Faces + Traces

May 16, 2018

What’s in a face — what is it, really? Some holes, some circles, a bit of hair, a sprinkling of lines, some skin, some bone, some muscle.

What’s in a painting — what is it, really? Some globs, some slashes, a sprinkling of lines, some canvas, some color, some texture.

Trude Viken’s mesmerizing new works at Fortnight Institute effortlessly beg these questions with a combination of humor and horror. Her anonymous portraits are both clownish and skeletal, depicted as they are in textural whimsies of thickly applied pigment.

It’s as if she is pulling the abstract into the figurative, or vice versa, ever aware of the physical reality of the paint and its capabilities of rendering illusion — and, as a result, has created a ghostly limbo from which her characters grin out at us. They seem to laugh, or plea — their skin is made of pockmarked paint, but their emotions still resonate across the distance of Viken’s veil.

Text by John Martin Tilley
Images coutesty of Fortnight Institute

Faces and Traces will be on view through June 17th at Fortnight Institute.

Art

Sasha December Gets Vulnerable

Her work consistently invites us to recognize something of an unfamiliar middle ground, a feeling of tranquility partnered with a sense of yearning. The unique articulation of these subjects explores a duality amongst beauty and melancholy, and what that means for her audience on an individual level. In terms of how we look to our past and future selves, with December and her ethereal creatures as our guide.

December’s super power that utilizes self reflection to translate such specific sentiment is one that is undeniably refreshing. Her show, “First Contact” debuts Saturday, October 8th at United Talent Agency’s artist space in LA.

office sat down with December to learn more about her process and the intriguing figures she found within, that make her work so captivating.

How would you describe the "mood" of your work?

There is a certain lightness to my work, even when it seems dark. I try to embody a sense of hopefulness in that light. And honestly the mood of the work reflects the things I try to feel in life: peace, serenity, whimsicality. But there will always be this kind of sense of longing.

So, your paintings are not self portraits?

I would consider them self extensions, “self portraits” is too literal I think.

Do you have a name or story for the characters?

She does not have a name, but she has an ever growing storyline. When I started painting her, I think she was someone desperately trying to find ways to mask her insecurities. She was very lost. As her story line progresses she’s really growing into her own. And she’s learning how to make her own world so she never gets lost.

Would you say it is one person or multiple people?

Most of the time it’s the same person, it’s pretty recognizable when it is. Sometimes other characters make an appearance.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Painting and my dog, and the people who wanna see more of my art.

What do your dreams look like?

Super vivid. I have a lot of vivid dreams. Sometimes they get violent. Actually I have a lot of vivid nightmares. I think they’re mostly anxiety induced to be honest.

How do you think your style has evolved?

I started really drawing as a passion and developing my style when I was like 10 or 11, it was my way of escaping reality. I was bullied a lot in my adolescence and needed to zone out. Anyways, I’ve always had an affinity for drawing girls. It started with watching anime (most definitely not meant for 12 year olds) and adopting the style from there. From there, my style has grown with every work of art that I make, I take inspiration from things I see both in the world and in my own head.

Have you tried other forms of art?

I’ve definitely dabbled in photography and sculpture but always come back to painting. I mean they do encourage you to try everything in art school. I try to write. I really want to make a set of dinnerware or something. I’m gonna take a pottery class in September.

Top three favorite artists of all time across all genres?

Lady Gaga, Aya Takano, Lisa Yuskavage.

Three artists that deserve more attention?

Kati Akraio, Obi Agwam, Rosa Carmichael. Their work is amazing and I’m obsessed with all of them. They all deserve hundreds of thousands of followers.

What does your creative process look like?

There isn’t that long of a process that comes before me putting brush to canvas. If I have an idea of something I want to see pop into my head at random I’ll write it in my notes and go paint it, sometimes I’ll make a drawing on my iPad which is fun. Sometimes I’ll do something in real life and then be like oh, I should paint this moment. The entire process really relies on sitting in front of a canvas and just starting. I like when it just appears to me.

How do you get inspired when you’re in a creative rut?

I try to not beat myself up. I wait until it passes because ultimately I know it will come back.

You've been busy! What have you worked on recently you've been excited about?

My first show ever opened in LA this October, and I also had a booth at The Other Art Fair in this last weekend in Brooklyn. I also dropped a clothing collaboration with this adorable brand Moonkissed Collective.

Stay tuned for more of Sasha December.

Art

Taking Off with Tom Sachs x LACMA

Of the project, Sachs says, “[This print is really exciting,] it has multiple methods of concretization, from ancient to the most modern, as a way of authenticating its uniqueness as a work of art. Too Darn Hot was born on the blockchain, then we made a physical print out of it and now we are re-concretizing that with a digital token (forever on the block chain) that serves as the certificate of authenticity for the print — a full technological cycle of consecration.”

Art

Whilst the World is in Shambles

office has long since been fans and friends of Daniel Gebhart de Koekkoek, animal whisperer and inspired creative. Today, we're honored to present the artist's latest project that will continue to bring us joy, in the form of very fluffy friends — all through the next year.

There's little need to say we hope you enjoy, as it's almost a given you will. On that note, we're eager to introduce you to Alf, Mickey and a few others featured in De Koekkoek's 2023 calendar, which we urge you to preview below and purchase here.