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Let me imbue this blog with atypical artistic semantics …
The paradigm shift has in fact begun !
I cringed upon writing the aforementioned statement. It is awfully conventional, however I feel empowered and happy moving into the New Year. A strange surge of motivation has hit me, likely due to the cultural consciousness dramatising the ceremonial aspect of the festive season. In many ways, we all act as if our circumstances will change at the drop of a hat by New Years.
I do not wish to succumb to such naïvety, I concede that I must sound juvenile, lackadaisically talking about the start of 2024 as if it is some miraculous period for me. But I have consolidated a lot of projects I started in January, and have created some art I really love during this Christmas and New Years break.
I finished my first commission, and I am taking on a second one. I have completed an animated digital portrait which might just be the best one I have made thus far, and I a making steady progress on a large-scale photographic collaged outcome.
Another monument, if you will.
It takes too much to please me in all earnestness, but for once, just this once, I feel pleased with my workflow and the amount of artwork I have produced.
I am a true artist ? Perhaps …
Oftentimes, I downplay the transformative, meditations quails art possesses in my life. However, it is inescapable it seems - I must create work out of my own aesthetic volition in order to feel satiated and purposeful in this world.
My artistic practice acts as a visual anchor for all of the values and aspects of worldly culture I find beautiful or intriguing. Genuinely, artwork keeps me sane. The publication of my artworks acts as an outward expression of my values and philosophies to the wider world.
I desire to assume a Heavenly body, sending love to everyone through variegated, oneiric whispers in the Net …
Hm, I am doing a lot of waffling. Flowery artist stalk comes naturally to me, even though I hate that stereotypical, melodramatic Artist phenotype …
We shall see each other soon, whether you view my artwork on Instagram or see another blog post of mine. Who knows ? Perhaps we might engage in theatrical dances on the cobblestone foot paths of York. If you ever come to the North of England …
Fantastical hypotheticals aside, I hope to show all of you some of the work I have been creating. It is a great honour to have a loving audience who critically engages with my work, and receives my creations with such grace.
Many of my new artworks shall be showcased very soon.
Thank you so much to all of you for following me out of all people, amidst the grand expanse of space that is the world of Web Art, I am glad you find value or entertainment in what I do.
Although I have some grievances with “The Kite Runner”, which was written by Khaled Hosseini, I read Chapter 24 with my English Literature class today and my goodness …
This is not what an Afghan kite in a kite running competition looks like … in fact let me link a video displaying Afghan kite running. It is such an interesting sport !
Genuinely, I sobbed like a child. The relationship between Amir and Sohrab occupies a special space in my heart, one that is extremely personal, one that I tend to with a heightened fragility.
When Amir asked Sohrab to cohabitate with him in America and start a new life together I felt this otherworldly expanse of warmth pour into my heart, I became so grateful that I have a connection like this in my life.
Hosseini beautifully articulates the transformative power of familial love. This is something I will never take for granted. I am genuinely so glad I got to read this book.
The clouds have parted and a hazy glow is becoming imminent within my neural pathways, light is expending on my countenance and I feel determined to do well. Not only for myself, but those I love.
Hehe, with this “Mere Thoughts” series, I am trying to get back into the “groove” of writing. My musings are a bit spiky aren’t they ?
Hold up four fingers if you are a sizeable presence in the net, with a quantifiable impact on Art and Culture !!
Kidding …
It is hard to find depictions of conscientious characters within the space opera genre …
Indeed, I feel unproductive for not making a blog post in a few months. I have mostly been showcasing art on Instagram !! Indeed … I am active on there.
But I desire phase in out of this colourful web space and play around on occasion … I really miss making long-winded posts which hit a long word count !!
I hope to mitigate the middle ground between opulence and banality in the grand expanse of space … not going to give in to extraterrestrial hedonism !
Oooh … Preview GIF ! I am talking about Art Today !
Goodevening everyone, I hope you have all been having a wonderful summer !
If you are on summer break that is ...
A menagerie of motivations have sprung to my mind, and I desire to act upon them. One of said motivations urges me and coos me into a relaxed stupor and then hits me with a,
"Scribble down something for your blog likely to be entrenched in dodgy spelling, teen colloquialisms and way too much colour, come on Cyd-Kassandra, you got this!”
I lovingly comply, for one : I am successfully procrastinating on painting a idyllic landscape filled to the brim with lavender for a large installation piece and two - I am in the mood to see words appear on the page, or in this case my computer screen.
Honestly, I keep skipping out months with my blogging .. life gets very busy ! It pains me for "my baby" to be left to their own devices for so long. Come on, feed my lurid delusions and lets pretend this page has some sort of fantastical sentience without my interference ...
Click ! Click ! Click !
Honestly, that would be really great. Imagine a blog which could write its own posts, eh ?
Anyways !
My motivations for this post are scattered and frenetic. However, there is a fundamental truth about Art which I would always want to re-iterate and reinstate as common knowledge. Conceptually, Art is a historically decentralised practice. The lines between "plagiarism" and "sampling" are honestly facetious and in my opinion, rather irrelevant. Indeed, Art is a beautiful collaboration between you and every artist, your antecedents and subsequents.
I want to share 10 of the most prominent figureheads on my own practice. Effectively, I want to dispel the elitism that exists in avant circles and the exclusivity of alternative aesthetics as a whole. In all earnestness, I have lovingly ripped off and appropriated all I know off of a ginormous vat of amazing creatives. This is not a bad thing ! This is very normal, in fact.
I am not ten years old. I just mentioned 10 in the last block of text and this PicMix is really cute and has the number 10 in it … okay rambling caption over !
EEK !! I am very excited !! Have not felt such burning motivations in such a long time, I tend to feel sedentary in my artistic practice, today is the day we change the pace of my activity. Frankly, writing does not come casually to me, it is a labour of concentrated exertion and fluctuating passion, hence the sporadic upload schedule of this blog.
Subconsciously, I have always associated Academia and the gesture of writing to be bound to one another. This is an erroneous assumption which has undoubtedly stifled me in my pursuit for a more regular blogging schedule. You know, it is something you got to power through - Reading and Writing are integral pastimes and will serve you greatly. Do not be like me blog-readers ! Okay, now I am seriously waffling/ Pseudo-self-introspective incoherent jargon is now over. We must put the machine away, no more waffles !
Shall we start ?
Let us commence.
1. Peter Tully
Flamboyance !
This man acted as the ultimate impetus, who motivated me to continue making my own clothes. If we were to chronicle my alternative fashion journey, I have been wearing "Decora" since I was 14 years old, I am 17 now - for the first lets say ... two years ( ?? ) of my fashionable development, I wore other people's designs. Whilst most of the frocks and jewellers I "adorned"
( eh, too ritualistic of a verb for a dippy, punky, snarky thrash of a 14 year old who adored DODDODO ... )
were "sustainably sourced"
( I have not purchased fast fashion out of my own volition for the longest time, not something my family tends to do regardless, this is what I mean by sustainable but the politics of green-conscious fashion are inevitably rocky and contentious ... waffle again, let us continue )
they were not overtly personal, if there is one thing I dislike about my earlier works it is how conventional and monolithic my aesthetic references were. Most likely because I assimilated into subculture at a really early age. Aw, I was kind of cute though - blunt hime bangs, a sardonic smirk with a wall of makeup.
In early 2022, I started to take the initiative to make some of my own frocks, by embellishing tops I wore on a daily basis. My synthetic, neon Decora sensibilities started to erode and terraform into more organic structures. Indeed, my style had a pivotal development in 2022 and is currently on a theatrical, uphill trajectory.
Flashback to some of my shoddy embroidery project ! I am uploading a costume I had been brainstorming for the longest period of time, onto Instagram soon ! It includes this top and some funny shorts … I should include the costume in this video once I complete editing the photos !
I am trying to refine this relationship between my subcultural influences and my historical influences, until I curate a style which I feel is indicative of my inner universe and dreamlike sensibilities.
I think Peter Tully'a work aided in this mission to self-discovery greatly. Humorously, I find myself accidentally ripping off some of his fashionable cues without realising, it is interesting how external medias infiltrate your cognitive patterns and physical systems. I suppose Art is all about mimicry and let me say, when I tell you I fully rip this man off, I truly do !
My Pinterest profile picture in a better resolution ! This is one of my favourite, “casual” outfits - not too many bracelets, or necklaces. I am not being satirical ! But when I tell you I am not original … I mean it !
I borrowed Peter Tully’s pin-badge hat haha. Although, his hat is far more ornate than mine, I should honestly try and recreate one of his looks to a “T” at one point in my life. Gorgeous !
Just look at these wonderful, conceptual designs :
Honestly, practicality has never been a main ethos of my dressage. A common series of questions I get is,
"Does it hurt to wear all of that jewellery ?"
"Are you uncomfortable with all of those layers ?"
"Are you hot in all of that ?"
I irrevocably stifle my physical comfort for emotional gratification. Inarguably, my outfits ( the more maximalist ones ) are a bit itchy, a bit fiddly and relatively heavy. This is a compromise I will ceremonial partake in every day I get the chance to, you only get to dress for yourself once ; you have only one lifetime. Fashionable autonomy, to me, is an extension of my artistic practice and is my communicative recognition of my own beauty and potential to escape the hyperreal standards for an "appearance" that every human is conditioned to believing in.
What you should be saying to yourself every time you get dressed.
Peter Tully was one of the first artists I became accustomed to, who had a fully customisable look - from head to toe, one could not discern where his clothes were from, nor where he was from either. A charismatic projection of queer regalia and fanciful, reflective, rainbow creative energy. Who wouldn't want to be that ? Young me as enamoured to say the least ...
In short, Peter Tully was an amazing and prominent jewellery designer and costumer in the early to mid 1980's, most notably recognised for his creative direction of the Sydney Mardi Gras. Flamboyance at its finest, with overt nods to historical dress. Hehe, should have given this description a bit earlier.
His style is a flurry of affordable maximalist objects, almost adjacent to The Cockettes in its DIY, performative, and queer ethos. I love it !
I never take mirror selfies ! But … I strongly back a fashionable, flurry of ordinary objects ! It is so nice to wear things which you have made and embroidered yourself ! I made my hair accessory, some of my necklaces and I decorated my scarf !
His formidable craftsmanship coloured my work with textiles and my visual art considerably. I am so grateful for that. Although I act in full confidence and assurance that I am a distinguished artist with a personal style, I am always citing past figureheads as informants for the work I currently procure. Respectfully, I owe my artistic development to so many people, both dead and living - I could not even scrape the surface of all of my inspirations in one blog post.
I almost go into a provocative, hysterical frenzy whenever I see jewellery. Genuinely, I turn into this animatedly gleeful bundle of nerves whenever I see large stones, real or fake, antique or newly acquired. Such a happy place for me, I will never grow weary of precious gems. There is something painfully alluring and addictive in assuming Maximalist proclivities, as if you are a child pretending to play the role of "Queen" or "Princess". Part escapism part self-introspection, everyday we play dress up, don't we ?
Sometimes I dress up like I have square-rimmed glasses, and use Napster to download Math Rock albums … not exactly the most mystical of aesthetics. Also, I do not really like Math Rock !
I really want to consolidate the reasons for all of my artistic addictions in written form, I think it would be dually fun and therapeutic. Frankly, it helps me come to terms with my predilection for a maniacal consumption of media and my terminally online habits. Eh ... I should probably sort that out, yes ?
Speaking of which, I think I may make a follow-up to this blog with my musical influences. Yes, I know, I do not make music - although, I have always yearned to do an operatic noise music performance-art project in the future. Decisively, this will not be coming into fruition in the short-term, as I am already struggling to tie up the loose ends on a lot of my other extra-curricular Art projects as well as my school work.
Eek, I am starting Year 13 in 3-and-a-half weeks, I am a bit nervous !
Anyways, yes ! I would like to sequentially follow this blog post up with Musicians and Musical Acts alike, whose visuals and sonics influence my respective works. Expect a lot of Power Electronics, Extratone and Splittercore ... I will try and diversify my quota of "10". So many genres to choose from ... lots of guttural electronica do not worry about it ! Noise Rock too, most likely. It would be a crime if I did not mention Decolonise Your Mind Society .. haha. Ah, what about "World Music" and "New Age" stuff ooh ?
Totally derailing. But everyone should watch this ! This is one of my favourite documentaries on YouTube !
Okay, I have fully derailed this blog post once again. Let us divert our attention away from frenetic music talk and back onto "artistic influences" talk !
Shall we move onto influence number two ?
Let me interject and say these are not in any specific hierarchy of prominence nor influence, these Artists are all equally fundamental to my development as an Artist and a young lady. I enjoy all of their works equally.
2. Xia Chengan
Chengan Xia's work is a menagerie of visual propaganda, suffocating neons, cluttered typography and repetitive portraits. It is perfectly lowbrow, satirical, nostalgic and equally emotional. He self-describes his work as "Chinese contemporary maximalist". Well, looking at his work who could deny that description ?
Buy the Case, Return the Case
With silver, With gold, Bridal sedan chair to the door …
I think that this article from De : Formal offers a far better description of his own work than I could ever give :
"Chengan Xia is a visual artist and graphic designer based in Chicago and Shanghai. By utilizing printed matter, photography, video, and installation, his work celebrates the “trash aesthetics” born from Chinese low cultural phenomena. With the methodology of appropriation, collage, and building ironic narrative, his work critiques the fetishism manifested in such culture, which involves broader discussion of consumerism, technology, tradition, and politics. He received his MFA in visual communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago."
Apart from one Godfather, I have no cultural affinities to China whatsoever. However, what created a stark impression on me as a young Artist observing Chengan Xia's work was his commitment and trust in the lowbrow. Often, I feel as if work which is highly saturated, kitschy or playful in nature is written off as "ironic" or "post-ironic". Dismaying artists from being confident in their commentary.
Whilst a small, alluring component of Maximalism is irony, I beg the question : Why is colour never treated with legitimacy ? Which emotions are conceptualised to be of importance in Art ? Who is the voice answering these aforementioned questions ? I think you are still allowed to be proud in work which is perceived to be "ironic" or "lowbrow".
His work does not exploitatively mock nor appropriate Chinese characteristics, but honours them with a pinch of facetious affection. Very admirable.
Let me show you some more works from Chengan's prolific studio practice, if you click on these images you will be taken to his website, explaining these specific works :
A carefree, malleable spirit should always be persistent in your artworks. Overt attachment to material objects and the fear of ruining your own work will hold everything back, I assure you ! Besmirch everything with an experimental "more is more" process ! Make risk ritualistic !
Surprise, surprise. I tend to unashamedly rip off the man's colour schemes for my abstract works. I love the punches of neon green, and prioritisation of glitchy warm tones. Red and yellow especially.
In all earnestness, I feel as if we are both preoccupied with our own explicit subject matter - I do not think I will be tackling Chinese social phenomenons anytime in my artwork. I am not well-versed enough in Chinese aesthetics for that, nor do I have any strong cultural ties to the country.
However, the universality of concepts such as nostalgia, statehood, lowbrow culture are equally responsive and engaging. These concepts are indeed ones which I tackle in my own artworks. I can hear the cringey musings on dual identity from the Filipino-English perspective from a mile away .. Eek !
I love the universality of the human experience !
Finally, how could I forget ? Or well ... that might not be the right wording. How could I not explicitly mention ? Have you seen Chengan's website ? It is arguably where I pull most of my visual cues from, so much colour ... so much tacky font. It is superb ! Perfectly complimenting his work.
I have always emphasised in conversation the importance of a curated, personal space for artworks to take refuge in - this manipulation of subterranean space ( or in Chengan's case cyberspace ) is integral in fully contextualising your artwork and resolving its meaning. This is what allures me to multi-medium installation works. I am not fond of a white wall gallery myself, or paintings existing as a sole performance without any thought given to its habitat. These two narratives for Art are tolerable, but not ideal.
Ah ... this blog is going to be extremely long. We are approximately a fifth through, give or take, it is okay - we need to keep going ! Finally, I have the time to blog and this summer might be the penultimate period in which I will be able to blog regularly before the onslaught of university applications and A-levels. Come on ! Motivation please strike me into a volatile bliss of servitude ! Let me be a servant to writing !
Thank you !
3. Hiromi Tango
I have discussed a fashionable influence of mine and a more "Visual Art" influence in succession. Well ... what if fashion and installation was explicitly merged ... hehe ?
A strong, emerging interest in soft sculpture and wearable art has ruptured my insides, ( that is such horrible wording ) and has compelled me to create large-scale sculptures combining textiles, acrylic paint and general craft. Tango's work has been extremely beneficiary and informative to my shift to sculptural paintings with a secondary motif of textiles. I think her work is utterly joyful.
I think me and Hiromi Tango's works, are agreeable in colour scheme, overall noise, and vibrancy. We are immersed with different subject matter, Hiromi Tango does more deep-dives on colour theory and epigenetic, whilst I am more preoccupied with subculture and loyalism. I am preoccupied more with man-made concepts in my work than emotionality for some reason. I think there is something extremely fantastical and "make-believe" about notions of patriotism, the monarchy, citizenship and ceremony. Anyways, elevator pitch over ...
Hiromi Tango, ah what is there to say ! So much ! I feel as if her influence on my artworks are slightly more covert ? Or maybe I am a delusional girl, perhaps it is wildly obvious I am a fan of hers. Anyways let me present your with an extract from the "Bio' section her website :
"Hiromi Tango is an established interdisciplinary artist, based in the Bundjalung Country, Northern New South Wales, Australia. Her practice intersects with art, health, and neuroscience, exploring universal themes of humanity, sustainability, and nature. For nearly two decades, Tango has focused on the intersection between art and mental health. Drawing on her own experiences of anxiety, her installations and performances traverse the embodied self, the emotional terrain of our relationships with others, and the healing possibilities of art. She has collaborated with numerous scientists, health professionals and research institutions, exploring how various aspects of the art-making process can contribute to positive mental wellbeing."
She is also really beautiful, this is where my teenage ,"fangirl" sensibilities infest the blog post but seriously, she has such a well-distinguished appearance ! I would say "goals" if I wanted to go all-in with jejune colloquialisms but I won't. Well, I technically I already said it ... whoops. TLDR : I love her look !
I think her name is one of the first which springs to mind when I think of an "interdisciplinary artist", she has done everything ! Well, almost everything - it would be hard for an artist to engage critically with every single medium in the world. This gives me a tinge of existential dread to say the last, imagine all the machinery you will never be able to work with, al the paints you will never touch, the new innovation in Projective Art which you will never get to see ? Death salience is not the best prerogative to act upon when producing work, but our time on this Earth is indeed finite ... so do what you can, you know ?
Anyways, here are some more artworks from Tango which I profusely enjoy :
In all earnestness, I could have input a wide range of Outsider Artists into this blog. Outsider Art is one of my longest-standing inspirations and motivations to keep creating work, there is something dually powerful and elusive about the movement and its recipients. I love Art when it is unassuming. Outsider Artists tend to have prolific portfolio and extremely large pieces.
I would like to give an honourable mention to Ionel Talpazan : although as I feel as if our work does not have much in common, I love his work and he is one of my favourite artists.
Who doesn't love a spaceship ? How about 50 spaceships ? 100 ?
"Simon was a self-taught artist known for his intricately detailed mixed media assemblages. He was born in West Africa in 1925. At the age of two his family moved to North Carolina where he was raised on a Cherokee reservation. After living in Philadelphia and New York and serving in the army (among other jobs), he eventually settled in Madison, Wisconsin in the 1970s. Sparrow became a well-known street preacher and artist in Madison."
"His spiritual beliefs crossed over into his artwork. With inspiration from what he called “spirit”, Sparrow used discarded materials to create his mosaic-like art, including jewelry, plastic figurines and toys, beads, pine cones, glitter, and other unconventional art materials. He even decorated his entire car in glitter and found objects."
"Untitled ( Cross with Spirits )"
"Untitled ( Face )" ...
Adoration. This is the word which assumes prevalence in my mind when I think of found object sculpture. I love the bric-a-brac sensibility of taking something which is so seemingly pedestrian and decorating it to its maximum potential. I do believe in decoration ! It is almost as if I built an entire brand on embellishments. Whoops ! My jubilant pre-occupation with Sparrow's work is mostly down to the beadwork element of his collages - beadwork has always been a consistent factor in all of my objects, even when I was a younger artist. Persistently, I am enamoured by Simon Sparrow's choice of objects and dynamic compositions - I wish to develop that complexity in my physical artworks and digital, abstract artworks. Eurgh, I am brimming with ideas ! Now I need to act upon them.
Let me show you more of Simon Sparrow's work, here are more of my favourite pieces. Although to be completely honest, I could just paste all of Sparrow's artworks into this blog post. Such inspiring work with a marvellous, spiritual incentive. The intricacy of his collages is utterly ... awesome. I am using awesome in its appropriate sense, one day I will accumulate enough objects to make another large soft sculpture. I am short on supplies at the moment ...
Sparrow's work is bold, exclamative and ritualistic. There is an element of the scared in his work that is rife within other Outsider Artists' narratives. So many Outsider Artists have this mystical connection to some sort of deity, many feel Asia it is their spiritual vocation or an act of pilgrimage to commit themselves to outlandish, countercultural artworks. I wonder how this incentive materialises, and the motivations for various people to create work ? I would say I indulge in periods of delirious artistic bedlam : I have definitely locked myself in a room to work on my crafts on a number of occasions ...
However, when you take a look at some Outsider Artists it is on another stratosphere of devotion. Famous Outsider Artists' works like,
"Palais Idéal by Ferdinand Cheval :
I would love to spend 33 years of my life building my own palace ...
Or the adoring "Chauvin Sculpture Garden" by Kenny Hill :
Such wonderfully crafted angels ...
There is an incontrovertible resoluteness to Outsider Artist, which almost feels dually scared and inhuman. I dislike the semantics of the latter word though - "inhuman". Dedication to a craft, hard work, persistence and divine inspiration should all be acomodated for under the public perception of a "normal human experience". I think the modern conceptions of the ideal man are rather sterile, monotonous and bland. I see nothing wrong with Outsider Artists in the slightest, it makes me tragically upset that they are "othered" and marginalised in the Art World.
Simon Sparrow and Outsider Artists alike have left an indelible mark on my artwork, I thank them extravagantly.
Boom ! Let us move onto my fifth influence. This is where I take a momentary 5 minute break from the screen and go and get some milk and a banana. I ate quite a few plums today actually, from the garden - they were super sweet, very tasty !
Okay let us get on, go, go, go, go !
5. "Ndaku Ya Life Is Beautiful"
or "Ndaku la vie est belle", if you speak French.
The indescribable Congolese Art Collective which personify fun and energetic vigour. Performance Art paradise !
I am certain this is a universal experience, do you ever look at someone's artwork and you wish,
"Gosh, that is an incredible idea ! I would have loved to make that .. I feel strangely motivated to make work informed by what I just consumed ?"
Patrick Kitete’s "Flip-Flop Man" ...
Kitete’s "Mirror Man" ...
Bayoka’s "Cork Warrior" Man ...
Ndaku ( I am going to use this as an abbreviation of "Ndaku Ya Life Is Beautiful" as that is rather wordy ) fills me to the brim with deep-coloured inventiveness. A countercultural, performance sect with activistic intent ? Sign me up ! Repeatedly, I find myself reverting back to articles written about Ndaku and images of their artwork. Their story is utterly inspiring, and very punk !
Amazingly as well, they have so many well-written articles about them, I am so glad they have been granted substantial exposure, but they deserve a lot more. The structures they compose with literal junk are ... ugh let me just input a quote ! I feel such scintillating glee when I think about their work.
I like to input quotes from articles about the artists I mention, as I am not prideful enough to believe that I am the sole progenitor of all artistic wisdom, there are so many people who are much more well-spoke than I am ! It id important to give secondary opinions to the art I analyse, even though I do like my own opinions, very much so ... hehe.
"It started as a countercultural art movement in 2001."
"After years studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, Kinshasa—following teachers’ advice on creating work with “proper” materials, such as resin and plaster of paris—some students in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) decided to do something different. They created art with what was in their immediate environment, including tires, exhaust pipes, foam, plastic bottles, antennas, tins that had held milk or paint, feathers, CDs, rubber slippers, and other discarded items."
"This work, the artists believed, felt familiar to a Congolese audience and spoke to a particularly egregious aspect of Congolese life: waste."
Ndaku is led by Eddy Ekete, a Kinshasha-born artist and social activist. The proximity humans have to objects, and how we interact and pre-dispose ourselves to forming protective relationships with material is exceptionally interesting. Ndaku as a collective effectively broke the barrier between the materials and the creator, by welding wearable sculptural art. An absolute dream. Here, let me show you some more photos,
I got this image from "The Times" which requires subscription so I could access the name of the member of Ndaku who made this costume, which is a shame ...
There must be a particular amount of catharsis in taking external waste and beautifying it. Giving it that personal and socio-political meaning. The DRC had waste which was of course, generated by its own citizens but a lot of the waste was,
"Waste foisted on the country by hyper-consumerist nations. Waste triggered by the endless extraction of resources from the DRC’s earth, or the rapacious collection of the same above land."
Once again, I am quoting the National Geographic article. Because I am your favourite prismatic, South-East Asian, kitschy, hardstyle sleazoid ( not really a sleaze I just enjoy the word ) ... you can click on this body of text to be taken to the article again. Ugh, talk about a tech-savvy girl genius ! I got you.
No, but back onto the subject of Ndaku. I am enamoured at how objects act as conduits for various socio-political idelogies . Waste in the Congo, from what I can observe, is has numerous associations from Colonialism, to Consumerism, Ownership, Statehood and Destitution. But one should not only assign negative associations - these amazingly crafted costumes have been exceedingly beneficiary for the Congolese Art scene : Ndaku's work is Celebratory, Excessive, Dynamic, Energising, Resourceful, and ... Beautiful ! Extremely Beautiful !
Continuously, throughout this blog - I have expressed my fondness for found art sculpture, and the transformation of unremarkable objects into variegated regalia. I think Ndaku hits all of the preceding criteria, and really embodies Art which hits that "pleasure point" so to speak. Ndaku democratises the concept of the "costume", it makes me wonder - what objects could I integrate into my next clothing piece, or into my next sculpture ?
I solemnly expressed quite some time ago in this blog post that I am running short on supplies for sculptures. Currently, I am working on a lot of acrylic paintings but now upon expressing my adoration for "Ndaku Ya Life Is Beautiful" - what materials and objects have I ignore in my house, on the prejudiced notion that they are not "beautiful" nor "useful". Art is inherently transformative, I suppose I should go out and look for items which I turn a blind eye too ... there is too much stuff in the world, I may as well use it for something positive.
Officially halfway through the blog post ! I am already at 5000 words ? How on Earth did that happen ?! Anyways ... if I keep waffling I will be writing a thesis at this point.
In my head, I am an amazing professor with tenure ... in my head.
6. Chila Kumari Singh Burman
She is so cute !
Ah ! A British Artist, I had to include one. "Englishness" is a concept I am frankly besotted with, so I love English artists as they consistently "eat down" whenever they analyse Statehood - I am also fond of Pop Art. Not to be shady nor passive-aggressive, but there is a large, unneeded undercurrent of spite for Pop Art in online Art spaces for no reason. Pop Art is just Art which addresses contemporary cultures' structures through re-working mundane, contemporary motifs and mass-produced objects. What is so wrong with that ?
I would consider myself a Pop Artist in many regards. I think the homogenisation of Art consumption via Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr ( I sound so old ), etc. through the centralised platform that is the Web makes it so that everything almost seems like Pop Art, everyone seems a bit clique-y and mass-culture obsessed. But it is not a dirty word, nor is it an insult. I genuinely love Pop Art !
Personally, I am not down with Rauschenberg nor Warhol. Or Jasper Johns. They are not my favourite Pop Artists, oh and I am not fond of Lichtenstein. I prefer Contemporary, Pop Artists like Lucia Hierro and Ketna Patel, and of course - Chila Kumari Singh Burman.
Frankly, as adorable and engaging as her work with neons and lights are, I am most entranced by her collages. Those works in particular wonderfully express the duality of her South Asian identity as well has her British one - with Maximalist predilections and wonderful grace. I also love her video artworks, as well.
"Since the mid-1980s I have been exploring the experiences and aesthetics of Asian femininity in paintings and installations, photography and printmaking, video and film. In my more recent works, this theme has taken on a new power and vibrancy. I am currently making a new body of work to draw all of these together and to develop the ideas and images contained in the new cultural contexts of national and international politics in the twenty-first century."
"Challenging stereotypical assumptions of Asian women, my work is informed by popular culture, Bollywood, fashion, found objects, the politics of femininity the celebration of femininity; self-portraiture exploring the production of my own sexuality and dynamism; the relationship between popular culture and high art; gender and identity politics."
Here, let me show more artworks from her fantastic catalogue :
The immediacy of her artwork is intoxicating. Of course, I have no problems spending time with artwork - I think some of the most gratifying, healing relationships which I have formed with artwork and Art as a whole have been ones which have taken time. My infatuation with Noise Music and Power Electronics being the first example that sprung to mind. However, there is novelty and charm in latching onto artwork immediately - this is the power of Pop Art. Instant gratification which holds the potentiality for deeper introspection.
I think I have such a strong emotional affinity to Chila Kumari's work because of our somewhat shared experiences. The dual Asian-British identity, our intrigue with popular culture, and our engrossment with exploring femininity's inevitable intersection with race. Of course, this is not all - I cannot forget the vibrancy and Maximalism of her work, I think we share similar aesthetic tastes.
In her Tate Interview, which I will lovingly hyperlink in this body of text so you do not have to scroll up because I prioritise your convenience and I want you to enjoy yourself, ( and become a loyal recipient of my blog but shush ignore that I said this ) she shows her collection of objects which accumulate space in her studio. Ah ... it was like heaven. The massive Swarovski crystals and the surplus of packaged gems ... once again that magnanimous burst of joy fills my little heart once again. Craft stores are a candy store, I am pretty sure they trigger similar chemicals in the brain. There is a reason why people want to eat colourful jewellery ...
To end this section of Chila Kumari Burman Singh, let me direct you to her wonderful Video Art. Gosh, it is decadent and fantastic with a wonderful theatricality. I heavily recommend viewing the rest of her portfolio, which I of course, cannot plug all of it in this one blog post !
This work is called "Dada Punjabi Princess" ...
7. Portia Munson
Endless compliments and appraisal - these are the gestures I would forward to Portia Munson if I ever one day, meet her. I think her work is the peak of Maximalism. From her installations, sculptures, paintings and digital photography. She is the icon, and she is the moment - Environmental Feminism at its most opulent and excessive.
"Portia Munson (born 1961) is an American visual artist who works in sculpture, installation, painting and digital photography, focusing on themes related to the environment and feminism. Her work includes large-scale agglomerations of mass-produced plastic found objects arranged by color, as well as small oil paintings of individual domestic found objects, and digital photographs of flowers, weeds and dead animals found near her home in upstate New York."
Let's insert some of her artworks here, I will first show the artworks she is most known for, which of course you may have already seen, and then my absolute favourite installation of hers. The intentionality behind these immersive, concentrated spaces is displayed through the sumptuousness of feminine products and those caterwauling, affronting colours. Personally, I will always gravitate towards cloud and texture before anything else, and Munson loving addresses both of my fancies. Oh, how wonderful !
I have always been inflamed by large-scale artworks. I have never been able to work small-scale to a satisfactory standard. In all earnestness I just extremely ham-fisted, and that innate, bratty volatility which is inherent to the character of "Skiyodu" gets brashly impatient with small, detailed craft. I can do large, detailed craft. But small ? No thank you.
Portia Munson's work is not only inhumanely large, but excruciatingly detailed. Ah, so satisfying and aesthetically gratifying. I wonder how you start to acquire all of these multicoloured objects ? It must take ages, there is the financial aspect as well ... objects cost money and all you know ?
Pleasurably, Portia Munson's artworks are ginormous ; it motivates me to one day get the funds and the respective skills to curate a focused and critical artwork on such a large scale. The largest singular artwork that I have done as of so far was called "Pax Vobiscum" and that stands at about 2.7 metres tall, it occupies an entire small wall. I want to push for something larger. However it is part of a larger installation work, which I need to get a move on with, so watch out for that.
Enough about me let me display more works from the lady of the hour herself, these prints of birds are what motivated me to make "Pax Vobiscum". I am an absolute sucker for a stark black background against a myriad of colours in an artwork. Ugh, do a black and rainbow deal and I will love you forever. But, let me put my colloquialisms aside.
I would like to paste in a sentiment Portia Munson shared on her website about this specific set of prints, she ruminates on our sentience as human beings and the universality of grief, love and loss. If you click on this link, you will be taken to her website :
"I began creating flower images in 2002 after the death of a favorite person left me pondering the fleeting lives of flowers and people. While walking in my garden images of flower arrays came to me. I imagined flower mandalas that were reminiscent of suzanies from Uzbekistan and the vivid garlands of fresh blossoms I had seen used as religious offerings in Southeast Asia. Using the mandala, the circular form that represents the universe, I meticulously arrange flowers from the garden into combinations of flower and form that exaggerate the vibrancy of both. Sometimes I slice into buds and append blossoms onto one another. As with all my work, a closer look at the subject reveals hidden secrets— in this case, the flowers’ hairy, sticky or poisonous parts; pollen; seeds; and the occasional insect."
Her statement really resonated with me, and tugged at my heartstrings - strangely enough. At the risk of sounding overtly personal - Maximalism has made me ruminate on my salience and sentience alike a ... shocking number of times. Whilst part of me relishes in my youthful pursuit for fanciful, multicolour fineries, part of me hates that I am so preoccupied with material things. Even in my journey to be self-sufficient and sustainable with everything I purchase, there is this sanguine tinge of doubt in my mind which says to me,
"Cyd it could all be gone tomorrow !"
Religious, spiritual and emotional sentimentalities are rife within our objects and what we choose to spend our money on. Despite the fact that I will be only a soul when I bite the dust. I think the reason my own artwork is fully opaque, uncompromising, and so gaudy is because it helps me seize control of people's attention, and it legitimises my own image - I do not only exist in my artworks as "Skiyodu" or "Cyd-Kassandra" but as an Iconographic figure, a Dictator, A Queen, A Magician. All of these arbitrary titles of esteemed importance I could not possibly accumulate in this lifetime, due to hereditary circumstance. Art is mind-control to an unexpected yet alarming degree. Portia Munson's prints of birds give me a naive, idealistic hope that one day you and I could be as cared for and revered in death as these birds are. They are treated with such sensitivity and love in these compositions - two emotions I think we all yearn for more of in our lives.
I think that is all I have to say for Portia Munson. The last thing to mention is, if you click on this body of text you will be directed to "PPOW' gallery's page on Portia Munson, this is an integral resource if you would like to view more of her works. Wonderful !
8. Kalos&Klio
I am trying to pick a diverse plethora of artists from all across the world, granted all of my influences are really contemporary so I understand I am not covering a wide breadth of time with this blog. Then again, I am not too fond of figurative painting by itself, so it makes sense why I veer towards contemporary multi-medium artworks.
Now we are venturing over to Greece ! I have never been to Greece in fact, and I feign cultural ignorance towards the land itself if I am being 100% truthful. I do not know too much about Greece. What I do know though, is that I love this Greek duo Kalos&Klio !
"The process of working as one is a path more intriguing is the credo of Kalos&Klio. The artist duo has joined forces in 2005 and since then they operate as one artist. Their signature visual language expands in a variety of forms, printed media, sculpture and installation and explores materials, methods and concepts that often shift the boundaries between high and low art, creating artworks that are stunning for their multifaceted complexity. Kalos&Klio post-pop, artworks examine a wide range of subjects related to contemporary culture, history politics and language, these are essential in determining the form of the work. Their works often undertake a critical stance to unconventional subject matters and although they devise them to appear as aesthetically pleasing, they are nevertheless quite profound."
Their archival prints are truly enthralling. My favourite series' of works are "The Matrix Extends" which started in 2011 and is stated to be an ongoing project on their website, and "Violent Silk" which started in 2014 and was completed in 2015. Here let me share a few photos.
"Artistic duo Kalos&Klio utilizes a unique technique to produce complicated compositions which crush the real world into a chaos of the most extreme objects possible. The hybrid-Matrix world of Kalos&Klio is both immaterial because it originates from cyberspace and material because it comes into fruition as a luxury impression on the most precious materials. The Matrix of Kalos&Klio is ever expanding and as it enlarges it appears to take on a consciousness of its own. Kalos&Klio post-psychedelic works refers to our world as a melting pot that chews everything, from architectural elements, body parts, and artificial constructions. The Matrix extends"...
I discovered them when I was a lot younger, at about 14 years old give or take - via a Pinterest deep-dive. A message I would give to my former self would be to stop doom-scrolling on Pinterest in the hopes that any artistic motivation would fantastically hit you, but I digress. Often, I tend to not have many long-standing influences outside of subculture. Strangely though, I find my aesthetic sensibilities are often wildly coloured by this duos work ...
Due to the nature of my personal tastes transmuting and the influence of having a studio space courtesy of my Secondary school, I have been making more "physical artworks" as of recently. However, I still have such a strong affinity for digital art, and I love making it. I am extremely happy that I have been able to incorporate digital textures into my physical artworks. Those two beloved "M's" - multi-medium. Ahh .. how wonderful ! The only problem is with my large-scale, multi-medium artworks is that they are admittedly resource heavy ... and sometimes that is a a lot of handiwork ! I do not always want chipped fingernails, hot glue burns, and flakey hands.
Therefore it is important for me to cultivate a useful, referential index for my digital artworks, as most of the artists I have spoken about have influence on my physical artworks. Gosh, take a shot every time I state "digital art" or "physical art" - ew. Then again, these terms have no synonyms which are not wildly pretentious nor meandering.
Kalos&Klio have the predominant influence on my abstract works, unlike them I am not particularly intrigued in compositing realistic textures ( with overt references to specific icons in pop culture ) into something incoherent and chaotic, I am more concerned with skeuomorphic textures and more abstract shapes - the objects in their artworks are undeniably more discernible. Their work is fantastic ! Here, let me show a few more photos, they always make rugs as well, which is a medium I never considered. Let me completely honest, I am not a fan of rugs myself - but I appreciate the craftsmanship.
I am not a slave to patriotism, and any varying degree of nationalism. But, we have a Filipino artist ! Yippee, this makes me irrationally happy. Our aesthetic sensibilities are extremely congruent, we bare a lot of the same mechanics in our respective works. I am enticed mostly by the curvature of his lines, most specifically in his collages where he overlays photographic portraits with bursting colours . However he does make other work working with different subject matters, the former I simply the work he is most well-recognised for and the work which I enjoy the most.
It is just a bonus that we both come from Philippines !
I think his work had a pivotal impact on the roundedness and equally serration of my abstract artworks. However, based on the series of photos I will show in the succeeding section of this blog - I would love to composite some abstract curvatures and geometries onto some photographic portraits of my own.
Haha, I have said about 100 times throughout this blog that I want to do several things in the future. This requires immense preparation and planning for each day.
Enough blabbering, let me show you some pictures of Fernandez's work !
"Dex Fernandez is an artist that comes from the graffiti/street art tradition. His work is a creative collision of styles, colors, shapes, lines. He often uses his own digital photographs as a background to a whole panoply of information that is built up in layers onto the base photograph."
"These layers can and do consist of abstract pattern, religious symbols, body parts, cartoons, tattoos, to name just a few. Dex plays with these references as he also plays with larger ideas, such as the connection and disparity between high and low art, between history and biology, between beauty and crudeness, and between innocence and sexuality."
Nothing makes me more appreciative of an artwork than "Detail". Ugh, I love conscientiously applied detail ! My work centres and prioritises the politics of chaos, I love the indiscernible and ugly. However, there is a articular appeal in the geometric cohesion of Dex Fernanadez's compositions. They all follow a routed pattern and organised flow, I think incorporating his delicate geometry in my own artwork, could prove to be useful and could quell some of the harshness of my serrated, pointed lines.
I was never apt to do graffiti nor street art myself, it was never a passion of mine nor do I see developing into a sustained practice I upkeep in the long-term. However I understand street art's importance on the man's work, and graffiti's influence on abstract artwork and various subcultures alike. I like art which has its basis in subculture and countercultural movements. Although, I have a lot of grievances about subculture which I hope to write about in the future, I think it can be used as a great micro-systemic tool for communal exercises and the development of media.
Personally, I owe a lot of my artistic development to subculture. Ironically, Decora, arguably the most jovial style on the planet - made me take Art and myself more seriously. There are unwritten commitments and allegiances you cosign yourself to when you take agency of how you look, the media you consume and how you present yourself to the world. Not too dissimilar from the mainstream world of Fashion or Art, ashamedly - subcultures do have structures. For better of for worse. Honestly, I think the former.
Let us input more works of Dex Fernandez, for the sake of better reference. Frankly, I think all of these are adorable.
"Godbless the Rockstars" ...
"Happy Shizocouple" ...
"Barred in the Wilderness" ...
"12:50" ...
Ooh .. we are nearly done with this blog post ! I will check the word count at the end of this blog, but I am feeling rather proud of how this has developed and is currently coming along ! Eh ... my blogs keep getting longer, and longer, and longer.
10. Fort Thunder
I would not say, I left the best for last. But Fort Thunder is so dear to my heart that I will flagrantly relish in my "Fangirl" nature for this section of the blog. Oh my gosh, I am so utterly grateful for this Art Collective - where do I even begin ? Ah that euphoric ecstasy that pricks me with such excitement is back again - the joy of artwork which makes you feel visible, Art which you can so fondly relate to ! Pretend I am blowing comically large kisses across the computer screen in a reddened haze ! Ah ...
Many of you, if you are fans of Lightning Bolt, will already be acquainted with "Fort Thunder" via Brian Chippendale. I could describe their artistic practice as horrifically clamorous, poster-focused, interactive punky mazes of fun ! I grew accustomed with Fort Thunder last year, after I started to enjoy Lightning Bolt - I was around fifteen years old, give or take ? I also started to take enjoyments in musical genres such as Crust Punk, Power Electronics, Martial Industrial, Death Industrial, Blackened Crust etc.
Therefore, the extreme-DIY-ethos and outright abrasion of Fort Thunder appealed to me greatly, even to this day - at 17 years old, they still incite a primal urge within me to move and make some shoddy posters. Or throw stuff. Whichever I find the motivation to do thirst, usually the former I try not to adopt a lot of physical volatility. The minute I start dancing, I cannot stop - there have been days where I was meant to be doing work, and instead I just had an eight-hour dance fest ... whoops.
Here, let me show you some of their posters - which embody the ethos of the collective in visual form, yes indeed ! I will show you some of their video recordings, and other works later in this blog.
Also, whilst we were kind of on the subject of music let me just leave you with this little tidbit of information which fills me with immense frustration. Why is it so hard to change the cover of your playlists on Spotify ? I am convinced it would be easier to become an astronaut than to change the covers to your playlists on Spotify ? Maybe Spotify has a personal vendetta against my aesthetic choices, I am kidding - they have no idea who I am. Furthermore, I keep making playlists even though I have not curated the last one - I just have 6 playlists with 20 songs in them awkwardly sitting in my private galleries, I like a playlist to be over 6 hours in length at least. It slightly annoys me that some of my playlists are 3 hours long, but eh - first world problems eh ?
"Fort Thunder (1995–2001) was a warehouse on the second floor of a pre-Civil War former textile factory in the Olneyville district of Providence, Rhode Island. From 1995 through 2001, the space was used as a venue for underground music and events, as well as a living and working space for the artists.Fort Thunder was started by Mat Brinkman and Brian Chippendale, who were the space's original residents along with Rob Coggeshal and Freddy Jones. Fort Thunder was known for its colorful posters promoting shows posted on walls around Providence. At various times they hosted costumed wrestling and Halloween mazes. The group of artists who lived and worked there is also sometimes referred to as "Fort Thunder.""
Anyways, let me actually show you some of the work they created ! Something wonderful, about Fort Thunder, is the plethora of videos which have been uploaded to YouTube concerning them and their work - tons of live performances too ! Let me show you some videos first, they are good fun :
The last video in specific was made by the legendary art collective, Forcefield ! Lots of love to Mat Brinkman, Ara Peterson, Jim Drain, and Leif Goldberg ...one of my favourite videos to exist on YouTube.
I have always been fascinated by the idea of an Artist Collective, it is a romantic concept - I have always been akin to working alone, and being my own aunt. However it would be nice to cultivate a space with like-minded people, I think there are things which you must be weary of though.
This is where I sound like a heartless, hustle-culture-adjacent robot, But bare with me. I cannot be productive in the company of good people, I am sorry - I can multi-task but frankly the allure of a good conversation overrides my prerequisite to accomplish work. Therefore, if I am in proximity to my friends whilst crafting, for instance, I have to be deafly silent. I am sure it is hard to balance the sociable nature of an Artist Collective or any sort of collaboration with the desire and need to accomplish work and make progress on your goals.
I think the most pertinent contribution Fort Thunder had to my own artistic development, was the decoration of Fort Thunder itself. Clutter in its ultimate, countercultural finery - I am in love. Platonically. I wish spaces like these were able to be easily inhabited and were widely considered "liveable", I am not particularly concerned with people's impressions of my home if I were to ever acquire one, ya know ( houses are really expensive ), but it would be nice not to repeat explanations.
So much stuff ...
This was the first photo I had seen of Brian Chippendale, this is where my pool of knowledge started to expand in terms of Lightning Bolt, Fort Thunder, Forcefield, Black Pus etc.
One of my favourite images, of all time !
The knitted costumes strike back !
That is one of my dreams, being able to live in a place like Fort Thunder, outside of using it as a venue space ... I try not to negatively question people's design choices myself, though I sometimes look at my own and think gosh, what went wrong ? Anyways photos, yes photos ...
This is a universal question for every Maximalist artist, people have even been so kind to ask me this question. Seriously, thank you to anyone who has ever asked me a question in the world, I am really appreciative of human interaction - genuinely and seriously, argh - I love the joy of communication !
Anyways this is the question :
"How do you acquire so much ... stuff ?"
Throughout this blog, I have been asking the same, rhetorical question to all of the aforementioned artists. In a semi-colloquial sense. But with Fort thunder, I am genuinely confused and curious as to where they accumulated enough things to haphazardly decorate a massive warehouse ? It is so ... awe-inspiring and beautiful ! Perfectly chaotic and synergetic. Okay, everything in the Fort Thunder space did look like a quickly strewn-together thrash ... except it all looked perfectly co-ordinated ? How did they do it ? I hope to find out one day, I would love to inhabit an abandoned large warehouse and mess it up with colourful vigour.
Fort Thunder has been a long-standing influence of mine, maybe it is a bit flawed that I consider an artist that sticks with me for over a year a "long-standing influence". Whoops ! But in all seriousness, the maximalism of their work is usually transferrable to more of my abstract works. I think my digital art has a lot more leeway to be more irrational and equally "chaotic" ( the word "chaotic" makes me cringe in many contexts ) as it is not resource heavy. I can synthesise illusory objects in digital art, whereas in "real life" I have to outsource all of my objects in 3D form so that they appear to have depth and value. I cannot just draw a flamingo toy, I have to find a flamingo toy - that sort of deal, you know ?
I am going to now link a bunch of informative articles on Fort Thunder down below, please do not click on this body of text but instead the text below this. Woah, super subversive right ?
I think ... oh can you believe it ? We have concluded this blog post !
This will undoubtedly be the longest blog post I have ever made, let us see how many words I have written ?
10,569 words ...
How on Earth did that even happen ?!
Well, I can officially say that my thirst to write has now been quelled and lovingly overcompensated for - seriously, after writing almost 10,000 words in a 24-hour time span, I am perfectly fine to never write again. I jest, blogging is one of my passions and it was time I showed up for myself. A win for "Skiyodu" if I say so myself !
I have been meaning to spend more time prioritising my net art as well as my physical art, but the onslaught of University applications, general studies, and other extra-curricular have stopped me from pursuing this goal. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for sticking around for my journey - my work is on an uphill trajectory in terms of detail and quality, and I am so grateful for everyone who has been facilitating my growth as a creative.
Have an amazing day ! Genuinely, I hope you are feeling so much warmth, love and light. I hope to see you soon, but given my sporadic uploading schedule ... we will see about that !
I am going to try and stay consistent on Blogger, but I am most active on Instagram - I am essentially posting weekly on there now, so by all means check out my stuff on that centralised nightmare of a platform which I will continue to adoringly use !
