Exclusive Interview with Jade Butay

 
Hello Dear Jade Butay. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

Quarantine has been a difficult adjustment. I’m sure everyone can tell you ways they’ve had their lives uprooted by Covid-19. I think my art became my escape. It’s always been a sort of sanctuary away from difficult times; but with Covid I went from working non-stop, shuffling between full time jobs and my art to sitting at home with nothing. It was a very long period of time where I had no distractions. I had to really sit down and come to terms with who I was and what I wanted my art to be. I think it really gave me a chance to explore new directions with my art.


What equipment is a must-have for you no matter where you are going to be working?

So I still use my Nikon D5300, it’s older but I find that it’s my good luck charm. I literally do not take pictures without it. I have also never successfully used a portrait lens for my artwork (despite a thousand attempts). My only lens for my work is a 35mm which means I have a lot of time fixing distortions some days. But it’s worth it. I have a lot more room when I shoot with a 35 so I can frame my scene and adjust as needed.


What professional photographers have influenced your work, and how do you incorporate their techniques into your photographs?

So I have two main influences with my artwork. The indisputably talented Brooke Shaden. She is an incredible fine art photographer. She is also actually one of the artists that influenced me to start taking pictures in the first place. Her art and how she uses it as a reflection of how she sees the world blows my mind. I had never seen fine art photography before her or knew that composition work could be created. I’m so lucky to have met and spoken with her about my artwork. The other artist I really admire is Gregory Crewdson. His pieces are so cinematic in nature that I found myself very drawn to the way he could tell an entire story within one image. I love his use of lighting especially, it’s very dramatic, everything is so intentionally placed.


What drives your choice of subject matter?

Honestly? I think it’s a lack of resources in the beginning. I didn’t have many friends who were interested in being photographed and I definitely didn’t yet understand how to approach models so I found it easiest to take my own picture. I knew exactly what I wanted for the image so it made things easier. Turning those self portraits into fantasy came from the concept of daydreaming to escape reality. I had always loved the way you could create anything within your own mind if you tried hard enough. I wanted to be able to recreate that energy with my camera.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Jade Butay?

That’s a good question. I’m still kind of figuring that out myself. I spent my quarantine opening so many different projects that I’m having a tricky time finishing them all. I’d say what’s next immediately would be my new series, “Beautiful Liar.” This is a series I have been working very hard on since the beginning of 2020 and I’m just now finally getting done with it so I would say to expect that very soon.
 
 
 
 
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/
 

Hello Dear Cory DeAn Cowley. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

First, thank you so much Marvelous Art Gallery team, for allowing me to be a part of this echelon of wonderful artists. 
COVID has certainly put additional pressure on my artistic career. Here in the U.S., I have been coined the term "essential" and have been working since the start of the pandemic. There was point back in March of 2020 that I struggled to find any time to work on my book writing and art. I was working non-stop, 6 days a week, with only one day of rest. As you can imagine, it gives you little time to spend on creative endeavors. Though, I will say it has certainly inspired me to work harder at my craft and time management. COVID was and still is a test for many of us who are trying to make a career out of our creativity. Before the pandemic, I was able to balance my work life with my art life. In fact, my first horror novel I published I did at work. (I was almost terminated for it, but my passion comes first!) It has not stopped me, and I've even come to find it a source of inspiration to push me past procrastination. 
 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

I'm originally from Hendersonville, TN, and grew as the oddball in my suburban neighborhood. I was raised by my mom, Lisa Cowley, who is the one person in the world I consider my hero. She raised my sister, Victoria Cowley, and I since we were kids. Growing up, my mom was a very liberal parent. Instead of censoring us from controversial things, she allowed us to make our own decisions based on what we had seen. Horror became a constant staple in our home, and most of what I enjoy now as an adult is because of my mom. My first horror film was Hellraiser and that started my love for Clive Barker. 
I was bullied a lot in school because I came from poverty. I could not afford most of what the kids in my classes had, nor did any of the kids like associating with me because I was big into science and literature. It was a struggle to make friends, but it did not deter me from living a good life. Even though times were hard, having the support of my family was what made me the woman I am now. My mom had zero problem with the things I was interested in and even encouraged me to start drawing and writing more.
 
 
In these strange and unusual times, what do you find is the most challenging part about being an Artist?

Hands down, the most difficult part about being an artist is keeping things fresh and original. In my line of work, it can become very saturated VERY fast. When I started pursuing dark art it was less known, making works easier to produce. As time went on, more and more of the same thing became a more common occurrence. My modus operandi is ensuring that every work I produce does not look like the previous work. I try to create a piece that is uniquely different in its own way. This is why you never see me produce the same thing twice despite fans preferring a certain look. One of the many things I try to tell budding artists is that you should never look at a piece of art longer than 30 seconds. If you look longer, you'll eventually tell your brain that you need to do this to succeed. Yes, I think as artists we all draw inspiration from others, but you have to learn to transmute pain, joy, love, and hate into your own piece. You can create the same thing as someone else, but it's not true to who you are. Originality, authenticity, and transmutation are my polestars by which I steer. It is my goal to keep authenticity alive.
 
We are seeing  dark themes stand out in your works. Can you tell us your artistic vision and what inspires you to work with your theme?

Well, as you can tell, my works are extremely gruesome. When I first started out as an artist, I had to make some hefty decisions about my work. Horror, to me, is a dying genre. When I think of the words dark art, I think of the Barker, King, Lovecraft--the greats who have taken the genre down dark paths that twist and turn into deplorable realms. It was truly dark. I remember seeing the scene in Hellraiser, in which Frank's body regenerates, after coming back from Hell. That scene stuck with me so much because it was the first in the genre to show such horrible, disgusting elements. I knew from that moment, I wanted to bring my own depravity to the mix. 
I decided that I wanted to start harvesting my own menstrual blood...shed uterus and all. I started incorporating my blood into my art, and then slowly progressing into my own saliva and urine. This is my own belief, but everything in our bodies is sacred, down to the toenails we clip and discard. I started using my fluids out of respect to the gift of life. Since horror was my niche, I figured, "what better way to scare the shit out of people than seeing me eat my own uterus?" 
I recently shot a video with Niuvis Martin, a Miami makeup artist and lead singer of the death metal band Amenorrhea, and that video was a testament to my vision. We used raw cow hearts, raw chicken livers, and two varieties of worms--all of which I consumed, rolled in, and put into my mouth. So, when I say that my art is as visceral as it gets--I'm not joking. 
 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Cory DeAn Cowley?

I have a few things lined up for the future. Right now, Niuvis and I are getting ready to shoot an extreme horror music video with the band Aiwass--who I coincidentally provided album artwork. Outside of doing extreme artwork, I'm an author. I'm working on some pretty graphic short stories, and I've even got some huge news I'm revealing in September...but I can't tell you that...(wink)
 
Thank you so much for the opportunity to be a part of this interview. If you want to know more information on my art and books, please visit:
 
www.linktr.ee.com/foliumdiscognitum2
 
or email me directly:
 
walela2@hotmail.com
 
From Hen to Pan, 
C.D.C.
Publix Aprons

 
Exclusive Interview with Alex Kypris

 
Hello Dear Alex Kypris. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?
 
Hello, and thank you for having me.
 
The pandemic has affected my full time job (I manage an art gallery in Greece) as we have not been as busy as usual. On the other hand, this has actually enabled me to focus more on my art, as I’ve been having spare time. I managed to create two new collections during the winter period of 2020-2021, which I am excited to show you here. Conclusively, you can say that COVID-19 has been positive for my creative process, allowing me to work on projects I wouldn’t have had the time to create under normal conditions.
 
How does art-making impact other parts of your life?
 
Art is an expression of emotions, thoughts and ideas; it’s an extension of the artist’s personality or the artist’s particular mood. Keeping that in mind, art affects my mood, which in turns affects my way of life and the people around me. Not making art equals to the lack of expression; imagine it as having ideas that you want to discuss, but for some reason you are not able to open your mouth and speak. That would be frustrating, and that’s how I feel when I don’t create. When I do create, I feel the opposite. I feel satisfied with my progress, I get happy seeing the process of creating something out of nothing, and I get excited seeing my ideas become materialized. During creative waves, I become a more positive person and I am more relaxed and open  to trying new things.
 
We want to talk about the “Cult of Personality”. Can you elaborate a bit more on this subject/theme?
 
In my laterst project, “Cult of Personality” I explore the rot within cult-like charismatic leaders, and how positions of power can corrode a person to a persona. I am intereted in the idea of how the masses deify, sanctify and “celebrify” people-symbols, and that’s why I used plexiglass; it’s my version of a display case. I ambiguously portray a variety of institutional leaders with a cult following – politicians and religious figures for example, but never a specific person as I am interested in the theme as whole rather to point the finger to someone. I also aimed to capture how important strong body language and hand gestures are to the contribution of the mesmerizing of the masses. From the conception of the project it was aparent that all charismatic leaders have these elements in common. Lastly, I chose colors symbolically rather than their aesthetic value; I used color-word association and symbolically portrayed important milestones or emotional outputs of the main subject.
 
What is your creative process like and how has your style changed over the years?
 
Contrary to the stereotype, not all artists work in a messy manner, not caring about their space and materials – art is not necessarily constant expression and movement of a brush for example. The way that I work is exactly the opposite to that – I am very methodical, maticulous and annoyingly, a perfectionist. I keep my working space very organized and clean, and I take the time to tidy up after every creative session. The creative process however starts from one’s mind. I spend a significant amount of time simply thinking of new ideas and how to develop them; it helps me to constantly visualize the process and the result (regardless of the actual outcome). You have to give your ideas time to marinade before cooking them.
 
I like to work with different materials, but I wouldn’t say that my style has changed dramatically over the years. I like to find a material and learning it really well before I jump to something else. For my 2D pieces I really like using pencil and color pencil, and lately I have started experimenting with frame perspective artworks just like the projects I am presenting here. These involve a variety of materials as they all have different reasons of belonging in these pieces. For my 3D pieces I like to create installations from found objects.
 
 
What is your artwork exploring, underneath everything?
 
As an adult, I am still perplexed by the wrongdoings in our society while the lack of justice and apathy puzzle me. In my art, I strive to express emotions of frustration as I feel dissapointed with the consequences of human activity and social inaction. It’s my way of exposing or pointing the finger at the culprits of our social struggle as I believe it’s important for the viewer not to sanctify them or fall into apathy.  In my installations for example, I highlight the similarities and differences between members of the same society. I adopt themes such  as homelessness, mass immigration, the Church, religion, and the environment, and through those themes I aim for the viewer to empathize with the main subject or contemplate the consequences of their apathy and inaction. Simultaneously I often feel the need to escape the tornado of heavy themes. To do that, I use photography, illustration and wall installations and I create art that celebrates the positive side of life; animals, nature, people and places.
 
 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Alex Kypris?
I’m currently in the process of starting a new project based on my dreams. I have made extensive, detailed notes of my dreams for years and I have now decided that I have enough material to begin a project of materializing those dreams in 3D pieces made of many different layers. Stay tuned on my social media channels and website in order to see what artworks come next, and take a peek at the process of making them!
 

 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/
 

Exclusive Interview with Paola Zayas-Bazán

Hello Dear Paola Zayas-Bazán. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?
 
In a way I had already experienced a state of “Quarantine”.
 
Through pure serendipity I’d even made an art piece back in 2017 suitably named "Time in Quarantine” which embodied my truth at that moment. I believe that period genuinely affected my art; it shaped my ideas and consequently still lingers in my paintings. So, in a surprising twist of events I was influenced in a constructive way by the current “Quarantine”. Suddenly the world stopped and there was an abundant feeling of solidarity. I finally found myself understood at some level by my peers and colleagues; many of whom had never experience a gap on their paths. For some reason the entire world had to pause for me to feel that my slower pace was enough to catch up. I was able not only to feel like I wasn't behind but, in many ways, even get ahead.  All I can say, is that my color palette is surprisingly brighter.

 
How has your practice change over time?
My practice has changed greatly from my preferred mediums to my approach to the body. Because of my background in fashion, in the beginning my works had a very strong influence by the aesthetics of the industry and the materials used specially from the perspective of fashion illustration. I gravitated more towards water-based pigments, watercolors and acrylics, whereas lately I’d been enjoying more the pace and flexibility of oil-based paints.  Over time the anatomy also changed from a completely stylized figure towards a more organic demeanor, but only to a certain degree. If fashion taught me anything is that a story can be told by the silhouette.
 
Which current art world trends are you following?
 
It’s hard to ignore the lately popular use of the obscure and macabre in the artworld as a mainstream vehicle to tell stories and challenge the traditional canons of beauty. But this has been part of my style for many years, so I wouldn’t consider that I’m following it as much as just being part of it by chance. I guess that I try to stay open towards a state of mind that eventually leads forwards, to the avant-garde, more than a general direction in any art style. 
 
Can you tell us what is important about these projects to you?
 
Concerning the established use of the peculiar to tell a story, I feel more accepted and connected to my fellow artist, this means that the amazing messages behind the artworks will reach a broader spectrum of people.
In regard to my personal projects, they hold great importance because of the extreme vulnerable truths they embrace; some of which I sometimes discover in the actual artistic process. My artwork is a figurative diary and hopefully it will eventually become a visual anthology and perceptible chronology of my life.
 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Paola Zayas-Bazán?
 
Glimpsing the near future, I can see myself incorporating more of the biodiversity and folklore of my island into the visual narratives of my paintings. Additionally, I’m including my own lore founded by fabled natural monuments and local superstition. I’m currently developing a small collection retelling the spiritual crossings of the gifted women in my life, the entangles of memory and the fine-tuned sensibilities we’ve inherited for generations.
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/
 

 
Exclusive Interview with Katerine López


Hello Dear Katerine López. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

I think the quarantine separated us from the daily distractions to which we were accustomed and allowed people more time for introspection. I personally took more time to refine my drawing technique, but at the same time the art I created communicated a sense of loneliness and despair, a reflection of the impact that the quarantine restrictions had on my spirit.
 
 
 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

I've always been involved in the world of art. My mother saw a certain level of technical talent in me from a very young age and she always tried to develop my potential by enrolling me in art classes and taking me to local events. When I started studying art at the university I realized that it was not just a matter of developing a technique, it was rather to find in art a way to communicate my life experience, and that is what I am currently trying to do with my work.
 


Which of your artworks are you most proud of?


I have a particular interest in global politics and it is evident in my work. Although I try to be neutral with the message I communicate, my drawings and paintings with political references are the ones that make me the most proud. My hope is that someday these works can be looked back upon as a reflection of the challenges in this era we live in.
 

 
 
Could you describe your normal day as an artist?


I try to work on my art between 2 to 6 hours every day. I work out of my mini studio and often listen to a mix of classical and rock music while I am drawing. Sometimes it takes me many hours or days to decide what is going to be the topic that I am going to approach, and other times something immediate occurs to me, as a consequence of some news or a book I have read. In particular, I am interested in books and images of world history, botany, entomology and biology.
 

 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Katerine López?

I want to continue doing what I am doing now. Which is devoting as much time as possible to developing my work and promoting it through participation in exhibitions and other outreach events. I also intend to explore my work in a three-dimensional form and experiment with other new techniques and print media for the digital art that I am creating at the moment.
 
 
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/
 

Exclusive Interview with Anne-Kristin Vaudour

 
Hello Dear Anne-Kristin Vaudour. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

I’ve spent most of the Covid 19 period in Hong Kong and recently in Singapore. Both countries  were striving for a 0 -Covid policy with tough restrictions, especially when re-entering the country, which discouraged many people from travelling. However, since my mother is very unwell back in Germany, I continued to travel and several times, I had to stay in hotel quarantine, confined to a hotel room for 2 weeks. I am not good with being enclosed in a small space for an extended time. But luckily I had my art as an escape. As an artist, you can travel with your fantasy. I am not sure if these periods of quarantine have influenced my art but I certainly had the opportunity to dig deep into my subconscious mind.
 

What do you like most about being an artist?
 
It’s something I always wanted to do but only had the opportunity to dedicate myself to about 3 years ago. I have bottled up so many ideas that I can finally manifest on paper (or canvas etc). That feels quite liberating.
Art is communication. While painting, I have the sensation of learning a new language that allows me to connect on a visual level with whoever wants to get involved with my artistic expressions.
On a practical note, I love the independence (in all aspects), the creative process and listening to audio books or podcasts while I draw.

 
Since you have a certain theme on your Imperial Eyewear Collection, would you like to tell us how you came up with this amazing idea and what you wanted to tell us with them?

Digging in history is one of my passions. I am always on the hunt to uncover a mystery, secrets or a hidden story. Some historic portraits have a very special fascination for me. I study them in great detail, with attention to the dress, jewellery and accessories. Furthermore,  I research the background of the portrayed person, especially if that person is rather unknown. Every time it’s such an interesting journey back in time.
Sunglasses are an essential part of our wardrobe these days. But the use of sunglasses as a fashion statement started not earlier than in the 1940’s and 50’s.
In my Imperial Eyewear collection, I asked myself the question, what if the extravagant aristocracy of the past, who spent an extraordinary amount of money on their dress, hat or jewellery to underline their status, would have had access to modern day manufacturing of sunglasses? Or better, what if the idea of today’s eyewear fashion would have existed?
 
So I started to imagine to be the creator of eccentric eyewear for Marie Antoinette, Maria Theresa, Nefertiti, Giacomo Casanova and other fashion icons in history. I carefully took into consideration their personal style and wardrobe to represent a most authentic look.

 
What memorable responses have you had for your work?

I haven’t shown the Imperial Eyewear collection publicly yet, only to friends. One of my friends is very fascinated by the reflected image that’s visible in some of the glasses. I decided to have an additional narrative in some paintings by having something reflected in the glasses that relates to the person portrayed or to the moment of portraiture. I am glad she figured that out and she always watches out for the next creation to see what’s in the reflection. Others said it would be cool to have some of the eyewear produced, which could be an interesting thing to do.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Anne-Kristin Vaudour?

I am currently very fascinated with scientific illustrations that document the adventures of the victorian age. I study rare plants, creatures that live very deep in the sea and deep under the earth. It’s so fascinating. There is so much to uncover if we open our eyes to these wonders.
My new project will be a journey of marvel and discovery for the treasures of our earth.
 
 
 

 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Exclusive Interview with Molly Pi
(Marvelous Art Magazine June Issue – 2021)
 
Hello Dear Molly Pi. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

Hello and thank you for having me. Covid-19 has indeed affected my process. As the pandemic hit Switzerland my activity as museum curator was compromised and I found myself facing the impossibility to exhibit – hence analyse within the context of a scientific publication – the works of other artists. My education trained me to look at images and artefacts and to analyse them from an art- and cultural historical perspective. In this sense, I can clearly state that for me the reception of any piece of work is strongly connected to knowledge rather than subjective emotion. This said, and to reply to your question, Covid-19 made me even more sceptical of the public institutions. I witnessed first-hand how public institutions reacted to the pandemic by, for instance, sacrificing the quality of the works’ content over their appearance and display. The art world – I am thinking about the art trends but also the artistic motivations  – depend more than ever on the economical dimension. I have in particular observed that the knowledge of culture(s) and history is becoming more and more obsolete. My art tries therefore to resume a highly (art)history focused attitude with the aim to encourage the autonomy of the artist’s discourse.


What is the hardest part of creating a painting?

For me the hardest part of creating a painting is building the most efficient thread between the conceptual image and the visual result. The struggle lies in trying to make the image – and my intentions behind it – as clear as possible. Since a large part of my works actually resides in the idea, I don’t want the latter to be lost during the process. Of course, I am well aware that at least a fragment of the work’s reception will necessarily depend on the viewer, since we all face reality with the tools we already possess. But, on the other hand, this is exactly the reason why I can’t afford to be misunderstood. As a scholar, I know very well that there are rules to write an essay as to make it as clear as possible: the epistemology needs to be stated, the choice of the subject needs to be justified, the methodology needs to be presented, the sources need to be analysed first-hand, the research needs to be feasible. It may sound very oppressive but the objective is to communicate with a common language, even within the context of a debate. This is the same spirit that fuels the creation of my images: I wish for my message to be seen and understood as objectively as possible.


How do you choose the subject of your painting? And what is your artwork exploring, underneath everything?

The choice of the subject is the part that I feel as the most connected to my intimacy: it’s the phase that stirs my emotions and requires meditation. Since I first stated drawing – as a child – the process has always been about looking inside oneself to unravel tensions and mysteries of the mind. I was always very sensitive and very subjective to (auto)destructive thoughts and it took me a very long time to understand my actions and myself. My subjects are always a manifestation of the themes that guide me the most: the femme fatale; the ecce donna motif; the vanitas; and alchemy. All themes these are deeply rooted in my identity, and I will try to briefly explain how. The femme fatale is my first interest. The femme fatale is a sort of archetype that can be found across time, cultures and the media. I primarily draw cultural elements from the Western 19th-century context, where the “revival” of such figure is closely related to female sexuality. By drawing femmes fatales I wish to validate the individual and collective awareness of female sexual expression. The second theme, ecce donna, is a sort of counter-point of the femme fatale. It’s no secret that a liberated self-expression may lead to suffering and violence – mental and physical. Following the spiritual example of the Passion and the tradition of the Devotional Images, this theme aims to always conceive suffering as a sacrifice worth enduring in order to transmit a message. Thirdly, I show an interest for the vanitas. It’s a motif that helped me progress a lot: as a reminder of the ephemerality of life, I see vanitas paintings as comforting images. They feel like sweet whispers saying: “everything is going to be okay”. My fourth focus is around the spiritual discipline of Alchemy. Expression, sacrifice and vanitas all participate to the search for a coherent sense of self, which in my view is embodied by the alchemical Magmum Opus.


What is your creative process like?

The creative process always starts with a personal feeling. This feeling is often obscure and confused: time and reflection are required to understand its shape and nature. Being able to understand and manage my emotions was never among my strongest assets, and even today I strongly rely on “solving” whatever mental process could have generated instability. Detachment becomes a key moment of the creative process. I compare my first feeling, which is the trigger, to a burning flame. By sitting still and venturing into myself I can progressively abandon my emotions, my chaotic thoughts and my material shell to find collective images able to say my message with clear and recognisable signs. I strongly believe in avoiding an entirely ego-centred process because our subjectivity will never even remotely equal the largeness of history. There is so much knowledge out there and life is short compared to the infinite. Molly Pi is my sage avatar: an explorer of the infinite dimension, a simple but dedicated woman meticulously travelling along the figures of the π (pi) number. This way, I can sit still while the flame burns and I can deliver new images by putting together pieces of the past.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Molly Pi?

Yes, of course. I am working on creating a body of narrative images, with the aim to illustrate stories. I want to “soften” my usual compositions and allow myself to leave some empty spaces. Within the context of a story – i.e. a work composed by multiple images – I will feel more comfortable in diluting the contents in each image and experiment with only small hints of a larger message.
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Hello Dear Darian Lu. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

One of some positive aspects of quarantine was that it gave me a lot of time to reflect on all the projects I created in the past, the roles that I took that contributed to who I am as an architect and artist today. When I revisited my previous works, I also created mixed media collages - positioning previous work in a new “canvas”. It was a bit like time and space traveling for me, when in reality travel was restricted.


What is your dream project?

To design and build an underground yet sunny getaway house for myself.


Which artists are you most influenced by?

The artists that I resonated the most with are Marina Abramovic, Björk and Alexander McQueen. I was reading a lot about Abramovic’s work and creating process while creating my first performance, and eventually helped me get into the mindset I needed to have.


What do you like most about being an artist?

What I enjoy most is the creative process where I take my thoughts and ideas, and bring them to life visually. Through artworks, my thoughts and ideas can reach a wide range of audience than I am able to meet.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Darian Lu?

I always want to create another performance that engages the audience. It’s going to be interesting to perform in public with the audience involved, after the pandemic.

Exclusive Interview with
Théotime Ritzenthaler
(Marvelous Art Magazine May Issue – 2021)
 
 
Hello Dear Théotime Ritzenthaler. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

 Thank you, My pleasure. I am currently in Sweden, in the middle of the forest, so the quarantine is a very distant thought here. My work has barely been affected, The common Workshop had to close for 2 weeks, but it's been the only disruption of my workflow.

How has your practice changed over time?

I have been working with metal for 6 years and a lot has changed in that time. I went from a very craft oriented practice, learning techniques and skills, to one driven by an artistic process now. Esthetics are my only interest, as in how things look and their expressions,  and metal is my chosen media because i enjoy the workflow it offers, but I don't apply “proper” craft techniques. Using my knowledge of the material, i follow an artistic experimentation process, learning from each sketch in the material and applying what I learn to the next one.
 
Which current art world trends are you following?

I am mostly interested in 3 dimensional work. I enjoy especially abstact pieces that are expression focused, for exemple work from the contemporary art scene that combines disturbing esthetics with unclear narratives, engaging with the viewer in some sort of guessing game about the story behind the object.
 
Can you tell us what is important about these projects to you?

Inevitability is my first finished body of work, I learned a lot while working on this project. In Nostalgia, The process was way more relaxed  because i had a clearer idea of my own way of working. I don't delve into self-satisfaction, so when a project is over, i just transition to the next one and try to improve my process.

Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Théotime Ritzenthaler?

It's hard to say, my work is not really planned in advance. I work in the present and one experiment after another, But I am currently working on a new series of works combining the expression of “Nostalgia” and Industrial or machined parts.
 
 
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/