13 december 2012

Could the Subjects Please Remain Still for Just a Moment?


Donald Baechler.

"When I arrived at his immense studio, I entered a world of colors, images and objects. Books were stacked on the floor next to kitsch-retro objects, rolling carts filled with photos and magazines. Brushes and paint cans were scattered about, an eclectic hodgepodge of tools and references. His paintings lined the walls, large-scale ice cream cones, flowers, soccer balls, skulls…triggering some sense of nostalgia, laced with humor, invoking memories of child art. Memories, made of form and line, partnered with common symbols, and humor. I was there for a few minutes, taking it all in, when Donald arrived and introduced himself. He was kind, generous, modest and engaging. His energy was infectious, and, as intriguing as his work."


Inka Essenhigh.

"Essenhigh’s studio is located on the Lower East Side within an old schoolhouse converted into artists’ spaces. She greeted me downstairs, and led me up a stairway into her studio space on the top floor. The studio seemed far removed from the streets below. There were vaulted ceilings, crowned with high wooden beams. Large paintings reclined on walls—beautiful, ethereal landscapes, complementing the distinctive space. It was easy to see how Essenhigh’s surroundings have affected her work: poetic dreamscapes blended with erotic, ambiguous undertones. An urgency for life has translated to her canvases."


Kika Karadi.

"This shoot was done in the evening. The ominous Gothamic buildings surrounding Karadi’s studio somehow reflected the dynamics of her world. Darkly abstract paintings in black and white, with varying shades of gray, covered white walls–dominant themes in Karadi’s work. Young and vibrant, her appearance defied whatever conceptions I may have had about an artist working with such haunting, richly-stylized, monochromatic paintings. Her work—influenced by 1930s-40s horror films—has a powerful, mysterious presence, a juxtaposition of light and dark, combining to create form and structure. Her style is expressionist, Spartan, calling to mind Fritz Lang’s film “Metropolis.”


Ouattara Watts.

"Watts’ large-format paintings require enormous space, leading him to move his studio to Brooklyn, N.Y. From the moment you exit the subway you notice varying styles of graffiti spread throughout his neighborhood. It’s fitting, given his work has graffiti qualities: mixed African themes, musical high notes, alarming symbols and curious abstractions. When meeting Watts for the first time, I was taken aback by his jovial and gracious nature. Warm and inviting, curious and considerate, he greeted me as an old friend. I was struck by the scale of his paintings: gargantuan, often as broad as 15 square feet. Boldly-painted colors and symbols, evidence of a non-stereotypical multiculturalism, born out of Africa, nurtured in Paris, and all grown up in New York. A visual feast for the eyes, and mind."


Pat Steir.

"I met Steir at her sprawl of a Chelsea studio. She is a diminutive, elegant woman who made me feel at home within minutes. Her dramatically-scaled paintings were in “mid-state,” she said. They were nonetheless towering, raw-colored canvases, waiting to be brought in full. Steir danced amongst the radiant paintings with the spirit of a girl, her true age expressed through youthful movement. Her mystical paintings command respect, while remaining lyrical, intimate, human. I was humbled by our meeting, one that resonated with me well beyond our impromptu séance."


Ross Bleckner.

"Bleckner is the consummate New Yorker. Cool and down to earth, he met me at the door of his studio in his signature black T-shirt and jeans. Every wall and table in his lofty studio was covered with beautiful, radiant paintings. His studio was once Pat Steir’s workspace, a magical space, rich with history and a lovely view on the Hudson River. The quintessential professional, Blecker lost himself in his work, gorgeous paintings of flowers and form, romantic and tender—ultimately forgetting I was there."


Will Cotton.

"Cotton’s studio is located in Lower Manhattan within an old building with no shortage of character. One flight up a vertical span of wood-plank stairs, Cotton greeted me with a warm smile and a firm handshake. His space has a lived-in quality, comfortable and unassuming. There were paintings of all sizes on walls and easels, and an antique dress form clothed in a silvery dress (resembling a cupcake wrapper). Giant Styrofoam pastries lay on tables and what appeared to be a well-used kitchen in one corner of the loft. He moved around the studio working on various pieces, his attention to detail unmistakable. On one wall hung a large painting of a splendidly tricked-out Katy Perry. She was riding a cloud of cotton candy, wearing the cupcake wrapper dress, elegant and dreamy, perfumed and sweet. Beside Perry’s painting was a portrait of a woman with ice cream cones in her hair, and a man with cupcakes for hair. Funny, sexy, sweet and stylized, the fabulous boulangerie of Will Cotton’s mind." (bron: room 100, tekst en foto's: Robert Lakow)


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