my body when I became a mother, when I started treating my body as a medium of art. My subjects are about feminine expressions and womanhood, and when I became a mother during the pandemic, the anxiety, artist block, depression and inferiority

complex led me to treat my own body as a temple/canvas to reflect my femininity. I took inspiration mainly from rituals like “Theyyam”, “Kathakali” where the performer expresses themselves as a terrestrial being or as mythological figure themselves. This performance is not an enactment but rather something where a human soul meets the deity’s soul. The expression of love is done in the most feminine manner without any qualms of gender roles. This inspired me to juxtapose myself to the mythological figure that I keep representing in my paintings. Every performance reflects a new expression even though the figure I represent is the same. Performance was never an intention but something I adopted while trying to overcome my anxiety and depression postbirth of my first child. Art is a medium that I worship the most and by using my body in my own terms to reflect my feminine traits, it empowered me to glorify women and femininity against the patriarchy. Every medium I use (for instance I use sarees, gold, organic found objects) has a cultural and natural history that I value and would like to use to create a dialogue in my artwork. Please tell us about your experience studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Royal College of Art in London. How have

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“I discovered painting on my body when I became a mother, when I started treating my body as a medium of art.” 11

these experiences influenced your creative process and the themes you explore in your work? School of the art institute of Chicago (SA IC), first and foremost was a ticket for me to experience and explore the world. I have always been expressing my issues with gender roles and restrictions for women in the

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society back home, but coming from an orthodox and protective household, I never had the opportunity to have constructive discussions on gender topics or anything in the world. SAIC provided me a platform to question and explore while creating my own decisions in the process. At the same time there

was freedom to explore different mediums at school where we could take classes from any departments to introduce ourselves to any mediums. Therefore, I started experimenting with different mediums like fiber, ceramics, performance along with painting. Royal College of Art (RCA) on the other hand was a traditional

school but as I did my MFA there, the community helped me to explore my culture and enhance it while getting influenced by my experiences in London. London was a fascinating place for me, especially as an Indian. While I was representing Goddesses from my culture, the same figures were standing in the British museums where historians described them as savages. It created an interesting conversation to juxtapose the subjects in my art with the colonizer’s history. What are some of the ways in which you have evolved as an artist since your early exhibitions to the present day? I think if you talk about my earlier days, I was less confident and more open to receiving criticism to learn or explore new topics while now, especially after becoming a mother, I am more focused on one subject which is femininity and its gender fluid nature. I am more confident with the medium I select and why I do it for the subject I’m trying to reflect in art.

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Your artist statement mentions that you draw inspiration from mythological figures and historical architecture. What are some of your favorites? I don’t favor one particular figure because every time I think this is my favorite, I discover something new and just start researching that figure. There are always many in the world to explore, but lately I have been recurring with one figure while creating work which is Goddess Meenakshi from Madurai, i.e. South of India. After visiting the Goddess temple, I got fascinated with her stories of rebelling gender roles, refusing to follow certain rules that were patriarchal. I was especially

fascinated because the society never glorified or glamorized her stories while raising their girls (probably because it hinders the patriarchal rules). I got interested to explore her character in most of my recent works. Your art prompts discussions and reflections on societal topics. What kind of conversations or reactions do you hope your viewers have when they interact with your work? I hope to create a conversation on gender roles in the society. Also to question the idea that femininity can only be associated with a woman’s character and not a cis man. It is so common in my culture, especially in pop

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culture, to glorify masculinity to the point that it becomes extremely toxic. Femininity has often been represented as a docile, submissive, decorative character with no value in the society. Therefore, there are strong unwritten rules to impose gender bias while losing the reality of nature where feminine and masculine are more gender fluid. I try to represent these conversations in my art.

and also about ethnicity and challenges of being minority in a capitalistic world. I often find a strong contrast of opinions while living in Bay area, on one hand you 14 have Silicon Valley boosting capitalism and the corporate world while on the other hand you have community-driven artists that help each other and create artwork that speaks loudly against the corporate world. I find it very interesting and inspiring.

How would you describe the Bay Area’s art community? What has your experience been since moving there? I moved to Bay area just a month before I gave birth to my daughter which was in the fall of 2019. With Covid it was so hard to understand the city and even connect with the art community. Honestly living here kind of depressed me (maybe because I was also going through post-natal depression at the time), so I moved to India briefly for few months where I curated my performance works into a book that I released last year. When I returned, I felt more confident to share my work, my book to the art world here and connect with the community. I got to explore and even do a show in San Francisco this year. I found Bay Area artists to be the most diverse community with interesting conversations and especially with discussing gender fluidity, feminism, capitalism

Could you share a particular piece of your artwork that holds special meaning to you and walk us through the creative process and symbolism behind it? I have one painting that many found interesting and I loved the conversation that I had with others when I displayed this work. It’s the painting called La Perla underwear, for sale. I made this in 2021 but it stuck on to me to make other variations of it. This process of creating this piece in my brain is longer than the physical time I took to create it. So back in 2018, when I was in London, I visited the mall Harrods where I was checking the lingerie section. Everything is so expensive there which is obvious, but I did not expect an underwear to be 450 pounds. It was insane because I am not used to seeing an underwear priced so high and it also was amusing

to talk about it with my family. However, something struck me at the same time, how the society in general treats women based on their material possessions. For example, I started comparing the price of that underwear to the price of jewelry in India. Indian culture almost pressures parents of girls to spend lots of money to buy jewelry for their girls to the point of debt. At the end of the day possession of gold represents the value of the girls to be married. I started comparing this to the girls in western countries where possession of material things like silk underwear, clothes, makeup, etc. decides her feminine value in the society. We almost created a world that pressures women to buy more to represent their value and blame them for buying a lot. It was just an interesting conversation I had and wanted to create an image which resulted as a large painting of La Perla underwear with a marriage scene on it (which is my marriage selfportrait). I loved the dialogue it created and the conversations I had when I displayed this painting in a show. How do you envision the next chapter of your career? While consistently producing new work, my aim is to connect with the community and galleries that are compatible with my work.

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Ally Hilfiger P H O T O G R A P H Y

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If art is the exploration of the soul, Ally Hilfiger is at the helm of her own ship. With titles like Permission: Obligation of Imperfection, Guilt: Just Be Happy, and Acceptance: Bring in the Holes to Fill, Hilfiger’s work delves into the inner workings of the human condition and its universal themes. Her pared-down paintings, typically consisting of just a few colors, evoke a sense of stillness and introspection. Subtle movement in lines and texture animate the simplest of shapes; the complex message of the work is beautifully presented though the elemental. While fate and literal fortune allowed Hilfiger to grow up surrounded by works by some of the greatest artists of all time (several pieces of which now hang in her southern California home, such as stunning pieces by Basquiat), it was that cruelly egalitarian menace—chronic illness—that had a much greater impact on the role art plays in her life. 18

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Hilfiger now credits her creative process and the works that emerge from it with immensely improving the management of her Lyme disease, which she contracted while living in Connecticut as a child. Working in her studio serves as a form of meditation, and the soothing neurological benefits that art provides have helped to reduce the severity and frequency of crippling flare-ups. When the world changed practically overnight in 2020, Hilfiger found herself among the millions of others who discovered a deeper clarity on life’s purpose—and for her, that meant fully embracing herself as a serious artist. Creative work, while a constant in Hilfiger’s life since she was a teenager, became essential while navigating the pandemic. Among shelves full of other pieces, a thick portfolio is packed with works on paper as part of her Life Lines series, each page containing a set of lines, one painted for each day spent in isolation. Taken together, the sheer volume and tangible weight of the series manage to convey the scope of Covid-19’s impact on both society and the individual. Now married to fellow artist Steve Hash with whom she shares a daughter, Hilfiger has begun a new chapter in her career—one anchored by a deep trust in both her identity and ability as an artist. Here, she shares her experience with Open Color. 20

Can you share with us some of your earliest memories of interaction with art, and how those experiences impacted your creativity? I always fell into a trance when making art as early as I can remember. I grew up going to the Met and the Whitney Museums in New York City growing up. My family started collecting art, like Warhol and Basquiat. Seeing Basquiat’s work really inspired me to just be free with expressing myself. I loved working with clay in school the most—the tangibility of it, the transformation and fragility of the end result was fascinating to me. I spent hours drawing and painting. I got really serious about my painting practice when I was 15 years old, and started working with large canvases and had my own studio. What led you to pursue art as a profession? Was there a specific moment in time, or was it a more gradual process? And how have you navigated the challenges and rewards of being a professional artist? I used to show a lot in New York in my twenties. I was so anxious and precious about my work and it became extremely stressful, so I stopped showing. Then, I decided after Covid that it’s really the one thing I truly love to do. It makes me so happy, and

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the more mature I become, the less attached I feel and stressed I am. Making work makes me feel less anxious anyway. You are a major advocate for Lyme disease awareness, as you have experienced the illness since the age of seven. How would you describe the relationship between your illness and your creativity? Making art is my medicine. It’s my religion. It’s one of the most powerful tools for healing for me. It got me through some really tough times while being sick. I had so many emotions to process after having a really intense illness for over 27 years—painting and making art helped me deal with it. Do you have a specific routine or approach to your process, or does it vary depending on the project or inspiration? And how do you balance spontaneity with structure? I am now very structured. I meditate, hike, and paint. Being in nature inspires me so much. I

love having shows or commissions now, because it forces me to be in the studio more. Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night and paint after dreaming about an idea; but I like to get a full night’s sleep. Some artists’ most powerful works can be tied to significant moments in their lives. Can you tell us about a particular painting that holds a special meaning for you and share the story behind it? The series Life Lines happened when my mind felt so overwhelmed and chaotic at the beginning of Covid. Not knowing how to organize everything and diving into the unknown was a lot to process. All I could do was sit and paint my lines. Each line represented one day in my life and it just calmed me down and made me feel like it was all going to be okay. It’s just another day. Not all days are perfect, but they keep going no matter what.

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“ Making art is my medicine. it’s my religion. It’s one

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of the most powerful tools for healing for me.

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Your larger-scale painting Guilt: Just Be Happy is particularly powerful. Could you tell us about the process behind that piece? I painted many layers of bright colors, which I wasn’t used to working with. I approached it with a childlike, carefree attitude and had fun with making it, instead of being really meticulous about it. The scale was intimidating to me at first, so I just dove into it head and heart first without any expectations. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. As an artist, your creative eye extends beyond your artwork and into other aspects of your life. How would you describe your personal aesthetic, and how do you incorporate it into the design and curation of your environment and everyday life outside of the studio? Everything to me is about color and comfort. In fashion, design, elegance, simplicity. Color and comfort in interior design… it’s the same. I like when things feel approachable and uplifting, refined and relaxed… a laidback elegance. Not taking it all too seriously, and not taking oneself too seriously while being okay with imperfection is my motto. Looking ahead, what are some artistic milestones you hope to achieve in your career? Are there any spaces or events where you would like to exhibit your work? My goal is to be able to paint and make work constantly for the rest of my life. Wherever it leads, I am along for the ride. I am humbled and grateful to show my work and have people bring it into their own lives and homes. My most recent show was in West Hollywood, curated by art advisor Kipton Cronkite (kipton.com) and called The Company We Keep.

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Artist Jana Cruder has a knack for turning a hurdle into a launching pad. She does not come from an upper-class background or have connections within the art world—but making space for herself as an artist without the enviable “in” was an obstacle she, as a rural Pennsylvanian from a workingclass family, was built for. Cruder’s art takes on various forms, such as striking photographs and large-scale, thought-provoking installations. Her formative years were spent in rural America, a fertile ground for nurturing creative talent. The word “rural” can evoke images of rolling hills and flowing rivers that ripple out far from the nearest patchwork of pavement—landscapes that have attracted developers and logging companies for decades. Frequently used, unsustainable practices not only devastate natural land degradation and job loss.

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Cruder often confronts these issues head-on through her artwork, including the impactful Audience with a Tree, an installation that serves to inspire viewers to consider the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. Cruder navigates the realms of both fine and commercial art, and has skillfully created deeply meaningful work across both domains. Alongside her environmentally-driven pieces, she has lent her talents to Fortune 500 campaigns and serves as a great example of an artist who adapts to a wide variety of projects without ever dulling her creative edge. She also learned from a very early age the importance of self-discipline when it comes to the consistent application of one’s potential, whether it involved helping with her family’s small business or embarking on her journey as an artist. Here, Cruder shares with Open Color her thoughts on her background, her creative process, and what matters most in her work.

You have spoken before about starting your artistic journey as a child in a working-class town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. How has that experience informed your artistic process, the themes you explore, and/or the narratives you seek to convey through your work? I’m from Greensburg, PA, a small town outside Pittsburgh (also the same hometown of the famous photographer Bruce Weber). Small world. I went to a random art school for one semester in New Kensington but I left when I was basically teaching the class how to process and develop the film. I realized quickly that wasn’t the path that was going to get me where I envisioned. I come from an Italian-Irish working-class family. We owned a fire protection business that my grandfather started in 1952. I’m incredibly grateful to have grown up in a family business. It taught me invaluable skills of how to generate and build a business. I come from a rural town—old buildings and industry surrounded by farms. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, I watched as the forested land above our neighborhood was mowed down and turned into a Wal-Mart. An orchard where my family used to grow apples and other fruits was turned into a parking lot for fast food chains and a sporting goods store. I remember the year Home Depot opened and the local lumber yard owner and his family lost business. I became keenly aware of the impact of commercialization and corporately owned entities. I’m not anti-change or progression, I think in the ‘90s it was just a drastic change of the American rural landscape and I witnessed a homogenization of the community and what that does to creativity and ingenuity. Being raised in a working-class family—a very hard-working family—we all worked from a young age. I remember when I was four years old snapping carbon-monoxide buttons into detectors for 25 cents an hour. In my family, work is how we connect. I was also raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, and these are themes I explore in my photographic narratives like HER STORY, SPIRIT IN THE SKY & GREAT EXPECTATIONS. This put me

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into worlds of over 70,000 people from all over the world at national conventions every summer and fall, volunteering at the lunch counter and sorting books. I feel the combination of the family business and involvement in the religious organization taught me to be forward, out there, talk to everyone. From a young age I learned how to talk to adults, whether it was taking an order on the phone, scheduling an appointment for a customer, or talking to someone on their doorstep on Christmas Day as an 8-year-old witnessing the word of God. It all poured into me and formed an outgoing, personable personality that really lent itself to following a path in the arts. I’m no longer a Jehovah’s Witness, another theme I explore in my work and more outwardly talk about now. The themes I explore focus around where we’ve come and how we got here. I blend a lot of the historical past into a candy colored and pop observation… In my art practice, I’m often exploring themes around

sexuality, connection to self, community, culture, the environment, and the undercurrents of what is really going on. I also feel that my rural upbringing lent itself to a lot of time outside in the woods and with my farm animals. I was the youngest, and often left to my own devices. I spent a lot of time in the forest and at the lake. These themes play out in my personal preferences for where I live and travel, and nature is an essential part of my ability to take the unseen into tangible art and experiences. I am also attuned to the frequencies of the subtle realms early in life. The adults around me would always comment on how creative and over-active of an imagination I had. I really just saw things differently. By attuning these sensitivities through the course of my life, I’ve come to channel them in my art practice as an awareness and perspective that skews the conventions of normalcy.

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“As artists, if we don’t it will move to a more until it comes to being

t act on the idea, open channel g.”

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Can you tell us about the value of travel in your creative process? Where did you last travel for inspiration and what were a few special moments from that trip? I’m a vagabond bohemian type, who loves to be in nature and enjoys large spans of travel followed by large spans of stillness. I frequent global spiritual yoga, plant medicine and creative communities of individuals living outside the mainstream. I think of them as ecosystems. At 40, I’m accepting this part of myself: the need to explore and travel and expand, without guilt. The acceptance of this personal nature has allowed me to cultivate periods of expansion and travel followed by periods of stillness. I flow between artistic enclaves, deep nature, ashrams, yoga retreats, and cities. I’m finding there is a traveler class of artists and creators; I see them in these hot-spots around the world and, in my opinion, the epicenter of creative culture isn’t in Los Angeles anymore. I love LA, and I love making and collaborating there, however as big-tech, old-Hollywood giants, and big real-estate have dominated more of the landscape, the expense of a good quality of life in LA for the creator class has driven so many to find other ecosystems to thrive in. The opportunity to create from anywhere and build a global network supports my lifestyle. I take mindful steps to ensure I have freedom while still maintaining the responsibility for a functioning artistic career and professional life. Travel is essential to my practice. I enjoy learning more of who I am when no one knows me—I can express elements of my personality or explore nuances I’m not otherwise able to tune into during the day-to-day where I’m surrounded by the expectations of others. I thrive in listening and observing different cultures, their connection, priorities, and how they live. Most recently I was in Berlin installing my experiential install Audience with a Tree. I’ve been to Berlin before, but every time I am back the city reveals something new to me. Recently I was appreciative of the absolutely diverse cultural landscape, which also resulted in a diverse landscape of cultural opportunities and art. It is also a place where the fabric and culture of the city is respectful of art and the artist. The government recognizes the artist as an essential member of a functioning society and even offers

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artists monthly stipends. They’ve recently had an influx of immigration from Eastern Europe and Syria. It was fascinating to sit in on a weekly meeting for activists from Eastern Europe and hear their challenges, struggles, and how the media is skewing their requests or how they are struggling to get their voices heard. It was absolutely fascinating to hear these things first-hand and compare it to the blips and skewed news we have access to in the USA. My install was at Uferstudios in Berlin, a performance space known for their groundbreaking explorations in the movement arts. It was incredibly inspiring to me to be in and amongst a group of artists and creatives who take their work so seriously and are truly creating at the edge of culture. I was honored to be part of this organization’s explorations into visual performance arts. You have at least two lanes in your career path: collaborating with top-tier clients and producing fine art photography and installations. Can you tell us about those two worlds, how they overlap, and what some key differences are between the two? Thank you for noticing. Andy Warhol did it, so why can’t I? That’s how I look at it. He’s also from Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve come to see myself as a multimedia artist and creative art director; it’s all me at the end of the day. 32

The commercial work commissioned by top-tier clients is built out of my rich visual landscape and distinct thumb-print as well as brought to life by my extensive understanding of production and business. I am a hybrid and am accepting this. I don’t believe we need to be in any one lane anymore. The institutions of fine art are also changing; they used to only be supportive of the artist who only did one medium or one thing. I think collectors, representatives, and galleries are all changing to include and make room for multi-medium, multi-disciplined artists. The rich landscape of my commercial experience lends itself directly to my fine art editioned works and installations. The fine art explores themes, statements, and positions that commercially I can’t be as bold with. The commercial commissions create distinction for brands and companies worldwide that are a hybrid of their messaging needs and a visual landscape I bring to the project. At the end of the day, it’s all production and follow-through—the ability to see a large vision through from concept to delivery, whether on a content shoot or a multi-city installation public art tour. Some years I make more off my art, others I make more off my commercial commissions. How has your formal arts education at the Rochester Institute of Technology impacted your current creative process? Are there elements of that experience which were particularly formative? Yes. Because I went to a science school for art, it is no surprise that the work I make is a hybrid of art and science. Science in the sense of sociological observations as well as deeply entrenched observation and documenting processes as seen in my installation work. Way of the Modern Man, Audience with a Tree, and Room of Rainbows. I was the first to go to college in my family and the only one to receive a formal degree. At the time that was monumental to me, now I look back at it as a pure time of exploration, learning, and focus. To me, that is what a university offers—time to focus. You borrow money from your future self to pay in order

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to focus and learn from an institution, fascinating to me in concept. While at university I never thought I’d pursue fine art. I thought those students were so out there. It wasn’t until 2010 when I released and stood back from my first fire art narrative What Lies Beneath when I realized I too was a fine artist. I’ve been unfolding this path ever since. To me, fine art is the exploration of a vibration, an idea that is from and belongs to the cosmic creation channel, as an artist we are attuned to certain frequencies. When we download or get the inspiration or idea, there is a timeline to bring it forth, as the energy of creation wants to be created. As artists, if we don’t act on the idea, it will move to a more open channel until it comes to being. That is why in the arts we see a collective similarity of artists coming to certain topics or works. If we pay attention to this, it

is a powerful learning tool that is guiding what we need to pay attention to in culture and society. In my opinion at the moment, the channels are really loud around environmental extraction, sociological impacts of an out-of-balance relationship with resources, and technology. Please tell our readers about your Audience with a Tree installations. What were the inspirations behind those exhibits and what went into the actual construction process? Audience with a Tree started more than six years ago when I was deep in the Redwoods State Park on a medicine journey. Forests are the lungs of the planet, and that year the northern California redwoods had been ravished by yet another devastating forest fire. It became clear to me the management of the one percent left of our old-growth forests was in

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the hands of conservation park efforts surrounded by opportunistic industry and planted forests. It’s not just forest fires that threaten old-growth. Climate and environmental extractivism and forestmanagement practices are stuck in the colonial mindset that sees people, the planet, and resources as a means of sale and ownership. Old growth is an intrinsic and important element to the earth’s ability to process the chemistry of human development, civilizations, and industry. Forests are invaluable parts of our earth’s natural ability to carbon sink. Big Tech and Big Industry are gloating and preaching about carbon-sequestering technology. Political movements are pressuring industries and consumers globally for carbon reduction. However, forests (when allowed to exist in their natural, wild form) are the solution to restoring balance to our post-extraction environment. A shift in thinking is needed. At the center are the mother trees; they are an intrinsic part to every old-growth and GMOplanted forest. They shade the saplings, communicate through a complicated web of mycelium and root network, and ultimately send signals and support the immunity of the entire forest. The wisdom of these ancient beings is over 1,600 years old and is vital to the survival of our forests and ultimately our species. While sitting in ceremony and reverence at the base of towering grandmother redwood trees, I listened deeply and asked, “What is your message? What is it I can convey?” The word “reverence” came. From there Audience with a Tree was born. It is a site-specific, public art installation that utilizes projections and a guided voice meditation and sound journey. Climate realities are daunting and leave people feeling confused, hopeless, helpless, in denial, and conflicted around various agendas and resources. The majority of the public are not aware that our natural lands are being bought and sold to the highest bidder at the expense of our convenience and survival. These actions, along with daily habits, impact forest ecosystems globally. Through Audience with a Tree, I am calling forth an opportunity to inspire hope and bring together different points of view around climate change and environmental issues.

I have recently installed AWAT in Berlin, Germany at Uferstudios with collaboration partner Umberto Freddi, whose installation design and architectural expertise helped bring this vision to life. The results were incredible; the contrast of the towering images and films of the forest against the industrial urban backdrop of Berlin was monumental to its impact. Leading up the exhibition site I chalked a 30-foot, life-size “bloody stump print”—this was an important element to the experience for the public of Berlin. Many have never seen the grandeur and size of these ancient old-growth trees. I am in the process of aligning this project with other institutions, or branded sponsorships that are in alignment to bring AWAT to more cities. Your work often explores the connection (or disconnection) between humans and nature. How do you use your art to shed light on the complexities of this relationship? What are some of the key messages or narratives you seek to communicate? I believe that the same creativity used to fuel mass consumption can be used to change the world! My main goal is to inspire reverence, flip the script, and pose obvious questions in a way that gets the general public to stop, look, think, and leave with a heartfelt experience that will lead to change. I feel too often we drown in the unknown fear-based realities of the world we are living in. In my art I aim to cultivate an environment that engages the heart, and inspires connections that will lead to passion and action. I don’t ever want to be pointing out a problem without elevating the potential of the ingenuity of humanity. Mostly we are caring beings who ultimately want similar things. I think showing these complex narratives in a digestible way opens more potential for inspired action and change. From how smartphone technology is changing what it means to be human in Way of The Modern Man to asking individuals to examining their relationship with disposable plastic in Natural Plasticity to listening to a guided meditation from the Mother Tree in Audience with a Tree, my art is taking massive complex issues and distilling them

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to the essence of the quandary and presenting an opportunity to engage and experience a shift in perspective and heart. Some of the key messages in my narratives all circle around connection, the examination of why we do what we do, how this relationship came to be, and how it is changing our society, culture, and humanity. I provide a space for one to stop and think and, in the end, inspire and uplift by presenting alternatives. Could you tell us about one of your favorite collaborations with a brand and what made the project special to you? What advice would you give emerging artists who are seeking out similar collaborations? I loved the opportunity to install Natural Plasticity alongside Adidas’s Parley Run for the Oceans, as well as Brita’s #filterforgood campaign. These projects aligned with the art’s message and goals, as well as fueled exposure for the installation. My advice to other artists seeking collaborations is to make the effort to enter your work into everything, go to portfolio reviews, network, reach out to non-profits that align with your work and see about installing at their events… These efforts get the work out there. Document and share your progress. It’s a building game—build and tag and share and celebrate the small successes. They add up eventually to credibility and huge wins. Who are some other artists our readers should know more about? I’m in love with and follow Daniel Popper closely. I recently collaborated with artist Jo Russ of Las Vegas for a multi-layered collage for a resort property in Arizona. She and I worked on the elements of the design, and then a video animator under my direction layered and animated the elements I photographed. It was such a fun collaboration. The resulting pieces were used at 80-foot giant LED billboards on the property. What is the next career milestone you are working toward? With my fine art, I’m working towards a multi-city tour of Audience with a Tree and more print sales

of my photographic narratives with a new New York gallery representation starting in 2024. I am also seeking the inclusion of my art in an institutional or museum setting through a fellowship or select curatorial exhibition, and of course I am applying for Burning Man grants and the Guggenheim Grant! In my commercial work, I’m moving beyond just being a photographer towards directing the overall look and feel of the campaigns, as well as creative direction and ideation for experiential design. I build the teams and direct creation for projects where I’m in support of the vision from concept to delivery. I am looking for representation of my motion and creative direction work, and foresee an alignment with an agent who understands and is excited about me and my work.

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Kelsey O. Daniels P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y J A Z Z M I N E M A R I E W O R D S B Y K A T E Z A L I Z N O C K

In a video viewed well over a million times, Kelsey O. Daniels steps up to the microphone to perform “Jiggly,” a two-minute spoken word piece during which she takes the audience through her journey to radical self-acceptance. It is the condensed version of an expansive story, one punctuated throughout with mic-drop lines such as “I ain’t got no muffin top. I’m the whole damn cake.” Daniels is a multi-faceted artist, activist, and educator with a voice to be heard. She works in mixed media, performance, and poetry, and is frequently invited to panels and speaking engagements on a range of issues pertaining to identity, imagination, and ancestral memory. Daniels is, as she herself describes, loud in many ways— in voice, in dress, in beliefs and passions. She is a person owning her space while contributing immensely to the collective, whether it be honoring her hometown of of South East San Diego , performing on tour with Rupi Kaur, or giving the keynote speech at her city’s Women’s March. 38

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She has been featured in workshops and seminars on topics such as economic empowerment, mutual aid, body politics, and gender-based violence, and much of her success is due to her confidence in both her vision and her abilities. And this is not limited to the aforementioned fields; recently, Daniels took the stage for her very first (unplanned) stand-up performance, a spontaneous decision that arose during a beach outing with a friend. 40

Staying open to possibility is a gift—one many lose over time—but Daniels knows how to feed her fire for positive change within marginalized communities. Here, she talks to Open Color about proud moments, the power of community, and the drive that fuels her dedication.

“I curate my life in such a way that I’m always calling back to something sacred.”

Your work is so multi-faceted that you very accurately describe yourself as an artist-organizer-baddie-scholar. What are some key elements to each of those roles? I call myself artist organizer baddie scholar because it’s so hard to separate myself out into these little boxes when it all fuses together. Whenever I’m asked to show up, I bring all of my selves with me. As an artist my practice consists of poetry, music, comedy, mixed media, and more. I have a background in

community organizing both with organizations like March for Black Womxn San Diego and Black Lives Matter and around dreamwork as a liberation practice with Black Dream Experiment. Baddie refers to me showing up as a fully-embodied human, or as Janelle Monae would say “free ass motherfucker” who gives herself the right to kind of spill beyond these expectations of how I’m supposed to move and live in the world. And the

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scholar refers to revoking consent from the idea that scholarship only takes place in academic institutions and seeing the work that I do in the world of positing theories and wrestling with sociological concepts as public scholarship. I believe in creating access for us to be able to engage meaningfully with the world around us in a way that isn’t pretentious and stuffy. Your work is inspired by the Adinkra concept of Sankofa—can you tell our readers more about what that is and how it shapes what you do? Sankofa is a phrase from the Akaan people of Ghana and it basically means “go back and get it.” It also can be translated into “It is not wrong to go back and get what is at risk of being lost.” It’s a concept that reminds us that it’s important to be in relationship with the past as it informs the future in the present. I also view it as a call to be in relationship with all of ourselves—past, present and future. I constantly find myself referring to Yester Kelse and engaging with Facebook “on this day” memories and journal entries as access points for me to be able to contextualize and integrate my experiences. It also gives me a jumping off point to vision myself in the future because if I see what the past has given me, I can be mindful of what the present can offer to another version of myself. I also use Sankofa to remind myself and my community that we can see ourselves in relationship to our ancestors and invoke the energy they engaged with when navigating the world in our everyday lives. Who have been some of your sources of education and inspiration as you’ve navigated your creative journey? I’m inspired by my foremamas, literal, literary, and of liberation. The women in my family who have modeled care and imagination. Powerful creatives like Ntozake Shange, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison. Brilliant freedom fighters like Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Marsha P. Johnson. The list is extensive but I

find myself constantly engaging with the energy of the womxn and femmes who made space for me and are constantly sending me reminders that I am moving in legacy and have permission to do my part to add something beautiful to the canon for the babies after me. Out of all your artworks and performances, is there one in particular that holds a special place in your heart? I recently did a career day at an elementary school and performed my poem “Jiggly” to a group of fifth graders and halfway through my piece the kids erupted and one of them yelled out “YES QUEEN” and it was lit. It was also special because that piece is about an experience with bullying that I had in fifth grade and for them to be able to see themselves in that and to hear the story at this pivotal moment in their journey as they’re building their own selfconcept of how to be in this world was really magical for me. What have been some of your proudest moments as an organizer? My proudest moment would have to be creating a summit called Black Womxn Save My Life during my time with March for Black Womxn San Diego. It was an overflow of a journal practice I had during a depressive episode where I would mark down encounters I had with Black womxn that were meaningful. I thought about how often Black womxn are expected to be saviors for the collective (you especially hear this rhetoric during election season) and how little space we are given to check in with ourselves beyond our service. I wanted to create space for us to engage with the macroconcepts that we lifted up at the march (right to healthcare, economic justice, freedom from violence, etc.…) and discuss how it affects us in our everyday lives and envision a world where we are able to care for ourselves deeply.

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Please tell our readers about freedom work, why you do it, and why it is so important. Assata Shakur has a quote that has been invoked in a lot of activist spaces as a call to action that says “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” That’s really the crux of why I do what I do. I want to make sure that I spend my time on this planet reminding myself and others that we have a duty and right to access our freedom and remember it is not something that can be given to us externally. I believe it is about acknowledging that we are free and making it so in how we live our lives and care for ourselves and community. Who are some fellow artists and organizers our readers should know about? So many but I would say three that have really been pivotal for me lately are Jazmine Walker (@JazDaKOS), an amazing fat Black queer artist and organizer who is doing work to advocate for artistic and ecological sovereignty for Black queer folks in Mississippi. They also facilitate really important conversations on their Instagram challenging and unpacking misogynoir, transphobia, fatphobia, and more in a way that’s accessible and necessary. Keomi Tarver (@keomirene) is a creative from San Diego who fuses poetry and choreography to tell stories about Black womanhood. I recently had the privilege to perform in a showcase with her and it was magical to witness the space she was able to create for us to feel seen and cared for. Last but not least Angel Austin runs a digital space called Sacred Space For Fat Bodies (@sacredspaceforfatbodies). She does a lot of mutual aid for fat folks and one of her goals is to create in-person spaces for rest and care that honor not just fat bodies but those most marginalized within our community (infinifat, disabled, Black, queer, and trans etc.). I lift her up because she pours so much of herself into community and I would love to see people support HER so she can be cared for the way that she loves on everyone around her.

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How would you describe your personal taste in visual art, music, and clothing design? It is eclectic and intuitive. I curate my life in such a way that I’m always calling back to something sacred, especially in how I dress and create. Growing up I didn’t have many options to adorn myself how I liked to because of fatphobia, respectability, and access so now I give myself permission to incorporate play and whimsy as much as I can and experiment. That carries over into music—my favorite artists are those that bend genres and have fun. What are some of your experiences and insights regarding the South East San Diego arts community? I was born and raised in South East San Diego, in the same community my mother and aunts grew up in, so my connection to the community runs deep. It’s one of the historically Black communities in San Diego—though gentrification and rising housing costs have drastically changed the demographic of the neighborhoods. I have vivid memories of going to storytelling hours and street fairs and experiencing live art. There’s currently an effort to reinvigorate that energy with the establishment of nine blocks in our community as a Black Arts and Culture District and I have the privilege of sitting on the advisory board. The goal is to be able to honor our past and get folks from all over the county to imagine what could be. What are some future goals you are working to achieve within both the creative fields and your education/organization efforts? I am working diligently to build out my dream practice and share from my overflow with community. I have visions of being able to bring the work I’m doing with Black Dream Experiment to community through a fellowship/residency program that will give folks space to communally rest, engage with dreamwork as an ancestral, wellness, and liberation practice, and build out projects they can activate in their individual communities to create that space for others. I also want to establish a dreamy cooperative/mutual aid hub in South East San Diego that serves as a third space to engage in community care.

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Melissa Uroff W O R D S

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The allure of authentic neon bending, so distinct from the commonplace LED impersonations, captivates even the most uninitiated. Slender glass tubes are shaped by hand over the blue incandescence of a flame that could, if provoked, cut sharper than a knife’s edge. A charred outline on the table acts as a guide, charting the course for an endless possibility of shapes, whether it be the fluid contours of an abstract sculpture, or a corporate logo. The process is the performance; the final neon creation, the denouement. Artist Melissa Uroff began her foray into neon bending early in life by observing her father in his workshop. After mastering her technique, she incorporated her neon sculptures into another equally beloved medium—photography (her father, a constant supporter of her creativity, also provided her first camera). In this arena, she is similarly drawn to traditional techniques such as cyanotypes and gum printing, and and produces almost all of her work in a darkroom. 49

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Years of dedication led to a successful curatorial career, a chapter which has recently become the prologue for a full-time career as an artist, now that demand requires it. Uroff spoke with Open Color about her creative drive, where it has taken her, and where she is headed next. Can you delve into your creative journey and share how you were initially drawn to the intersection between neon and photography? What challenges and breakthroughs have you encountered while exploring this combination? Art and creativity have always been a part of my life. Growing up, my family didn’t have much money so if we needed or wanted something we made it, we repurposed things, and fixed things. There wasn’t much opportunity to buy name brands and we would have to get creative often. So, I very much grew up in a DIY creative household. Everyone in my family was always letting us be a part of whatever project they were working on and encouraged us to make our own projects. I spent a ton of time with my grandparents; my grandfather was an upholsterer and beginning as a young person I would help him work on his projects in the garage. My dad let us use tools early on in life and would help us build things as far back as I can remember. And my mom was full of encouragement and ideas, always saying things like “What if you...” or “Have you thought about trying this,” which made us look at whatever we were doing/making from a new angle. So basically I was given a lot of confidence and a pretty solid skill set from an early age. Regardless of gender we were encouraged and welcomed to try everything. My brothers played with dolls and wore tutus and us gals worked on cars and used power tools. No such thing as girl stuff and boy stuff in our house. When I was 13 my dad gave me his old ‘70s Pentax camera (K-1000), an extra lens, and a tripod. I took that thing everywhere! This was the same age that I learned to use a darkroom, and started taking photography classes at school, so I was churning out photos like a machine. Simultaneously, my father’s job was making neon lights; he worked at a shop but

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by the time I was 11 we also had all the equipment in our garage, and we would spend lots of time out there with him learning how to bend glass. By my late teens I was really getting experimental with photography, lots of hand painting and tinting, collaging my work together in the darkroom, printing on 3D objects, building my own cameras, and by my early twenties I had fully dived into historical processes as well. When digital cameras came onto the scene it was a big bummer to me—sitting in front of the computer will never smell as good as a darkroom, so even though I do own a digital camera, these days the majority of my work is still handmade. Photography and neon both showed up in my life at a very young age and have remained staples in my work. This makes a lot of sense to me due to the fact that both of these mediums require science and light. And they lend to each other because building photography sets and building installations basically live in the same world. Slowly neon and photography keep moving closer and closer together in my work. The current project

I am working on features the two mediums melded together more than any previous project has thus far. I am photographing and conducting interviews with femme-identifying folks about their relationships with nature, and then taking those results and embedding the photos into resin sculptures with neon lights. Your experimental processes include cyanotypes and gum printing. Can you tell our readers about each of those and what you enjoy about working with them? I made my first cyanotype in 1990, when I was 10 years old, in my backyard with my dad. We put plants on the paper and the shadows were left behind as the print. I thought that was so magical. As I mentioned earlier, I started taking photo classes pretty early on, as a freshman in high school. I learned so much in those classes about the darkroom and how to take and print a proper photo, so when I went into college, I already had a grasp on how to do those things well. Then I met Jodie Hooker, she was my professor for an experimental and historical photo class. No one wanted to take her beginning photo class because

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they said she was too strict, but the truth is she just wanted folks to know how to use their camera and to know why they were getting the results they were getting. I braved it and took her class and I have never been the same. Once she realized that I knew what I was doing, she told me to break every rule I knew. She had us build our own cameras, coat our own papers, try weird film, spray prints with bleach, use chemicals from the 1800s... basically told us to forget everything we knew and to just experiment. It was incredible. I love working with my hands, I love mixing chemicals, I love not fully knowing what is going to happen when you try something new. It is so fun to mix mediums and experiment and to create one-ofa-kind images. I have been running with this idea for what feels like forever now. I shot strictly on film for years. Then in 2008 I realized that I had to get a digital camera for commercial gigs; pay wasn’t good enough to justify film anymore and the turnover rate to get photos was super quick, so I sold my car and used the money from that to buy one. But digital bummed me out.

I was so used to using my hands to make something that sitting in front of a computer to edit was torture. It is magic watching a photo appear on the paper in a darkroom—not so much when you are waiting for photos to upload. To balance this out, I continued to work in film and historical processes in my personal work, which went into art shows and commissions. Cyanotypes are affordable to make, and I could do so without setting up an entire darkroom, which was very convenient before I had a studio. I am sure lots of folks know this process as there is a huge amount of people experimenting with it right now. Basically, you mix two solutions together and when you do they become light sensitive, and when you coat paper and expose it to light it creates a blue print. Anna Adkins did this to document botanicals in the 1800s and, though Sir John Herschel invented the process, she created the first book with photographs using it. I always have her in the back of my mind when creating my cyanotype work, which is probably why there are so many botanicals within it. Gum prints are close to the same process as cyanotypes, but there is pigment added into the process to create color photographs.

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Please tell us more about your public installations and the creative processes behind them. Are there any elements you must balance with your individual artistic expression? Public work is a lot of fun! Up to this point in my career I have not had too many challenges with these projects; as long as you can work well within a team, things usually go smoothly. I do have a lot of nudity in my personal work, but as long as I don’t bring that to the public realm the process is pretty much the same, just a little more paperwork. You are also involved in other aspects of the arts community in Sacramento, where you are based. Can you talk a bit about your other projects and tell our readers how they can check those out? I just recently resigned from my job as a gallery curator which was so much fun but fortunately/ unfortunately I had too many of my own projects going on to continue curating. I also made a zine for about nine years, which was fully run by artists and musicians called TUBE. We are currently on a break; our last print issue was during Covid; however, I hope to get back at this one in the near future. Who are some other artists you are drawn to and inspired by? This is such a hard question. I am drawn to work that is funny, that tells a story, that makes you feel. I like things to be odd, I am in love with folks that do things that I would never think of or be able to do. I love the storytelling of Gordon Parks. As a teenager I had Richard Avedon’s images all over my walls. I love how Annie Leibovitz’s roots of starting at a small magazine (Rolling Stone, haha) have traveled throughout her work with her, the way that Shonna McDaniels’ paintings tell women’s stories. I love the way Helmet Newton’s images make me feel both empowered and helpless as a woman. Serena Cole makes me feel both sad and beautiful. Every bit of Franceska Gámez inspires me. Amine Rastgar’s found objects and paintings

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are everything. I love Laureline Gilmore’s paintings, but the oddness of her installation work is next-level. Ren Hang’s jumbled bodies intrigue me. The weirdness of Adam WeverGlen and the fact that he can paint with such realism, but doesn’t, makes my heart explode. In my twenties, everything about Francesca Woodman felt like me. I am jealous of the honesty of Mark Thomas Dillon’s photos. I love the way it feels like Polina Osipova’s older work connects to her heritage or maybe past life. The chaos of Hannah Hoch and pretty much the entire Dada period are incredible... there are really more names than you probably have room to print Adam Wever-Glen and the fact that he can paint with such realism, but doesn’t, makes my heart explode. In my twenties, everything about Francesca Woodman felt like me. I am jealous of the honesty of Mark Thomas Dillon’s photos. I love the way it feels like Polina Osipova’s older work connects to her heritage or maybe past life. The chaos of Hannah Hoch and pretty much the entire Dada period are incredible... there are really more names than you probably have room to print. You teach art to at-risk youth and the unhoused community in Yolo County. Can you tell us about the journey to that work? What are some of the struggles and joys you have experienced? It is really a joy to help folks find their inner artist and to watch them work through whatever is going on through creating. I feel like art saved my life and if I can give that to someone else, I feel like I am on the right path. One of your passions is travel; are there any places in particular you have visited that have impacted your artistic vision? I think you pick up little pieces from everywhere, even from home. I didn’t realize this until my cousin saw a piece I made and said “That’s Grandma and Papa’s house,” and then began to name all the pieces that were in the artwork that came from them: records, old radios, ferns, birds, lizards, water, etc. It was then when I realized that those pieces were in nearly all of my work. So, I guess the biggest place that has impacted my work is my past. What are some future goals you are seeking to achieve artistically? To continue to challenge myself, to grow, and to keep having fun!

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Christian Siriano & Anna Schilling TA L K FA S H I O N & FRI EN D S H I P O N L A K E CO M O

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The friendship between Christian Siriano and Anna Schilling spans 15 years and traces back to the genesis of the former’s career, when he unveiled his first collection and Schilling graced his runway. Since then, Siriano’s designs have been worn by some of the most illustrious figures in the world, such as Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Zendaya, Celine Dion, Nicole Kidman, and one of the most coveted fashion icons in the game, Sarah Jessica Parker, who sports his label both on and off the screen. A native of New Jersey, Schilling modeled in New York City for 10 years before relocating to Los Angeles and refocusing her career onto her true passion as a stylist and fashion editor. Recently, during a sun-kissed sojourn at Lake Como, she donned several of Siriano’s exquisite gowns while he snapped the photographs shared here. They sat down with Open Color to discuss their friendship, travel, and more.

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How and where did the two of you first meet? What were your first impressions of each other?

C: I was really seeing my brand start to take off having just come off [Project Runway]. A: I was on year three of my modeling career.

A: We met at the casting for Christian’s first NYFW show. C: That time is always so crazy, so aside from casting her in the show and doing the fitting and the show we didn’t have much time together, but shortly after I invited her to be my guest at a red carpet event. It was that night we really started our friendship.

What do you most enjoy about working with each other?

Where were each of you in your respective creative journeys when your friendship began?

A: I love the clothes! And we always have so much fun together. But there are always endless dresses and suits that I see that he has in the collection that I am dying to wear! It’s so exciting seeing a collection for the first time every season. C: Anna likes to wear everything and wants to actually wear the clothes so that is always so fun seeing friends excited like that. We also have so many laughs and crazy times.

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Anna, what sets Christian apart from other designers? A: He has endless creativity; I’ve seen collections inside of collections sometimes, because he can just create without end! He also really has a deep understanding of what women want to wear and what is sexy and playful and super stylish. What are each of your favorite moments while working together so far? A & C: Our favorite moments are probably our epic trips; we’ve gone to many places over the years. Some of these have been to do fashion shows and some have been vacations. Some favorites include Barbados, Paris, Tennessee, Provence, and of course Lake Como! What did you last laugh at together? A & C: We last laughed hysterically while trying to choreograph a dance routine on our vacation, Christian the team leader as usual.

“ Christian has a deep understanding of what women want to wear and what is sexy and playful and super stylish.” What advice do each of you have for friends who are starting their first collaboration? What are some key elements of your collaborative process? C: The best thing when collaborating with friends is to be really flexible and open to seeing things from the other person’s side first, I think, and not being too rigid in your idea of how it’s all going to look. A: I have also learned so much from Christian; his show was the first I ever styled and it was such a learning curve. He doesn’t do anything halfway or small-scale so working with over 100 looks and 60 models through casting, fitting and choosing final looks for each girl—it was one of the most complicated jobs ever! He had been styling his own shows so coming in and being able to work with him was one of the best experiences. It was also fun to be on the other side and really see how things come together on the back end. High stress, super-fast pace, long days and massive amounts of fabulous creativity! What were some highlights from your trip to Lake Como? A & C: We started each day with coffee at the villa and someone in the group would take turns putting together a cute light breakfast for us. We took a trip to a fabric mill that has been making Italian fabrics for hundreds of years; they actually were crafting a fabric for Christian’s 15th anniversary show this year so we got to see that fabric being spun which was so cool! It was super inspiring touring through the mill seeing all the special fabrics they have made for all the major Italian fashion houses. We also took a boat trip all around the lake which was so beautiful. The villa was situated on the mountain side so some days we just relaxed there and took in the beautiful mountain and lake views.

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Tokyo’s ebb and flow of tradition and modernity makes it a unique hub of creativity. It is also home to artist Yuni Yoshida, who built her artistic foundation within the halls of Joshibi University of Art and Design, after which she joined Onuki DESIGN and then Uchu Country, platforms where her talents in art direction found fertile ground. A move into freelance work allowed Yoshida to further her artistic explorations while continuing her projects in advertising, album covers, and book design. Laforet Harajuku, Tokyo’s heartbeat of fashion, bore her vision, as did the mesmerizing promotional visuals for “The Bee,” featuring Hideki Noda. Increasingly, though, it is her independent work as an artist that has drawn a spotlight. In particular, Yoshida’s series of food sculptures— deconstructed and deceptively “pixelated” apples, bananas, sandwiches, and more—have widened her audience and slowed the scrolls of hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. She spoke with Open Color about the layers of her artistry and how she navigates multiple lanes in her career.

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Your artistic journey has taken you through various stages, from working for agencies to pursuing independent projects and eventually venturing into the realm of fine art. Can you reflect on this progression and share with us how each phase influenced your artistic development? Originally, perhaps due to my work in advertising, my expression was based on the idea of getting people interested in and enjoying the work, as well as conveying it to as many people as possible. Even with personal works, I strive to create visuals that resonate with a wide audience. Your most recent approach to photography, where you incorporate food as a medium, has captivated many viewers. Could you take us behind the scenes and share how this unique fusion of photography and culinary art came about? What initially sparked your interest in using food as a medium, and how do you navigate the challenges and possibilities that arise when creating and capturing these compositions? I have always loved natural things. Plants, food, and so on—none of them have the same shapes, patterns, or colors. I value the encounters with them and want to preserve them as photographs. The fruit mosaic works, for example, showcase the wide range of natural fruit colors. Even within the same apple, there are gradients from light to dark, and the colors of the flesh change, intentionally creating gradients when transformed into pixels. The discoloration, which is a negative aspect, can occur in analog creation, but I use it as part of the expression. I find it interesting to work with analog in that way.

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“ I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED NATURAL THINGS. PLANTS, FOOD, AND SO ON... NONE OF THEM HAVE THE SAME SHAPES, PATTERNS, OR COLORS. ”

Art of War

Creative Director: Nadiia Shapoval Photography: Stephan Lisowsky Interview: Kate Zaliznock

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For more than two years, the eyes of the world have remained fixed on Ukraine, where a relentless fight for freedom against Russian invasion continues. Throughout history, regimes like Russia’s, known for their authoritarian nature, have systematically targeted members of the creative and intellectual classes of their enemies, seeking to uproot ethnic legacies for generations to come. But now, in this digital age, we have real-time connections to the work of Ukrainian artists and educators, which directly combats one of the hallmarks of genocide: the erasure of a people’s cultural heritage. As the war persists, more and more of this country’s rich traditions are garnering worldwide attention. Among these remarkable talents is Nadiia Shapoval, an artist who discovered a love for ceramics during the early days of the full-scale war with Russia. Shapoval’s artistic journey led her to establish Nadiia Bazaar, a dynamic digital and pop-up marketplace showcasing her own creations as well as the works of fellow Ukrainian artists. Her collection spans a range of mediums, from prints and ceramics to jewelry, home goods, and other distinctly Ukrainian pieces. Nadiia Bazaar stands as a heartfelt homecoming for Shapoval, who traversed the globe before dedicating herself to championing Ukrainian art and culture. Her multifaceted career as a model and fashion editor earned her recognition in renowned publications such as Vogue, Tatler, Marie Claire, and Elle. These days, you can often find her exploring the ancient mountains and forests of Ukraine as she gathers research and inspiration for her artwork. We are thankful she took the time to share her story with Open Color.

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The illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has undoubtedly had a tremendous impact on all Ukrainians, including artists. Please tell us about the first artwork you created after the full-scale war began and the process behind it. When the war started ted in Ukraine, Uk I left for Greece and I escaped Kyiv the same day the invasion started. And I found myself frustrated for more than three and a half months in my apartment about the war and the terrible atrocities I was witnessing, but slowly I started to melt out all of my pain and I slowly started getting back to ceramics with an idea about the Azov Mariupol defenders [a battalion of Ukrainian soldiers who were captured and tortured by the Russian army]. I went to local pottery and ceramics studios; before [the war] it was like a huge street of potters. So I went to a very traditional guy and I decided to make terracotta vessels with the faces of the fallen soldiers of the Azov battalion. I was doing these sculptures and it was very hard because I was doing these faces and I was crying, and it was very hard because no one was seeing this work, it was just for me and I was doing it and yeah… it was really hard because these vessels were inspired by funerary burns that were practiced in ancient Greece. These were my first objects; I was reflecting on the terrible Mariupol situation and the situation of the Azov defenders.

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Could you share with us your journey with ceramics? When did you first start working with these materials and what draws you to them? My way to ceramics was pretty, pretty long because, you know, I was born into a pretty interesting family. I was born in 1989, so it was still the Soviet Union, Soviet Ukraine. My family was resistant to the Soviets and there were a lot of people in my family who were jailed and sentenced to 20 years in labor camps in Siberia. And a lot of the young intelligentsia were actually friends of my grandmother and my grandfather. My family spoke Ukrainian and we were resistant to the Soviets, and all the artists—Ukrainian artists, poets, philosophers—were in apartments together, hanging out in the ‘60s. They were called dissidents. Some of them died in the Soviet Union because they were killed in prison; some of them were released when Ukraine became independent. So, I have seen those who were building up the new country of Ukraine, the national idea, and all this stuff. I was also witnessing beautiful objects in my apartment; Maria Prymachenko, one of the biggest artists in the world, was on the wall in our apartment because she actually gave a piece to my grandfather. And a lot of different ceramic stuff was there, so my journey to ceramics was very long because for a while I was actually going against my nature, denying my roots, and was going very global, international. I was interested in the international context and I was watching art house movies, hanging out with artists and dreaming of running away from Ukraine to see the world. Modeling gave me this chance, and I was modeling for five years around the world. Then I graduated with my master’s degree in Milan as brand manager in fashion, and I came back to Ukraine and started to work in fashion a lot as a stylist and creative director. Slowly I got depressed because I saw this cycle—it’s too fast, and I didn’t feel creative; I was just making different images to promote clothes. I didn’t feel any deepness in this and I went to pottery and the ceramic studio and started to work with a

local artist, Masha Reva. We did a collaboration and she actually showed me a beautiful way of doing art, and I was thinking about shapes. I took Ukrainian national shapes as a reference and reworked them a bit and it turned into a very interesting journey. We were showing in the Netherlands, at Dutch Design Week, London Design Week, Milan… and then my brand started to grow with these objects and I started to explore a lot of Ukraine. I went on expeditions and took photographs, and that’s how I fell in love with artisans and craftsmanship in Ukraine. Please describe for our readers the process and inspiration behind your latest works. My main inspiration is the people I see in my trips and throughout Ukraine. I talk to them and we are somehow feeling this tenderness and beauty in the moment; everyone is very fragile and our lives are fragile, and this is something that really inspired me. Also, Ukrainians are very poetic-minded, which brings me a lot of material to think about—the beauty of ordinary and simple life, which I see in villages and towns in Ukraine. Among the remarkable collaborations you’ve been a part of, are there any in particular that hold a profound significance to you? I think one of my favorites is me and Masha [Reva]; we did beautiful pieces for Orson, a restaurant by Jacquemus in Paris. One of my biggest loves was working with Swedish clothing brand Rodebjer; we did a beautiful collaboration and we brought out our ceramics, and then the next season they did a collection about Ukraine. My main aim, my brand idea, is for Ukrainian beauty and crafts to be a bridge between Ukraine and the world.

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“ Ukrainians are

very poeticminded, which brings me a lot of material to think about—the beauty of ordinary and simple life.

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You have spent years working in fashion and have traveled throughout the world; how have these experiences helped curate your personal style? How would you describe your overall aesthetic, whether it be clothing, interior design, etc.? It’s hard to say because my style doesn’t change a lot. But for example, in the objects, I do like to experiment a lot in my objects in Nadiia World. I’m very inspired by archaeology, so always, all over my travels, I am the first one in the archaeology museum in any town or small city because somehow it really gives me a big perspective to see about the shapes, about the way of thinking, and I think this early way of thinking was simple in a way but it was not primitive at all. It was very constructive, and people were like thinking “less is more,” and this is something I would like to do, but I also like to experiment and sometimes I like to make something hipper, even with color. I do like Japanese aesthetics very much; I am a big fan of Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto. I also like Scandinavian brands, which I don’t actually wear often but I like the philosophy of beauty in ordinary life—this is something that inspires me a lot. Please tell us about Nadiia Bazaar and how you curate your shop. Also, we’d love to know the process behind the intricately detailed cookies and cheese sculptures. Nadiia Bazaar is a pop-up that can be in any part of the world and bring in Ukrainian life and products. My aim is to take it all around the world to show our culture to people. The first chapter was in Kyiv for Easter, and I worked with more than 10 artisans. It was very, very cool because I felt like I travel too much and I work internationally and sometimes I don’t give my vision to local Kyvians. I felt that after this hard, hard winter, when we didn’t have electricity or hot water and we didn’t have good air defense. My friends suffered a very dark and very cold winter. And me also, I had some issues with my mental health because I was really sad and it felt like I didn’t have space in this world because of this war. One day, my best friend Stephan (who is a photographer; we have been shooting my book for the last three years together) told me, “Nadiia, we need to do something for both ourselves and the people, so that we will somehow release ourselves.” Easter is all about this, about renewing ourselves and the surroundings. It’s also about the spring—in Ukraine, Easter is one of the biggest holidays. We are always waiting for Easter because it’s very beautiful and there are huge traditions behind it. So I was experimenting with shapes and this cookie called pryanyk. There is a huge tradition behind pryanyk

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because these cookies were passed to each other as a postcard, so it was like a gift with a meaning, a gift to say “Hi” to the person. People were bringing them from different towns to relatives, and the relatives were storing these at home. Regarding the cheese sculptures, this is a very unique thing that is going on in the Carpathians, a mountain region in Ukraine. Women are doing these sculptures with their own hands; you can eat them, and they are very very beautiful and unique. No one had really seen similar things. You work with an incredible collective called i am u are, which recently held the wildly successful Ukrainian Creators Fair in New York City. Please tell us about that project and why it is so special? I am u are is a very special platform where we can introduce Ukrainian creatives in different fields like tech, crafts, fashion, photography, and cinema. This is a very combined, multidisciplinary project that we created with a huge team. We have two founders, Kristina Skripka and Anna Pagava, and five creative directors, who are myself, Masha Reva and Ivan Grabko (who are artists), and Iryna Myroshnykova and Oleksii Petrov (who run the architecture firm Forma; they are based in Kyiv and recently did the Venice Biennale—two pavilions actually). We also have a huge in-house team, and we were creating this project for nine months during the war. Half of the team was in Kyiv and half was in the U.S., and it was impossible to imagine that it could happen because it is a huge investment that we were raising and also a huge number of vendors. We had more than 100 vendors, and it was very precise work with each vendor to select and adapt products. Sometimes we were doing the creative direction with the products, and also I was doing the acknowledgement section where I was introducing Ukrainian crafts, Ukrainian vision, in different projects with photography, video, and objects. Masha was doing the photography exhibition and Forma were doing amazing decorations. This project is really big and really high quality, and we were very happy we did it—and people liked it a lot.

Even during the war, you continue to work on many projects simultaneously; can you describe for our readers what a “typical” day looks like for you? Regarding my ordinary day, it depends on where I am, but I always start with yoga. I have my teacher and I do my practice, and then I work a lot on Zooms. I try to “water my garden” in a way and swim, because now I live in Athens and basically… it doesn’t look very exciting when I am in Athens. But I also live in Ukraine, and when I am in Ukraine I do my field research, so I meet archaeologists and museums. I work around these different perspectives. I also do my own expeditions into the villages with Stephan for shooting my book, and at the same time I collect in the context of the craftsmanship so this is really exciting. During the war it’s both exciting and anxiety-inducing. What are you currently working on and what are a few future artistic goals? Now I am setting up my brand; I am relaunching it and my main goal is to make it very strong and do a couple of international collaborations. I’m also working on exhibitions that will happen in Kyiv, but with very interesting artifacts of Kyivan Rus’, and this is very interesting scientific work. Also, I am working on the i am u are Los Angeles edition. Now we are starting to create it, and it will happen in October. I am also now preparing some expeditions in Ukraine, and I also want to finish the film about Nadiia Place that is in Odesa—I have a place in the Carpathian Mountains that people will be able to rent and experience my vision and touch my objects and feel this Nadiia World all around.

Virgilio Martinez

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Deep in the Tambopata Jungle of the Amazon, Peruvian chef

Virgilio Martínez is on the hunt. Wild game is not his target but rather his audience as he carefully considers his surroundings and searches for some of the most unique culinary ingredients in the world. He delicately collects a variety of tree bark and sap, mushrooms, moss, berries, and more alongside his sister Malena, whose unparalleled research expertise on Peruvian flora and fauna is essential to both her brother’s innovative approach as well as a much wider movement in the sphere of culinary art. More on that later. The Martínezes’ remote location on this particular expedition is 210 meters above sea level. This is not an anecdote, but rather a fundamental fact around which Martínez has built a groundbreaking menu—one that takes each epicure on a topto-bottom exploration of Peru’s landscape. His method is not based on the limited range of fickle modern tastes; Central, Martínez’s flagship restaurant in Lima that is currently ranked as the number one establishment on the planet by World’s Best 50 Restaurants, is not for those who only tolerate the commonly delicious. Its “Mater Elevations” menu begins at 10 meters above sea level with an exquisite arrangement of piure (a tunicate native to the coasts of Peru and Chile), percebes (also known as a goose barnacle), and razor clams. The courses subsequently wind their way through farmlands, jungle, sea terrain, desert waters—16 elevations that conclude at 3,580 meters. The ingredients, some universally appetizing and others simply edible, transcend a chef’s basic aim of satisfying hunger and elevate each dish into a remarkably artistic endeavor. Since Central was established in 2008, Martínez’s list of accomplishments has only grown; notable achievements include Lima (a Michelin-star Peruvian restaurant in the Fitzrovia district of London), Lima Floral (a second London location in the Covent District), and a third Lima restaurant located in Dubai. Martínez also dedicates a significant amount of his time working toward a more sustainable and local-focused food culture—a cornerstone passion that he describes to us in this interview. We couldn’t be prouder to feature such an incredibly talented culinary artist in The Taste Issue. To see Martínez in his element, I highly recommend his documentary Virgilio as well as his episode on Netflix’s Chef’s Table series. Dish: Theobroma Photographer: Gustavo Vivanco 94

Location: Central Photographer: Facu Manoukian Please share with our readers about your initiative Mater Iniciativa. What are some ways your organization contributes to preserving traditional knowledge and educating the culinary world about sustainable practices?

Mater’s lines of action are three distinct: one based on science and experimentation, the second on society and humanities, and the third on art and culture projects. Since we sometimes have projects where the three areas intersect, the cultural theme is always present, and the social ecosystem plays an important

role. This country is diverse. Not only biodiverse, but also in cultures, and there is a registration issue. The different languages transfer knowledge in unwritten forms, so our way of respecting and paying homage is to elaborate—by hand—a record of knowledge, processes, expressions; always showing that there are human beings who are protagonists and managers to whom we return this record in different forms, [whether it be] the elaboration of recipe books, ethnobotanical catalogs, or the design of art exchange programs, as

Location: Sala 1 Central Photographer: Gustavo Vivanco when invited artists participate in experiences with local artists and co-create new pieces. We believe in long and continuous conversations that are reviewed to see if we are still in tune. Kacllaraccay and Mullaka´sMisminay (two farmers’ communities that connect closely to Mil Centro and in the Amazon), utilitarian pieces handmade by indigenous carpenters in Loreto, and textiles painted with river clay from Callería, Pucallpa are expressions of cultural exchange and personalization of materials.

In your book Lima: The Cookbook, you explore the vibrant and diverse flavors of Peruvian cuisine, and your current dishes often merge traditional techniques with modern innovations. How do you strike a balance between honoring heritage and pushing the boundaries of contemporary gastronomy?

Through a deep understanding and constant learning of regional culinary traditions, with a contemporary perspective, towards preservation and innovation. There is no need to choose between tradition and

modernity; they are intertwined, both work together. Tradition is the foundation, providing us with a clear path, while innovation defines our present time. What was the pivotal dish that marked your shift from a European approach to the culinary arts to embracing truly Peruvian cuisine? And when did you first feel confidence in your new vision?

Making the “Huatia” means learning to cook with soil and applying respect for nature; learning from people’s ancient knowledge. You have previously spoken of your mother’s passion for painting and her extensive still-life work. This upbringing appears to have instilled in you a remarkable talent and keen awareness of the significance of food arrangement and presentation. How do you approach plating a new dish?

Our mission is always linked to beauty. Beauty, as a value, is just as important as truth, legacy, something that can help you transcend. Beauty is not just about aesthetics; it’s about ethics, art, and the most valuable aspects of life that should be integrated into everything we do. Through beauty, we inspire, create a sense of community, and preserve; we care. Therefore, our dishes will be not only visually appealing but also inspiring, delicious, and artistic for many reasons. They are meant to transport you and convey a message.

an act of love when it is made with intention and crafted, and it is mostly craftsmanship. Replicating recipes through repetition and harmony is done to please people with something delicious, and this is the kind of food we advocate for. We fight against bad industrialization and avoid food without ethical considerations. And then there is the pure act of provoking transcendence, beauty, inspiration, a unique style—work that has been done without expecting anything in return. It’s a connection between the artist and what they are committed to achieving. It aims to lead you to the truth, to transport you without being tied to ideologies, when there is a pure purpose of transcendence with the piece, the movement, the idea. This is when food becomes art. It doesn’t happen often, and it’s difficult to evaluate when it occurs and who is creating it. In post-modernism or contemporary art, when the rules and limits are not guided by the value of beauty but instead by using shallow emotions, subjectivity, trends, and topics [are] driven by an economic agenda. Returning to the question, art is a part of every stage in the food process, from the soil to the people involved, to the place where you consume it. All actors are involved, and I wouldn’t say it only happens in fine dining restaurants; it’s everywhere, even in the most ordinary settings.

At what point do you feel cooking transcends mere culinary skill and transforms into an art form? What elements of the culinary process do you think elevate it to an artistic expression, whether it be at a toprated restaurant or around the table at home?

There has always been a debate and different ideas about whether this is a craft or if what is happening is art. From our perspective, there are different stages. Not all food, of course, can be considered art. A dish, a preparation, a recipe is

Dish: Mucilago y Miel Photographer: by Ken Motohasi

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Dish: Black Rocks Photographer: by Ken Motohasi

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Dish: Conexión Amazónica Photographer: Gustavo Vivanco

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Dish: Piraña y Tucupi Photographer: Ken Motohasi

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On a darkened stage in Vancouver, three figures sit shrouded in white. Their movements coordinate, then alternate, then explode in motion as they are covered in imagery both ancient and futuristic. Chests are cracked open, hearts set ablaze, gardens planted, time wound back. The performance is set to music that sways between thundering bass and angelic harmonies. The lights dim then rise, followed by the echoing boom of a standing ovation and the emergence of Nina McNeely, the artist who has choreographed the dancers, designed the digital animations, and programmed the projections that culminated in the piece titled Once There Was III, performed live for the first time in Canada as part of a TED conference.

When an artist excels in both a universal medium, such as dance, as well as the cutting-edge offerings of modern technology, she offers her audience work that is simultaneously familiar and exploratory. McNeely’s approach to her craft stands out from her peers and often references duality through symbols and icons, which serve as touchstones for the viewer to navigate the storyline. The rapid shifts in imagery mimic the transitive nature of dreams and the lack of boundaries within the subconscious. Viewers of the hotly debated HBO series The Idol saw McNeely in her element; she was featured in the first two episodes as the choreographer for main character Jocelyn (played by Lily Rose Depp). Her dance scenes offer the audience a look at the real work that goes into preparing for a performance by an international superstar. McNeely’s talents have been utilized by some of the biggest names in entertainment, including The Weeknd, Rihanna, Sam Smith, and Nick Jonas. In this interview, she speaks with Open Color about morphing her creative dreams into reality.

“Once There Was III” Photo by Nathan Kim

“She Dreamt Alone” short film Photo by Devin Jamieson

“Paint the Town Red” music video for Doja Cat Photo by Jeremy Colegrove

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Your creative process originates from unexpected and intriguing sources of inspiration. Could you share with us a few examples of the most surprising or unconventional sources that have sparked your creativity? How have these unexpected inspirations influenced your work and pushed the boundaries of your artistic expression? I’ve learned to trust my instincts when I’m brainstorming, no matter how obscure, absurd, or strange the ideas are that pop into my head. One example of a very random inspiration was when I first listened to the song “John L” by black midi. I went for a hike and listened to it on my headphones. I hadn’t heard something this experimental and punk in a very long time. It instantly brought me back to my early teenage years when I was listening to bands like Primus and Tool. For some reason I kept seeing The Noid character from the Domino’s pizza commercials in the ‘90s. He was a little claymation man in a skin tight red bunny suit that moved in a hyper speed. The thought of him tickled me and I decided to just go with it and make the main characters of my treatment these crazed musical theater dancers in skin-tight red suits under the spell of a gigantic obelisk with arms and a single eye. To my surprise, the band loved it and I was chosen to direct the music video. Just a few weeks ago I was asked to choreograph a piece for the show Congress, created by my friends Denna Thomsen and Zak Ryan Schlegel, here in LA. It’s been a while since I’ve created something for a live dance show due to the pandemic and I really wanted to push myself. I knew I wanted to use something off of the new Fever Ray album, as they are one of my favorite artists of all time, and I couldn’t decide which song because all of them have an interesting story to tell. A friend sent me an Instagram video of these two young gay Mexican cowboys dancing at an outdoor concert. I was so moved by their sensuality and trust in each other, and I’d never seen two men of that culture dressed in cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and huge belt buckles

dance like that before. There’s a line from the song I chose—called “Shiver”—that says, “Some girls you wanna thrust, some girls you wanna see shiver.” I thought, damn, wouldn’t that be stunning—to see two women engaged in the same trust and sensuality as these cowboys. So, I created a duet between two women where one was thirsty for love and affection and the other a bit cold, but still interested. The thirsty one was going to have to work for it. I think everyone has experienced being chased or being the chaser and that dynamic was something I hadn’t seen before in a duet with two women. As the piece progresses, the chase becomes more intense. The thirsty one finally wins over the cold one and they rhythmically move as a unit, brimming over with a fiery desire for one another, just like the cowboys did in that 30-second clip. The piece was a success and was performed with immense passion and dedication by dancers Maija Knapp and Angel Mammoliti. Symbolism and iconography play significant roles in your work. What imagery holds the most personal significance to you and how does it impact your creative process? I think it’s the striking power of the contrast between eroticism and the fear of God in Catholic art work that continues to intrigue me, especially the art from the Renaissance era. There’s so much movement, emotion, and symbolism, like a dance frozen in time, with hidden messages throughout. I prefer that all of my work be open for interpretation, so the viewer can access it by thinking of their own experiences. I also love ornate detail, where the longer you view something the more you discover. It also reflects an amount of care and attention an artwork has been given. I’m often drawn to Saint Sebastian tied to a tree and pierced by many arrows, the self-sacrifice, the blood, and his eyes looking up to the heavens. The Virgin Mary is also deep well of inspiration, her tears, her burning heart, her halo of light and the motherhood she represents.

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Your work is very captivating and surreal; how do you strike a balance between the fantastical and the relatable to create a cohesive narrative that resonates with viewers? I like telling stories that look like your dreams but feel like your reality. I try to focus on the emotions that exist between the ultra-dramatic like joy, pain, fear, and love. For instance, not everyone has lost someone they’ve truly loved, but I think everyone has liked someone who didn’t like them back. Not everyone has been in love, but I think everyone has felt lonely. I visualize choreography like a painting first, and ask myself, “What does this picture say?” A group of men surrounding a woman, all reaching to her and looking at her says, she has an enigmatic and inaccessible beauty that they all desire. A group of people asleep with only one sat up staring off into the distance says while the others are relaxed, she has something on her mind. Collaboration often entails working within tight timelines and navigating the pressures that come with aligning different creative visions. How do you manage these situations and ensure that your work harmoniously blends with that of your collaborators? Being a kind, positive force gets the best results. When my dancers or an artist feels appreciated, they put their best foot forward. I think there’s a misconception that in order to be a successful artist, it has to be about the amount of talent you possess. I’ve learned that it’s actually about how well you can communicate. On set you’re under the pressure of time, so it’s not only about how well you communicate but also how quickly you can get your point across. An example from choreographing a music video— the director was shooting a close-up of an artist and asking her to be more mysterious and sensual, but it wasn’t working. I asked if I could give her some direction and said, “put your chin down but keep your eyes on camera, bring your hands closer to your face, and move like you’re underwater.” This simple direction helped her transform. Put your ego

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aside and realize that everyone involved is trying to bring a vision to life. Nurturing that vision with patience and care will bring it to fruition. Trust your instincts, even though it’s scary. It is not uncommon for aspiring artists to feel discouraged or restricted by factors like social media and budget restraints. Drawing from your own experiences, what advice would you offer to those feeling these pressures? When it comes to social media, I only use it as an art portfolio. I don’t share my opinions or feelings and I consume it as little as possible. I can see how it’s helped some people, and more power to them, but it is a toxic realm without longevity, honesty, or truth. I also choose to be open to evolving with my work, my ideals, and my beliefs, all of which could change from having new experiences and discovering new philosophies. Because of that I choose to keep those things private, so they can in turn remain malleable. I come from a DIY theater and club performance background so I’ve always been thrifty when it comes to production. I’ve noticed that lower budgets sometimes force me to be more creative because I have to think outside of the box. If the track is incredible or the talent is extraordinary, all you really need is a strong story to tell. It is not uncommon for aspiring artists to feel discouraged or restricted by factors like social media and budget restraints. Drawing from your own experiences, what advice would you offer to those feeling these pressures? When it comes to social media, I only use it as an art portfolio. I don’t share my opinions or feelings and I consume it as little as possible. I can see how it’s helped some people, and more power to them, but it is a toxic realm without longevity, honesty, or truth. I also choose to be open to evolving with my work, my ideals, and my beliefs, all of which could change from having new experiences and discovering new philosophies. Because of that I choose to keep those

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I like telling stories that look like your dreams but feel like your reality.

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Who are some other artists our readers should know about? I find I’m most drawn to the artists of the past whose work has withstood the test of time:

Dance: Human Sex by La La La Human Steps and Love by Pina Bausch. Design: Serge Lutens makeup ads from the 1980s. Painting: Botticelli, Klimt, and Caravaggio. Costuming: Oskar Schlemmer. Film: Juliette of the Spirits by Federico Fellini. As for current artists: Dance: Nowhere by Dimitris Papaioannou and Folding by Shen Wei Dance Arts. Painting: Odd Nerdrum, Ivanka Demchuk, Greta Maria Lésko, and Sergii Radkevych. Design and costuming: Orly Anan. Film: Mulholland Drive by David Lynch, Mandy by Panos Cosmatos.

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things private, so they can in turn remain malleable. I come from a DIY theater and club performance background so I’ve always been thrifty when it comes to production. I’ve noticed that lower budgets sometimes force me to be more creative because I have to think outside of the box. If the track is incredible or the talent is extraordinary, all you really need is a strong story to tell. What are you currently working on? The Melanie Martinez tour, a music video for the punk artist Smiling Beth (where she’ll be emerging from an oversized toilet), and trying my hand at writing a narrative yet surrealist short film. If you had the opportunity to present one of your pieces anywhere in the world, what would be your ultimate dream location and why? Honestly... The Vatican. I visited Saint Peter’s Basilica in February and was absolutely awe struck by the scale of the sculptures towering over me, and the way marble was transformed to look like billowing fabrics. It was by far one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Among your impressive body of work, is there a particular piece that holds a profound personal connection for you? I was commissioned by Entity dance company during the pandemic to create a dance film, and I created a dance and projection mapping piece called Once There Was III. Because I had so much time on my hands, I was able to do some deep digging for music that truly inspired me and gave me powerful visions which I found in the artist Umru. I knew I wanted to revisit using projection mapping and dance, since it had been years since I put the two

together. We didn’t have much time to create the piece, but it seemed to just flow out of me with ease. The dancers, Karen Chuang, Diana Schoenfeld, and Angel Mammoliti were so extraordinary, and they elevated the piece beyond my imagination. Once it came time to create the animations for the projections, I got Covid. The brain fog got me hard. I could only sit at my computer for twenty minutes at a time before I’d need to go on a walk or tend to my plants and try again. I had no choice but to trust my instincts. I was worried and feeling insecure but it somehow magically came together. Right after it was completed, I met an artist that I truly admired. We watched the piece together, and he turned to me after fully sobbing. I was so surprised by his reaction! I knew I liked it, but I had no idea it would affect others like that. We released it and I started to submit it to film festivals. Then I got a call from a friend and collaborator, Anna Bulbrook, who had just started curating the performances at TED Talks. She asked if I’d be interested in presenting my work and doing a live Q+A after. Of course I said yes, but was terrified to present something so personal and then have to speak about it to an audience of that caliber. I was on pins and needles during the performance, but to my shock and amazement, we received a standing ovation. My heart was so full and warm that my answers flowed with ease and calm. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud and understood. How would you describe your taste in clothing, music, and design? I love the combination of old and new, ancient and futuristic. I’m inspired by folklore, tradition, and organic elements—but also minimalism, simplicity, graphic shapes, and structure. I like to pair these elements together in all aspects, from my taste in clothing, my graphic design/animation style, my choreography to the music I’m drawn to.

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The Idol, HBO television series. Photo by Eddy Chen

The Idol, HBO television series. Photo by Eddy Chenn

“John L” music video for black midi Photo by Zachariah Dalton

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THE ART OF THE DOUBLE TAKE W O R D S

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It is the common response to the familiar swirling scrapes of the plate by the youngest at the table: “Don’t play with your food.” To the contrary, Montreal-based visual artist Gab Bois grew up encouraged to explore her creative impulses via her cutlery (and many other means)—a practice that has manifested in a successful career as an artist working across a number of mediums. Her pieces include shoes made of sand, bras made of orange peels, dresses made of Scrabble letter tiles, and sweaters made of sour gummies. Now, Bois works in both photography and objects, in addition to collaborating with major brands such as Sweetgreen and Hendrick’s gin. In an advertisement she created for the latter, a garden party features whimsical miniatures nestled amongst a moss-covered forest where a menagerie of local animals has gathered for tea. What is particularly striking about this piece is that while there is no immediate link to the featured product (the gin: a small bottle is tucked on the ground beside the table), its uniqueness and creativity demand our attention—where is the garden party? How do we get there? That gin’s medicinal botanicals are the basis for Hendrick’s nature-heavy, apothecary-esque branding is superfluous—the magical animal tea party tableau presented by Bois is not. This talent has been the basis of Bois’ organic growth on Instagram, a tool she uses to her advantage without being sucked into the black hole that is the app’s algorithm. The interest has led to opportunities she has been able to accept without taming her creative instincts, while also further exploring her fine art projects. We spoke with Bois about structuring a successful collaboration, further exploring her mediums of choice, how she protects her creativity, and more.morphing her creative dreams into reality. 125

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Your career as an artist has gained significant momentum through Instagram. How do you maintain authenticity and creative integrity while also managing the expectations and pressures that come with social media visibility? Are there any strategies you have developed to strike a balance between engaging with your audience and staying true to your artistic vision? I am aware of some things I can do to facilitate interaction, such as posting at a time of day where people are most active. That being said, there are so many algorithmic factors that determine whether or not a post will perform well that are completely out of my control. I don’t spend too much time or energy trying to fight this, because I think I would only be setting myself up for disappointment. I’ve had a very intuitive approach when it comes to the content I share, and I try to simply post projects that I am proud of and that I like, knowing that that is all I can control. Can you share when you first started experimenting with food as a medium and what inspired you to explore this process? How has this technique influenced your artistic expression and the concepts you explore through your work? Growing up, my dad would create designs with the food on my plate: smiley face, a landscape, the shape of an animal, etc. He taught me from a very young age that playing with my food didn’t have to be wasteful, it could tell a story and add a layer of emotion to the act of eating. Having an ephemeral work of art in my plate made my eating experience more enjoyable and playful, even encouraging me to eat food that I didn’t usually like. This perception of food is something that I carry with me to this day in my work and in my personal life. When using food and perishable materials, I try to use expired or damaged foods that would be wasted otherwise. After the project, I always like to eat the food if I can, creating a full circle moment. Can you tell us about the various other mediums you have delved into in the past as well as any you’d like to explore in the future? My practice has always consisted of photography, prop making and object design. I have been also working in video direction as well as creative direction, and definitely trying to design more wearable and functional objects. Defining the medium of my practice can be challenging, because almost every project calls for different tools and techniques. It varies from sewing, to drilling, to gluing, and even to cooking. In the future, I would love to explore designing public art installations and generally working on a larger scale.

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What makes Montreal’s arts community unique compared to other scenes? How has your artistic growth been influenced by this city? I am very inspired and influenced by Montreal’s seasons and ecosystem. Montreal has four very distinct seasons that transition very quickly and abruptly. In my personal projects, I try to use food or clothing from the current season, to add a layer of relatability to my work. You can see an image of a tea set made of pumpkins and look out your window to see Halloween décor on their street or see an image of an ice cream cone made of snow while it is snowing outside. 128

In keeping with the Taste Issue’s theme, we would love to learn more about your personal taste in clothing, design, music, or other creative expressions. Can you tell us about a few of those? I would describe myself as an emotional shopper, meaning I buy things that make me feel good and that I feel a sentimental attachment to. I tend to start with a minimal canvas with lots of neutral tones, and throw in some playful statement pieces. This can be applied to my taste in clothing, art, and interior design.

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Who are some other artists our readers should know more about? What is the most recent piece of art you have added to your collection?

knew I wanted one of her mirror creatures in my home. I also recently got some beautiful prints from British photographer Kingsley Ifill that I can’t wait to put up.

Right away I think of Nicole Mclaughlin, Max Siedentopf, Minyoung Kim, Sam Keller, John Yuyi, Lydia Blakeley, Katy Stubbs, Didi Rojas, just to name a few! The last piece I got for myself was one from a fellow Montreal based artist, June Barry. I had stumbled upon one of her pieces last year while visiting another artist’s studio. She creates these large lasercut mirrors in the shape of skeleton/dog hybrids. I fell in love with her style the second I saw her work and

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What are some of your future artistic goals? I feel very lucky because for the last few years, my main goal has been to bring my work out of Instagram and into the physical world by making more sculptures, installations, or design objects, and I am currently in a place where I get to do that. I see this evolution of my work as a logical transition, and I hope that this seamless process will continue to happen with my future goals. Looking forward, I see myself creating physical works on a larger scale. I mostly design and make small objects or spaces, but I am ready for them to get progressively bigger and to take on the new challenges that come with this scale of work. Collaborations with companies can be significant opportunities for artists to expand their reach and explore new creative territories. What criteria or considerations do you take into account when selecting brands to work with? And how do you establish a shared vision? To me, a successful collaboration is when my vision and the client’s brand or product can elevate each other. I look for partners who are innovative and unique or have a strong brand identity. Weirdly, I really enjoy clear briefs instead of vague guidelines. Don’t get me wrong, I do value when clients give me creative freedom, but I like to make sure our visions are aligned before we start working together. It is very helpful when brands give me keywords, mood boards, and color palettes to push me in the right direction.

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“ Playing with my Food

didn’t have to be wast it could tell A story a add a layer of Emotion to the Act of eating. ”

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teFul, “I like telling stories that and look like your dreams but feel n

like your reality.”

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BUBBLEGUM POP W O R D S

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In the diverse and dynamic world of Los Angeles’ artistic landscape, photographer Vico Velez stands as a testament to the power of passion and dedication. Born in the vibrant hues of Mexico City, Vico’s artistic inclinations found a nurturing ground in the picturesque landscapes of California. Her educational pursuits led her first to the respected Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, and subsequently to the Art Institute of California—Hollywood, where her skills were refined and her creativity further sparked. A pivotal period in her growth occurred during her internship at David LaChapelle Studio, where she gained valuable industry insights and developed her bubblegum aesthetic. Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Photography and further knowledge acquired through the Mastered with Nick Knight program, Vico has embraced the path of a freelance photographer. Currently with a studio off of Santa Monica Blvd., She navigates the world of fashion and beauty photography, seeking meaningful collaborations and opportunities while weaving her unique perspective into every frame. 139

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Could you walk us through your creative process when conceptualizing a new beauty or fashion shoot? How do you balance the technical aspects of photography with the need to convey emotion and creativity in your work? What role do storytelling and narrative play in your conceptual photography, especially in the context of beauty and fashion? When working on personal creative projects or in preproduction with a client the first question I ask is “what are we trying to say?” My starting point is usually the message or the “fantasy” we want to bring to life. With art, you find yourself coming up with the strangest words to describe a vibe, but it always ends up making sense and coming together. I have a better time explaining myself visually, so the next part is assembling visual mood boards. I rely heavily on the collaborative efforts of other talented creative people that go hand in hand with my industry. I’ll find makeup artists, hair stylists, models, set designers, wardrobe stylists, and a diverse variety of different adjacent creative industries to help me take what’s inside our heads and bring it to the real world for me to then capture it. Once the concept is alive and in front of me, it’s my job to figure out the technical and lighting elements to create the atmospheric setting that best highlights the message of the shoot. I’ll use backlit lighting to separate and highlight subjects from the background and isolate them as the focal point, I’ll use monochrome color palettes or color combinations depending on what in the image I want to pop. You’ll see the use of mirrors in my work to bring elements outside of the frame into an image, I’ll use smoke and gels to add color and texture. For storytelling, that’s when direction and proper model casting comes into play. Finding the right poses and facial expressions, the use of movement, hand gestures all come together in portraying an emotion. I also love to leave a bit of room for individual interpretation, as art is always in the eye of the beholder.

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Your conceptual work often blurs the line between reality and fantasy. How do you balance creating a dreamlike atmosphere while ensuring your audience can still relate to the emotions and experiences depicted? Some artists view photography as a language. How would you describe your photography “language,” and what stories or messages do you aim to convey through your visual vocabulary? I’ve thought a lot about why my brain has had a bubblegum fantasy dreamscape motif throughout my photography career. I’ve been a very visual and creative person since I was a kid, and have had vivid and intense nightmares my whole life. I think that’s why I subconsciously chose my waking thoughts and aesthetic to be the opposite of that. I’ve been marrying both sides of my brain lately, which you can start to see in my more recent work. My work can be experienced by a wide audience because I choose to focus on a visual representation of relatable emotions. I love to convey a world where my subjects can feel like there is strength in femininity, freedom of gender expression, a place to explore self love and identity. I always want to show people what they look like on the inside. There is so much connection in art, and I believe in creating a place within my art for people to feel comfortable exploring that. It makes it worth the time and effort I put into my shoots.

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Your work often has a cinematic quality. If one of your photos could inspire a film, what would the genre be, and what kind of story do you imagine unfolding on the screen? Are there any movie directors or cinematographers whose visual storytelling techniques have influenced your photography style? If yes, how have they inspired your work? I mentioned before I have always had vivid nightmares, which has also led me deep into the horror genre where I’ve drawn a lot of creative energy from. I’ve been a huge fan of my fellow compatriot Guillermo del Toro since I can remember, his use of color and texture, fantastical worlds and characters, childhood fears, and world creation have all inspired me to find my voice and bring my world to life. I am heavily influenced by movies from my entire life, ranging from the grittiness of my favorite Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone) to my colorful over the top aesthetic of the Austin Powers franchise (Jay Roach.) I can’t name every film or series that has influenced me, but I can definitely say growing up in the 90s contributes something substantial to my style. Photography is visual, but it can evoke other senses too. How do you incorporate sensory elements like touch, smell, or sound into your conceptual shoots to create a more immersive experience for the viewers? It probably comes down to colors, lighting and textures. We as humans are highly visual creatures, I’m sure we’ve all heard that we eat with our eyes first. In the instances where I want to bring other sensory elements to the viewer I play on universal experiences. For example, if I want to convey a feeling of “freshness” or “renewal” I’d use clean and evenly balanced low contrast lighting, I’d incorporate wet or glossy textures, or I’d use bright and vibrant colors. To communicate a more “sultry/dark” vibe I’d use higher contrast lighting, use of shadows, darker colors, a variety of fabrics and textures. I’ve also learned a lot about color theory and the psychology behind it.

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Technology has transformed photography in many ways. Are there any emerging technologies or techniques you’re excited about integrating into your future projects? With the rise of virtual and augmented reality, how do you envision the future of immersive photography experiences, especially in the context of beauty and fashion? Each individual artist should have the ability to choose whatever medium works for them best to convey their message to the world in whatever way they deem appropriate. I don’t believe we are better or worse at art depending on the medium we choose, so whether you are exclusively a traditional film photographer who works in a darkroom or choose

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to use any of the many many digital tools we have to create/enhance digital photography, it’s a personal choice. Aversion to technological advances is pointless. I’m really excited about the new Photoshop AI features, hoping they start to improve as they start to learn from our use. I’ve been wanting to explore the world of 3D animation, and have been enjoying seeing a rise in digital fashion, I would love to incorporate more digital elements to my photography and find a way to meld the real world and the growing virtual reality digital universe. I’m always happy to find new ways to bring what’s inside my head to the outside world.

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We as humans are highly visual creatures, I’m sure we’ve all heard that we eat with our eyes first.

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Creative Direction: Gabby Lovazzano Photography: Vico Velez MUA: Alondra Shields Mouths: Brett Barletta, Sarah Taylor, Mitri Sousou, Sabrina Rose

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