EX LOCUM » artist

Wow, you’re left handed?

Carly Greenfield — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 02:34:17 +0000

I get this question a lot. As if I should have explained, when I first met them, that I do, indeed, write with my left hand. That, yes, I have a bump on my ring finger because no one taught me how to write correctly and I constantly drag ink across the side of my palm. Many people comment on the connection between left-handedness and the arts— we’re said to use the right side of our brain more, which has areas that incline us towards the arts. I never thought much about my writing, and how I am part of a special 10% of the world’s population, because I knew I was represented in the arts. We’re special, right? We’re natural talents, or something.

All my thinking about my handedness made me wonder about representation: do we always feel represented in the arts? Do we feel like we have a place, or voice, to be seen and heard? As a lefty, yes, we’re everywhere. Handedness is honestly not a basis for separating people, but I think it speaks for the bigger picture. There are many people of many disenfranchised groups that do not feel represented in the arts world. They do not see people who look like them, grew up like them, or understand their work like them. They do not see young people who have worked their whole lives through art schools, endless auditions, and tears to be where they are.

So, instead of this getting us upset, and frustrated, and maybe even making us question whether there is room for us, stop and look around. Look at yourself, and other likeminded artists. This is your call to action. Do not ask for room and representation, demand it. Even better, offer yourself for representation. Further amplify your art. Just because there are not people in the galleries that look like you does not mean that there can’t be. The directors may keep getting similar scripts thrown at them, so offer yours. Offer your intellect, your diligence, and your ability to write a story that no one else can express so eloquently.

Representation matters and is deserved, so do not feel embarrassed to ask for it, or, as said, to demand it. To require it. There is room. I am currently listening to the Hamilton soundtrack, aware of how these actors and actresses were never before given the opportunity to tell this story with their own voices, or with their own music. But here they are. Demanding and commanding space and applause. And that, I think, is what our creative world is all about.

Photo credit: Mona Lisa Foundation

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Artist Statement

Lili-Maxx Hager — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 17:06:21 +0000

I like to describe my art as a personal road map of development to self-discovery, depicting vivid conflicts and reflecting the dualism of the internal vs. the external world. My work generally encompasses a large range of media, including painting, installation, sculpture and ‘happenings’ commonly known as a form of political protest.

Initially inspired by my father, I began to create art, which allowed me to work through the rough times of my mom’s cancer, my dad’s brain tumor, my parents’ divorce and the loss of numerous family members that encompassed my past. Although I rarely speak of these times, they prompted me to do art and use it to tell my story, to let go of the experiences and work through them attributing those times as my greatest source of inspiration. After creating numerous works that thematically addressed my own past, I began to be inspired by Fluxus and soon began to work the world around me into my own pieces.

What started out as an experiment to prove an art thesis turned into a serious protest to promote political change in Berlin. The event intending to save the East Side Gallery, hit the news with our slogan ‘we are young we make history, we are young we are history’ which happened to leave a lasting impact on the press.

My work tends to thematically fluctuate between themes that are entirely personal, to themes that arise from personal interest but are directed at society. Generally speaking they are solely driven by idea and concept rather than medium and style. My works are specific snapshots of times in my life that were either unresolved or difficult to cope with and endure. They however are not made to let everyone in as their meanings consist of two levels; a personal and a general level furthermore reflecting the external struggle. They are not necessarily meant to be understood but are made to be related to and felt. They are reflections and request exactly that from the viewer, allowing them to dive into a world that is not theirs and find themselves in a distant corner.

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Salut

Marie Sorgius — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 12:40:17 +0000

Salut, mon nom est Marie. J’ai bientôt 18 ans et je vis en Alsace, une région située à l’Est de la France, près de l’Allemagne. Mon père est français et ma mère est russe, un mix de cultures qui a beaucoup contribué à ouvrir mon esprit au delà des frontières de mon pays. J’ai également beaucoup voyagé en Russie, aux États Unis, au Canada, en Australie, en Angleterre, en Suède, en Allemagne, en Italie, en Espagne et j’ai eu la chance de visiter les plus grands musées du monde (l’ermitage, le MOMA, le Metropolitan Museum, la National Gallery, Le Louvres).

Sous toutes ses formes, l’art m’a toujours permis, d’exprimer mes sentiments, mes idées, mes craintes, mes passions. Ainsi, j’ai débuté tôt, développant en premier lieu le moyen d’expression le plus répandu : la parole. Pour ce faire, j’ai pris des cours de théâtre et de chant dans une chorale. Cette confrontation avec les autres m’a rendue plus apte à aller vers eux. La danse classique, suivie par le hip hop (avec un professeur sourd-muet), la danse contemporaine, et enfin le modern jazz, m’ont fait découvrir mon corps, comme un moyen de communiquer avec autrui. Durant quatre années, j’ai également formé mon oreille au son du piano et ne me suis jamais lassée des classiques de Vivaldi, me berçant inlassablement au fil des saisons, ou de Tchaïkovski dont les compositions font écho à mes origines russes. Je me suis ensuite trouvé une passion dans la littérature. J’aime créer de longues phrases aux tournures rocambolesques, j’aime l’esprit des écrivains qui vivent leur métier comme un égaiement plutôt que comme une contrainte. Boris Vian écrivait d’ailleurs « Je me demande si je ne suis pas en train de jouer avec les mots. Et si les mots étaient faits pour ça ? ».

Aujourd’hui, je souhaite explorer de nouvelles possibilités d’exprimer toutes les idées qui me viennent à l’esprit. Cela fait quelques temps que le crayon m’est tombé entre les doigts. Depuis, je ne le quitte plus. J’ai donc décidé d’entrer dans une école d’arts appliqués appelée Le Corbusier pour devenir designer graphique, un métier dans lequel on cherche à rendre une information attirante en travaillant sur son aspect esthétique. Cela passe par le collage, l’infographie, le dessin, la peinture, bref tous les moyens sont bons pour traduire une idée en réalité graphique.

Aujourd’hui, plus que jamais, je pense qu’il est important de dire ce que l’on pense. Je pense que vous avez tous entendu parler des horreurs qui sont arrivées à mon pays cette année… Les attentats de Charlie Hebdo du 7 janvier 2015 ne visaient pas seulement à tuer des personnes, les terroristes ont avant tout attaqué notre liberté d’expression, notre droit de parler et de rire de tout. J’ai été profondément dégoûtée qu’une chose pareille puisse se produire dans le pays des Droits de l’Homme et des libertés. “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”, en quelques instants cette devise a été balayée par des fous tellement fermés d’esprit qu’ils n’ont pas pris la peine de lire le Coran dans lequel il est écrit que lorsqu’un homme en tue un autre, c’est toute l’humanité qu’il tue. Mais dans toute cette horreur j’ai également vu de très belles choses : j’ai vu mon pays, mes compatriotes marcher ensemble dans la rue, j’ai vu des personnes âgées pleurer avec des enfants, des noirs donner la main à des blancs, des hétérosexuels soutenir des gays. J’ai vu une nation unie. J’ai vu également des centaines d’artistes créer des œuvres de soutien pour Charlie Hebdo et crier haut et fort leur amour pour la liberté d’expression. Cette épreuve nous a rendu plus forts et m’a poussée à m’impliquer plus encore dans l’art et tous les autres moyens d’expression. Aujourd’hui en France, l’art n’est plus un passe temps, il est une arme contre les attaques des terroristes. Ce week-end nous avons encore une fois été attaqués, plus violemment que jamais. Des centaines d’innocents ont été tués dans la rue, au théâtre et pendant le match de football de notre équipe nationale. Une amie à moi qui fait ses études à Paris à vu les corps dans la rue. Dans quelle monde voit on de telles horreurs à seulement 18 ans ? J’ai pleuré pour ces innocents mais maintenant je veux agir. Je vais utiliser mon art pour dire ce que je pense, je vais montrer à mon pays que je l’aime et je n’accepterai pas d’avoir peur de dire ce que je trouve important. Je soutiens donc les artistes car ils rendent le monde plus beau à travers leurs œuvres, ils consolent les personnes blessées et unissent des pays.

Continuez à créer de belles choses car elles aideront à créer un monde meilleur plein de joie et de tolérance

Je remercie également le soutien de tous les autres pays qui on fait preuve de beaucoup de compassion, nous sommes tous très touchés.

Marie

English translation:
Hi! My name is Marie. I’m almost 18 and I live in Alsace, an area located in East France, near Germany. My father is French and my mother is Russian, a mix of culture that has helped me open my mind beyond my country’s borders. I’ve also travelled a lot, in Russia, in the USA, in Canada, in Australia, in Great Britain, in Sweden, in Germany, in Italy, in Spain. I’ve had the chance to visit the greatest museums in the world (Hermitage, MOMA, Metropolitan Museum, National Gallery, Le Louvres).

In every way, art always made it possible for me to express my feelings, my ideas, my fears, my passions. I started early, developing the most common form of expression: speech. In order to do this, I started to take acting and singing lessons in a choir. This confrontation with strangers made me more able to reach out to others. Ballet, then Hip Hop (with a mute and deaf teacher), contemporary dance, and finally modern jazz, helped me discover my body as a way to communicate with people. Over four years, I’ve also trained my ears to the sound of the piano and never wearied of Vivaldi’s and also Tchaikovsky’s classics, whose compositions remind me of my Russian origins. Later, I got into a new passion : literature. I love creating long sentences with incredible turns of phrases, I love writers’ spirits – living their work more as an amusement than a constraint. Boris Vian wrote “I’m wondering if I’m playing with words. What if words were made for this ?”.

I want to explore new possibilities of expressing all the ideas that come to my mind. It’s been a while since I discovered the possibilities of drawing. As a result, I’ve decided to join an applied art school called Le Corbusier, to become a graphic designer, a career in which one is trying to make an information appealing by working on its aesthetic aspect. I’m one who can use collage, infographics, drawing, painting, in short, all means are good to translate an idea into a graphic reality.

Today, I think that it is important to say what you think. I’m sure you heard about all the horrors that happened to my country this year… the Charlie Hebdo shooting on the 7th of January didn’t only aim to kill people, it was our freedom of speech that was attacked, our right to talk and laugh about anything. I was deeply disgusted that such an awful thing could happen in the country of Human Rights and Freedom. “Freedom, Equality, Fraternity”, in a few moments, this motto was wiped out by some fools, so close-minded that they didn’t even take the time to read the Coran, in which it is written that if a man kills another, he kill the whole humanity. But in all this dread I’ve also seen beautiful and moving things : I’ve seen my country, my compatriots, walking together in the streets, I’ve seen old people crying with children, black people giving their hands to white people, heterosexuals supporting gays. I’ve seen a united nation. Moreover, I’ve seen hundreds of artists creating works for Charlie Hebdo and shouting loudly their love for freedom of speech. This grief made us stronger and pushed me to get more involved with art and all the other means of expression. Today in France, art isn’t a hobby, it is a weapon against terrorist attacks. This weekend, we’ve been attacked again, more violently than ever. Hundreds of innocent people were killed in the streets, in a theatre and during our national soccer team’s match. A friend of mine, who is studying in Paris saw bodies in the streets. In what world does somebody see this kind of horrors at only 18? I cried for these innocent people but now I want to act. I will use my art to say what I think, show my country that I love it and not be afraid of saying what I think is important. I support the artists because they beautify the world through their work, they comfort injured people and unify countries.

Continue to create beautiful things because they’ll help creating a better world full of joy and tolerance

I also would like to thank all the countries that have supported us, you have shown us compassion and so we are very moved and grateful.

–Marie

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the samurai’s daughter

Emile Ravenet — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 22:39:12 +0000

tokugawa took every last grain of you.

on an empty stomach i awake to the smell of a new day

slipping out the house,
i walk the island,
down the red shore’s curves.

crowded among the morning merchants,
you and i are both artisans deep down i bet.

the cold air pinches me so i know i’m not dreaming.
the walk turns into a run.
i can’t wait.

crescents tug under my eyes begging to be given back to their father, the moon.

the dragon wind whispers my ears numb. i don’t listen.

daily chores cast aside for the chance
to catch a glimpse

of the samurai’s daughter

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Siena Sherer

Ana Krutchinsky — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 02:46:34 +0000

Age: 16 School: Lab School Location: Manhattan

Siena is a remarkable songwriter! She has always had a very distinct and clear voice be it in songwriting, acting, or making comics. Every conversation with her is always memorable and intriguing. Ever since middle school I’ve always seen Siena lugging her guitar behind her and humming a new song. Watch the video to find out more!

Siena’s Social Links

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Brigid Connelly

Ana Krutchinsky — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 15:01:12 +0000

Age: 19 Location: Brooklyn

I first heard about Brigid because of her writing talent, but lately I was asked to look at her film photographs. It is remarkable what a brilliant artist she is! Upon first glance at her portraits, one is able to see that she uses her camera to interlace “in the minute” facial expressions or poses of her subjects with a deeper perception of who they are as people. At least that’s how I see it The faded “dagguerreotype-ish” feel of her photographs makes them seem eternal, relevant to any time period. An interesting thing she mentions in her interview, is that she enjoys people seeing the photos she’s taken of them and then getting a better idea of how she sees them. I think that’s quite a perfect way to sum up what art is. It’s all about taking the world around you and filtering it through yourself, in this case, through Brigid’s camera lens. Watch the video to learn more!

See more on her photography site Brigid Connelly’s Photography

And even more on Brigid’s Blog!

Brigid’s Social Links

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Xavier Petromelis

Ana Krutchinsky — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 02:28:03 +0000

Age: 21 School: The Cooper Union Location: Brooklyn

Xavier is a funny and extremely talented artist! He specializes in a variety of artistic forms but loves drawing the most! I met him three weeks ago when I started attending drawing summer intensive at the Cooper Union where he was TA-ing. He was so incredibly warm and welcoming that eventually we all grew comfortable at the program. A couple days in, he showed us his art, and his sketchbook and it became clear how amazingly talented he was as an artist! He has a very distinct style and unique vision. Watch the video to learn more about Xavier and what it’s like to study at Cooper!

(Advanced apologies for the video quality, my camera was misbehaving…)

Xavier’s recent art:

A photo posted by Xavier (@havier666) on Jul 7, 2015 at 11:41am PDT

Alternate versions of stuff

A photo posted by Xavier (@havier666) on May 9, 2015 at 1:24pm PDT

Cruise control 32" x 48"

A photo posted by Xavier (@havier666) on May 1, 2015 at 4:29pm PDT

Xavier’s Social Links

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Brielle Webb

Ana Krutchinsky — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 09:55:09 +0000

Age: 16 School: Professional Performing Arts School Location: Bronx

Brielle is an intelligent and extremely deep-thinking artist. While being an actress, she also makes collages that explore “The Human Condition”. Watch the video to learn more!

Brielle’s collages

Brielle’s Social Links

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Mara Uriah

Ana Krutchinsky — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 13:48:03 +0000

Age: 17 School: Professional Performing Arts School Location: Queens

Mara Uriah is a very confident and thoughtful musician. In this interview he shares his opinions on the music world, and tells us the story behind “Highline”. Watch the video to learn more!

Mara’s Social Links

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Michael Lee

Ana Krutchinsky — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 13:48:29 +0000

Age: 17 School: The Browning School Location: Queens

Michael Lee is an intriguing visual artist who works with various mediums from paper to digital. He has strong opinions on a variety of subjects including Uniqlo prints, pop art, and the Metropolitan Museum. Watch the video to learn more!