The Forumist #04 PERFORM by The Forumist

THE

FORUMIST

ISSUE 4

Perform INFORMED

art is for everyone.

EVERY TIME YOU WEAR BUCKETFEET, YOU SHARE AN ARTIST’S STORY WITH THE WORLD.

PINEAPPLEADE Designed by DJ LU | BOGATÁ, COLOMBIA 01

annons the forumist.indd 2

2015-03-03 14:40:35

40:35

In each issue of The Forumist we like to take a magnifying glass and highlight a theme that is important to us. For this issue we have chosen to go back to an inspiration that The Forumist was founded on and the the main force that keeps us going: the art of performance. The word “perform” has many different meanings for us, so we wanted to delve deeper into the actions that we, as humans, do every day. Life is one long-running performance — we are constantly performing in order to achieve our goals in life and the philosophical possibility of reaching higher levels in the one after. What we perform today matters, as these actions are creating our present and the history of the future. In this issue we have gathered together known and unknown professional performers to share with you their guidelines and personal points of view. We hope this will serve as inspriration to all of you to go out and do something. COVER: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN HALLAM STYLING BY SARA DUNN CAPE AND SCARF BY SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE

Editor-in-Chief Pejman Biroun Vand

Contributing Art Director Arijana Zeric

Creative Direction Daren Ellis

London Editor Luci Ellis

Senior Editor Koko Ntuen

Paris Editor Sophie Faucillion

Art and Lifestyle Director Axel Mörner

Contributing Fashion Editors Sara Dunn Emma Thorstrand Fiffi Jenkins Jaime Jarvis Luci Ellis

Contributing Photographers

Gary Sobczyk Jonathan Hallam Christian Coinbergh Anti Wendel Sylvain Homo Erika Svensson Nina Andersson Event Co-ordinator Jon Forsgren

Management Co-ordinator Lina Söderström

Advertising ad@theforumist.com

Sub-editor Sam Thackray

Online Producer Anna Gullstrand

Web Producers and Partners Fröjd www.frojd.se

Online Editors Tanya Kim Grassley Lina Söderström Théophile Hermand Gustav Bagge Veronika Natter Pauline Suzor

Printing MittMedia Print Distribution HKM Publishing AB

© 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publisher. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily shared by the magazine www.theforumist.com info@theforumist.com

Did the earth move for you? We like to think of ourselves as a global magazine, highlighting the most exciting humans we know: Earthmovers, as we like to call them. We teamed up with Caterpillar to broaden our search and provide those people moving the earth with sturdy feet to stand on. Here is our first instalment of #earthmovers Words by KOKO NTUEN Photography by ANTI WENDEL Styling by FIFFI JENKINS Special thanks to CATERPILLAR 04

Walking down the dingy stairwell to the basement at Stockholm’s Marie Laveau bar to meet the female-run music collective Femtastic, I notice the smell of spray-paint fumes from the previous night’s party. Graffiti and beer bottles are everywhere and busboys are sweeping away the remains of the festivities, while the photographer’s crew is setting up for the day’s shoot. The light at the end of all this chaos comes in the form of the delightful characters that make up Femtastic. The girls are beautiful, mostly dressed in black hoodies and designer Caterpillar boots. They are diverse in height, age, colour and sound, but their unity is obvious and their vibe with each other is cohesive and comfortable. Observing them as they stand around, laughing over their coffees, getting their make-up done and talking about upcoming projects, I am overwhelmed by how their sisterhood elicits all the feelings of love, support and magic you could want in a working atmosphere. From Femtastic, we have here: Aïssa (Aïssa Diene), Missdj ( Jessica Wejhem), Sister Justice ( Justine Balagade), Kippshu (Caroline Jansheden), May Dar (Alexandra Shanahan) and Neyney (Vanessa Marko). Vanessa is the founder. She’s a quiet leader, with beautiful, cat-like eyes and a subtle authority, who checks out the clothing the stylist brings, gets the girls coffee, talks to the photographer and says when the interview can start. They got together almost five years ago. Vanessa says, “It all started with me and Cleo hosting an event at a club in Stockholm. We called the event Klubb Femtastic and gathered a lot of female artists and DJs to perform. We wanted to show people that we exist and that we could do great shows with a feminist agenda. It was so successful that we wanted to

do it again. In the end we want to create space for women in urban music and create a structural change in a male-dominated sphere.” Femtastic has gone on to expand its platform globally, creating tutorials, workshops and sessions to promote female entrepreneurship in the music industry. They are all about encouraging others to be earthmovers, essentially filling the clubs and steps they take with good vibrations. The collective are an inspiration for performers eager to create their own shows and sound and make that leap onstage. When I tell her this, Vanessa says, “The biggest lesson I think we are passing on to the youth and future performers is inspiration to create and to claim space. [We’re showing] the benefits and joy of being a collective force, and the importance of staying true to who you are, no matter what your sex or where you come from.” When I ask the girls to describe their life as performers in one word, they each give a different answer. Caroline says, “Joy”, smiling contently; Aïssa mentions “Happiness”; Alexandra says, “Fun”, with a sly grin; and Vanessa responds with, “Traveller.” Looking at the girls sitting together on a black leather rock’n’roll couch, amid the hustle and bustle of a magazine and television crew hard at work preparing to document their every move, the only word I think of is “strong”. Together I believe Femtastic has the strength to move mountains and they are going to do it one beat at a time. Femtastic are at Marie Leveau, Södermalm Stockhlom, every weekend. On Fridays they host Klubb Femtastic, while Saturdays become Sugarcane Saturdays. Do you know any Earthmovers? Go on Instagram and, using the hashtag #earthmovers, tell us who you think we should feature.

OPPOSITE PAGE: TOP LEFT: MAY DAR TOP RIGHT: AÏSSA BOTTOM LEFT: MISSDJ BOTTOM RIGHT: SISTER JUSTICE THIS PAGE: NEYNEY HAIR AND MAKE-UP: JESSICA KRAGE

TOP LEFT: ZARA RICHARDS HIP-HOP SWEATER AND SHIRT BY MCQ BOTTOMS BY ZOE KARSSEN TOP RIGHT: ASHLEIGH PERRIE MODERN TOP AND LEG WARMERS BY SASHA LOUISE T-SHIRT BY ONE FIFTH BOTTOM LEFT: ASHLEIGH MUSK NORTHERN SOUL T-SHIRT BY ONE FIFTH TROUSERS BY MCQ VINTAGE BRACES BY ROKIT BOTTOM RIGHT: DANIELA DELERCI BALLET LEOTARD, TUTU AND TIGHTS BY BLOCH OPPOSITE PAGE: VICKY BUTTERFLY BURLESQUE HARNESSES AND FEATHERS DANCER’S OWN BRA BY INTIMISSIMI HAIR AND MAKE-UP: JENNIFER NELSON USING MAC PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANTS: MARK HILTON AND MATT HEALY ART DIRECTION: ARIJANA ZERIC

The 5, 6, 7, 8s Dance is one of the most entertaining and original art forms. Arijana Zeric makes her way across London to capture a clutch of young professionals in action and ask what moves them Photography by GARY SOBCZYK Styling by JAIME JARVIS 06

Which aspect of art flows into your dance? Vicky: “I studied at Central Saint Martins and the concept of design is a crucial part of the act. I think if I wasn’t solely in charge of my work, ideas and body, I wouldn’t do it.” Ashleigh M: “Each time I move, I am creating art with my body. It is an expression of your personality, thoughts, ideas and perceptions.” Daniela: “I like to create. I love to find myself in each story. Basically I don’t try to obscure me when I am performing. Instead, I try to use it.” What do you enjoy most about your career choice? Ashleigh M: “Somehow, movement became the most natural, interesting and rewarding part of my life.” Zara: “I run my own dance school and am currently working on my first dance short film called Werk It. I am also choreographing for many UK artists and featuring in music videos. I’m blessed to be doing what I love.”

Ashleigh P: “I have loved performing since I was young. However, it was my love for training my body to do extreme things that led me to a career in dance. I am also currently training in aerial skills.” Vicky: “I can create my own new work to my own deadlines and create my own shows and opportunities.” How important is fashion to your performance? Vicky: “Style is definitely important and costume is integral. My work is centred around the manipulation, transformation and removal of clothing and fabric, after all.” Ashleigh P: “There is nothing better than being dressed in an incredible outfit or costume for a performance. It can also play a vital role in conveying the character of the piece.” Daniela: “We use our body as an instrument to play and our soul to create. We are inspiring from our life experiences. We wear our self.”

Let Us Spray Inspired by the work of Swedish graffiti legend Dwane, The Forumist has joined forces with cult shoe brand BucketFeet to devise an exciting competition that aims to open up the world of street art to all the aspiring graffers among you Visuals by DWANE Special thanks to BUCKETFEET

One of the first street artists in Sweden, the graffiti pioneer Dwane emerged on the scene in the early 1980s out of Gothenburg, during the first European wave of graffiti artists that had been inspired by New York graffiti. Over the years his work has developed a more conceptual and problematisational approach. He is known for mixing images and symbols, questioning their content and challenging the viewer’s perception, as with the portrait of Charles Manson, now with a YSL logo on his forehead instead of the original swastika. Or when he established The Hades Rowing Club, which is an interest organisation promoting the idea of a non-capitalist afterlife. Membership to this club is free and for eternity, and simply gained through embracing the idea that death, or what might possibly lie behind it, is free of any monetary systems. Dwane’s latest project, “Writing my name until it matters” – to design a concept for how graffiti can enter the art and gallery environment – involved painting his name in layers over and over again over the course of three years. The goal was to extract the essence of graffiti. The result is an abstract mass, leaving no name to read and no typographic code to

decipher – almost a process of “anti graffiti”, utilising the most essential means of creating an identity while destroying it at the same time. The project was documented in the book “Writing my name until it matters”, which is available from several online bookshops. The works were exhibited in 2012 at Skalitzers Contemporary Art in Berlin, in 2014 at Det Nya Muséet in Stockholm, and in 2015 at Make Your Mark Gallery in Helsinki. In 2015 they will be in Tokyo, and in 2016 Dwane is planning to finally exhibit the “Writing my name until it matters” series in New York, bringing his contemporary vision of graffiti back to its original hometown and taking Dwane’s career as a graffiti artist of more than thirty years full circle. Hugely inspired by Dwane’s work and with legal graffiti being allowed on a selection of walls in Stockholm this summer, we thought now would be a good time to shine a spotlight on the genre. Enter Stockholm Street Art Project (SSAP), a collaboration with the art-driven shoe brand BucketFeet, which has strong roots in street-art culture and whose mission is to connect people through art – its BucketFeet Artist Network has been involved with more than 4,000

artists in over 60 countries. SSAP’s aim is to help emerging artists create and engage with street art, and the project comprises a competition and inspirational workshop that will support and push these artists, giving them the tools to find their own direction, as well as the opportunity to make contacts. Working with Fryshuset – a not-for-profit youth-orientated body that runs up to 50 different programmes throughout Sweden, covering education, culture, entertainment and key social issues – The Forumist is inviting readers to submit their work for the competition. The judges have been chosen by So Fame, a graffiti organisation that is bringing together Sweden’s best street artists to exhibit their work at Snösätragränd in Rågsved. Representing the vanguard of graffiti art in this country, these judges are Gore Fx & Loads crew, Bless Loads crew, Yash, Huge, Fotograf Strangefruit, Soe wsb crew, Bayne wsb crew, Zappo and Puppet – from the entrants they will choose 20 contestants to take part in a live graffiti event. The final winner will get to design a limitededition pair of BucketFeet shoes and their work will feature in The Forumist. For more information go to theforumist.com/ssap NOW!

Rosy Nicholas The amazing, milk-guzzling, peanut-loving, crafty genius Rosy Nicholas graduated from Camberwell College of Arts a few years ago and went straight into the big bad world of freelance. Her delicious, arty work spans illustration, props and accessories, and her client list is noteworthy: she has crafted pieces for Dover Street Market, Nicola Formichetti and Tim Walker, to name a few. When we found out we had the chance to spend some time with her, we headed straight to her treasure trove of a studio in Hackney, east London. What has been your biggest “performance” so far? “Probably my look book for Lazy Oaf ’s Garfield collection. Garfield was one of my favourite cartoons as a child and it was my first look book, so I was nervous.” How did you feel after taking part? “Very satisfied – like Garfield after pizza! It went great and looked amazing in the end.” How did you deal with the run-up to it? “Just by being prepared and organised and having fun making all the props. I think if you cover enough things in fur and glitter, then it’s bound to be okay on the day of the shoot.” Dream gig? “I’d like to be able to redecorate all the buses and Tubes in London – new paint jobs and patterned fabrics. I think it would make the rush-hour journeys just a little nicer.” Who would be your five ideal dinner guests? “Prince, David Hockney, Joan Rivers, Madonna, John Waters.”

Star Trek All the world’s a stage, so we headed to London to wander its streets and find the names that are stepping into the limelight over there Words and styling by LUCI ELLIS Photography by SYLVAIN HOMO

LEFT: ROSY NICHOLAS TOP BY LIBERTINE-LIBERTINE FAR LEFT: JAMES MASSIAH T-SHIRT BY DVST BELOW: CHARLES JEFFREY WAISTCOAT BY MOHSIN, TOP BY KINGS OF INDIGO BELOW, LEFT: FIONA O’NEILL DUNGAREES BY THIS IS WELCOME STYLIST’S ASSISTANT: NICOLE CARVAHLO

James Massiah This inspirational young poet and musician can capture your attention and draw you in, even when lost in your deepest daydream. His works delve into morality, sex and religion, and great performances already under his belt include at London’s Southbank Centre and Tate Modern, as well as the Houses of Parliament. He is also the curator of The A & The E, a platform where people can come together to discuss the arts and philosophy. And he just happens to be a pretty technically talented DJ, too – he’s a regular on NTS radio and always has a slot at Work It, one of The Forumist’s favourite nights. We managed to track him down at his friend’s studio in east London’s Shoreditch. What has been your biggest performance to date? “In terms of scale, it would have to be the work I did with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.” How did you feel after taking part? “Relieved! It was the highest level of production I’d worked on and we were operating within a really tight schedule.” How did you deal with the run-up to it? “Lots of rehearsals. I had to spend lots of focused time alone, which can be hard at times, seeing as so much of my free time is spent socialising.” Dream gig? “Francis and the Lights, Blood Orange, Azealia Banks, Rick James and Larry Heard.” Who would be your five ideal dinner guests? “Barack Obama, Malcolm X, David Blaine, Aleister Crowley, Jay Electronica.”

Fiona O’Neill Our girl Fiona O’Neill, a genuine fairy who is originally from the green pastures of Dublin, graduated from Central Saint Martins last year with a BA in Fashion. Her hand-painted dresses, inspired by strong female forms in Japanese art, wowed the audience at her graduate show. It’s no exaggeration to say the fluidity of her designs is bewitching. Since that show, her pieces have appeared in the magazines Dazed & Confused, Wonderland and, most recently, were worn by Björk for the cover story for The Gentlewoman’s spring/summer edition. We were able to sneak into O’Neill’s south London dwellings for a quick catch-up. What has been your biggest “performance” to date? “The Central Saint Martins BA Fashion press show.” How did you feel after taking part? “Exhausted but exhilarated at the same time.” How did you deal with the run-up to it? “It was stressful, but I had a lot of support from my tutors and friends.” Dream gig? “To head a global fashion house.” Who would be your five ideal dinner guests? “Louis Theroux, David Attenborough, Michael from [the UK TV programme] The Undateables, Bette Midler, Geena Davis.”

Charles Jeffrey Hailing from Glasgow, Charles Jeffrey is fresh from debuting his phenomenal Central Saint Martins MA collection at London Fashion Week. Not only is this handsome chap’s menswear a breath of fresh air, but his illustrations are beautiful and his club night LOVERBOY is not to be missed. Along with a fair few others, we see a very bright future ahead for this young man, and we were lucky enough to spend time with him at his beloved CSM campus just after the big show. How did you feel after your “performance”? “Tired, excited, proud and stressed.” How did you deal with the run-up to it? “I surrounded myself with good people.” Dream gig? “To see The White Stripes perform.” Who would be your five ideal dinner guests? “Andy Warhol, Jack White, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Charlize Theron, Yves Saint Laurent.”

JC 10

JC_Blossom_INT_ADV_130.indd 1

13/11/2014 18:37

SUSPIRIA DE PROFUNDIS The origin of the word “GLAMOUR” is to enchant with magic used by occultists in the early 18th century. Possessed within the isolation of performing the alluring illusion of self-seduction Photography by JONATHAN HALLAM Styling by SARA DUNN

HAIR: STEFANO MAZZOLENI AT EMMA DAVIES AGENCY USING LEONOR GREYL MAKE-UP: CELIA BURTON AT CLM USING NARS MODEL: GRACE ANDERSON AT ELITE LONDON PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: KAREEM PICTUREP STYLIST’S ASSISTANTS: ASHLEE HILL AND FELICITY GRAY CASTING: SIMON LEWIS AT CAST & ELECT SHOT AT: ANATUM’S ABODE

CAPE, SCARF AND SHOES BY SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE, STOCKINGS BY TOPSHOP

DRESS BY RICHARD NICOLL

TROUSERS AND BELT BY LOEWE

TOP BY LOUIS VUITTON

DRESS BY SIMONE ROCHA

COAT BY SIMONE ROCHA

TOP AND SKIRT BY GILES

DRESS BY VERA WANG

THE LATE SHOW

The big awakening of the art world to the oeuvre of Louise Bourgeois may not have happened until she was in her seventies, but her impact has been far-reaching. In fact, she’s still showing the younger contemporary artists how it’s done now, says Axel Mörner All images and special thanks to THE MODERNA MUSEET, STOCKHOLM

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: LOUISE BOURGEOIS IN HER NEW YORK HOME IN 1998 ABOVE:THE BIRTH (2007) FAR LEFT: LAIR (1986)

The artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) has had an enormous influence on the contemporary art world since the 1980s, and even since her death has been the source of new revelations. There can’t be many who are unaware of her gigantic iconic spider sculpture Maman (1999) and its casts, which have been exhibited at major museums all over the globe. It was quite unexpected that an artist as advanced in years as Bourgeois would become a symbol for feminism and deep psychological obsessions, but despite the late discovery of her substantial output, the art world quickly became mesmerised by her. Born in France in 1911 to a family who had a workshop specialising in repairing tapestries, she learned to appreciate the handicraft as a young girl. However, early disillusion came when her father’s decade-long affair with her governess was exposed. This haunted her as long as she lived and she regularly referred to it in her art. Some art critics have even suggested that her father’s infidelity came to define her whole career. After studying in Paris, Bourgeois met the art historian Robert Goldwater (1907-1973). They married in 1938 and, after relocating to New York, adopted a boy and then, in quick succession, had two more boys of their own. Bourgeois’ awe at the impressive metropolis her new home was can be seen in her early sculptural works: loneliness, extreme architecture, the surrealists and the bebop/jazzmusic scene all influenced her creation of totemlike artworks that have also been viewed as phallic symbols. She even called them her friends. In an art scene dominated by macho painters, the abstract-impressionist movement fuelled her aspiration to reconsider her art. Following her father’s death in 1951 she fell into depression and secretly started going to psychoanalysis, which continued until 1985. She rarely exhibited during this period and was kind of a loner during the late 1950s. During the 1960s, following the emergence of pop art, she started to develop more organic forms in her sculptures, and participated in group shows, where she met the young artists Eva Hesse and Bruce Nauman. She also began using new materials, such as plastic and latex, in her work. Conceptualism, minimalism and performance were at that time reinvigorating the art world, and Bourgeois became immersed in the women’s liberation movement, leading her to feel that she had found her place in the world. Consequently, her art began to find a new meaning, a keenness to define women’s place in art history.

She began producing more sexually orientated sculptures, such as Janus Fleuri (1968) and Sleep II (1967), which undoubtedly resemble both male and female genitalia. Were they a way of dealing with her father’s betrayal? Or were they a substitute for self-abuse? Dream-like drawings then became a large part of her work and were seen throughout the rest of her career. In 1982, when Bourgeois was 70, the Museum of Modern Art in New York staged a retrospective of her work – at last, the art world was becoming aware of her importance. After receiving several awards, she moved to a large studio in Brooklyn and hired Jerry Gorovoy as her assistant. During the 1990s she exhibited extensively, even representing the US at the Venice Bienniale in 1993. Then, the monumental spiders began appearing, along with more examples of her dark and enigmatic cells. In the beautiful exhibition currently on show at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, her work is displayed throughout nine rooms, which have been given the following names: Runaway Girl, Loneliness, Trauma, Fragility, Nature Studies, Eternal Movement, Relationships, Talking and Giving, and Balance. These titles perfectly walk the viewer through the different chapters of Bourgeois’ life and the challenges she had to deal with. Whereas former exhibitions of Bourgeois’ work have had a gloomy, depressing air, focusing on the

conflict she felt with her deceased father – seen with the dark installation “cells”, cages and enclosed compartments – in this exhibition there is a delightful levity and beauty that places the artist in a more positive and progressive light. It gives the visitor an even more comprehensive insight into her artworks and the person Bourgeois was. Since she was more or less an outsider during the majority of her career she avoided the pitfalls of the art market, meaning she was lucky enough to be able to work undisturbed and develop artworks that were personal to her, including patched doll-like figures, glassworks, bronze objects and wood sculptures… The list is endless, as are the different techniques and materials she used, even though they were very classical and low-tech. More than 70 years of work are on show at the Moderna Museet, giving us an indication of the absolute and honest approach she had as an artist. Seven in Bed (2001) is, at first sight, a cute bundle of dolls; however, on closer inspection, there is a hint of incest, constraint and maybe envy. In contrast to this, on the wall are several watercolours. One – called 10 AM Is When You Come to Me (2006) – shows a more direct and sensitive side: her beloved assistant Gorovoy, who worked with her until she died, usually started his working days with her at that hour. He also modelled

his arms and hands for her, which led to the creation of several sculptures. Of course we cannot ignore Bourgeois’ instantly recognisable Maman (1999), the steel spider sculpture with six bronze castings that seem to be walking all over the world – a project that was made possible by the money being showered on her by an art market finally embracing her talent. The mother spider is a tender creature that helps, protects and comforts its offspring. And, as a farewell in Balance, the last room in the exhibition, there is a strong artwork – The Birth (2007) – which was painted in red watercolour on paper in a simple and fragile manner, depicting a woman giving birth: a final sign, maybe, that Louise Bourgeois was free from demons at last. Or, as a work from 2005 of letters marked into metal simply states, I Love You. Louise Bourgeois: I Have Been to Hell and Back, until 17th May; Moderna Museet, Stockholm

FAR LEFT, FROM TOP: LOUISE BOURGEOIS IN NEW YORK IN 1998, SAINTE SÉBASTIENNE (1998) LEFT, FROM TOP: BLUE IS THE COLOUR OF YOUR EYES (2008), TOGETHER (2005), FATHER AND SON (2004) ABOVE, FROM TOP: COUPLE (2001), 10 AM IS WHEN YOU COME TO ME (2006)

MAMAN (1999), OUTSIDE THE MODERNA MUSEET, STOCKHOLM

THE

GATHERING Meet Sweden’s most talented, cutting-edge creatives. When it comes to performance, these are the trailblazers whose names are synonymous with innovation, revolution, transformation and all kinds of cool Photography by CHRISTIAN COINBERGH Styling by EMMA THORSTRAND

HAIR: SHERIN MAKE-UP: LILIAN HEMMINGSSON PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: HANNES SÖDERQUIST

BJÖRN KUSOFFSKY, CREATIVE DIRECTOR SHIRT BY MINNA PALMQVIST, JEANS BY BLK DNM, HAT BY VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, SCARF BY SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE, BRACELET TALENT’S OWN

VIRPI PAHKINEN, CHOREOGRAPHER DRESS BY INA HJELTE, BELT AND BOOTS BY ACNE STUDIOS, KNICKERS BY CALVIN KLEIN

HELIN HONUNG, CASTING AGENT COAT BY ACNE STUDIOS, DRESS (WORN AS TOP) BY LARS WALLIN, FRINGE VEST BY TWIN-SET, BODYSUIT BY MARIA NORDSTRÖM, DRESS (WORN AS SCARF) BY LINA MICHAL X MUUSE, RINGS BY PAMELA LOVE, LATEX STAY-UPS BY DREAM COLLECTION 29

ANDREAS KLEERUP, MUSICIAN SHIRT BY BLK DNM, TIE BY THE TIE BAR

ERIK ANNERBORN, CURATOR DRESS BY LINA MICHAL X MUUSE, JEWELLERY BY MURKY

NOOMI RAPACE, ACTRESS TOP BY WILHJA, HEADPIECE STYLIST’S OWN

FREDRIK STRAGE, AUTHOR JACKET BY BLK DNM, SHIRT BY COMME DES GARÇONS, NECKLACE BY LARS WALLIN JEWELLERY

ANN-SOFIE BACK, DESIGNER JACKET BY BACK

JONAS ÅKERLUND, DIRECTOR VINTAGE CAPE STYLIST’S OWN, JACKET AND JEANS BY RICK OWENS

WATCH ME NOW The Dutch acrobat Michiel Tange van Leeuwen is one of the most fascinating performers The Forumist has seen. From his burlesque performances to the dazzling shows he produces, his presence is just as mesmerising whether he’s on or off the stage. We caught up with him in his current hometown of Copenhagen and talked to him about his life as a performer, the act of performance and what he loves most about his job Words by KOKO NTUEN Photography by ERIKA SVENSSON

Describe what you do. “I create customised stage performances for a range of different events – circuses and burlesque shows – but I also work in the field of arts, which I often prefer. I use my acrobatic skills to gain the audience’s attention so I can communicate a certain message. Most of my work is aesthetically mesmerising and very physical.” How would you describe your life as a performer/artist? “I feel very privileged to be an artist and to be allowed to be creative every day of my life. But that said, I have to admit it is hard work maintaining those standards. Most of the time, art doesn’t quite pay off financially. So either you have to do a lot of entertainment gigs to earn a living, or you have to constantly fill out grant applications to finance your work. And you can’t always count on getting the grants. Office work in general occupies my daily life quite a lot – way more than the actual performances I do.” Tell us about Copenhagen’s Grotesque Burlesque show. “I have performed at Grotesque Burlesque a couple of times now and I’m impressed by how the audience members always make a huge effort to dress up themselves. And that really pushes me to create more spectacular costumes than before. I am spending more and more time sewing costumes to match a certain concept, and my walk-in wardrobe is growing day by day. “Another fun thing about Grotesque Burlesque is that they always have a certain theme besides the burlesque, such as fairy tale or Western. But within that theme you are free to do what you want – as long as it is daring enough.” What does it take to be an artist? “It takes dedication and belief. You need to believe that what you want is possible. My head is full of strange ideas and images that only make sense to me. As an artist, my role is to share that with the audience. So I need to be able to transform a feeling or some vision I had into a concrete frame that communicates in the correct way. It also takes a lot of courage to actually insist on the way you present your work. “Another important skill for an independent artist to have is to be able to step away from your work and look at it from the audience’s perspective… which is very difficult when you’re physically in it.”

Have you ever had stage fright? “Always. Because I always keep some space for improvisation, I depend a lot on the audience. If for some reason they can’t connect with my stage character, I have to adjust things onstage. And that is both a confusing and risky situation to be in. So I’m always nervous about that. Sometimes – when I’m dripping with cold sweat – I wish that I could just close my eyes and disappear.” What is the best show you have ever had? “The best show so far was for a dodgy cabaret somewhere in Switzerland. I created a show named Devil Party Crash, where I was dancing around on 1 metre-high stilts, dressed up as a faun. For some reason I really got hold of the audience; they were almost screaming on the front row. I had never tried anything like it before. In the end, I crowd surfed over the audience.” What do you think about body modification? “So far I only have one single piercing and no tattoos, because I want to have the freedom to look different from one day to the next. But I have a lot of respect for those who involve themselves in body modification. Sometimes I wish I could be a little more daring when it comes to that. For now, I’ll have to work with fake tattoos. But there’s quite a bit of room for shock value in my flexibility sometimes.” What musicians do you like? “I am mostly into alternative electronic music from the Berlin underground. Bands such as Iberia and Easter are some of my favourites. I also really like Grimes and FKA twigs. For my shows I often use opera music.” Who are the best people you know? “My husband and my family.” Who are the most obnoxious people you know? “Concerning my work, I can really get annoyed by people who hire me as a sort of ‘room filler’ and don’t see the potential of an actual performance. They really don’t care what I do, as long as I look pleasant. That really feels like selling your body.” What is the set-up of your dream burlesque performance? Where would it be? “I’m actually going to Italy soon to perform for a super-rich family there. I was told it will take place in the wine cellar of a luxurious resort hotel in the countryside. For me that sounds more crazy than I can imagine.”

SMALL WONDER We met up with musician Little Jinder the day after her Swedish Grammis win for best new pop, to talk about awards, performing and her favourite part of the music process Words by KOKO NTUEN Photography by NINA ANDERSSON Styling by FIFFI JENKINS Like most pop stars, Little Jinder is small and beautiful in real life. Sitting in a make-up chair, she is blonde as anything, with a doll-like face, and wearing an Anne-Sofie Back dress that I love. Her demeanour is rather calm for someone who won the best new pop award at the Swedish Grammis the night before. She tells me that, on the way to our shoot, an old couple yelled across the street, “CONGRATS ON YOUR GRAMMY, LITTLE JINDER!” She was mortified, but waved at them anyway. Josefine Jinder grew up in Stockholm and experimented with sound and music from an early age. Her mother, Åsa Jinder, is an alum of the industry, being Sweden’s youngest national folk musician of all time and now an esteemed player in the history of Swedish music. There’s no doubt that the younger Jinder was exposed to sounds and the process of music at a very early age. She casually says, “I have a lot of music in my family.” Jinder first got interested in electronica when she was in the seventh grade and started hanging out at different record shops, discovering the likes of Aphex Twin and other contemporaries signed to the British independent record label Warp. She downloaded a music programme and started learning about synthesisers and the technical bits behind everything; the plan was to become a sound engineer. At 18 she travelled to Liverpool in the UK to study Sound Technology at the Paul McCartneyfounded Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. As pretentious as it may sound, she says, “I was 18, so I was more into drinking and smoking weed and having a boyfriend. It was just a really fun year.” Still, it gave her the opportunity to work with music and meet other musicians. When she started producing, she had to get into songwriting to make actual songs for her to produce, and then it just stuck. Though her Grammis award was in the “new” category, she doesn’t consider herself an emerging artist. She had her first big breakthrough in 2009 with the song Youth Blood, a breathy, synthy club hit that pushed her name and sound to the front of the musicindustry lines. By the end of 2013 she was writing and performing music in her native tongue and, since then, has been a bilingual electro-pop star. “I’ve been working for a very long time,” she says, thoughtfully. “I released my first EP when I was 20. I’m 27 now. I’d been working for a while before it turned out this way, so I feel like I deserve this, but at the same time I’m really grateful.”

Her music is known for being bold and her onstage persona the same but with more eyeliner. When I ask her what the difference is between her private life and stage life, she tells me, “I’m emotional as a person and in my music, but in my private life I’m probably more extreme than I’m allowed to be on stage. In music I’m more controlled – I sometimes feel like it’s the only forum where I actually have control in my life. In my private life things are messier. I’m a more polished version when I’m performing.” She laughs. Performing is an experience that Jinder has been very vocal about. She once told Radar Magazine about the most horrifying performance she ever faced: her boyfriend dumped her, the sound didn’t work and her stylist didn’t show up, so she had to wear her pyjamas onstage. When I ask her about that, she laughs and says, “Yeah, and I got my period while onstage, too!” To contrast this I ask her about her best performance. “They are all so different. Some are so good in different ways. It’s hard to pick one that is the ultimate performance. I just did something for the Carlsberg Green Door Project and the sound was terrible. I couldn’t hear anything, but the audience was amazing – 2,000-3,000 people singing along to every word, and I was so relaxed and had such a good time on stage. Then I have gigs where everything sounds good – sound is perfect, mission accomplished – but the vibe is not there. Sometimes it’s just your mood that controls everything.” Her favourite part of the music process is actually making music, being in the studio and producing: “My favourite thing is just to lay in bed with my headphones on and produce.” So, is being on stage more a necessary evil? She thinks about this. “Sometimes I don’t feel anything at all,” she says. “And then I feel really weird about not feeling anything. Or I get really nervous and feel like I have to cancel the show. Like, ‘This is so fucked up, I can’t handle this. I don’t want to do this’, and my band is telling me to calm down and drink water and I’ll be fine. Once I’m on, all the nerves disappear, and then after the show, I’m thinking, ‘That was so awesome!’”

ALL CLOTHES: MARC BY MARC JACOBS HAIR AND MAKE-UP: LOUISE LINDER AT MIKAS SPECIAL THANKS TO: WARNER MUSIC

THE ART OF BEAUTY Sophie Faucillion gets lost in the world of Shu Uemura, the unparalleled make-up pioneer and artiste who transformed the way women could look

Photography by JONATHAN HALLAM Make-up by CELIA BURTON AT CLM Styling by SARA DUNN Special thanks to SHU UEMURA

It was while I was studying in Paris, when my daily journey to university would take me from 56 rue Mazarine to rue du Dragon, that the Shu Uemura store at 176 boulevard Saint-Germain became (after Maison Sennelier) my favourite spot – a place where I could reinvent myself through the pigment palettes, the diverse brushes, the sponges… Another dream for a freshman in fine arts. But let’s go back to where this story really starts. Monsieur Shu Uemura always talked about the Art of Beauty, which for him meant the perfect blend of art, science and nature… a world apart, a colourful one, where women would finally have a voice, and where fashion meets life, transformation and dressing up. He lived by the philosophy that “beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin”. He had originally intended to become an actor, but that dream was destroyed after he caught tuberculosis when he was in his teens. Never mind: his art would be beauty, and the Tokyo Beauty Academy was the place where he learnt his craft, the place that propelled him into the world at large. After heading to Hollywood as a make-up artist, the movie world only inspired him further in his enjoyment and interpretation of make-up. In 1965 he returned to Japan and set up the Shu Uemura Make-Up Institute to teach the techniques he had picked up in Tinseltown, and then, in 1968, he started a revolution in the cosmetics world with the launch of his seasonal collection, Mode MakeUp. It became the standard against which other brands had to measure their products. Always ahead of his rivals, he then began staging huge make-up demonstrations, which were truly theatrical performances in which he was able to give free rein to his acting talent and display his mastery of the mise en scène. In 1983, he opened his first boutique in Tokyo, followed three years later by another in Paris, a city much loved by him and many others. He became the envy of the rest of the beauty world thanks to his amazing innovations – his false eyelashes, his striking eye shadows, his crimson lipsticks. A true pioneer, Shu Uemura conquered the fashion world with his shows, his spectacular makeup looks, his diamond and mink eyelashes, his sense of colour and his one-of-a-kind creations. And even now, the brand’s bond with the arts is strong, as seen in the recent collaboration with the internationally renowned film director Wong Kar Wai. But of course, Monsieur Uemura always knew how to convey his mix of savoir-faire and unparalleled grasp of the art of seduction.

HAIR: MARK DANIEL BAILEY AT THE LONDON STYLE AGENCY MODEL: SUZI LEENAARS AT STORM PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: KAREEM PICTUREP CASTING: SIMON LEWIS AT CAST & ELECT SPECIAL THANKS TO: NADEGE

DELIGHT AT THE M

Cajsa von Zeipel’s work is known for being provocative, so when the suggestion of exhibiting her sculptures within the formal setting of Carl Milles’ Millesgården came up, nobody expected it to work as well as it has – least of all the artist herself, says Axel Mörner

THIS PAGE: STILL-LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY: SOPHIE MÖRNER OPPOSITE PAGE: CAJSA VON ZEIPEL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY: LYNDSY WELGOS SPECIAL THANKS TO: MILLESGÅRDEN

The contemporary artist Cajsa von Zeipel (b. 1983) has seduced the art world with her oversized white sculptures of women who have that air of underground-club-scene cyberpunk. But then, the artist herself has bags of charm and possesses a model-like beauty and an irresistibly positive attitude that could persuade any apprehensive museum director. Von Zeipel exploded onto the Swedish art scene with her sculpture Seconds in Ecstasy, which depicts a giant young girl, all white, hanging upside down on a stripper’s pole and slowly turning round and around. It was exhibited in the atrium of the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, among the historical examples of Greek sculpture; the whole room was illuminated by a cerise floodlight. This piece may have been from her degree show, but it sent a strong message that there was a new shift occurring in the attitude of today’s artists. By doing figurative and oversized sculptures in minimal clothing and extreme platform shoes, she has managed to create her own version of today’s youth culture. Her women are reminiscent of the people seen in Wolfgang Tillmans’ photographs from the 1990s showing young Berliners during the height of the techno period – that new breed of party seekers exploring ways of dressing up and behaving differently. Inspiration also seems to have come from transgender and crossover cultures and, of course, some ground-breaking sci-fi movies. Her sculptures usually have the same facial expression, one that suggests more of a male-like character in a young woman’s slender body. Their zombie-like appearances make the atmosphere in any room they are in heavy; they’re almost like predators on guard. Their outfits seem to be a mix of Japanese manga and hooker wear – and they are almost always accessorised with those extremely high platforms. There may be a hint of David Bowie’s 1970s creation Ziggy Stardust in there, too. Millesgården is a museum that was originally the home of the famous Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, a self-taught man who went on to enjoy a successful international career that allowed him to build a grand home and studio on the island of Lidingö in Stockholm. It’s a beautiful place that resembles a Greek temple – indeed, Milles was a big fan of the antique world, and collected marble pieces and all kinds of artefacts from Mediterranean countries, which are on show throughout the site’s buildings. His most famous works – godlike, athlete types or grotesque-looking mythological animals – can be found all over Sweden and in major cities around the world. With this animal theme in mind, when von Zeipel was invited to show at Millesgården, she decided to put her work in the large studio filled with Milles’ sculptures of mythological scenes and creatures, which is also how she came up with the show’s title: Zoo Collective. She also decided to include a series of sculptures that reference some of Milles’ more popular works: Dog, Bat, Elephant and Rabbit, among others. The result is a playful take on the question “What could we do if we were alone in the museum?” Her girls, now partly painted in black (drips and stains included), stand around with a challenging stance. The combination of her menagerie with the classical Milles sculptures means the studio is a busy place, but the room is charged with a welcome new vitality. The show’s opening coincided with the release of von Zeipel’s new book Pro Anatomy (Capricious Publishing), a beautiful tome that documents her work from 2007. It offers an intelligent discussion of her ideas on how to balance the ideas of what is attractive with what is repulsive, and how our fascination/obsession with the human body can be traced from the ancient world to today’s contemporary art scene. Photographs of her installations and sculptures are interspersed with images of a new work – 1:1 – a project involving a CAT scan of her body, with the layers of skin, veins and muscles separated, the sections of the body appearing architectural. It can’t be avoided that von Zeipel has an urge to understand the functions of the body and the psychology regarding appearance in today’s world. When it comes to artistic body consciousness, she is queen. Zoo Collective: Cajsa von Zeipel vs Carl Milles, until 22nd March; Millesgården, Herserudsvägen 32, Lidingö

E MUSEUM

annons the forumist.indd 1

2015-03-03 14:40:35