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Straight from the Source: Interviewing Five AIM Artists About What They Are Trying to Communicate Through their Piece by Kiara Ventura When studying a work of art, there is usually one main question on our minds: “What message is the artist trying to send to me as a viewer?” You search every corner of the piece and your questions still remain unanswered. It would be great if the artist who created this work was there to answer your floating questions. On the night of July 15th, the Bronx Museum of the Arts held a Summer Open House event in which they invited the public and artists who had their work on display in the exhibition called, “Bronx Calling: The Third AIM Biennial.” These emerging artists residing in the New York metropolitan area were selected participants of the AIM (Artists in the Marketplace) program in which they attend a 13-week seminar that aid them in networking and finding opportunities. Every two years, AIM produces an exhibition and catalogue that features the work of 72 artists. I got the rare opportunity to speak to some of these artists and ask that exact question we ask ourselves. While standing in front of their piece, I asked five AIM artists, “What is the main message you are trying to send to your viewers through this work?” This question then sparked a discussion. Here is what they said… 1. Fiederieke Reveman and Red Head  Photo taken by: KV  Photo taken by: KV FR: My work is about childhood memory and the sensitivity about childhood. It is kind of a research through the colors and through the composition. It is like a collage of memories and trauma. KV: It seems like the memories are flashing by...I see a sense of movement. FR: Yes, there is a dreamlike atmosphere. There are things you can guess maybe by seeing it. But by seeing it together as a painting, it is always changing. There is never a fixed point in the painting. KV: Is there a reason why one eye is clearer than the other? FR: Yes, it is like a memory so the face is almost vanishing into the surrounding. It is kind of coming out of nowhere. The face is almost sculpted with the whites then it goes more to the detailed part. KV: I love how there are a lot of vivid colors on one side and then they fade away on the other side. Oh, and I see some faces here! FR: You can see some figures in there. This is why I think it is interesting to play with the viewers. You can see something, if you want to see something. KV: Yeah, maybe different viewers will see different things in this work. FR: Yes, that is exactly what I want to transport. Click here to find out more about Fiederieke 2. Ronald Hall and Shadows of Color  Picture of Work from ronaldhall.com  Photo of Artist Ronald Hall from examiner.com RH: Well, I just moved here from Seattle about a year and a half ago. When I first moved here, I was here to do a residency. I was excited about living in New York for the first time so I wanted to do something that was a homage to New York. I decided to do some research and find out about the history of African Americans in New York. I dug up some images I found in books and online. So this painting is loosely based on some historical images of African American life in the 18th century. KV: When you did research, what did you find out about African American life in New York during that time period? RH: I found out about a slave revolt that happened in Manhattan during the 1800s that caused the destruction of a lot of African American affluent neighborhoods and businesses. Some of these images are loosely based on that. This building here (to the right) is based on one of the buildings that actually existed in one of these neighborhoods located in Brooklyn. And that building (to the left) is an image of the first African American color school in Brooklyn. It is actually still standing I believe. That silhouette (next to twisted arrow symbol) is of a voting ballot. KV: What does the little face placed in the purple word cloud suppose to symbolize? RH: Yes, it is a symbol of an racism. The image is based off of a well known book called Uncle Tom's Cabin. Click here to find out more about Ronald 3. Gamaliel Rodriguez and Figure 1730  Image of "Figure 1730" from abstractioninaction.com  Artist Gamaliel Rodriguez poses with his work "Figure 1730" Taken by: KV GR: Basically what I do is draw illustrative drawings using ballpoint pen and ink. The whole idea is to create this illusion that looks real but it is actually not. I actually invented them. And also if you see the top of the drawing, there is a text attached to it. The text is also false. There is a relationship between the image and the text. I would like the viewers to create questions when they see this work. This is very important for an artist. When you make something you want people to ask themselves, “What is happening in the image?” and “What did the artist chose to use this material?” The more questions the artwork creates, the better the artwork is. As an artist, you are a communicator and you use art as a channel of communication. And the receivers (the people viewing the work), they will receive and perceive many things. The whole idea is to create something that looks real but actually isn`t. KV: You said that the text is false. What makes it false? GR: I invented the number and searched for real companies that went broke. Then I invented this theory that there was a fire at the company's building but that is false. KV: So this work is all based on your imagination? GR: Yes. KV: Is there a special pen that you used for this? Or did you use a regular ballpoint pen? GR: I just used a regular Papermate blue pen. And to make the straight lines, I used a ruler. For the smoke, I blew the ink out of the pen and onto a plate. Then I used my fingers to create the smoke. KV: How long did it take you to make this? GR: Eight hours a day over the course of a week. KV: How did you come up with the idea for this work? GR: Basically, I was looking for old prints from the eighteenth and seventeenth century. They would use a lot of prints and engravings to illustrate books. When you read a book and then you see the image. You can relate the text to the image. Say you read about a boat that went on fire, then you see the image and think that the fire actually happened. If I invent events like this, that is going to be better because people will believe it is true but it is actually not. Click here to find out more about Gamaliel 4. Maria Hupfield and All Places All Times  "All Places All Times" Taken by: KV MH: This work is about exactly what it says "all places, all times, always and forever" and how art has life and energy even from inside a frame. I think that each of us have different relationships with works of art and although meaning may appear fixed change is a constant. We can see the same piece but we are different people so we have individual encounters. How we see a work can evolve as we gain new insights, experiences and reach different points in our lives. KV: Does this piece also go with the performance piece you just showed us? MH: Absolutely, yes. My performance activates all the elements you see here including those you don't such as the actions made by my body, what I am doing with the materials and of course the live music of Laura Ortman. For performance artists, we often get asked, “Well, we want you to perform at our exhibition,” and I say, “For sure, I would love to perform as part of the exhibit!” - so I can show the full range of my work. Often we only get to see the document of the performance, I never really get to see Coco Fusco doing Planet of the Apes because that is so sought after. Live performance offers a special shared experience. I like to think about our bodies occupying the the gallery and the space coming alive full of creative energy. Hopefully, after the performance you see the work with new eyes and that memory offers something more to the inanimate still object on display. Click here to find out more about Maria 5. Michael Shultis and The Flop  Image of work from michealshultis.com MS: The whole initial concept was to paint the USA winning the world cup and it was suppose to be a joke about global dominance, which I feel an as American we inevitably confront every time we wake up. I took images from the actual World Cup of other teams and replaced the winning team with the USA. The idea of USA and soccer to me is like the perfect combination of irony in the sense that it is the one thing that no one gives a f**k about. That is what I want to use for our conversation about power. KV: I see the big yellow "M" letter in this piece. Is that suppose to resemble the Mcdonald's symbol? MS: Yeah, and it is also the “M” for Mexico. The chainlink fence was an after thought but I am glad I put it in there. KV: Oh, it sort of looks like a goal and fence? MS: Yeah, it was an afterthought thought. What's funny is that it actually needed something so I ended up placing a fence there and I did not even know the connotation until afterwards. KV: What are the objects on each side of the piece? MS: Oh, those are skis. I found those right by the World Trade Center actually. KV: And why did you choose to include them? MS: Part of the goal was to also to reference sports without using the correct objects. The skis and the volleyball while focusing on soccer...It was actually suppose to show the viewer that I am not just talking about soccer, I`m using it only as a metaphor for American stupidity. KV: ...and it is suppose to have a funny sense to it… MS: Totally! I think humor is the most important tool in contemporary art right now. The act of the jester in the Renaissance times was the only person who could confront the king and actually critique the king. And I think that is the same way with art right now. Artists can actually confront the ruling class because the ruling class are those who are buying art. Info:
“Bronx Calling: The Third AIM Biennial” is now on display at the Bronx Museum of the Arts from July 9 to September 20, 2015. For more info, visit http://www.bronxmuseum.org .
Dhruv Talati
7/30/2015 12:38:25 pm
Very Impressive work Kiara Ventura . You are a born Artist and you can recognize other artist also helping others to publish their art work. Comments are closed.
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