Kaeko Mizutani
Marju Must
"My paintings explore the relationship between a person’s feelings and their emotional memories. The moments in my paintings are depicted in my own visual vocabulary, where self-expression of emotions is limitless. By highlighting aesthetics, I create intense personal moments taken from experience."
Marju Must is an Estonian artist born in Tallinn and currently lives and works in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated from Tartu Art College, Estonia with a BA (2017) in Painting and Painting Restoration. She has been on exchange studies in Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences' restoration department in Kouvola, Finland. There, after a second semester she completed thesis with Finnish artist, Kaapo Rissala, transferring to wallpainting restoration and conservation. In 2011, Marju graduated from the Euroacademy with BA degree on Interior Architecture.
Marju's art reflects her interest in human nature and emotions. Currently, her primary focus is on juxtaposing elements of reality with surrealism. Depicting a visual incentive and an emotion revived on the canvas are equally important for her. In her earlier work, she was more focused on depicting realistic details and developing technical skills, while lately her work has transformed into expressing emotional states in a freeer form of paint, with textures and layers.
Marju’s artwork has been shown in several exhibitions in Estonia. She has been participating in group exhibitions since 2012. Her first solo show "Painted Poems" took place in Võru Town Gallery in Võru, Estonia, where she illustrated poems with paintings. Marju has illustrated and had exhibitions about the children’s book “Story Cellar” in Saare Country Central Library and Orissaare Library, Estonia. Her first participation in an exhibition abroad, was the show "Fear" which took place online in Krakow, Poland 2021.
HSIUNG YU
Born 1966, Taiwan
Lives in: Taipei, Taiwan
Describe your art in three words: Alchemy, Zen, Childlike
Education: BA. London College of Fashion from University of the Arts London, UK
See More Work: https://www.101artist.com
I am waiting for some kind of miracle! Every piece of my work has my art gallery. I consider myself an alchemist.I purify my heart through painting, I believe that art can reshape life while exploring the mysteries of the world, conveying the most profound portrayal of life in the artist's creation, persistence in creation is life.The meaning of hope that the stone will turn into gold.
What themes does your work involve?
My works involve the past, present and future, echoing the connection of distant things in time and space. My creative construction is based on future primitivism, combining codes, philosophy, literature, music and mechanical installation art. Blend and weave a world of strange and fantasy.Describe your creative process.
I deal with my two states at the same time: one is the desire to move forward steadily and regularly, the other is trying to break through and find a world based on contemporary art Most of my works are series works. I love watching news about the discovery of new species and nature, such as Amami starry sky gizzard, tardigrades, blue dragons, sea god grass, etc. A future composition for painting, treat it as an out-of-print collection, an inspiration, a precious miracle every time.What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?
For the five years from 2015 to 2019, I traveled to Europe at least 60 days a year. I've done art tours and visited 180 museums and galleries. My dream is to visit every art gallery in the world and my creations are exhibited and collected by art gallery around the world.What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?
A unique identification, with its own painting language, can infinitely create many spiritual symbols of truth, goodness and beauty without a headache, including a discerning mind and a pure soul. A work of art is great because we complete it with strong vitality and courage, and finally achieve the prayer of beautiful giving.What is the role of the artist today?
I don't want to paint realistic surfaces of various species, the lines do not necessarily need to be delicate, sometimes blurred and sometimes clear, what I am depicting is the beautiful atmosphere of life. If I can lead the way, I'm sure I'll get feedback too.
This interview was published by Circle Foundation of the Arts. © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist
Mildred
Dorothy Fagan
Peter Goodhall
Jason Engelbart
Nicola Majocchi
Vinod Madhok
Georg Douglas
Mathieu Nozieres
Cristina Corvino
Luba
Nathan Miller
Born 1980, Tampa, Florida, USA
Lives in: Covington, Georgia, USA
Describe your art in three words: Harmony, Conservation, Coexistence
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Florida
See More Work: https://nathanmiller.gallery | Instagram@nathanmillerfineart
"I am an imaginative realist painter of both wildlife and people. I use acrylic paints and primarily prefer working with smooth surfaces like gesso board so that every detail is visible. My work explores elements of design, symmetry, symbolism, and concepts dealing with our relationship with other species."
What themes does your work involve?
Today I am working on a new series that explores wild animals and indigenous human cultures from around the world. And while this series considers the stories, traditions and challenges that surround wildlife, it also emphasizes the need to protect and coexist with wildlife. This series celebrates both animals in the wild and indigenous cultures. Despite the history of conflict, as human populations increase and wildlife populations decrease, there will need to be a shift toward coexistence.Describe your creative process.
When I begin a painting, I first do a significant amount of research on a topic. I learn more about the culture or species that I am depicting in my work. I create a digital mockup with many photos until I have a layout that I like. Once the mockup is complete, I begin sketching it out on gesso board. And only then, once the layout is ready, do I begin to paint. The painting can take many hours, weeks, and sometimes even months, to complete. It's a very meticulous process. Even when the painting is complete, the process continues with varnishing the art, preparing it for print and, finally, choosing the frame.What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?
Humanity has been disconnected from the natural world for far too long. This outer and inner disconnection from nature is causing the world around us to fall apart. While we distract ourselves with our own pursuits, and as we place ourselves above all else, ecosystems disappear. Somehow, we must find a way to reconnect with the natural world, to appreciate the value of wildlife, and see ourselves as a part of the ecosystem. I find value in all emotional life, and I enjoy depicting that life in different scenarios. In fact, I’m particularly interested in stories that pertain to both animals and people.I hope my work can, in some small way, help others value nature, animals, and the impact of narrative realism in art.
What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?
I think art fell from grace in the 20th century. It was a period of rebellion from standards that took centuries to perfect. Wall accents were given more glory than thought provoking, masterful creations of genius and wonder. The juvenile and ridiculous were valued more than the beautiful and skillful. Today, fortunately, great art, I believe, is making a comeback. So, what is great art? I think great art is the art that requires time, practice, and energy to perfect. It's the art that is considered masterful, not because of a propped-up name due to gimmicks and fame, but because of standards of design, composition, color, light, dark, shape, and the nature of creativity, meaning, and thought-provoking emotion. Good art has elements of this. Great art has all of it.What is the role of the artist today?
I can't say what the role of every artist is, because every artist has their own story and their own purpose. But I can say that one thing artists have in common is the desire to speak their truth through their art. Artists simply wish to create - to share what is in them or, perhaps, what comes through them. The challenge today is how much of an artist's work is genuine, and how much is a response to what's marketable. I don't fault artists for attempting to find a balance between the two. If art is a career choice, then it's important for the art to be marketable. The trick is to find a way to speak authentically through one's art in a way that resonates with a particular audience.
This interview was published by Circle Foundation of the Arts. © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist
Todd Jones
Dieneke Tiekstra
Emiko Aida
Mozhdeh Zandieh-Grayson
Francesca O'Malley
Stephen Spiller
William Ruller
Sergey Piskunov
Jean-Pierre Alban
Boris Garanger
Symona Colina
"Perspective a wonderful journey, one starts at a point following a line... melodically."
Symona Colina was born in 1954 in Ridderkerk, The Netherlands and has been actively showing her work internationally, including in The Netherlands, the United States, Italy, Spain, Belgium, England, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France. Symona lives and works in Italy.
"Perspective is a dance with colors and lines that follows a melody of outspread wings. Perspective is a meeting and a clash between length, height and width. Where I see the world inside of me. Where I see the world outside of me. Art has many interfaces with existence. It is all around in its countless disciplines. And nevertheless unlimited."
The interfaces employed by Symona Colina in the visual arts chiefly tie in with: 'spatial perception, spatial thinking and contemplation.' Through which infinity apparently comes within reach.
Jason Engelbart
Born 1960, Germany
Lives in: Hamburg, Germany
Describe your art in 3 words: Inspiring, touching, visionary
See More Work: http://jasonengelbart.de | Singulart
"My abstract-baroque works are based on my personal exploration of the diversity of our being. They are at the same time a reflection of the universal love that unites us all and they are an expression of my deep respect for our being, for the wonders of life and for every creature in this world. Against this background, my works are a homage to life, to our being."
What themes does your work involve?
The more our world is unsteady, the more the intentions for positive charging and balancing become stronger in me. It is not about painting the things in my works looking beautiful, but rather about using the tools at my disposal to trigger reflection and create a positive awareness of our daily togetherness. Here is the source of my sacral-abstract emotional artworks. In the creative process I feel deeply connected with my soul, my spirit… with God. My so-called digital neopaintings of the work cycle THE JOY OF BEING (2016 until today) are created in a purely intuitive creative process and are reflections of my personal feelings and experiences. My art is a testament to a cultivation of wholesome, human qualities, for positive change and development, which I state as my artistic vision.Describe your creative process.
Using my characteristic digital painting technique, developed over the years, I abstract selected original works of the Baroque art epoch by superimposing picture levels, blurring, overpainting and re-composing them. In the process, my very own flowing structures and pictorial rhythms emerge, while the original colour composition remains largely untouched. In sum, colour and form transform into a single aesthetic-abstract event that is experienced on a purely emotional level and independent of time and space as a holy moment. Through this form of digitally painterly, an abstract re-staging of the original, I build a finely balanced bridge to contemporary art without disenchanting.What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?
The trigger for my abstract-baroque serie of works was a visit to the Würzburg Residenz in Germany in 2016. Overwhelmed by the opulent ceiling frescoes by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Antonio Giuseppe Bossi and Johannes Zick inside the Baroque castle, a deep desire arose in me to mirror this splendour of spirituality in the form of an abstract translation into the present. I closed my eyes while looking at the exuberant works on the walls and ceilings, except for a narrow slit of vision, until the figurativeness of the paintings dissolved into abstraction. Thus the foundation stone for my work cycle THE JOY OF BEING was laid.What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?
In my opinion, good art is timeless and at the same time enables reflection on the respective present moment. It touches on an emotional level, inspires the viewer and encourages him to pause and to contemplate.What is the role of the artist today?
From my personal point of view, all forms of art are expressions of human existence. They are instruments for dealing with the past and at the same time have a dimension directed towards the future through visionary content, that can be guiding for the further development of society. This is why it is particularly important for an artist to use his/her possibilities of artistic expression in a respectful and responsible manner. In our multi-ethnic world, art therefore has a particularly high status. At best, it is an engagement to support integration and to highlight the positive elements of cultural diversity. In this sense, art is an invitation to a dialogue between the most diverse cultures and it offers the opportunity for self- reflection – for the artist and also for each recipient.
- Digital Neo Painting, Fine Art Print on Alu Dibond 190 x 120 cm
This interview was published by Circle Foundation of the Arts. © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist
Anette Björk Swensson
Oleg Lobykin
Philip Noyed
Jerry Steingraeber
Emiko Aida
Olivia-Patricia O'Neal
Gia Strauss
Ulla Ferdinandsen
Sergey Piskunov
Artem Ogurtsov
Michael Herbert Dorn
Born 1961, St. George's, Bermuda
Lives in: Kraainem, Belgium
Describe your art in 3 words: Post-contemporary art
See More Work: www.michaelherbertdorn.com | Instagram@michael_herbert_dorn_artist
"The painting series entitled, SYLLOGY, combines "traditional European painting techniques" and intermedia elements including the use of digital mobile devices to view the exhibited paintings as "color-inverted" digital images. This new painting series appropriates "canonical" European paintings in order to create and vitalize a new context for art historical and contemporary representation."
What themes does your work involve?
One of several thematics involved in my work is a question regarding the fundamental truth value of the received historical records that are used to validate modern concepts of reality. A leading concept within my work is the singular idea that a metaphysical inversion has imprisoned all possible conceptions of reality. I use canonical representations of European history and mythology as a visual jumping-off point to set up conditions for a pictorial argument about the racialization of historical representation. But, the thematic of race is really just a primer.Describe your creative process.
My process begins with a search for a suitable classical or canonical painting. Whenever possible, I do try to study the painting directly from life, making my own sketches and photographs during that session. However, COVID restrictions have made this nearly impossible. So, now I either purchase or locate free high-resolution images online. The images need to be high resolution. Using Photoshop, I'll make adjustments to the saturation, color temperature, and other image aspects. After this, I create the inverted image of the subject painting. I usually make one or two poster studies with the added figure. From the very begining of the process I am thinking about the placement of the additional figure. I use the "story" of the painting to help guide me.What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?
Today, the artist's ability to actually engage their sensitivities with the events happening in the world are the primary measure of good, great, and worthless art. True art goes beyond self-expression or any financial interest.About my current work, and what is the Post-contemporary?
I call myself a “post-contemporary” oil painter. What I mean by post-contemporary will become more apparent as I briefly describe my working processes. My current painting project takes a look back in art history. It appropriates (or expropriates—depending on one’s viewpoint) the view of a particular foundational oil painting of the early renaissance, northern renaissance, mannerism, baroque, or the neoclassical periods of art history, respectively. I use both religious and secular themed paintings. Using digital images of these paintings, I essentially recreate these “classical” works of art as color-inverted images—they appear as what used to be called a (film) “negative” in the commercial heyday of photographic films like Kodak, Fuji, and Ilford. But that’s not all. I have painted an additional figure within the negative field of these images—a so-called “racially-black” figure. I usually place this “interloper” figure within a pictorial space that appears to me to be inactive in the original paintings. This creates a new, two-way visual context.My process begins with the search for a suitable “classical” painting. Whenever possible, I try to directly study and take high-resolution digital photographs of the actual painting. Museum visits have become nearly impossible with the manifestation of COVID-19. So, now I either purchase or locate free images online. Within Photoshop, I then make color adjustments to the image, including its color inversion. In addition to color inversion, I will sometimes alter the images overall color temperature, and in selected areas, the color saturation. After that, I will usually make one or more small freehand color “poster-studies” in oil paints to explore the color relationships and the composition. I carefully study the color relationships between the reconfigured and color-inverted oil painting and the virtual image captured on the mobile device’s screen. In these sketches, I include all aspects of the inverted “classical” painting and the added “non-color inverted” (color-positive) figure. Once I am satisfied, I will then make an underdrawing on my canvas using blue Staedtler Lumichrome drafting leads. I’ll then apply a very thin layer of semi-transparent titanium white and marble dust paint to the entire canvas. This scumble layer is referred to as a “half-paste.” This half- paste becomes what in the early Italian method is termed the campitura layer. Over the dry half-paste layer, I begin to apply my color upon the now faintly visible blue lines of the underpainting, modeling the forms as I go along. I work each section very close to the final finish, except the central background, which I’ll generally lay in during the final stages. Of course, this is a very fluid process, and it never follows—one-two-three—like I’ve just written.
Both my creative process and the ideological foundation of my project depends upon digital media. Of critical importance in this painting series is the spectator’s use of their digital mobile device to provide an active digitally color-inverted view of each of the paintings displayed within the actual exhibition space. Viewing an analog painting with the aid of a mobile digital-media device is explicitly a new way of encountering and extending a painting’s semantic potential by challenging the conventional notion of how we (traditionally) experience or view a “painting.”
This project came about as I began to explore and question the development of European and Eurocentric racial ideologies (namely, white-supremacy) that were concurrent with the development of many of the aforementioned art historical periods and many confluent Eurocentric philosophical systems. My current project also resonates with my questioning of how contemporary political, social, and cultural ideas interact with the plastic arts from the European past.
Some artists/writers might classify the post-contemporary as an aesthetic or a critical construct. But I am doubtful of the limiting framework of those terms. Other writers have called the post-contemporary a movement akin to the Baroque redux or Neoclassical redux. Not me. By post-contemporary, I do not mean the widely held consensus that post- contemporary artworks merely or mainly exhibit the traits of skillful execution, creativity, and expresses some degree of “empathy.” I would say that there are many works done by some of the most well trained and technically skilled artists in the world that are not post- contemporary. I’m afraid I also have to disagree that what is being called post-contemporary art is some newfangled way of positing traditional, global, or universal values—as opposed to contemporary art, which they claim pertain to transient (or spurious), topical, or local values.
For me, the post-contemporary artist holds a generous view upon all the myriad forms of what we call art history. By generous I mean two things. First, the totality of art history is taken as a barometer of both the global and national social, political, and cultural environment. Second, this generous view is taken as through a holographic lens. It is a view enabling a capacity towards moral imagination, that distinct quality of understanding (a work of art) within the general and specific context of its creation. Above all things, beyond this said specific context, the post-contemporary implementation proceeds as a form of inquiry into how historical (Eurocentric) visual culture has been used and is being used to inculcate, delineate, underscore, and establish the political, social, and cultural artifacts of our age. The post-contemporary artist is not at all interested in the so-called art historical tradition for the sake of hegemonic notions of tradition and the idea that “it was better back then.” The post contemporary artist understands that art history is foremost an ideological political field. For me, post-contemporary artists must make an in-depth inquiry into how the visually received narratives function within our contemporary milieux to create injustice, lies, and outright (psycho-cultural) deceptions. Within this post-contemporary sphere, my primary interest is in exploring and challenging the ideas fomented by the representation (or lack thereof) of non- white peoples in classical European art.
This interview was published by Circle Foundation of the Arts. © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist