Recently Chantel Tattoli, an art journalist and reader of ML4U contacted me about Teeth Dreams, a show she covered in Florida. She was really excited and wanted to get the word out about Teeth Dreams, offering to share her pics and writings on her experience and overall take of the show, I happily obliged. Read on to hear and see more...Thanks so much Chantel! - meighan
The Church of Holy Colors is a defunct Baptist church become gallery in Gainesville, Florida. The Church of Holy Colors works in connection with the MILAGROS movement (mainstays are Felici Asteinza, Joey Fillastre, Evan Galbicka), a semipermeable collective bent on ”dismissing the idea of the tortured artist.”
Teeth Dreams is up until August 20th and includes a floor-to-ceiling mural by MILAGROS, oil work by Rachel Rossin, and a dream catcher installation by Johnny Laderer. Viewers are disarmed by the all-over movement of the swirling black-white mural. Effectively, MILAGROS built-in a respite from this shamanic, trippy realm by painting a large pool of blue onto the floor—a sacred color and a nice reference point.
Rossin’s oils, “Being Frank,” deliberately skirt the blind alleys of realism in favor of scenic symbolism. She tells the truth of the matter by way of fictionalized scenes—magical, spirited prospects alive with barking foxes; ripe, fallen fruit; the splayed feathers of coy birds; and pert flora. The paintings say what she means furtively, giving us the emotional gist, but sparing us the details. Rossin then points out the practicality of Magical Realism—as an aesthetic tactic to counter silencing rhetorics. (The Magical Realist style was cultivated in Latin America, ridden as it is with regimes and botched revolutions.)
Laderer’s installation of dream catchers uses materials found on a personal cross-country roadtrip, including: pheasant feathers, giant kelp rope, shards of armadillo carapace, shells, fossilized molars, wild grape vines, a squirrel tail, quartz and turquoise, and beach-combed plastics. The upcycled church lends itself specifically to this installation: the church-gallery mirrors the recontextualization of the dream catchers, what certain North Native Americans applied as mystical shields, and what we imagine to intercept bad dreaming. The catchers dangle everywhere like assertive, in-your-face webs. Laderer seems to contest science’s know-it-all empiricism with the mythos and supernatural models that speak above the logical mind, to the storytelling soul.
Contributor Jillian Mackintosh (and co-owner of Gallery Hijinks) sits down with fellas Mark Warren Jacques and Seth Neefus to chat with them about their collaborative project that opens tonight at Gallery Hijinks. - meighan
For more information on Free Life Center or the events happening this weekend, visit galleryhijinks.com.
As the week comes to an end, the Free Life Center gears up for a fun filled weekend of art, music and raging good times at Gallery Hijinks. Since May, Mark Warren Jacques and Seth Neefus have been touring the west coast with their traveling art exhibit, inspiring health, happiness and the creative life. We got to talking with these two artists, check out what they have to say.- Jillian
Most of the
people who are reading this interview probably have no idea about The Free Life
Center; how do you usually describe it?
Mark Warren
Jacques- It seems easiest to describe the project as a movable gallery space,
built of reclaimed materials, in a modular fashion. At its full size the
structure is a pretty large free standing building (10 ft wide x 16 ft long x
10ft tall), complete with lighting, a tin roof and a wood floor. Since we
designed the building to come apart in sections, we have the option to vary the
size of the installation to fit the environment it is housed within. We've also
built the structure in manageable pieces to allow us to travel, which is
exactly what we've been doing this summer, an art tour. At each location along
the journey we've been setting up the structure and filling it with our artworks,
video works, process documentation, interactive installation elements, music,
good vibes. Along with our own artworks we've asked members of each local
community to join in. We've had a ton of friends play music, dance, draw, jam,
sleep, eat, and hang with us in and around the installation... So yeah,
installation, art, video, music, art tour, curating guest performance,
performing, documentation, its all a part of this big project.
What is does the
“free life” really mean?
Seth Neefus - It
is in the mind, just follow whatever speaks to you inside, and see where it
takes you.
Are you really
living the free life?
sn + mwj - yes
What do you hope
to accomplish with the free life center during the tour and even after?
sn-To share an
experience of art, music and good people, the Free Life Center is not a
permanent place or thing, it is a chance to explore what we have created and
are willing to share with everyone we meet. We hope to inspire artists and
communities to take a journey and experience what they enjoy to the fullest.
Whether they hit the road or take on a new perspective, if we inspire, we are
stoked.
mwj- Honestly I
feel like we have already accomplished the initial goals of actually doing it,
building it, making art, working together, working with others, and taking it
on tour. People’s reactions have been amazing, inspired and in turn inspiring.
How long does it
take for you to build up the structure it’s self and install the show inside?
sn - The
installation is built so that we can set it up and take it down in a matter of
hours. Typically its taken us 3 - 5 hours for set up and a bit less for
takedown.
mwj - we're
getting pretty buff this summer, that was high on the list of priorities for
the project too.
How much of the
tour and your performances are influenced by the time spent living in Portland,
OR?
mwj - all of
life is inspiration in one way or another.
What’s your
favorite part of PDX?
sn - There is
room to grow.
mwj - Good
people, cheap beer, cheap rent, the beautiful Sandy River, Mt. Hood, it’s not
SF.
What’s your
favorite part of SF?
mwj - Sunshine,
the grime, crazy people, tons of wild energy, its not Portland
What are you
really excited about right now?
sn - This moment.
When are you the
most productive?
sn - In the
woods.
mwj - All the
time. Specifically after or during coffee, which is pretty much all the time.
Not only is the
FLC an artistic venture, it involves many types of musical performances. What
kind of music have you been listening to on the road?
mwj - We are
practicing zen driving methods, ha.
A little bird
told me that you drink a lot of 40 oz beers, what brand is your favorite and
why?
sn - That is not
entirely true, but I do like miller high life in a 40oz.
Have you run
into any particularly strange or comical experiences while on your epic road
trip thus far?
mwj - When we
where in Vancouver B.C. we stayed up all night with some friends and ended up
on a beach in the downtown area watching the sun rise and sparkle on the water.
This super old Chinese lady somehow crept up on us wearing a red jogging suit
and white plastic bags on her feet. She was walking so slow, one foot in front
of the other in the sand, that no one really heard her coming. As she passed no
more than five feet in front of us, everyone took notice and a strange and
beautiful silence fell over us, the beach, and the morning city air. In slow
motion, one foot in front of the other, the old lady performed her patient
dance right on past us, the glittering water acting as her silver stage
curtain. Strange, comical, beautiful, like life is. "Good morning"
she finally said as she crept toward her day.
If you were
limited to 5 tools of the trade in your line up, which would they be and why?
sn - Graphite
pencil, paint brush, watercolors, color pencils, pencil sharpener. They are
fun.
mwj - Paint, a
tiny brush, a good woman, some beer, and nice weather.
If you were to
die and be reborn as another animal, what would it be?
sn - a deer
mwj - seth
The opening
reception for the Free life Center is on Friday the 23rd of July from 7-10 pm,
as well as musical performances the night after on Saturday the 24th, from
6-9pm. Check out this sweet time lapse of the Free Life Center's erection as well as postcards for the Free Life Center and photography exhibit
happening in the back.
ML4U's latest contributor, Kirsten Incorvaia visits with Oakland artist Tracey Snelling. Kirsten takes us on a virtual tour of Tracey's latest and incredible sculptures that could be any small town in Anywhere, U.S.A. Along with the visit, Kirsten talks with Tracey about her work and her newest endeavor her non-profit, San Pablo Arts District Fund. Truly inspirational! - meighan
When Meighan first invited me to contribute to My Love for You, I couldn't wait to get started. However weeks passed and I found myself dodging the lovely curator of this blog for I hadn't yet encountered an artist worthy of my first post! Then I came across this artist profile video of Tracey Snelling at a small film screening in San Francisco; and I knew she was the one.
Tracey's work is unlike any other. Lights buzz and flicker while music, voices, and street sounds fill the space between tiny apartment buildings and mini liquor stores. I felt like Gulliver walking through Tracey's current "Bordertown" installation; the warped perception created by floor-to-ceiling projections and little dwarf buildings makes you wobbly in the knees. Tracey caters to the voyeur in all of us with open roofs, teensy interactive rooms, and films playing from baby windows to tell a story about who lives (or lived) inside. Though nothing compares to seeing, feeling and hearing this work in person, tour the world of Tracey Snelling with words and pictures for an enchanting ride.
Are you very observant of details within an environment? What memories stick with you?
I do look at what's around me, but I'm more attracted to the type of places that I go. A new building is fine, it's ok, but I really prefer to look at a
horribly ugly apartment building with peeling paint or a store with hand
painted signage. Maybe it's not necessarily a place that I would wanna live in, but it's more interesting to go into a house that's not super clean and put together with everything in its place. The oldness and quirkiness of some of the ugly buildings is more attractive.
Did you ever imagine yourself incorporating video into your work?
It
made sense that I would do video or something involved in film because I
think that way. When I photograph my sculptures in an environment, I think in film stills- it's taking the sculpture and putting in a
specific time, meaning and place like you do in a film. When I see one of these places, it's a setting
and I think about who lives there and what's their story.
Do you ever consider going along the route of writing narratives exploring the lives of who lives in these homes and towns?
I'm pretty open to
whatever happens, I'll always be a visual artist but I'm not stuck in any particular medium. I think it's good to keep my mind open that way, and allow the creativity to go where it wants to go. If I label myself as purely sculptor then at some point I could get stuck or limited. I hope to stay fresh and always exploring and changing and creating my whole life. I don't want to get stuck in a certain style and keep doing the same thing over and over for years- it seems boring to me. Maybe you should just start a factory if you're gonna do that.
With a background in photography, how did you come to incorporate
collage, sculpture, audio and video into your artmaking process?
I don't like to have too much control or thought over what I'm doing. I
let my thoughts lead me without having a super drawn out plan- it's more
like an experiment or experience to let the art happen unconsciously. Nothing is ever used just once; layers of sculpture, photography and video are always distorting and changing to
show that nothing is really one reality, but it's all based on
perception.
Which artists do you draw inspiration from?
Artists that I find
influence from at the moment are Pipilotti Rist and Missy Elliot. Though
Missy Elliot's a
musical artist, the way she puts together her songs is really
interesting to me. There are so many layers and changes, it's more
complicated than other music out today.
How did you learn to work with wood, video, lighting, and audio?
I had done some
physical labor work when I was in the California Conservation Corps and the US Forest Service. It wasn't woodwork, but I just learned as I went along. Nothing's really precise in my sculptures- it's
not like building a cabinet or table- the measurements are all off. As
long as it doesn't fall apart. It's good to learn
skills as a lot of them can be applied to doing handy work
around my house. I also like learning about electronics and electricity, most of it isn't as complicated as it first seems. There are levels, starting with what you need to get done,
and it seems easy. Then you go further and it jumps in
complexity.
Sometimes you reveal the wiring behind your video and audio. How does this add to the installation?
I like having the
contrast between the finished and the raw. To me it's not just a movie or a theater set,
it adds another layer of meaning with the main presentation in the front and the back
available. Exposing the process speaks to the idea of sets and facade.
Do you ever work on a larger scale?
It depends. When I lived in China for a residency one and a half years ago, I did a life-size shack like one would find in the village outside where I was staying. I enjoy combining it with the small scale I’ve been doing. It changes your perception, like you're a giant walking through.
I started San Pablo Arts District Fund with two friends to help revitalize this area of Oakland and help turn it into an arts district. Right now we have a storefront (donated to us by the Whittier family) with a few installations and a literary reading that happens every other month. Eventually we would like to expand and offer partially funded artist work spaces so they don’t have to pay so much. We’d like to get some gallery spaces and start programs with schools and senior citizen housing there so we can help spread the art. We’re also working on getting billboards donated so that international and local artists can do public projects.
What motivates you personally to drive this project?
When I’m not traveling somewhere to install work or do a group
exhibition or residency, I’m often here in my studio working by myself
or maybe with an assistant. It’s nice to be doing something I love
related to the arts out in the community. It’s more about something
outside of me and my work- something bigger.
Why did you choose San Pablo Ave. to start this program?
A friend of one of the founders has a building there that’s sat
vacant for a long time. They talked about what to do with it and he
ended up letting us use the storefront for installations. The discussion
got us talking- why not? This part of the street hasn’t been a good
place; with drugs, prostitution, and crimes. Emeryville is close by with
shopping- why not turn this into a place where people want to stop and
look at art? Nobody stops and gets out of cars there. There are lots of
empty storefronts. It’s prime for something to happen.
Sounds like a solid plan. What can we do to help?
We need volunteers that want to help with some of the exhibitions coming up- administration and getting things organized. We also need artists to help create stuff. Email Tracey for details.
What’s going on this summer for San Pablo Arts District Fund?
We have a new video installation up in the window soon. Like the current installation, it will come on every night from 8pm-1am. We are also working with a literary group called Lip Service West to do a reading every other month- the next meeting is Friday, August 13th.
Tracey is also looking for an intern to help with studio work and administration/organizing. If you have a general background in art and sculpture, live close to Oakland, and dig her stuff- get a hold of her at traceysnelling.com!
Friend and contributing blogger Jillian Mackintosh shares with us some extra special news about her new venture, Gallery Hijinks along with some thoughtful sculpture. - meighan
I’ve been hiding a little
secret but now I’m proud to finally announce the debut of Gallery Hijinks, a space for new and
emerging artists! Stemming from
artistic backgrounds, working in numerous galleries, and curating art for both
private and commercial spaces, my business partners and I decided to venture
out on our own and create a space completely unique and genuine. We are excited
to have this opportunity to build our own roster of emerging talent. Although
our doors are not yet open to the public, we’ve installed three neon sculptures
that light up the new space and shine through the front windows.
How we perceive ourselves and the world around us is described by the adjectives we use. Whether something is beautiful, ugly, yellow, green, small or tall, we use these words to create meaning in our lives. Meryl Pataky, an artist who works with mostly metals, dear hide and neon lighting, has translated this very philosophy of using words as an expression of her artistic nature. Her work combines certain resources and visual languages that might not often be seen together in a traditional setting.
"My work relies heavily on personal narrative. I tend to base my work on the experiences in my life that shape me into who I am. These experiences are what I relate to most intimately and, in turn, allow me to confidently make the appropriate decisions about my work, its concepts and materials. We are all molds that are filled with different substances. These are a delicate blend of our paths, experiences, beliefs and interactions that form our being. As a result, we are all different casts – we are all made of different material." - Meryl Pataky
Visit the installation after 7:00pm at Gallery Hijinks, located at 2309 Bryant Street, SF CA 94110.
****Contributor Jillian Mackintosh shares with us her visit into Meredith Dittmar's colorful and incredible clay world. ~meighan****
I recently made a visit to Meredith Dittmar’s artist studio to get a first hand look at the process and beauty of her polymer clay sculptures. I was in awe to enter her lush “Homes & Gardens” backyard where she sculpts and paints large, playful creatures. In her art studio, amps and turn tables are ready to set the mood for creating the insane amount of detail you see in every facet of her sculptures. With scientific and technical precision, Meredith assembles a delightful pallet of colors and shapes into scenes of mystery with deep philosophical roots. We spoke about technology, math, religion, nature, and the world existing within these realms.
She is currently working on a few separate collections and commission works that she let me photograph. The stages in her procedure come together in many different, and often somewhat random ways; beginning with a sketch and improvising until the piece is completed.
Meredith’s high energy and comical sense of humor transmit into her characters and figurines. You can see more of her figures she calls “My Guys” on her website corporatepig.com.
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