Faceless, nameless bodies, Mommo’s works depict a world void of explicit human expression. Without eyes, mouths, eyebrows, and cheekbones displaying the emotion upon his subjects’ faces, allowing immediate identification between subject and viewer, Mommo must find an alternative way of engaging his audience. He does this through creating works which are absurd, combining human subjects with objects connoting construction and property. Taken on their own, these objects are mundane, practical but boring. In Mommo’s hands, however, they become objects of imprisonment, or somewhere to hide.
Their graphical aesthetic gives the images a modern and sleek twist which affords them a level of commerciality while maintaining a unique edge.
See more of Tapio Mommo’s work at: Society6.com
Daniel Vasilescu’s artistry produces all kinds of limit works. I mean to say, he operates along, rather than inside, the social boundaries of propriety and taboo. Yet, I will contend, his art does not derive effect simply from testing the viewer’s individual sense of what is and is not acceptable for public display. His works are not, in words, shock tactics.
I think ‘Pain’ is one of his very most fascinating pieces. Below the collarbone, the body vanishes into whiteness, and as one looks down, towards the top of the head, that disappears into darkness. The body is reduced to two gestures: the hands agonisingly clasping the head and the mouth wide open, possibly screaming. It becomes a pure signifier – one whose reference, given the erasure of body and brain, is to itself alone. We might then understand the surface of the image, apparently torn and discoloured in places, as a result of the body’s ripping and tearing as it tries to escape this internal circuit of reference. It expresses pain, but does not communicate it. We recognise these isolated signs and, without context, cannot empathise.
The photography recalls Edvard Munch’s famous painting ‘The Scream’, and anyone who follows up that reference is likely to note further parallels in another of Daniel’s works, itself titled ‘Scream’. What Fredric Jameson has called the ‘autoreferentiality’ of postmodern culture imprisons meaning within the work, as form and content become reciprocal emblems of each other. The tarnishes on the surface of these photographs are the only signs of external communication. They symbolise the drive for meaning to reach outside the artwork and elicit empathy again. In this way, we could understand Daniel’s works not as paradigms of postmodern culture, but as subtle subversions of it.
Website: Society6.com/DanielVasilescu
A couple of weeks ago, FUSSED caught up with innovative artist James Cave, last featured on the blog in December 2011. Back then, we were captivated by his haunting artworks which seemed to possess a sinister, political undertone. Since then, James had decided to take his art in a new direction…
What have you been up to since you were last featured in FUSSED?
I have been continuing with my art practice as much as I can whilst working in a local paper factory to pay the bills. Most importantly I started a Masters degree in Games Design back in September 2012 and I am currently in my second semester. It has helped me to focus my art practice into a new direction of creating concept art for computer games, which is something I have always really aspired to achieve, and to push my art into a new medium; that of digital art making.
How has your style changed since that time?
I'm still producing works using charcoal and the flame of a blowtorch but with starting my new direction into the concept art of games design, I am now also creating digital artworks using Photoshop and a graphics tablet. The style of my work is fundamentally the same but with the introduction of digital art making techniques. One of my project aims in this second semester of my MA Games Design course is to successfully transfer the aesthetics of my burning technique into my digital art making and hold on to my burnt, suggestive style in my digital art. In this way I am looking to create a concept for a game that perhaps incorporates the burnt aesthetic into the actual game play.
Your most recent works seems to have taken on a reddy/orange aesthetic. Is there a particular reason for this?
No reason, just a happy accident I suppose! With the digital work I have been producing, especially last semester, I was looking heavily at incorporating texture into my work, more specifically that of wood, and to build up an image using the wood texture as a foundation. The reddy/orange aesthetic you've highlighted is possibly a direct result of the orange/brown colours from the wood textures showing through the work. That being said I love using the colour red in my work, as my work is a bit on the dark side (no star wars pun intended!) and has deathly undertones surrounding much of my work, I find it's a good colour to represent death and evoke strong feelings in the viewer.
What was your inspiration behind experimenting with text in your images?
The power of incorporating text with an image is something that interests me in that the text itself, regardless of what is written, can change the whole dynamics of an image. I suppose my inspiration lies in the art of cd covers, box art and promotional artwork for computer games and also in comic book covers.
How have you found the transition from university to 'the real world' in terms of creating your artworks?
Between graduating from my BA Fine Art degree in 2011 and starting my Masters degree in Games Design in 2012, the hardest thing in terms of physically producing artwork was self-motivation. With losing input from tutors, fellow artists and the general ethos of being at university I found it difficult to focus myself into my artwork, however I do not find this experience to be a bad thing. I almost went into an artist's hiatus, where I believe after 3 years of intense creative study my creative mind needed time off! The most important thing is that I came out of my hiatus and into my new direction of concept art, going back to university to study for a Masters in Games Design! Either I'm not ready for the real world yet or the real world isn't ready for me just yet! Time will tell! :)
What is your favourite thing about art?
Creating something out of nothing imagination. I love how an image can say an infinite amount of words (pardon the pun) and also hold a different meaning to everyone, however slight. Art is a beautiful form of communication that does not need words to convey a message and sometimes does not even need to convey a message, and can purely be something you like to look at :) say an infinite amount of words (pardon the pun) and also hold a different meaning to everyone, however slight. Art is a beautiful form of communication that does not need words to convey a message and sometimes does not even need to convey a message, and can purely be something you like to look at :)
What have you got coming up for the rest of 2013?
I aim to successfully complete my Masters degree in Games Design ending in October 2013 and continue my path to becoming a concept artist, ultimately getting a job doing what I love, drawing cool s**t!
To see more of James’s work, you can go to:
Jimmysartcave.blogspot.co.uk (game design blog)
Coughcoughcough.tumblr.com (fine art blog)
You can also email him at: jcavefineart@gmail.com
Name: Charlotte Aiken
Age: 21
Occupation: Artist
Charlotte is a studying artist at the Online College of Art & Design. Her work for the college thus far demonstrates an exceptional ability in multiple artistic mediums including watercolour, sculpture, painting and textile. Here is what this talented artist has to say on her exciting portfolio…
What inspires you?
I am inspired by many artists and styles of art. One of my favourite is Donald Hamilton Fraser. I love his dancer studies with the light sketchy technique he used. Creating a realistic but abstract impression of the figure has a beautiful effect. My main inspiration for my work is my past experiences and emotions; I find it difficult to express my emotions but through my art I can. I’m inspired by how I feel which means my art usually has a certain mood depending on my emotions. I love to take in new places and people and create art from these places and the mood it holds.
Your work varies from painting to sculpture to textile to mixed-media. Do you have a favourite medium?
My favourite medium would have to be watercolour and pen studies.... I love to use a sketchy, free style to create either landscape or portrait. I find it works really well for moving figure studies. The pen runs with the watercolour which can have a really interesting look. I also really love mixed media because I can use all the
medias I want. But I think what media I use depends on what I'm portraying. I don't usually think about the category of media much, but just go with what feels right and decide when it's finished which category it would fit in to!
How does being able to use these different mediums inform your work?
Using these different mediums allows me to improve and expand on the work I do. As I experiment with different medias I find what works best with what and which medias I enjoy using the most. As I’m finding my favourite mediums I am widening my work and artistic understanding.
Tell me about your wire sculptures. What is the concept behind them?
My wire sculptures represent the moving figure. I wanted to create the appearance of the movement of a dancer. I originally took photos of my friend dancing using the shutter speed to create the blur of movement. I then used these photos to create the sculptures. I used the wire because I could twist it easily and create a core to then expand on. I'm really interested in the human figure and capturing its movements; being able to portray a mood surrounding the figure just using the sculpture.
Do you have any artistic projects you are currently working on?
I'm currently doing a foundation diploma in art and design which I'm studying online at "online college of art and design" so all my current work is based around that.
What are your hopes for the future?
My hopes for the future are to be a freelance artist; I want to travel and gain new experiences and see different places and people. I want to use my past and future experiences to create meaningful collections of art. I want my art to make people feel and see what I'm trying to portray or say. I believe that art can make such a strong impact on people.
Eventually I would really like to go and use my art to help people, maybe in less developed countries etc, teach people how to express themselves through art.
In the short term, I am thinking of doing a charity exhibition, get together a load of my recent work to display and raise money for a charity.
Blog: Charleydory.blogspot.co.uk
You might think the works above belong in the nineteenth century and, in a way, you wouldn’t be wrong. Replaceface, quite literally, replaces faces. Whose faces, I hear you ask? The faces of Russian generals active in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 1800s. In fact, the entirety of the portraits above, excluding the replaced faces, were actually painted by nineteenth century English painter George Dawe. Using Photoshop, Replaceface replaces the faces of these Russian generals with those of celebrities, of Michael Clarke Duncan, Dave Grohl, Brad Pitt, Leonardo Dicaprio, Ricky Gervais, and Gary Barlow.
While this combination of celebrity with soldiers, the contemporary with the old, might be considered paradoxical, the artist does not make this distinction obvious. In fact, the faces of these actors and singers blend seamlessly into Dawe’s 19th century canvases. If we did not know the faces of these celebrities so well, would we realise these portraits were not already in their original state? But it is exactly because we do know these faces so well that the paintings work so effectively. Not only do they make us take a second glance; they make us think as well. Whether or not the combination of celebrity with soldier, consumer living with earnest living, is making some comment on the state of contemporary consumer culture, it is not clear. What is clear, however, is the extraordinary artistic talent of this anonymous artist. They may have only painted the faces in these portraits, but these faces are not only instantly recognisable; they are incredibly realistic and evocative.
You can buy the portraits of Replaceface at: Society6.com/replaceface
Blog: Replaceface.tumblr.com
Created via the technique of screen-printing, the work of Timothy Davis capitalises on colour, layering and perspective. Each of his prints offers a fresh and intriguing angle on a multitude of subjects, from America to celebrity to heroism.
What most interests me about Timothy’s art is his treatment of celebrity. The above images depict the famous faces of Abraham Lincoln, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe. None of those aforementioned names are strangers to the artist’s canvas, and yet, Timothy manages to provide us with something original, a perspective not often given. Take his image of Frank Sinatra for instance. Titling his print ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’, yet refraining from actually giving his subject blue eyes suggests that Timothy is not one for clichés. And, in avoiding the obvious cliché, we are instead presented with a wholly different perspective of the Rat Pack star, as a man of many faces, an old Hollywood star.
You can see more of Timothy’s work on: Society6.com/timothygdavis
‘I am a visual artists and graphic designer. My recent work explores the perception of the book and its transformation in the 21st century. Encyclopaedia Britannica announced after 244 years that it will no longer print its books. This is partly due to the popularity of Wikipedia but also a reflection of the wider decline of printed books. I have been burning editions of the Encyclopaedia and working with the detritus. Ash is a fragile material, sensitive to external conditions and easily perishable, a material linked to the themes of recollection and of memory, but it also has an ancient tradition, fundamental in Eastern spirituality. The act of burning the book (biblioclast) could also be seen as a statement of the end of print and a transformation from one form into another.
Other projects include; ‘The backs of books’ as part of the ACE exhibition at the Freies Museum in Berlin 2012; ‘Fantasies of Escapism and Containment’ solo exhibition and book 2012; Rosebud no.7 Very Funny, edited by Ralf Hermes, published by Verlag für moderne Kunst, Nurnberg 2010; group exhibition and publication, Art of the Book, Gallery 210, University of Missouri, St. Louis, USA 2010.’
The project above is called Knowledge in-depth.
See more of Danny’s work at: Dannyaldred.com
We recently featured Benoit in our Art of 2013 blog. His cassette tape art has really caused a stir in the online art world, and it’s easy to see why. An effortless mix of humour, nostalgia and artistic talent, Benoit’s cassettes are certainly something special…
Tell us a bit about your background. How did you become an artist?
I worked as a graphic artist before considering myself as a true artist, so I take it as a compliment! One day, I just had the desire to create handmade things and share it, but it's true that I now want to do it more and more often.
Your cassette tape art seems to have taken the art world by storm. Why do think there has been such a buzz around it?
Yes, I saw that too! I think people from my generation relate to this work and to the 'cassette tape spirit'... It's such a nostalgic series and many enjoy the funny side of it, the references. They are happy to see that these old cassette tapes managed to start a new life!
How did you come up with the idea?
It happened when I found a bunch of old cassettes at home; seeing them brought me back to an earlier time, the 80s, and to me as a kid. In any case, I could not play them any more so resurrecting them sounded like a good idea. It was sound, it became visual! I am pretty sure they are more happy than in if they were in a shoebox.
Which is your favourite of the series, and why?
Probably the red rocket because it's one of the first I made and I'm quite proud of the cute result - I don't get tired of watching it. But each one of them still amuses me when I look back at the series.
What do you most enjoy about creating art?
I love spending time creating art but not necessarily continuously: I like the idea of letting artworks alone and returning to them later. But other times I like to devote myself to it intensely, it depends. What is certain is that I don't like to have nothing to create. Making something with hands for the eyes is so cool!
I see that you're based in Paris. Does living in the artistic French capital help when it comes to inspiration?
I am very interested in any kind of creation and Paris is of course a huge inspiration. But now you have such things to discover thanks to internet that anyone could find inspiration even in the most quiet country part (hey I love country hen!). I also find inspiration with friends, family or simply just before sleeping, huhu.
Have you got any future projects you're working on at the moment?
I have some other projects yes, but it will be a surprise, but still some fun stuff again for sure. In my dreams the best project would be to give 48h each day!
See Benoit's work on: Benoitjammes.com Facebook.com/benoit.jammes.artworks Flickr.com/sisimissa
‘This series of work contains photomontages created by projections on the wall. Projectors enable you to layer photos in a way that is similar to Photoshop, where the colours can blend and transparency can cause interesting combinations, changing the meaning of the photos and evoking new interpretations. When I layer my photos using projection, I don’t have any pre-set plan regarding the outcome because I feel that experimentation always results in a more interesting outcome than when I’m bound by my own rules. I start with choosing some of my photos and just experiment with montaging them.
I feel that these montages convey something transcendental or even otherworldly, where a road leads somewhere, a hand wants to touch or reach something, a shadow of a bird is flying away from the tree and an empty chair and a window is reflected in the sky. The image projected onto the background feels almost like another dimension, as it is slightly different in colour. Still, by combining the colours, the light and the shadows, the cloudy sky results in an atmospheric combination.’
Aniko Gajdocsi is a second year fine art student at Winchester School of Art. This is her second feature. See her first here.
Website: Anikogajdocsi.tumblr.com
In our first post of 2013, we thought we’d take a look at the work of some of the most promising undiscovered talents in the artistic world. You might think of it as a visual arts version of the BBC Sound of 2013 poll, just with a few less nominees. Each day of this week, we will be featuring five of our favourite creatives to look out for in the sectors of Art, Illustration, Photography, and Film.
Today, we are starting off with Art…
Benoit Jammes
Benoit’s cassette tape art has proven somewhat of a phenomenon among bloggers and online art magazines. Praised for his humour and creativity, the blogosphere have been absolutely loving Benoit’s hand-made works. I think part of their appeal is their retro, nostalgic aesthetic. Homer Simpson + cassette tapes = 90s galore, and it makes some pretty good art too.
Website: Benoitjammes.com
Karen Brandon
Karen’s painting is part of a series depicting the media representations of the August riots. She writes: ‘I sought to understand them by reflecting on personal memories, of youthful participation in the acid house
parties of the 1980s and early 90s. Although very different in nature, both happenings were initiated by groups or collectives of young people, producing moral panic and political reaction.’ Indeed, Karen’s blurring brush strokes seem to resemble two things, the first being the drug-addled, bleary vision of those 80s and 90s youths; and secondly, the somewhat misguided and obtuse representation of the youths of the August riots and acid house parties. Almost Monet-like in its style, Karen brings impressionism well and truly into the 21st century.
Website: Karenbrandon.co.uk
(Quote from website)
Fernando Laposse
Fernando’s sugar glass is part of a project exploring the relationship between kitchen crafts and manufacture. The glasses are made out of 100% melted sugar which means they are not only re-meltable and re-formable; they are also edible! However, it seems a shame to eat such a beautifully-made glass – the colours in it are extraordinary, its patterns enchanting.
Website: Fernandolaposse.com
Laura Hopewell
Laura’s work is most commonly found under the pseudonym Girl Scout. The above is part of her ABC illustration project: ‘I chose to depict the various environments people live in around the world alongside lovely 3D letters’. All created out of paper, Laura hits right on the paper-cutting trend that seems to be taking the art world by storm, and it is easy to see why. There is something about paper and hand-crafted art that appeals to our nostalgic sensibilities – a craft before machinery and computing that harks back to a simpler time.
Website: Scoutshonour.co.uk
(Quote from website)
Sanel Osman
Our final undiscovered talent to look out for in 2013 is Sanel Osman. An interior architecture and design student at the Arts University Bournemouth, Sanel’s work above takes you into a mystical wonderland reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. The vibrant colours and black silhouettes of a mother reading to her children once again adhere to that nostalgic, retro aesthetic, while their three-dimensionality maintains a modern edge.
Website: Sanelosman.tumblr.com
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