All posts filed under: Interviews

Art Science & Practice: an Interview with Russian Lettering Artist Gosha Bondarev

Published by liza

What happens now? What do we really want? Not so long ago, Gosha Bondarev, a Russian lettering artist with a physics background, asked himself those questions. Today we are going to talk to him about his artistic endeavors and a scientific past that comes back to him from time to time. “We know what we are, but not what we may be.” —William Shakespeare As human beings we are constantly changing and developing, adapting to the new situations the world presents us with. These modifications can even occur within ourselves: whenever we may think we know everything about our lives, our goals, and our preferences, we can suddenly get hit with the realization that perhaps what we used to enjoy yesterday doesn’t quite appeal to us today. So, my first question will be about your transition from the world of science to the world of lettering art. What was it like and how did you come to that decision? Towards the end of my 4th year of studying physics at the university, I started having …

Youth Culture Photographer Cheney Orr — “Young in Havana, Cuba”

Published by VAGA Editor

New York City-based youth culture photographer, Cheney Orr chases the less depicted places and faces of society all over the world. His images range from raw yet deeper-level relatable (partying New York kids) to the force that pulls the wool back from one’s eyes (the streets of Kabul). Orr is not only willing to go where many don’t go; he feels a drive to seek it out and capture it. That drive has brought him to places like Ukraine, Nepal, Rwanda, Egypt, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia. Most recently, it brought him to photograph the young counter-culture scene of Cuba. Orr’s knack for simultaneously observing and communing his subjects provides an intriguing perspective on the youth culture in a country that has just become open for tourism business for Americans. The young scenes in Orr’s photographs are poignant and thought-provoking, but also new and novel for many. Here, he shares why he’s pulled toward the subjects he’s pulled to, what he found in Cuba, and the stories behind his photos. —Interview by Courtney Iseman How did you get …

African Feminism with Nigerian Journalist Chika Oduah

Published by maya

When you hear the word “Africa” and African Feminism, what do you see?  Despite it’s cultural vibrancy, those from the outside looking in often only see a faceless dark mass ridden with terror and desolation. Chika Oduah sees colors of all different shades because Africa could never be reduced to anything less than a multifaceted diamond in the rough. She sees the future of a continent that’s incredible strength has been proven through its trials and deserves much more than to be painted with a single brush. Chika artfully pens about African feminism, allowing her subjects to breathe a raw energy into her stories. Because after all, it’s theirs to tell and should never be misconstrued. Chika’s articles include stories of culture and stories of change; stories of horror, yes, but also the untold stories of happy endings. She opens the book and articulately tells each one, seeking to eradicate the western myths of the unknown Africa. Through her journalistic work and evocative words, she investigates then illustrates the life and times of Nigeria and …

An interview with Taylor Mead—last Andy Warhol’s superstar

Published by Fernando Lahoz

The artist died at the age of 88 on May 8, 2013, after being on the stage for over 70 years. The spunky, wry and sometimes irreverent actor, performer, playwright, poet, and painter was still performing every week.  Only disrupted last April when, after a long battle with the landlords, he agreed to leave his tenement apartment in LES. The following interview was originally published in our 3rd issue in March 2012. New York, December 2011 –Born into and hated by a stuffy, affluent family, Taylor Mead, whose self- described dramatic debut went down at Grosse Point High School in 1930s Michigan, went on to work and party with such greats as Andy Warhol, Frank O’Hara, Dennis Hopper, and Jim Jarmusch. His roles in such films as Lonesome Cowboys (1968), The Queen of Sheba meets the Atom Man (1968), and Tarzan and Jane Regained…Sort Of (1964) were key contributions to a dynamic era of film in the ‘60s led by Andy Warhol, his collaborators, and his contemporaries. Sheet 8 from “Fairy Tale Poem,” Taylor Mead, 2012 …

One or the other Jared Flaming Eric Helvie art 1

“One or The Other”: Jared Flaming and Eric Helvie Exhibition on view through May 21

Published by VAGA Editor

“One Or The Other”, on view from May 17 – 21, 2016 at The Highline Loft at 508 West 26th Street, brings together the two artists Jared Flaming and Eric Helvie, in a pairing of photo-realistic works that focus on the ideas of pop culture, media and storytelling in an effort to dig deep into the subconscious mind to find inspiration and artistic creativity. Curated by Anne Huntington and Natalie Kates, both artistsʼ photo-realistic works, juxtaposed by color, black-and-white metaphor and iconography, embrace the psychoanalytical idea of unconscious desires via subliminal images. In concert with the 4-day show, Huntington and Kates will present a series of experiences to enhance the exhibition, including a Panel discussion with the artists (May 18th) and VAGA hosted opening (May 19th) Q&A with artist Jared Flaming Tell us a bit more about you and your beginnings as an artist. Well I am a born and raised Oklahoma boy. There wasn’t much art around growing up but there was a lot of craft and I always enjoyed that and spent a lot of …

Kerry James Marshall, African American Art New Frontiers

Published by VAGA Editor

The work of Kerry James Marshall is centered on African American life, culture and history. His body of work explores new frontiers in racial politics, socio-economical issues and the artists’ own feelings & views about social responsibility. Marshall was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1955 and later relocated to South Central, Los Angeles near the Black Panthers headquarters. Marshall grew-up in a country in which there were not many black artists to reference and “black studies” were in their early stages. Through his work, the artist has committed himself to compensating for the absence and invisibility of black culture. The artist attempts to reconcile African American art and culture with images of western ideals in his paintings by highlighting black identity within their historical context and the current socio political situation. Video courtesy of Museo Reina Sofia, Painting and Other Stuff, 2014 For Marshall there is an evident gap in the [Western] art history archive. We can define his whole body of work as a counter-archive, reading between the lines of mainstream culture during the …

Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band by Tamar Halpern and Chris Quilty

Published by Fernando Lahoz

Following Llyn Foulkes’ pivotal retrospective at the New Museum and the last exhibition at Andrea Rosen Gallery, there is a new documentary on the interior life of the Los Angeles-based artist. “Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band”, directed by Tamar Halpern and Chris Quilty offers a unique look at the life of the artist leading up to this major international exhibition and the re-emergence of Foulkes after nearly three decades of being overlooked by the art world. Llyn Foulkes and The Machine Oil, acrylic, and mixed mediums. 31 ½ x 26 ¼ x 2 in. (80 x66.7 x 5.1 cm). The San Jose Museum of Art. Gift of the Lipman Family Foundation, in honor of the San Jose Museum of Art’s 35th Anniversary (2003). Llyn Foulkes. The Lost Frontier, 1997-2005. Mixed mediums. 87 x 96 x 8 in. (221 x 243.8 x 20.3 cm). Hammer Museum, Los Angeles “Llyn Foulkes: One Man Ban” is available at http://www.llynfoulkesfilm.com words and interview by Keri Oldham Recently dubbed America’s most famous artist that you’ve never heard of, Foulkes combines …

A Quiet Confidence – New York Master photographer: John Dugdale

Published by Fernando Lahoz

–Words and Interview by Robbie Sosa with New York master photographer John Dugdale . Image: A Turbulent Dream – 1996 – All images courtesy of Holden Luntz gallery. It’s 1992 and fear has cast its unending shadow over the gay community in New York City. Reeling from a mysterious illness, a thirty year-old named John Patrick Dugdale lies on a metal bed in a cold and drafty hospital room. From afar, the scene is straight out of war-torn Beirut – but this battle is taking place inside Manhattan’s St. Vincent Hospital. Dugdale is not alone, for there are dozens of other young, frail men on the frontlines of death. It’s a dark moment for a city wrapped in the clenched fist of a virus called HIV/AIDS. This is where Dugdale’s journey to triumph begins to become one of New York most prominent master photographers. Born in 1960 in the working class suburban town of Stamford, Connecticut, Dugdale dreamed of an artist’s life, “I thought of myself as being born in the wagon of a traveling van, just …

The Natural – Joséphine de la Baume – interview and fashion editorial

Published by Fernando Lahoz

Some people make things look so easy. Actor, model and XX half of brother-sister duo Singtank, Joséphine de la Baume exudes so much seemingly effortless creativity in her fingertips alone, it would be annoying if not for her secret weapon — intoxicating charm. The disarming wit takes a moment from her destined ascent to next level fame to discuss working with the best in the business, vampires and Michael Jackson…and invents a new word while she’s at it. –Interview by Roberto Reyes, photography by Alex Brunet Read the full interview with Joséphine de la Baume from our 4th issue below. Use your keyboard arrows to navigate through the images. On the image: Josephine wears long gold embroidered dress vintage Oscar De La Renta from Pretty Box, Black suede purse vintage Yves Saint Laurent, Black polka dot tights The Sock Shop Pink Opium jacket and red belt vintage Yves Saint Laurent, Black lace bodysuit Roseanna, Large black pants vintage Mugler (left) Purple lurex blouse with black velvet skirt and purple belt vintage Yves Saint Laurent, (on …

An Interview with actor Zoë Kravitz

Published by Fernando Lahoz

It’s a February Friday afternoon in New York City, and the weather has gone from snow to hail to rain and back to wet, sloppy snow when I sit down to chat with Zoë Kravitz, the single heir to the funk fortune that Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet’s late-eighties and early-nineties romance endowed the world. At 24, Zoë is a near perfect match to a 1980s Bonet, and with the help of a Google Image search or a TV Land marathon, it’s clear she’s channeling a fair amount of Denise Huxtable as well. She is poised, beautiful, artistic and wise to the second-generation Hollywood privilege her looks and last name have afforded her. –Words and Interview by Kelly Sherman, Photography by Robert Nethery at Art List NY, Styling by Dianna Lunt at Art Department.  Hair by Nikki Nelms, Make-up by Rebecca Restrepo at The Wall Group, Photography Assistant Johnny Kapp, Assistants: Eliza Wexelman and Mey Díaz. Interview by Kelly Sherman  Blazer COSTUME NACIONAL, bra top T by ALEXANDER WANG, silk trousers CARIN WESTER, headband HEATHER …

Youth LGBT Stories: Andre Johnson, New York

Published by Fernando Lahoz

Andre Johnson’s story is not for the weary. His life begins like so many of today’s oppressed urban black men. The 33 year old gay male was raised in the projects of Newark, New Jersey in the 1980s by a struggling single mom. But in spite of the darkness, he managed to find a method to the mayhem: ‘Kill the world with kindness and do it in a lovely frock to boot!‘ Andre’s good vibrations haven’t gone unnoticed either; turning the heads of everyone from Patricia Fields and Jay Leno to French Vogue and “The New York Times”. Andre’s ‘I don’t give a shit’ attitude could very well be the start of a new fashion renaissance of gender-bending freedom that started right here in NYC! Photography Michael Flores, interview Abbey Miller, words by Robbie Sosa. Abbey Miller: I saw an interview where you said somebody thought you looked like Jesus, and you said you and he shared some qualities. What about you is Christ-LIke? Andre Johnson: Well, I can part the sea. Or, at least …