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      Interview: Arinze Stanley Speaks to the Indelible Impact of Police Brutality and How Extreme Emotion is the Key to Change

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      #activism
      #drawing
      #emotions
      #hyperrealism
      #portraits

      May 6, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Bullets and Denim #2” (2020), charcoal and graphite on paper, 30 x 26 inches. All images © Arinze Stanley, shared with permission
      For the past few years, Nigerian artist Arinze Stanley (previously) has been at the forefront of hyperrealism with his powerful and sometimes surreal portraits that are arresting in size and emotion, which he discusses in a new interview supported by Colossal Members. His charcoal-and-graphite works are rendered in stunning detail and bear broader political messages, particularly in relation to state-sanctioned violence and his own experiences suffering from police and military brutality.
      What people don’t recognize about Bullets and Denim is that the artwork shows emotion on all parts, but if you have a gunshot to your head, you should be dead, right? Well, these people in the photo are not dead. That encapsulates the concept of endurance in general. Even as we try to stitch the patches of our reality, I want people to see that, that we’ve had it to the head. Enough is enough. It’s a visual representation of enough is enough because from here onwards is death.
      Colossal managing editor Grace Ebert joined Stanley for a conversation in March 2021 about how he brings his subjects to points of extreme frustration, the ways his drawings resonate with different audiences around the globe, and how he envisions his artworks as catalysts for meaningful change.

      “The Machine Man 1” (2019), pencil on paper

      #activism
      #drawing
      #emotions
      #hyperrealism
      #portraits

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

       
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      Interview: A Conversation with Curator Tam Gryn Unpacks the Innovative Mix of Art and Retail Behind SHOWFIELDS

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      Art
      Colossal

      April 26, 2021
      Christopher Jobson

      Perrier x Murakami collaboration at SHOWFIELDS NYC. All images © SHOWFIELDS, shared with permission
      We recently sat down with SHOWFIELDS head curator Tam Gryn for a conversation about the unique blend of shopping, art, brand activations, and events that drive the innovative retail concept. With locations in New York City and Miami, the relatively new space already has generated fruitful collaborations between an impressive array of artists, companies, and organizations, including Perrier x Murakami, Tax Collection, Brooke DiDonato, Kenny Sharf, Ekaterina Popova, Filthy Luker, and the Whitney and Brooklyn museums.
      Often working in response to cultural shifts and consumer demands, Gryn’s curatorial decisions are geared toward sustainability and collective movement. She explains:
      As a curator, I try to find patterns in generational truths. What I see since last year is that our whole generation is screaming for healing at the top of their lungs: healing from this pandemic, healing medically, healing holistically with all kinds of contemporary spiritual practices, healing as a society. Therefore, I am showcasing artists who can interpret this phenomenon, and we are partnering with small businesses who are giving consumers what they are asking for.
      In this interview, Colossal editor-in-chief Christopher Jobson spoke with Gryn about the efficacy of structuring collaborations based on shared missions, the humor and play that permeate both SHOWFIELDS locations, and what we can collectively gain from blurring the boundaries of art and branding.

      Filthy Luker tentacles popping out of the SHOWFIELDS Miami facade

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

       
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      Interview: Jeroen Smeets Shares the Story Behind The Jaunt, the Collaborative Travel Project Sending Artists Around the World

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      Colossal

      March 10, 2021
      Christopher Jobson

      Photo by Andrea Wan during her trip to Nepal. All images shared with permission
      In a new interview supported by Colossal Members, Jeroen Smeets dives into the story behind The Jaunt, a travel project that he founded in 2013. Since then, the project has sent more than 70 artists to new destinations around the globe—locations are wide-ranging, spanning from Helsinki to Los Angeles to Caye Caulker, Belize—with the goal of producing a single, hand-pulled screenprint.
      We try not to guide or give too much structure for their trip. And this is what I think makes this project unique. Usually, artists travel to set up exhibitions, work on a specific project, paint murals, but rarely are they going to a place with the sole purpose of finding new inspiration.
      In this conversation with Colossal editor-in-chief Christopher Jobson, Smeets recounts The Jaunt’s first-ever collaboration, some of the surprising experiences to come out of the artists’ excursions, and what’s next for the ongoing project.

      The Jaunt print by Collin van der Sluijs

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

       
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      Interview: Artist Roberto Benavidez Shares His Fascination with Paper Sculpture and the Stories Behind His Fantastical Piñatas

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       From the Hieronymus Bosch Piñatas series. All images © Roberto Benavidez, shared with permission Harboring an ongoing fascination with the piñata, artist Roberto Benavidez (previously) centers his practice on translation as he crafts fantastical creatures and scenes from Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings, medieval manuscripts, and landscape photographs. When it comes to the form, that’s the […] More

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      Interview: Artist Lola Dupré Discusses Change, Technology, and the Financial Pressures of Creative Work

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       “Keith,” 16.5 x 11.5 inches. All images © Lola Dupré, shared with permission Artist Lola Dupré (previously) is devoted to the tangible, a dedication that anchors her practice of physically cutting and pasting paper and photographs into surreal collages. I think people become so fixated on a rigid belief that they refuse to discuss […] More

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      Interview: A Conversation with Artist Nicolas V. Sanchez Explores His Relationship to Family, Memory, and Identity

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       “Toro Patina (Blanco)” (2019), colored ballpoint pen, 10 x 15 inches. All images © Nicolas V. Sanchez, shared with permission Known for his unbelievably realistic drawings rendered in ballpoint pen, New York City-based artist Nicolas V. Sanchez discusses his technique and subject matter, which ranges from domestic scenes to farm animals. In the latest […] More

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      Interview: Tiffanie Turner Discusses Her Evolving Understanding of Beauty and How the Climate Crisis Impacts Her Realistic Florals

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       Photo by Shaun Roberts, courtesy of Eleanor Harwood Gallery San Francisco-based artist Tiffanie Turner is known for creating large-scale paper flowers that embody themes of beauty and aging. In the latest interview for Colossal Members, Turner spoke with our managing editor, Grace Ebert, about her relationship to botany, how she manages her time, and the […] More

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      Interview: Susanna Bauer Examines the Tension Between Strength and Fragility in Her Stitched Leaves

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       All images © Art Photographers, shared with permission In the latest interview for Colossal Members, Cornwall-based artist Susanna Bauer discusses multiple aspects of her creative process, from how she sources her materials to her relationship to the natural world. In the conversation with our Managing Editor Grace Ebert, Bauer also spoke about her ongoing […] More