The Unexposed Spring 2014 - Transition by Natasha Dominguez

The Unexposed

EDITOR IN CHEIF: Natasha Dominguez

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Glen Scheffer

FIND US ON THE WEB: ISSUU: http://issuu.com/theunexposedmagazine MAGCLOUD: http://magcloud.com/user/theunexposedmagazine TUMBLR: http://the-unexposed.tumblr.com FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/theunexp0sedmagazine EMAIL: theunexposedmag@gmail.com

Front cover art by Alexa Torre. All content copyright the artists. No commercial use without express written permission. ÂŠ 2014

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

GUEST CURATOR Jason Landry Interviews Alexa Torre

BÜŞRA ŞAVLI

MIA WATKINS 20 XAVIA VINCENTE

AIDEN MORSE 32 HENRI MADDOCKS 38 EMILY YOST 40

NEXT ISSUE 46

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR So it has officially been 1 year since our last issue came out… But I am extremely excited to announce that The Unexposed magazine is officially back from hiatus! Time has allowed me to reconsider what I want The Unexposed magazine to be. It is still an online magazine for the emerging artist, giving them a chance to share their artistic vision with the world, but it is also much more than that. The Unexposed is also meant for the established artist/ curator/ gallery owner/ art blogger/ fellow artist etc. in the way that it is meant for anyone who appreciates the arts and for anyone who is looking to expand their horizon by discovering someone or something new. By giving our call for submissions a theme, as well as narrowing down the amount of artists who are accepted per issue, The Unexposed guarantees that a diverse group of artists, making quality artwork, will be presented in each issue. This issue being the first of four issues to be released this year! The theme for this issue is Transition. Transition is defined as “The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” It is a perfect theme for our Spring 2014 issue, considering that this is the first (re-designed) issue of The Unexposed to be released in a year, as well as in pure celebration of the essence of the season. There are 7 different talented artists featured in this issue, exploring this theme individually through photography, painting, and creative writing.

Photograph by Natasha Dominguez

I would also like to point out, that with the re-launch of the magazine also comes a couple of new features. We are now including a “Guest Curator” editorial where we approach an established personality in the art world and ask them to provide us with an emerging artist of their choice. This emerging artist’s body of work must suit the current theme of the issue, as well as be someone whom the curator believes deserves more exposure. For our first issue, Jason Landry, (photography collector, owner of Panopticon Gallery in Boston, and author of Instant Connections: Essays and Interviews on Photography) interviews Mexican photographer, Alexa Torre, about her body of work, Mexican Utopia (Page 6). In future issues, keep an eye out for possible gallery show/ live performance/ album reviews as well as a new feature titled “Up & Coming…” In this spread, we feature a couple of different artist’s who we feel deserve checking out! You’ll find an example of their work as well as their name and a link to their website/ online portfolio. Our aim is to provide our readers with interesting work from talented emerging artists, as well as to bring to light any interesting and creative ideas or events. With all that being said, I hope you enjoy the first issue of the new and improved Unexposed magazine! Thank you for your participation and continued support! Best, Natasha Dominguez Editor In Chief

GUEST CURATOR JASON LANDRY interviews Alexa Torre Jason Landry is a photography collector, owner of Panopticon Gallery in Boston, and author of Instant Connections: Essays and Interviews on Photography. Landry earned his B.F.A. in Photography at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and an M.F.A. in Visual Arts from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. In 2013 he accepted the position of Director of the MFA in Photography program at the New Hampshire Institute of Art and started blogging for the Huffington Post. When I was thinking about the theme for this issue, this word “transition”, I began to think about what Mexican photographer Alexa Torre has been working on. Her series Mexican Utopia, about her heritage and the traditional dresses of Mexico, hints at a transition––a movement from wearing clothing specific to regions of Mexico to a more homogenized look, similar to trends influenced by designers in the United States and Europe. Some might think: what’s wrong with that? When traditions disappear, often times so do its people. Think about it for a minute. When was the last time Americans had a traditional dress that defined us? In the statement about her project she states, “Mexico is a singular country but we need to find those different Mexicans, Mexicans that can find their own way of assuming their own membership. That, ‘Hecho en Mexico’ be able to be more than just a mark on a imported box. One of the transcendental parts of us, as Mexicans, is our identity. The way that we are often characterized is through our euphoric patriotism, history, culture, faith and mysticism in a very passionate way. This is a country full of folklore -- dancing, dresses and colors that express our cultural identity. Our country seems to be losing that sense of self and passion, partly through interior conflicts and through the imitation of other countries influences. Through this project, I want to generate a greater social conscience through the young generation of Mexicans and the integrity of our people, so we all can again fall in love with our country and culture and establish a greater identity. Mexican Utopia is not only a project that tries to rescue the privilege of visual aesthetics and the mysticism that we sometimes don’t have -- or being conscience enough to see or admire it. It’s also about taking those masks of complexity and what it is to be ourselves, while regenerating that identity that is been lost." 6

Jason Landry: Why are you an artist? Alexa Torre: I never saw myself as an artist. I guess I was always drawn to the arts and working with creativity. My passions draw me into this, and maybe it was also that I needed to express myself while I was a little on the introvert side. JL: What do you hope people will learn about you and your heritage? AT: I want not only people from outside my country to see and discover the colorful soul of Mexico, but I also want to make the Mexicans of this contemporary life able to appreciate our heritage that has been in trouble since day one when we were conquered. I want to express that we should feel proud of the traditions and the variety we have - each state of Mexico is different and unique, and that also gives us this richness of culture that we should try to preserve. I guess that my art is a little focused on the social/humanistic side, as it deals mostly with society, fashion, traditions, vanities and the lack of identity. JL: Do you find photography the best medium to express yourself? AT: Yes, it’s definitely the best medium for me as I think and see photographically. I don’t know how to explain it. There are these moment that come in my mind while I’m passing by a landscape, or when I read history, or when I talk with people.

JL: Where do you find inspiration? AT: I guess its a cliché to say I find inspiration in beauty, but it’s mostly in the simplest of things. I’m this kind of person that can get bored really easily and the repetition in society doesn’t attract me much. I think my inspiration always comes while I’m by myself and just an observer. But I must say that there are also people that have inspired me in life. JL: What are the keys differences that you see between Mexican art and art in the U.S. or Europe? AT: I think that Latin American arts have a little more spirituality than other countries. I guess good artists will always reflect their countries perfectly based upon how they live at that moment. I think Mexico is in a period of evolution and people want change. Maybe it will change for good, but who knows these days. •

Alexa Torre is a fine art photographer living in Mexico. You can visit her website at: www.alexatorre.com She is also one of the editors of TRIPLE ARTE, an online platform with the mission to promote cultural awareness throughout Mexico about contemporary art. www.triplearte.com

Büşra Şavlı Istanbul, Turkey

The Unexposed: How did you first become interested in photography? Büşra Şavlı: As a teenager, whose only problem was to find a way to express the new born identity of the self, the first camera I got (an old moldy Zenit) whetted my appetite for exploring the environment around me and to start building my personality when I was 15 years old. Now I see that ‘teenargerness’ for photography is a never ending stage. TU: You’ve mentioned to me that these images are a selection from your archive, but they definitely feel as though they could be from the same body of work. Why is it that you selected these particular images? How do these particular images relate to the theme of transition for you? BŞ: From an archive of 5 years, it’s actually easier than assumed to find a series of photographs that fit the theme of ‘transition’ since growing up is also a kind of transition, with all the experiences and thoughts about life and its dynamics collected in my mind over ages. Despite being different in style, these photographs are all monochrome not just in color but also by reflecting the sense of unstable change from one state to another and a certain ‘in-betweenness.’ Thus, every photo has its own effect of transition for me, does not matter whether it shows the clash of levels of consciousness or the concept of time and space perception. 16

TU: What do you look for when photographing? What catches your eye? BŞ: The first thing that catches my eyes is definitely the light in any condition and consequently any kind of emotion and bond that I acquire with the subject in the moment. When I start to stare at things, sometimes in a weird way for a long time, I make that moment a part of my life forever by taking a photograph of it; unfortunately you cannot trust your memory every time. However, you never forget that particular emotion you built when you see the photograph years later and still can build new ones through your changing perception. TU: What do you hope to achieve through photography? BŞ: I want to meet with everyone, everywhere in every condition, and to record anything. But in a more realistic perspective, as a film student, I just want to see, document, and investigate different human conditions in their own personal environments. I care a lot to see life from various perspectives. TU: Are you working on anything new currently? BŞ: Even though the concept of memory has been always my basis for photography, I’m currently working on a project that specifically aims to shed light on the forgotten memories of others in a point of view of a close friend for them, whom I don’t even know. •

http://turuncuaz.tumblr.com

Mia Watkins Victoria, B.C. Canada

The Unexposed: How long have you been creating art? What is your favorite medium? Mia Watkins: I could give the classic and mostly true answer: “I’ve been creating art my whole life” but that would designate a toddlers single finger print on a eight foot roll of white paper as art, which, I don’t quite believe to be the case. I think perhaps instead the answer is that I’ve been serious about art since I was 15. There was a point in my high school art career when I looked at a painting I had created and felt proud, resulting in the subsequent realization that I wanted to continue creating. My favourite medium is oil painting. Though as it’s a very time consuming medium I sometimes like to escape it through turning to watercolour, pencil drawing, and photography. TU: Looking at each of your paintings individually, I feel as though each one could say something different about being in the state of transition. How do these pieces relate to the theme of transition for you? MW: A transition that is perhaps uncommonly considered is that of the transitory period of an artists style of art making. That is, and for example, in order to grow as an artist one must be open to critique and to new approaches to their preferred medium. This occurs particularly often in art school. It is tempting in art (as in all things) to stay within ones comfort zone, but this is something seemingly impossible to accomplish when undertaking the teachings of art professors. Of course, it is a positive happenstance in the end as the final product is often something surprisingly successful, but the in between can prove to be thoroughly challenging. The works I have chosen here are the results of this transition of the realization that the work I was doing previously was not strong enough for the contemporary art world. They reflect the range of emotional states one experiences in their resistance and eventual acceptance to a change in their essential preference.

http://miawatkinsart.com 24

TU: One of your works, “Untitled”, 2012, is particularly interesting to me. It seems to have an overall different aesthetic not only from this particular selection of your work but also from the rest of your paintings on your website. Could you tell us a little bit about this piece? MW: That painting [pg. 24] was done for a university class. Our project guidelines were to re-create an existing work of art in our own style. I referenced a sketch by a Colombian illustrator and used my own reference photo to achieve the painting. The final product grazes the edge of photo surrealism, a movement I hope to further explore in future work. TU: Working on anything new currently? MW: I am indeed! I’m working on a few paintings for my upcoming solo show “All About Humans”. The works will hopefully reflect the photo surrealistic elements of “Untitled”. For anyone that’s intrigued, the show will be at the Fifty Fifty Arts Collective from April 24th - May 11th in Victoria B.C. TU: Where do you hope your art takes you in the future? MW: To the moon. •

Xavia Vicente Raymond, NH

The Unexposed: When did you first start photographing? Xavia Vicente: My earliest memory of taking photos was when I was about 7, my grandmother gave me a disposable film camera and I took photos of her holding a vase of flowers. I’ve always had a love for photography. I think I got more serious about it around age 11. I would take photos of the neighborhood kids. I received my first digital camera (the one I still use today) when I was 12. TU: I can sense a love of the natural landscape in your photography, as well as self portraiture. How do you come up with ideas for photographs? XV: I love photographing people I think the human form is so interesting. I’m inspired by the strangest things, sometimes it’s movies or books and sometimes it’s things I am going through. I have manic depressive disorder (bi-polar) and it inspires a lot of my photographs. TU: How would you describe the connection between these photographs and the concept of transition? XV: Every one of my photos are very different concepts. I usually don’t revisit old themes. I like to let the viewer determine the meaning. We are all going through transitions all the time, I think you could find the concept of transition in all my photos if you looked hard enough. For example in the photo “Walking on air” I’m trying to convey rural and suburban. 27

TU: I’ve heard that you are not in school, but actually are a part of what is called Unschooling. Could you tell us a little bit about that? And how you think this may have affected you as an artist? XV: I am ‘radically unschooled’ or a ‘life learner’ that means I don’t attend school, my parents have no set rules for me and I’m free to do whatever I want when I want. Almost everything I know was self taught by experimenting. It gives me freedom as an artist and so much time to create. A lot of my friends in school have no time for their passions and I am so thankful for my life.

TU: Where do you hope your photography takes you? Where do you imagine yourself to be in 10 years? XV: In 10 years I’ll be 25. I’ve had this idea that I want to share a house with other artists and have a sort of gallery for people to visit. I would also like to travel more. I’ve been around the US and to Peru but I’d really like to see Europe. And of course I have the cliche dream of shooting for Vogue one day. •

http://flickr.com/photos/xaviaclaire

Aiden Morse Melbourne, Australia

The Unexposed: You seem to have a very distinct style as well as color palette. How would you describe your work? Aiden Morse: I’ve described my style before as “slick” and I still like that. It’s a dirty word linked with images of salesmen and sleazeballs. As for colours, I’ve always liked blue and magenta, and last year started using baby blue and light pink. Lately I’ve been into beige; the “skin colour” that you’d see on a bra or a pair of stockings. It’s interesting because it claims to be a “natural” colour but has an uncanny effect when actually seen on a body. I tend to get fixated on colours or combinations of colours. TU: Because of the way you have presented your imagery (visually amputated body parts floating against pastel backgrounds) it takes me a moment to figure out exactly what I’m looking at. Almost as if I’m witnessing a visual transition between what I perceive the image to be and what the image actually is… What are your thoughts on the theme of transition, and how these images correlate to that theme? AM: When viewing my pictures, my thinking of them moves between attraction and repulsion, familiarity and unfamiliarity, but never reaches either extreme. The theme of transition presents itself in this swaying between dichotomies. The images are caught in a constant state of transition: at once human and inhuman, relatable but repulsive. Also, I like the idea that, for practical purposes, nothing exists outside these images. The picture’s “photographic” part is usually surrounded by a moat of entirely flat, unnatural, “unphotographic” colour, free of grain or noise or texture. This stands as a sort of transition between photographic and graphic, occurring at the same time in the same picture.

TU: I see that you also have done installation work. What is it about installations that attracts you? AM: For a long time, I was happy to consider a picture finished when I had uploaded it as a low-res .jpg to the internet. I rarely made prints because I rarely had reason to. Last year, I began school and started getting invitations to display my work in a gallery context. I had a few awkward shows, where I used strange and inappropriate means of hanging my work. While my pictures are photographs, traditional photographic means of display (like the matted frame) don’t sit well with them. Lately, I’ve been working towards reconciling my pictures with the space they exist in. This has lead to making installation-based or sculptural works. I feel like these help me attain a more nuanced understanding of spatiality; of where my pictures belong and what they can belong with. TU: Are you working on anything new currently? Can we look for you in any upcoming shows / exhibits? AM: I just finished a collaborative exhibition with Anna Crews (http://annacrews.tumblr.com) called En Suite (http://aidenmorse. com/En-Suite-2014), as well as a body of work called Doubting Thomas (http://aidenmorse.com/Doubting-Thomas-2014). Right now, I’m working towards my first solo show, which will be happening in the latter half of this year. •

www.aidenmorse.com 37

Henri Maddocks http:// henrimaddocks.com Henri Maddocks is a published poet and fiction writer, editor and art maker living in Los Angeles. She regularly contributes to Leveled Magazine and authors Small Stimulants, a blog dedicated to providing recovering creatives inspirational sources throughout the week and Muses on Monday.

Drift In the water shadows telling afternoonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time while a lug of festering driftwood lives its fate. A blow rankles the wood rotting into pits and splintered it separates bits freeing into the stream. All of them too swift to catch, small enough to slip passed stone and swim away.

The Child There she is, my mother. Cradling my head this day and keeping me warm and sheltered. Finally. She is my mother, and him; there you are, mother, mine, he has been my mother before and you mother, always have been me.

Motif of the Curse By chance or intended patience I felt my hand between the living and the dead Here I am now--soaking in the warm wet reaching the skin that holds up your bones, ivories I run along my fingertips The cold breath of a ghost retreats as a tide that goes out forgotten under a reluctantly sinking moon. I remember It was then that I smothered you. Shoulders and knees, I gathered up everything tightly into my chest--a compact space of limbs and heart; at once I became your garner I collected you as if all other bodies were false. You cleared your throat and in an instant swallowed me, the exit Just as swiftly I was gone I am listening to something I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear and quoting all these words sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never even said

Emily Yost Brooklyn, NY

The Unexposed: Your work seems to explore many themes through many different mediums. How would you define yourself as an artist? Emily Yost: I don’t. Limiting yourself to any particular media is an unnecessary confinement. We’re taught to differentiate types of visual art through the materials used instead of looking for overarching similarities in theme, concept, function, or art experience. I make still lives, portraits, conceptual videos, poems, books, zines, interactive installations, and fetish objects.

TU: You’ve included a selection from your recent Kiss & Tell zine, “Secret Geographies.” Could you tell us a little bit about what these images explore/ about your zine? (Can we purchase it? Or look forward to a new edition in the future?) EY: Kiss & tell is a series of zines that began in 2012. Fixating on other people’s PDA, an “obsessive archiving of the intimate,” kiss & tell juxtaposes images with related text-- the first issue featured excerpts of love letters I had received. This most recent issue, “secret geographies,” focuses on memories of the body and ephemeral remains, including essays about lingering images. It will be available for purchase (and preview!) through my website in coming weeks. TU: You’ve also included stills from a video titled Daydreams. What is this film about? Can we view it anywhere online? EY: Daydreams is still a work in progress. The video explores the construction of gender and the body through the spectrum of imagination. Clips and stills from the video are available to view on my website, a full version should be online soon. TU: How do both of these selections relate to the theme of transition? EY: I’m always somewhere between holding on and and letting go, riding the boundaries I have created for myself that distinguish internal worlds from external representations. My work deals with ambiguities, the tension between binaries, and imagined possibilities. TU: What are you working on right now? Can we find you in any upcoming shows or projects? EY: Currently I’m in the process of reprinting and republishing all of my old zines and artist’s books. I’ve been invited to participate in a feminist collective pop-up show in Brooklyn this June. In addition to a new kiss & tell, I’m collaborating with photographer and SVA grad Tricia Voulgaris on a new zine. • 43

http://emilyyost.com

Next Issue The theme for submissions is INDEPENDENCE. Independence is defined as “Free from outside control; not depending on another’s authority or on another for livelihood or subsistence.” As an artist you have creative freedom to conceptualize a work of art in any way you choose in regards to the theme. Please consider your submission carefully as not all submissions will be accepted for publication. - Deadline for Submissions: - Selected Artists Announced: - Expected Release Date:

Monday May 26, 2014 Monday June 2, 2014 Monday July 21, 2014

We accept photography, fine art (in all mediums), design, and creative writing! Please be sure to review our submission guidelines here: http://the-unexposed.tumblr.com/Submissions For questions/comments about this issue or future publications, please e-mail Natasha at: theunexposedmag@gmail.com

Marina La Mer 22 / Perm, Russia