There is something very mystical and transcendent about the work of multi-media artist Xaviera Simmons. I was introduced to her work by Ben Tischer at Invisible-Exports Gallery as part of the Lush Life exhibition, and was particularly drawn to her Owl Xerox print. But when I saw a photograph taken by Simmons of herself standing next to another woman both wearing masks perched in stillness, I became even more curious to know who this artist is. The owl is an ancient animal with symbolic associations including wisdom, foresight, messenger of secrets, as well as companions to seers and mystics, and mystery. Simmons surely exudes a plethora of mystery in her work. With a background in photography, Simmons has no desire to stick to just one medium. Continue Reading More »

Clown Soldier and Gaia

Gaia and Clown Soldier have just gotten back from the Living Walls Conference in Atlanta. They told me the event was amazing, hanging out and connecting with other street artists, and just having the freedom to create on the streets. Photos from a previous post here.

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photo: hw

Entertainment sells. Up until I met Miles Mendenhall last Thursday at Half Gallery’s opening, I was pretty much living in a hole. Of course I knew about Bravo’s Work of Art reality series, and had even given it about thirty minutes of attention on hulu before losing interest. It’s hard to justify my time sitting and watching a reality show about art that’s not actually about art, but more about selling the idea of what art is suppose to be about. The show could easily be read as a ploy needed by broadcast television to shake things up a bit, because who watches television anymore? When I was introduced to Miles, his work, and subsequently all of the events that led to his show at Half Gallery, I couldn’t resist having a chat with him to hear about his take on Work of Art. Continue Reading More »

(above images courtesy Leslie Heller Workspace)

Lior Shvil is a video artist. He is also a sculptor, director, actor, was previously an architect, and served as a marine in the Israeli military. Being brought up speaking four languages, this diversity is also apparent in his artistic practices. I came across Lior’s work at the Leslie Heller Workspace gallery in the Young Israelis group show. Captivated by a stark, clean, forced black and white print hanging on the wall, I immediately approached the gallerist about it. All of the images hanging on the wall are actually representations of all the videos that are in the Young Israelis show. Continue Reading More »

There’s a hint of rapture in both Paul Mpagi Sepuya and Timothy Hull’s images. Although both the artists’ practices are completely different by nature, Paul– Photography, Timothy– multi-media collage, they were blended harmonically in their latest collaborative project: The Accidental Egyptian and Occidental Arrangements. What was initially a collage mashup project for Tokion Magazine’s January issue turned into an object of desire – a limited edition artist book – signed and numbered by both artists.

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Carol Irving likes to interrogate “the truth” in a gutted manner. She has been examining that “truth” not only in herself but also in over 600 volunteers through multiple “truth” happenings held at office spaces in Manhattan. I had the opportunity to meet with Carol at Carriage Trade, in which her piece PL/90-0559A is part of the group exhibition entitled Mistaken Identities.  Using an original polygraph, which is an old-fashioned lie detector, on herself and on others for a period of over 18 years, Carol is onto something here. The results of these tests look strangely familiar, with marks and symbols that we seem to relate to, although not quite sure why or how. Then the questions begin to surface, such as Have you noticed your smells have changed as you’ve grown old? Do you know anyone named Art? Her images may seem surreal and fictitious but these polygraphic tests were once forced on individuals up until the late 80s. Being interrogated can be an unbearable experience, but transforming this into an art form becomes an attractive practice. I’d certainly be interested to surrender myself to become lines and numbers rendered by a guilt detecting device.

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This week’s featured artist is an extended interview focusing on the work of multi-media visual artist Joshue Ott.

Joshue Ott is one of those innovative artists who visualizes new media in a broader spectrum. Having created superDraw, a platform in which he customized to become his visual instrument, along with multiDraw and Thicket, both interactive projects, Josh is constantly at the forefront. Working with soundscapes, his distinct style of visuals experiments with the basic qualities of form, texture and movement. Since 2005 Josh has been creating live visuals for numerous musicians and various performances around the world. I first experienced Josh’s work live at the 2010 Unsound Festival in New York. We had this conversation in his studio in Brooklyn where he lives with his wife and two children.

Helen Homan Wu: Okay, let’s talk about how you started superDraw. How long ago was it?

Joshue Ott: It was…years ago. Morgan Packard and Ezekiel Honig released Early Morning Migration and I played at the release party. It was some sort of debut. The first time I did superDraw live in front of people and called it superDraw.

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