Art Space Talk: Tom Bennett

Tom Bennett grew up in a household of artists-- he was influenced by his father, also an award-winning painter, Harry Bennett. Tom received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting at the University of Connecticut where he studied under the painter and photographer, Bill Parker. Tom also studied design under Paul Zelansky. Since that time, Tom has been involved with numerous solo and group exhibits in the United States. He is represented internationally in both public and private collections that include the likes of Andy Warhol, Richard Diebenkorn, and David Hockney.


Brian Sherwin: Thomas, I understand that your father is also an artist. How did he influence you during your early years? Is he still an influence today?

Tom Bennett: I grew up in a house with art as a focus. I was drawing from the beginning, and my father once told me he knew I was going to be an artist when he looked at a drawing of a head I did at the age of 3. He noticed I had included the iris and pupil in the eyes of the face. He naturally was and is always an influence.

BS: Having viewed your work and the work of your father I must say that you have both went in your own direction as far as art is concerned. I assume that he did not push you toward a certain style. Care to share further information about your father and how he has supported your career as an artist?

TB: My father did not aggressively push me at all as a painter. My oldest sister was a prodigy and she may have resented any 'pushing" by him, so he decided to let me develop at my own pace. I made my first canvas oil painting at the age of 5 and was hooked.

BS: Thomas, aside from your father, who else has influenced your art? Have you been inspired by certain artists or art movements?

TB: As a kid, I was really into the artists from Mad magazine, like Mort Drucker. As a teenager, I became excited by painters like Degas, the pre-Rafaelites and Klimt. I discovered Francis Bacon in art school, who was and has been a major influence. deKooning, Diebenkorn, Frank Aurebach are some of the other figurative/expressionist-heroes of mine.

BS: Thomas, you attended the University of Connecticut where you earned a BFA- you decided not to pursue an MFA. Why did you make this choice? Also, how did you further your studies after college?

TB: I recall the last semester of art school and talking to a professor about my future. He suggested that I didn't need grad school. I should just paint and 'work in a factory" to support my painting. I had decided to take some time off from school anyway and moved to NY, painted, exhibited, and took odd jobs. I then went to Europe and never looked back.

BS: While in Barcelona you took part in group shows and had two one-man shows. Can you recall how the scene was at that time? Also, why did you decide to leave Barcelona?

TB: I arrived in Barcelona and developed friendships with mostly ex-patriots. I met some local painters such as Santi Moix, who has quite an international reputation today. Ultimately, through some of my acquaintances I found an apt with a painting studio in the marina section of the city, a few yards from the sea. It was a wonderful place to paint. I got legal working status in Barcelona, but couldn't make any money, outside of the occasional gig teaching English. I sold some paintings now and then, but I returned to the States, thinking I had too many financial obligations and I had difficulty making any sort of income in Barcelona.

BS: Thomas, when you moved back to New York you moved into the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn just before the influx of artists who moved into that area. Can you recall any experiences or events you observed during that time? I assume that you settled before prices skyrocketed?

TB: I knew nothing of Brooklyn when I returned to NY. I saw it as some alien planet. My friend Rick had invited me to share an apt in Greenpoint/Williamsburg, I needed a place to live, so I went. Later I found my own studio across the street from a crackhouse on South 2nd Street. I would be walking home and cops would ask me what I was doing, suspecting me of buying drugs. I would say, " I live here.' They would stare blankly at me. They were shocked. I was one of a handful of artists in that neighborhood at the time. It was all great old polish kielbasa shops and businesses that had been there for generations. It was around that time the first galleries started opening. Today, it's vastly changed. Sky-rise apartment buildings are going up and there are 2-bedroom apartments going for a million dollars or more.

BS: Thomas, you have said the following about your art, "Though I'm strongly influenced by my classical training, I love pushing the medium around. Motion is essential. I'm always thinking about how muscles and forms can almost connect.", can you go into further detail about your art and what you are striving to do?

TB: Painting is foremost a physical act for me. I love the materials. Movement is a natural outcome of the way I approach the work, whether it's a drawing, monotype or painting. The process, of course is the exhilarating thing, and when the product incites a strong emotional or psychic response, I've succeeded. A good piece of art is one that can hold many layered ambiguous narratives or allegories.The viewer brings his own interpretations to the work and the hope is that there is an ongoing dialogue between the two. Over the last several months I've been making homage paintings referencing some classical works I've chosen for both their formal strength and /or the allegory involved. I like the interpretation and re-translation of these images in our art-historical collective unconscious.

BS: Thomas, can you discuss the darkness of some of your works? They often reveal a haunting atmosphere. Do these images capture your thoughts about current events? Are you conveying a certain mood with these images? Or do you just prefer to work in that manner?

TB: It's really always been a natural. unconscious thing for me. I'm really a nice guy outside the studio.

BS: Thomas, I've read that you are represented internationally in both public and private collections that include the likes of Andy Warhol, Richard Diebenkorn, and David Hockney. Where can our readers go to view your art?

TB: I'm represented by Tabla Rasa gallery in Brooklyn, NY and the Riversea gallery in Astoria, OR.

BS: Thomas, you exhibited with World Artist Network during the WAN Gallery Inaugural Show in Baltimore, MD. As you know, WAN had long been one of the largest art groups on myspace.com. At one time, their membership was over 100,000. How did you get involved with WAN? Can you tell us more about WAN and why you agree with their philosophy?

TB: WAN is an open forum for the exchange of ideas and the opportunity to form alliances with like-minded artists. It's members include really exciting people with fresh ideas and powerful work.

BS: Thomas, tell us about your studio. Do you work in silence? Or do you prefer to listen to music while working on your art? What are the conditions you need to focus on your art?

TB: My studio takes up the entire top floor of my house in Brooklyn. Because it's located in my home, it's easy to be distracted. Therefore I must shut the door and shut out the world. I do work with music or NPR on the radio. I'll listen to everything from old blues music to Beethoven, depending on where I am in my head that day.

BS: Thomas, can you tell us more about your artistic process? How do you start a piece? Do you plan it out in your head first... draw it out? What are the first steps you make when creating?

TB: Sometimes I'll do drawings and monotypes working out ideas and I'll build on that. Sometimes I'll take a leap from photographic reference I've found or shot myself. I also work from life. It depends on the project. Once I actualize the process., it's a continuous dance between lawlessness and order. By that I mean it's allowing the intuitive subconscious to work with conscious control.

BS: Thomas, do you have any upcoming exhibits?

TB: I'm working out developing a show here in Brooklyn for early next year, but the dates aren't set. I'll be in a group show at the Visual Art Center of Northern NJ in January. My work can be seen at the Riversea Gallery in Astoria, OR, and the Tabla Rasa Gallery in Brooklyn , NY.

You can learn more about Tom Bennett and his art by visiting his website: www.tombennettart.com

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Michael Cutlip

Michael Cutlip creates abstract landscapes of lines, markings, brush strokes, spray paint blots, and graphite smudges. The artist works intuitively, as he feels a planned painting is a failed painting. Process is essential to Cutlip's works on panel - during which time his painting is free to wander.

Horse Power, Mixed on Panel, 24" x 24"

Brian Sherwin: Michael, you are represented by Melanee Cooper Gallery in Chicago. Do you have any upcoming exhibits with the gallery? Also, where else can our readers observe your art in person?

Michael Cutlip: I'm going to be part of an exhibit called "Cool Globes" in Chicago. It's an innovative project that uses the medium of public art to inspire individuals and organizations to take action against global warming. www.coolglobes.com. I will also be part of a three-person show in New York next month at Stricoff Fine Art.

Up until the past 1-2 years I have mainly exhibited here in California. I now have representation in Chicago, New York, Denver, and a few other cities across the country.

Obsession, Mixed on Panel, 48" x 48"

BS: Michael, let us take a step back-- can you recall any experiences from your youth that helped guide you on the path you are on today? Tell us about your early experiences in art.

MC: I wasn't really into art as a child...other than an occasional brush with a box of Crayola's. I played the saxophone in the school band growing up...so music was always my creative elective. I was 23 and in college when I took my first drawing class. It changed my life forever.

BS: Michael, where did you study art? Who were your mentors?

MC: As I mentioned above...I kind of discovered my passion for art accidentally. I was studying business (God knows why!) at Cal State University Hayward (definitely not a none school for the arts). I was ONE semester away from getting my degree and I realized I needed to fulfill an elective requirement. I thought Drawing would be easy and decided to go for it. What happened next came completely by surprise. I became completely seduced by this new world I had discovered. The man who taught that class was and still is my sole mentor. He was an older man (maybe in his early 70's at that time), but he had the spirit of a twenty-year old. He was amazing, and inspired the hell out of me. He saw beyond my clumsy, awkward drawings and told me he saw art. Well, I was hooked from that point on. I never finished up the business degree and continued to study art for the next 4 years. I then finally received my degree in fine art after 8 years of college.

Pollinate, Mixed on Wood Panel, 48" x 48"

BS: Michael, you have been involved with several impressive group exhibits- including Bridge Art Fair Miami in 2006. Do you enjoy art fairs? I've spoken with several artists about art fairs and have had mixed opinions. Some artists feel that they threaten the stability of the traditional art market. Do you see the fairs as a threat or do you feel that they are important for the vitality of art as a whole?

MC: I can't say that I really have a strong opinion about that. They seem to be the wave of the future for better or for worse.

BS: Michael, you work with mixed medium on panel. Why do you prefer that surface over say... canvas? Also, can you go into further detail about your artistic process... how do you start a piece? Do you 'map' it out in your head? Or do you go where your imagination takes you, so to speak?

MC: I personally hate working on canvas... I tend to fight the texture. I prefer the smooth surface of the wood. Wood is also more durable..I always tear canvas when I work on it. I use electric sanders and scratch into it, so canvas doesn't work.

As far as my process...no, I definitely do not map out a painting. Ideas are dangerous in my mind. When ever I come up with a "great idea". I am sure to fail. I am very process oriented, so the paintings evolve naturally from one move to the next. I definitely have a process (as most artist's do), but I don't really think about it much when I am working. I go on auto-pilot, so to speak.

Discoveries, Mixed on Wood Panel, 36" x 36"

BS: Michael, have you been influenced by other artists or art movements? Where else do you draw inspiration from?

MC: I honestly do not frequent the art galleries too often. So, art, in it's traditional form, doesn't have much influence over me. Well, on some level, I'm sure it does...I just don't think about it too much. I'm inspired a lot by everyday things i see on the street. I like graffiti, street art, a lot. Mostly, I inspire myself, through the process of creating. When I make a mark and my heart starts to beat a little bit faster...that's the good stuff!

Time Line, Mixed on Wood Panel, 48" x 48"

BS: Michael, what projects are you working on at this time? Have you been working on a new body of art?

MC: I don't really see my work as separate bodies of work. Each piece evolves from the last and so on and so on. I did just finish a mural in Tokyo Japan. That mixed things up for me a bit...I was quite pleased with the result.

BS: Michael, have you ever collaborated on a project? If not, do you plan to at some point in the future?

MC: My wife is a painter also...we use to do a lot of collaborative stuff back when we were in school together. For some reason that stopped. I don't really think it was because we were a couple...it's just very difficult for me to work that way. Although, I did have a positive experience a few months back. I invited a painter friend of mine to help me out with a failing painting...we ended up working all night on it together. It opened up some doors for me, that I may not have found on my own. The painting itself is so, so...but, some good discoveries were made.

My best collaborative experience was when I was in school. A painting professor and I spent the better part of one summer painting a mural in the university library. The thing was two stories tall, so we had to work on scaffolding. I felt like F***ing Diego Rivera up there...It was awesome!! If you are ever in the CSUH library, it is still there. It is a big abstract piece, unusual for a mural.

Black Bird, Mixed on Wood Panel, 24" x 24"

BS: Michael, tell us about your studio. What are the conditions you need in order to work. Do you prefer silence? Or do you enjoy listening to music while you create? Do you follow a routine or do you work sporadically?

MC: Music...of course. I do tend to follow a routine. Although, that is my life in general these days. I have two small children...family life has definitely made me more of a 9 - 5'er.

BS: Michael, do you have any suggestions for artists who are just starting out?

MC: I would just say...focus on what's most important, that being you work. The rest will figure itself out.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the artworld?

MC: My old painting professor use to say to me, before exiting the room..."Keep your Brushes wet"...I like that. Just keep working!

You can learn more about Michael Cutlip and his art by visiting his website: www.michaelcutlip.com. You can view my other interviews by visiting the following link: www.myartspace.com/interviews/

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Jerome Prieur

Jerome Prieur examines the profane elements of day-to-day life-- the intricacies, eccentricities, and absurdities that define humanity and modern life. A central focus on his subjects’ bodies allows him to explore careers, hobbies, relationships and social roles that are re-invented and reinterpreted through the complexity of his work and his unique stylistic approach. This results in studies that appear to be a mix of science and psychology-- mangled together within the context of contemporary society.

Brian Sherwin: Jerome, I've read that you were raised in a family of artists. Can you recall any early experiences you had with art? Who first noticed your talent?

Jerome Prieur: I remember that it all started with dinosaurs. I was completely fascinated and began to draw them. A vivid memory would have been when I was 7 years old, I did a drawing of a T-Rex and I came into class and asked permission to show and talk about it. This would have been my first public showing of something that I was proud and passionate about. During my youth and teenage years my teachers and classmates knew that the only things that mattered to me were to do with the arts, as I had the worse marks (except in Art)!

My parents and my sister were the first to notice, and still help in my research through conversation and location of resources (my mom is forever bringing me books on subjects I am interested in). I could never thank them enough for all the liberty they gave me and understanding about my artistic thoughts and pursuits. Let’s say that I rarely paint anything "really pretty", but they know me well enough to know the inner meanings of my pieces and for them it is natural.

BS: Jerome, you have collaborated with artist Marie-Josee Roy and Grant Cunningham. Can you go into detail about this experience? I assume that you enjoy collaborating with friends, but are their draw-backs to these forms of artistic unions? Creative differences? Or do you think that is more of a question of who you are working with and for how long? Do you plan to work with anyone in the near future?

JP: Marie-Josee Roy is my prime example of my trust and confidence in showing with other artists. Marie-Josee and I have known each other for 20 years and have had numerous shows together; even today we are respectfully represented by the same galleries on the same street! For mysterious reasons we unintentionally follow each other and ironically a lot of clients buy our works without even knowing about our relationship (keep in mind these would be separate from our group shows). We grew together surrounded by art and sharing ideas. Even though our styles are completely different we complement each other.

Grant Cunningham is another example. We have shown together. We are more into the individual rather than our artistic approaches, yet we dig each others works. Marie-Josee, Grant and myself collaborated in 2003 on a piece entitled "3 dissection de l’interieur" This piece united 3 self-portraits on one canvas. Were there any draw-backs? No, we painted our sections, swapping the canvas between us, and then we showed it, had a vernissage, and got drunk. Off it went to a new owner!

I am very fond of being around other artists. Some say that it can be awkward at times; I have not experienced that aspect. Perhaps that is because I truly believe that art is a freedom of speech and is not competitive as a corporation would be. Artistic ideas are too individual and personal to be copied. I love to see my fellow artists grow in their works and addition to their CVs etc. In our society, the best gift is for me to see any artists make it out there.

BS: Jerome, what else can you tell us about the underground art scene in Canada?

JP: The underground scene is Canada in my opinion is growing. In the USA the underground art scene has grown very rapidly and it is currently catching up in Canada. Mind you, "underground, lowbrow, contemporary"…whatever we currently are labeling it, is in my opinion a vague series of words; you have serious artists that respect the genre and you have others that claim to be part of it, yet without completely understanding it. Furthermore, we have artists that are doing great works, but yet fall between these categories, depending on how narrowly we define it.

So far, I have been really fortunate to have met and shown with very creative minds, most of us have began in the underground art world, this underground scene in Canada is very broad, often it touches further than just art, it is fashion, stage shows, performing arts, music, poetry, spoken word, literature, film etc. I find in Canada that we put a great deal of effort into everything that revolves around the arts, and from there we network together; and it ends up being at everyone’s advantage. Especially the underground, as it is often associated with the unique, the unusual, freedom of speech and the non-commercial production of art.

BS: Jerome, tell us about your art.... you are obviously influenced by Art Nouveau- can you tell us more about artists and art movements that have influenced your work?

JP: Gaudi is my hero! I have been an admirer of his work since I was a teenager. Hector Guimard is also a very strong influence in my works. Art-Nouveau, to me, is a design and architectural movement that will never be equalized in our modern world (the cost of such creation and the freedom of imagination through patronage…you cannot find this, not in today’s economy and trends). The mystical aspect of such style is that it is the only architectural movement that flows yet is motionless.

If you look at one of my paintings, it is truly inspired by the movement, but I make it my own without stealing specifics, from the subject’s clothing to the fusion between human flesh, mechanics and objects. Art-Nouveau is soft, I have been told many times that the subjects I use for my paintings are perceived as harsh, but the implementation of an art-nouveau style softens it enough for people to attend and to have time to really contemplate what the piece is about. If the subject matter is challenging, then they can get lost in the intricacies of the technical skill and details of the lines.

BS: Jerome, where else do you find inspiration? Your work contains a lot of visual information pulled from several sources... your images are like an explosion of genres scattered upon the surface in a controlled manner. I see references to cyber-punk themes, old side-show posters, every traditional playing cards. I get the feeling that you could write an essay about your interests and how they are conveyed in your art. Can you explain how you get all of these ideas to come together... to mesh as they do?

JP: Upon a multitude of situations, I question the human body and it’s relevance to our incomprehensible society, our limits, our abnormalities and our mortality. These subjects are transformed by the fusion of science, genetics, mechanics, madness and humour. I am always revisiting subjects and objects to make them more efficient.

For example, I am currently finishing a painting involving a boxer whose legs have been amputated and fused with giant mechanical grasshoppers (to help him skip in the ring). Additionally, two tiny elephant heads are fused to his shoulders, and using the water from his body splash water on his face. This is an ‘improved’ version of the recognizable white water bottles used in the ring. These are two examples specific to the subject, out of many in the overall piece, which show my ‘making’ (reconstruction) of the boxer. I am inspired by the overall body, as well as the individual aspects of it, and how this is so perfectly engineered.

I paint a lot about what we do as humans. I take a lot of inspiration by people’s professions. When you think about it, even in our free time, our careers are what define us in so many ways, we talk about it, we are even questioned on a first date, and we are often remembered by our career when we die.

The word "controlled" in your question is the one I have always struggled to explain. I am not sure where it comes from and why I spend so many hours on details. To help me understand my strange behavior toward tiny details is that I say to myself that the best car prototypes always take years to achieve, so it makes me feel better! The only answer I can find is that the subjects I create have to be perfectly engineered and rendered. Therefore this perfection, this controlled environment of my paintings, needs to be controlled by its creator. Think of a mad scientist. I guess I would be a mad ‘scientartist’. Everything must have its place. Every piece of the larger work must be eloquently drawn to fuse properly into the next. By doing this I create a flow that connects all random, obscene, and conflicting details.

I do write essays about my work when I get a chance, I feel that it is important, sometimes the essays are not made public, I know that whenever a piece sells, I often get a request from the new owner to write about the piece, I do it gladly. Writing about a piece in length after its creation is a great time to decompress.

BS: Jerome, tell us about your studio. Where do you work? What conditions must you have in order to create?

JP: I live and work in my studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. My conditions in terms of working is a lot of music, books and a TV playing with lots of films , that I watch over and over again. I have an old dining room table that I paint on. I work on a flat surface, no easel. I paint my largest canvases by propping them against the wall and painting them standing up.

BS: Jerome, what projects are you working on at this time as far as your personal art is concerned?

JP: I am currently working on a piece that will be shown at Yves Laroche galerie in Montreal for a group show called Sweet Calvares in October. It is about my hate for the KKKs. This exhibit is around the theme of celebrating death and I have decided to paint my own pay-back to the @**%^^&# KKK and the damages they have done. It is simultaneously political and factual. I love painting it. I knew I would do this piece or one similar to it eventually, and it should be done in about a month… or so. Then, I have a few group exhibits here and there in Canada and the USA. When the Laroche show is over, I will be starting a new series of paintings, with the goal of a solo show. Not sure where it will be yet, but I have not had one since 2005 and I already miss it!

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the artworld?

JP: The art world is very indefinable and very vague. What is art? What is good talent? Who is posing? All of which are cyclical and unanswerable questions. Our economy forces us to either self-promote or to rely on a gallerist in order to survive. What I can say is that there are so many amazing talents that deserve a strong base in our economies and a just legacy. The public needs to be educated regarding emerging and living artists. How to seek them out, how to access art, etc. Our masters often starved and were misunderstood when they put their art/creations forward. The support was not always there.

In today’s economy, political climate, etc., we are dealing with an entirely different, yet strikingly similar situation. Who patronizes the arts? We cannot deify the art world/market. It is not an entity that is dictating to us, it is something that we control. Either we feed it and it grows and (re)produces, or we starve it and it dies. It is easy once someone dies to recognize their talent as their body of work and their capacity to create becomes finite (at this point we know they will not fail us).

You can learn more about Jerome Prieur by visiting his website: www.jeromeprieur.com. Feel free to read my other interviews by visiting the following page: www.myartspace.com/interviews

Take care, Stay true

Brian Sherwin

Art Space News: 'Bling' Skull goes for Big Bucks

(The work, entitled "For the Love of God," is a skull cast in platinum and encrusted with 8,601 diamonds.)

Damien Hirst's latest piece-- "For the Love of God"-- sold last Thursday for 100 million dollars (75 million euros), a record price for work sold by a living artist. A spokeswoman for the White Cube gallery in London, where the piece had been on display, stated that the diamond-encrusted skull was sold to a group of anonymous investors. The skull has been hammered in the press and by onlookers for being nothing more than a form of 'bling'-- an overly expensive item that is nothing more than an indication of wealth.

Hirst remains best known for earlier conceptual works in which creatures including a shark and a cow were preserved in formaldehyde within glass tanks. Critics have stated that the British artist would not have a career had a "corpse not been involved"-- a statement referring to Hirst's earlier work, statements he has made to the press, and his most recent venture. Nevertheless, Hirst has earned a large following of supporters throughout his career regardless of the controversy that surrounds him.

The controversy over Hirst's art is not the only media bombardment that the artist has had to deal with. He once made the grave error of stating that the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States were like a work of art. On September 10, 2002, on the eve of the first anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, Hirst said in an interview with BBC News Online:

"The thing about 9/11 is that it's kind of like an artwork in its own right ... Of course, it's visually stunning and you've got to hand it to them on some level because they've achieved something which nobody would have ever have thought possible - especially to a country as big as America. So on one level they kind of need congratulating, which a lot of people shy away from, which is a very dangerous thing."

Due to public outrage, Hirst issued the following statement:

"I apologise unreservedly for any upset I have caused, particularly to the families of the victims of the events on that terrible day."

'Bling' or not-- the skull sold. What do you think? Does Hirst profit off of death and suffering? Does it matter if he does? Do you think there was a sense of passion behind the creation of "For the Love of God"? Or do you assume that the piece was nothing more than an example of a man showing off his wealth? Discuss.

Art Space Talk: Mie Olise Kjaergaard

Mie Olise Kjaergaard is one of four artists who will be featured in Saatchi's 4 New Sensations exhibit-- a Channel 4 Prize for STUART 2007 graduates. The four were chosen from a selection of twenty finalists.

Mie's art is inspired by abandoned places and desolate spaces. She captures the essence of these spaces primarily through painting, but she also constructs models of wood and cardboard. Mie is trained as an architect and is interested in constructions, perspectives, and scales of places that have been left behind by human beings.

In her work she asks, "What happened here? Did I leave it myself? Who left it? Why?" Mie attempts to find pieces of the answers by utilizing architectural constructions, perspectives and putting together different scales in order to tell stories that psychologically investigate the desolation and memories left by the presence of these forgotten spaces-- the ghosts of industrialization.

(A section of Mie's studio.)

Brian Sherwin: Mie, you have studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art and at London University of the Arts. Who were your mentors?

Mie Olise Kjaergaard: My mentors are: the writer Chris-Kul Want, artists Clive Hogson, Douglas Alsop, plus my fellow students. I am finishing next month.

BS: Mie, can you recall any early events that directed you toward being an artist?

MOK: As a child I built shoebox-cities and made Christmas calendars for my school mates. I saw every problem as an opportunity. I fixed things, especially bikes. I painted my first big canvas when I was 15. At that time I started looking at art, and sat in the art section, of the libary looking through the same 5 books again, and again.

BS: Mie, you have been chosen to be one of four finalists in Saatchi's 4 New Sensations competition. You will be exhibiting alongside- Marcus Lanyon, Mark Melvin, and Sarah Maple. How did you feel when you were informed that you had been chosen? Also, how does it feel to know that your work will be on view during the Frieze fair? Are you nervous?

MOK: I am excited. And of course happy that they chose me. I am looking forward to show my work. I am working on the project right now, and it´s a new approach as it´s more fantasy, subject wise; "What will happen in 25 years"! That´s fun.

BS: Mie, you work with abandoned places and desolate spaces... you use them as references for your paintings, but you also build models of these structures out of wood and cardboard. Why are you so interested in these structures? Do they have a spiritual meaning for you? Or do you see them as a sign of 'our times', so to speak?

MOK: I just like structures like that. Huge man-made things falling apart. It obviously tells a story at many levels. It´s a machine, something built for a purpose, and yet the purpose didn´t last, and the structure stands there, as a visual witness of an idea that fell to the ground. I can be terribly romantic and brutal.

There are references to the actual places, but as my working process starts, it becomes something else. A metaphor, a visual interpretation, and the labyrinth of painting is entered. That means a lot of questions, problems, and discussion, not so much about the abandoned place, but about the painting. Which colours I want to use, which ones I can´t use, I set up small rules for myself, as a way of choosing a different approach, and developing my practice.

The same things happen with the structures. The structures are never built on somewhere I have seen. I relate to the space I am building it in. And from there, I try to create a flow through the space, and especially concentrate on the body's experience around the construction, on a psychological level.

I am on my way to Istanbul tonight, to build a structure with sound and moving images in it. I got a girl, Sona, to find me an abandoned place and describe it in words... she says it has pyramids on the roof. In that way the structure becomes a place of mind-- somewhere in between Sona´s actual discoveries and my interpretations of her descriptions. When I have built my model, I will be visiting the site, and probably get very surprised.

BS: Mie, upon entering an abandoned building.... for example, an old warehouse- how do you feel? What thoughts cross your mind?

MOK: I think I'm very sensitive towards space, and construction. It fascinates me to get near desolate huge structures. It´s like, it has taken over, as man left. It´s funny, living in big cities, where people might be carrying knives and shot guns-- that I can be scared of nature! In a way these structures are becoming nature again. But I am also very interested in the architecture of these machines. It is very fantastic, yet every little detail has a specific function for the structure. I guess I analyze the buildings, and then I build on top of them or break them down.

BS: Mie, I've read that you have an idea for a future project. You call it 'Future of Place'. You have stated that your goal is to find a building that has been built this year and observe the building for 25 years- in order to capture how it expands or falls into obscurity. Tell me more about this project. What exactly are your goals?Have you found a building yet?

MOK: That is the project that I am working on for the 4NS, during Frieze. I have found the site (it´s in Bloomsbury, London) and have built a little model of it. Right now I am asking a lot: what if ... and what if...? It´s gonna become five paintings.

Apart from that, I don´t really have goals. I guess that's the thing about painting. That you simply don´t know it before you have gone through the labyrinth. It appears while you walk, and along the path you have to solve a lot of problems--ask a lot of questions.

For this project my ideas are more radical, I am working with contrasts; rather than obvious perspectives like decay or refurbishments.

BS: Mie, what other plans or project ideas do you have at this time? Also, do you plan to collaborate with anyone in the near future? Or do you work alone?

MOK: The Istanbul Project is a collaboration called The Triangle Project. It is a collaboration between New York, Istanbul and Copenhagen artist. It runs for 3 years, and will be happening in New York starting in the spring of 2008. Danish composer Goodipal has made the sound for my project. I just met him this morning and played around with a lot of items that will be put in top of the loudspeakers-- to distort the sound.

I also have an artist group in Cph, +LABORATORIUM/FMstereo, we were running a shop and exhibition space for five years, and still do "city investigation projects" together. I am curating a show in London with a friend in the spring. So I like to collaborate on different levels, according to the projects.

BS: Mie, I understand that you draw inspiration from several sources-- including psychology. Can you go into further detail about how the study of psychology has influenced your art? Do you enjoy the work of Jung? Would you say that your art is a psychological study... a way of 'charting' yourself or society, so to speak?

MOK: Especially in my installations (constructions with video in it), it becomes very essential of how people move around them. If they crawl, peep through a hole, go close to something, feel something rough and huge, soft or close. It all makes you react on a psychological level. And that´s a sort of communication. I am interested in Freud and Jung, and in perception theories in general. I make studies in models, and investigate. I set up my own laboratory experiments, rather than read books. I see my works as an exploration of my ideas, it´s clearly pseudo scientific; and subjective! Objective Art is Science!

BS: Mie, I understand that you have been looking into the work of photographer William Christenburry, whose images from Alabama have a touch of decay. You have stated that the 'abandoned and uncanniness' that he conveys with his work is close to what you want to express in your work- you went on to say that some of his work "scares the hell out of" you. By implication does this statement suggest that you want to 'scare the hell' out of people who view your work? Do you want to challenge peoples sensitivities... their fears?

MOK: I think it´s that fear, that makes me interested in the work of William Christenburry. I find it very inspiring! The silence, the desolation. Coming back to the same place through many years, and recording the changes. And the fact that nothingness (the empty), can be scary.

This summer I went to an abandoned Russian city, The pyramid, on Norwegian ground near the North-pole. It´s a communist utopia that was left within 3 months. There are books still in the libary, furniture still in the houses, and glasses still in the hotel bar-- ready for mixing another drink. I worked in video, as the crazy thing about that place is that it actually exists!

But because painting is-- and has to be --very different from photography and video, it´s also quickly becomes-- painting! It is built up of nothing, but paint, brush-strokes, colours, layers, texture-- within a canvas. It becomes a system of problems, a way to go through a process. So many things occur, and I like that journey.

I would like people to stand in front of my paintings or structures, switch off half their brains, and just look and explore. If it hits them, it´s good! I can´t specify what people should feel, the work has to communicate itself. I tend to get mostly hit in my stomach. If I could do that to people-- then I would be very happy!

BS: Are you represented by a gallery at this time? If not, are you seeking gallery representation?

MOK: I have a Danish gallery, that represents me there. Working in London, I think it would be interesting to show my work here-- in a gallery, non-commercial space, or even an apartment. I see my work as communication, and therefore I like to show it.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the artworld?

MOK: Art is a visual language, so maybe it´s time for me to stop talking...

You can learn more about Mie Olise Kjaergaard by visiting the following sites:

www.olise.dk, www.myspace.com/mieolise, www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/4newsensations/

Also, you can view more interviews by clicking on the following link: www.myartspace.com/interviews/

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Kathie Olivas

Kathie Olivas is a multi-media artist who resides in Tampa, FL. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the nation. Inspired by early American portraiture that often depicted children as small adults in an idealized new land, the characters parallel this vision within their own sense of post-apocalyptic conformity, uniquely documenting their own stories in a mysterious brave new world.

The Candyman - Oil on canvas - 16 x 20"

Brian Sherwin: Kathie, your series, 'Misery Children' has raised more than a few brows. These images focus on the constant social desire to assign "cuteness". However, your cute 'children' are also dangerous. Thus, these images are a psychological play on what we, as a society, expect- with a twist. Why did you decide to challenge social stereotypes in this manner?

Kathie Olivas: All of the characters are dichotomies of both good and evil. Your perceptions that they could be dangerous are your personal projections. Cuteness as an ideal is based on projected innocence, not an actual definition. I try to use symbology in the storytelling as well, often incorporating specific animals or animal forms and costumes. Each of the animal suits represent some form of defense mechanism so they are often misleading or contradictory in terms of the actual persona of each character-- I like to leave that interpretation up to the viewer.

BS: Would you say that your work serves as a warning? A social message that begs the viewer to step back and to observe the world from a different perspective?

KO: The storyline is rooted in a post-apocalyptic environment; so that would be "yes".

Blue Bear Boy - Oil on canvas - 18 x 24"

BS: Kathie, why did you decide to enter the low-brow/pop-surrealism scene... or did it enter you, so to speak?

KO: I started exhibiting over a dozen years ago and wasn't really familiar with the term "lowbrow." I was just showing in contemporary galleries. I met my husband in 2000 and he introduced me to Juxtapoz Magazine and started encouraging me to start showing on the West Coast. My work just sort of fit, but I've always thought of Lowbrow as being a very West Coast movement so I guess I still feel a bit like an outsider.

BS: Can you discuss your influences? Have certain events or individuals influenced your art?

KO: I'm influenced more by a strange mix of mostly politics, world events, the environment and early American Portraiture then things from my childhood like anything Disney, vintage illustration, antique dolls, etc. My husband is a big influence on my work, we go back and forth for hours talking about ideas. Also our good friends, Sas and Colin Christian have been really pushing me. You just look at their work and it makes you want to be a better artist.

The Narcissist - Oil on canvs - 30 x 40"

BS: Kathie, describe your average studio session. What helps you to get 'in the mood'... do you have a certain routine? What kind of music do you listen to while you work? Our readers want to know- what is it like to be in the studio with Kathie Olivas?

KO: There is no session, so to speak-- I'm always working. Occasionally I leave the house-- but if I'm home; I've usually got a paintbrush or pencil in hand. I usually have a tv on-- any sort of background noise; I tend to like the History channel.

BS: Where did you study art? Who were your mentors?

KO: I went to the University of South Florida where I took every possible class in art studio, art history, traditional history, psychology, sociology, criminology, philosophy, etc, etc. My printmaking professor Brad Shanks and my painting professor Mernet Larson played pretty significant roles in the direction I would take with my work.

The Inheritance - Oil on wood - 12 x 24"

BS: You are known for collaborating with Brandt Peters. Have you collaborated with other artists as well? Also, how do you find balance when collaborating in this manner? Do you ever have creative differences... if so, how do you handle it? I'll assume that collaborating is not for everyone.

KO: I have collaborated with a few other artists, but I'll decline to comment on those. I only collaborate with my husband at this point. There are a few other artists that I think would be good to work with, then common sense kicks in and I remind myself how much of a control freak I am.

BS: Kathie, you have current solo exhibition at the Copro Nason Gallery. The show is titled, "Ghosts & Martyrs", can you give our readers some insight into this exhibit? Are you revealing new work?

KO: All new work; I rarely show the same work more than once. It is a continuation of Misery Children series that I have been working on for several years. I've been introducing more "artificial/ mechanical" elements and older children as well. This is my first show with primarily large paintings.

Veruca Salt - Oil on Canvas - 18 x 24"

BS: Kathie, do you have any suggestions or advice for artists just starting out?

KO: Spend less time talking about what you want to do and just do it. You'll go through hundreds of bad paintings/drawings before you make something worth keeping which you'll eventually look back on and wish you had thrown away. Also try to find your voice and be sure you have something to say otherwise you are just making pretty pictures.

You can learn more about Kathie Olivas and her art by visiting her website: www.kathieolivas.com. You can read more interviews by visiting- www.myartspace.com/interviews

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Karin Olah

Karin Olah creates textural abstract paintings that elaborate on the heritage of American quilt making. Her work incorporates materials, aesthetics and symbols borrowed from several regions of the United States. Karin uses fabric, often antique textiles, in a way that mimics the flow of paint from a brush. Translucent layers of cottons, silks, and linens blend with opaque calligraphic brushstokes as graphite lines intersect the surface or fade into the suggestion of a grid. Geometric patterns balance organic forms; rich reds, yellows, and greens complement neutral earth tones.

('Second Little Confabulation'- Fabric, Gouache, Acrylic, Graphite on Linen- 12.0 x 12.0"- 2007)

Brian Sherwin: Karin, you majored in Fiber Art at Maryland Institute, College of Art while focusing on printmaking and color theory. Originally from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, your interest in Amish quilts led you to a broader study of American textile traditions. How have your academic studies and life experience united in order for you to progress as an artist?

Karin Olah: When I enrolled at MICA, I didn't initially set out to major in Fibers. I was nervous about spending my future as a starving artist and figured that I should take a lot of courses and graduate with a Masters of Art in Teaching. Luckily, during a freshman "Intro to Fibers" class, my future came into focus. Fiber Art isn't weaving, dying, and sewing fabrics while studying feminism. It's a sculptural degree that can shape-change between 2-D and 3-D, small scale or large scale, performance art or installation art, etc, etc. In other words, it was a very open field of study. My first project, Jell-O Dress, a wearable patchwork of Ziploc bags filled with Jell-O Jiggler hearts, was my initial kiss in a burgeoning relationship with Fiber Art. Although Jell-O Dress didn't survive the test of time (or the dorm fridge), the idea lived on—being featured in the 1996 MICA undergraduate prospectus. The Jell-O Museum of Leroy, NY found out about it, and word passed to Carolyn Wyman, a pop culture author, who featured the project in her coffee table book, Jell-O: A Biography, Harcourt Books, 2001. It's amusing to open the book and see myself, then 18 years old, modeling the very first piece I made in art school.

From that point, my artwork went in a decidedly pop-art direction. I used yards and yards of vinyl to build 3-D installations of cartoon computers and televisions. I spent semesters screen-printing color-field paintings on vinyl. And sewing, always sewing. My obsession with the quilt making squares fueled those compositions. Amish quilts are known for their simplistic geometric patterns and bold blocks of color. Following college, I learned about more region specific quilt making, such as the differences between African-American and European-American patterns and their influence on each other, Hawaiian-Appliqué Quilting, Underground Railroad Quilt Code, and southern textile traditions. I'm not a quilt historian, but the images and stories do shape my creativity. Now, when I go to my studio, all that history finds its way to my canvas.

('First Little Confabulation'- Fabric, Gouache, Acrylic, Graphite on Linen- 12.0 x12.0"- 2007)

BS: After art school you launched your art career in a New York City textile design studio, creating colors and patterns for couture fashion designers. How did your employment at the textile studio- the skills that you learned- influence the art that you create today?

KO: I moved to Brooklyn the day after graduation, having lined up a job in a field that (gasp!) had to do with what I studied in art school. I worked for an independent textile studio in SoHo, developing colors and patterns for many well-known designers. Clients (Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, and many others) would send a feather or lock of hair along with a bolt of cashmere or irreplaceable silk. It was my job to dye the fabric to match exactly the nuances of their selected swatch and to get it done by yesterday. I also painted costumes for TV and theater productions and screen-printed yardage for fashion and interior designers. Everything revolved around color and fabric. I really learned about the properties and possibilities of fabric at that studio. It was very intimate in the shop. I would gently bathe a small square of silk in the dye and watch it transform from white to celadon to jade and every shade of light green in-between. The job was a mix of fun, hard work, frustration, and reward (when I saw the finished product on the runway).

BS: Karin, you work has become more abstract in recent years, with less emphasis on familiar forms and more on the unusual light patterns and colors that you have found in Charleston. Why did you make this shift away from representational imagery?

KO: Abstraction is my first love and the driving force behind my work. I do like to mix in a little representational imagery. Charleston is a very idyllic setting, very picturesque; an artist can't help but be inspired by the marshes, the unique pastel colored mansions, historic churches, and an enormous "sky blue" sky. It's the kind of stuff that influences my work—albeit from a new viewpoint. I'll spend an afternoon sketching a wrought-iron church gate, then return to my studio to make it my own—by collaging fabric on top. Those shapes that I focus on in the realistic gate series will later emerge in the larger abstract collages on canvas. The region is called the Lowcountry and it's about a hundred miles from the nearest mountain. When I drive over the bridges, I can see a bird's-eye-view; where local islands, rivers, and marshes spread out in the distance. I see a very flat composition of blue, silvery aqua, green, creamy whites, khaki, and straw. That palette and perspective inspires me right now.

('Little Red Confabulation'- Fabric, Gouache, Graphite on Paper- 13.0 x 10.0"- 2007)

BS: Karin, I've read that inspiration for your paintings stem from long walks and bike rides in your home city. Can you explain this process? How do you draw inspiration from these travels?

KO: Well, cobblestones, centuries-old bricks, and crooked flagstones comprise much of Charleston's downtown streets, and as a short girl who always wears high heels, I have to pay special attention to every step. I don't mind keeping my nose to the ground because I find the arbitrary geometric pattern of stones so fascinating. On the long walks, I find metaphorical comparisons between the patchwork of a quilt and the blueprint of the town.

Consider the cracks in the brick sidewalks, the round cobblestones in the street, the grid of city blocks, and the blocks of neighborhoods all built around a square—a double entendre square. I didn't learn my way around the city by map but rather by meandering through neighborhoods on foot or by bike. Discovering delightfully unkempt brick paths inspired the Confabulation Series , where red circles (basically worn down bricks) fought for attention amidst a growth of green and blue vertical strips of fabric (blades of grass pushing through/nature regaining control). Of course, I don't always look down for inspiration. My Gate Series focuses on the wrought iron architectural details that I see in Charleston . I stand and stare at a gate, drink up its persona, snap a picture, and then create something new in the studio while working from sketches, photos, and memory. I maintain a collaborative space with the gate's designer—that's where the abstraction comes in.

('Little Blue Confabulation'- Fabric, Gouache, Graphite on Paper- 13.0 x 10.0"- 2007)

BS: Karin, it has been said that fabric flows through your hands as fluidly as paint from a brush. Do you agree with this statement? Also, what other materials have you used in your work? Do you plan to utilize any materials that you have yet to work with?

KO: I love that line. Molly Hulett at Charleston magazine wrote that. I think it describes my artwork perfectly. The way that I under-paint, layer, add texture, and work from lean to fat is like that of an oil painter. The way that I finish a collage painting with thread feels like drawing. I have a fabulous assortment of fabrics, collected over the last 15 years. Some high-end interior decorator samples, some antique table linen and clothing, some new yardage, and much of it, retrieved from a cherished Mennonite Dry Goods store in Lititz, PA. I never lack for a specific color or texture. However, I do miss dying my own fabrics and hope to get back into that soon.

I really like the way gouache works with fabric, it tints it without changing the texture or sheen. Someday, I'd like to experiment with encaustic painting. I wonder....

BS: Your form of expression is not very common. I will assume that using fabrics within the context of your work is a little bit different than simply learning how to paint. Do you view your work as a 'hierarchy of knowledge', so to speak. Meaning... do you build from one piece to the next- learning more about the materials as you go. Do you ever encounter failures combining materials in the way that you do?

KO: A decade's worth of creative disasters gradually steered me towards my current fabric collaging direction. I tried painting on fabric and stretching it like canvas. I tried painting on a couch. I tried screen-printing and flocking on fabric, vinyl, paper—you-name-it, I tried it. Stuffing canvases like pillows ended in disappointment when they resembled a soggy painting rather than a soft sculpture. Most of these attempts proved productively fruitless but creatively essential.

I started sewing again, quilting actually. I made a series of large geometric quilts—lovely time-consuming projects. It was the "piecing" that I enjoyed, simply cutting the squares and arranging the composition. I had a eureka! moment when, on a whim and with a last minute show approaching, I quickly glued a miniature quilt to paper. No sewing! I could hear bells going off. The first few "quilt studies" incorporated acrylic paint, pastels, and unusual handmade paper from India. Eventually I traded acrylic for gouache, threw the messy pastels away, and became a fan of Arches 300 lb hot press watercolor paper. Now, I'm experimenting with stretched canvas, linen, and wood panel. The changes happen gradually, but purposefully, as one finished painting dictates the direction of the next. To answer your question: yes and yes.

('Fourth Incantation'- Fabric, Gouache, Graphite on Canvas- 16.0 x 12.0"- 2007)

BS: Karin, you are represented by Corrigan Gallery. Do you have a solo exhibit planned in the near future?

KO: My next solo show will be at Corrigan Gallery, 62 Queen St, Charleston, SC, www.corrigangallery.com. Incantations in Thread opens Nov 2nd and runs through the 30th, 2007. I'm really excited about the direction I'm taking in this new series, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. You can preview the show on my website, www.karinolah.com, in November. Also this fall, I'll have a few paintings at Eva Carter Gallery in a group exhibition that I am curating: Sunset at Wadmalaw: An Invitational Show, Sept 28 – Nov 10, 2007. www.evacartergallery.com. I'm always searching for opportunities to share my art. So if you hear of anything, Call me!

BS: Can you name any artists from the past who have influenced you?

KO: I can name a few artists from the past: Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, Hans Hoffman, William M. Halsey, Michael Tyzack, Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder, Mark Rothko, and Antoni Gaudi. Very influential has been the Art Nouveau Movement, early Dada collages, Amish quilts, and the quilts of Gee's Bend, Alabama.

I can name more artists from the present: Robert Rauschenberg, Marcus Kenney, Ross Bleckner, Inka Essenhigh, Gary Hume, Jason Peters, Chris Ofili, Mary Edna Fraser, Fred Tomaselli, Jasper Johns, John Waters, John Liipfert, Kathleen Earthrowl, Eva Carter, Emilio Lobato, Toby Penney, Arturo Herrera, Sergej Jensen, Takashi Murakami, Matthew Ritchie, Matt Johnson, Jeff Koons, Piper Shepard, Annet Couwenberg, and Brian Rutenberg.

Can I mention my mom and dad? Two very artistic people - one is an art teacher, one is a landscape designer.

('Third Incantation'- Fabric, Gouache, Graphite on Canvas- 16.0 x 12.0"- 2007)

BS: Do you have any advice for artists who are interested in using fabric in their work? Any tips that may save them some time in learning what will work and what will not?

KO: I found a great adhesive; it's an archival rice starch (typically used in bookbinding). It's dries clear and matte with some flexibility, and it doesn't change the texture of fabric. My advice is to spend plenty of time experimenting with materials and adhesives. That way you'll find the methods that work for you. Just try it all. Art is not precious. Make a hundred pieces, then throw away 90 of them. Edit and simplify. When sewing, quilting, and weaving, one has a tendency to work very closely and not see the big picture. Half of the creative process is standing back, just looking at your art, determining its future, and deleting the wrong turns. Do not save time. Savor it.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the art world?

KO: I love making art. It's so enjoyable to meet a collector and listen to his or her reaction to my piece. The gratification of sharing that visual connection with another individual is why I do what I do. I am very lucky to be an artist.

I have a great circle of artist friends. We share exhibition and grant opportunities, critique each other, arrange group shows together, and lend support (whether mental, moral, or by adjusting lights and tending bar) at openings. Charleston is a social town—especially for artists. It's so important for an artist to get out of the studio—to see and listen to more of the world happening around him or her, to visit galleries, museums, and unlikely art venues, to look, linger, and share ideas, and to make many, many friends. I love that MyArtSpace.com is a way to do all these things.

You can learn more about Karin Olah and her art by visiting her website: www.karinolah.com. Remember, you can read other interviews by visiting the myartspace.com interviews page: www.myartspace.com/interviews

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Art Space Talk: Hugo Tillman

Hugo Tillman's two-year 'Film Stills of the Mind' project has won him much acclaim in the world of art. The New York-based artist interviewed approximately 80 contemporary Chinese artists and made films based on the interviews. The project recalls Cindy Sherman's 'Untitled Film Stills'. But rather than appear in his own work, Tillman directs the artists themselves to act out scenarios and fantasies that he created after the interview process. Dark, quirky, personal and entertaining, "Film Stills of the Mind" maps the psyche of the Chinese contemporary art world. Hugo's 'Film Stills of the Mind' reflects the rise in status for Chinese artists throughout the world.

Brian Sherwin: Hugo, can you tell our readers about your youth? Were there any early events in your life that directed you toward photography?

Hugo Tillman: Well, I was born in London, England. My father dies when I was 4, and my mother decided to move to New York in order to take a job at the Christie's Auction House. I came dressed like a little English school boy, with an English accent and a love for things like Marmite. Things changed pretty quickly as I submitted to the ridicule of my American contemporaries.

As an adolescent, I was very interested in theater. I acted in and directed school plays as well as attending the Lee Strasberg Institute on a special scholarship given to me by my school.
I got into photography by chance. I had studied film at college in Los Angeles and was working as a PA in New York after graduation. The hours were crazy and the pay was low.

My roommate was dating an editor at W Magazine. She suggested that I work as a photography assistant to a fashion photographer as there were good looking girls, good food and shorter hours. She gave me a list of photographers, all that I had never heard of. It was the age of the fax machine, so I found out their agents' fax numbers and asked to meet them. Only one got back to me, Mario Testino. I interviewed with him, and then sent him a thank you note after the meeting. He called me back. He said that he was not very impressed by me but loved my blue Smythson stationary, something my mother had bought for me as a boy. (I still have the same stationary.) That is how I got into photography, by chance.

BS: Hugo, you studied at the Pratt Institute in New York City. Can you tell us about the department you worked in? Who were your mentors? Also, did you collaborate with any of your peers at that time?

HT: I did do an MFA at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. It changed my life and gave me the confidence to be an artist. It was challenging, inspiring and challenging. I do have a mentor from that time whom is still a great influence and friend. His name is Allen Frame. Allen teaches at ICP, Pratt and SVA. He is a bit like a godfather of the photography students in New York. He is incredibly supportive, caring and has the ability to help one dig deep, very deep.

I did not collaborate on anything specific at Pratt, but I did find a community of artists and friends that I still have now. They act as a sort of support network that provides a healthy competitive situation and a network for intellectual dialogue which helps inform all work. After school, I did begin collaborating with my classmate and great friend Allyson Lubow. She prints for me. Allyson knows my eye and often helps me make decisions that I cannot get past. We studied printing together under the great Master Julie Pochron. Allyson was way better and way faster than me. I find it important to recognize when people are better than one at things and then to collaborate with them in those areas.

BS: Hugo, you have won numerous honors and awards- you have also exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London. How do you feel when you are informed that you have won a major award or when your invited to exhibit at a major venue? Thinking back... did you expect your work to be as praised as it has been?

HT: I have been in that exhibition twice which was a great honor for me. Being shown in the National Portrait Gallery in London was significant for me, as my English family could come and see the show. Somehow, it was my way of saying that my life was not a complete disaster, because I have chosen to be an artist instead of a professional.

BS: Your work often appears very psychological... it would seem that you have a certain love for the study of psychology. Have you studied psychology?

HT: I do have an interest in psychology and often see myself as my own Guinea Pig. I never studied it, but have been in and out of Psychotherapy for years. I am bi-polar, and I think I work with psychological subject matter in truth to continue an exploration into myself.

BS: Hugo, you have stated that the inspiration for your work is reinforced by your love for the German photographers of the Becher School: Thomas Struth, Thomas Ruff, and Andreas Gursky. Can you go into further detail about their influence on you? Also, what other influences do you embrace with your work?

HT: Yes, in the 90's I was very interested in those photographers whom studied at the Dusseldorf Academy. I was also very interested in Nan Goldin after her Whitney exhibition in the mid-nineties. Now, I have so many influences including painters, writers, new forms artists, musicians, etc. I would not know where to start. I can barely keep up with myself. I go through intense love affairs with different material, digest it and move on often coming back to what resonates later. I can say that after spending most of my time in China over the last 2.5 years, I do find myself heavily influenced by my understanding of the Chinese Contemporary dialogue and aesthetics. I have learned that taste is relative and can be applied to any aesthetic. Everything has qualities that are valuable. It is about training oneself to see them, being open minded and not being a snob!

BS: Hugo, in your series, Upper Class, you captured portraits of American high society in Palm Beach and elsewhere. You have stated that your studies for this series are direct "descendants of the WASP society originated from the Metropolitan Four Hundred in New York City in 1888". Can you go into detail about your motive behind this series?

HT: Well, my mother married a man from this group in 1997. The project was born out of a desire to understand this new world that she was now a member of herself. As the concept for the work developed more and more, it became about the question of how we can have an aristocracy in a democracy. I learned a great deal from those women and have a deep respect.

BS: Why did you decide to focus on women with 'Upper Class'?

HT: I simply love women. I am so intrigued by them. For me, they are much more complex, beautiful and fascinating than men. I also realize that they are often more powerful than men as they have influence. They are also more open.

BS: Hugo, in 2006 you introduced a series of color photographs at the Nohra Haime Gallery. This series was introduced during your first solo exhibition at the gallery. In the series you examined fourteen of the leading Chinese artists of today. The art scene in China has had a huge impact on the artworld in recent year... I must ask, why did you decide to focus on these artists?

HT: I went to mainland China for the first time in 2005 in order to investigate the Chinese Contemporary Art world. I was amazed and fascinated by what I found. I fell in love with China and its art scene at first site. I had a process in mind and wanted to apply it to a particular group of significance. The Chinese Artists were the perfect fit.

BS: You have stated that Film Stills of the Mind was not originally intended for public viewing. Why did you decide to go public with this series?

HT: I am not sure where you read this. I don't think I ever said that. That said, I certainly was not concerned with showing the work when I started doing the project. That project is all about process. Now that it is over, the commercial applications of the work are being focused on by the market. I wish the market was more concerned by the theoretical questions and dialogue that the work is about than just selling prints. Selling prints is not what I am concerned about at this stage of my career. I am happy to stay a bit hungry in exchange for the opportunity to participate in a dialogue with my contemporaries and continue to produce work without market pressure.

BS: How did you choose the artists that you captured and why did you focus on their past, their memories, their dreams and their fear? Also, did the artists help you physically design the sets?

HT: I chose the most significant artists in the Chinese scene in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou

BS: Hugo, some of the cinematic overtones of this series are reminiscent of American artist Cindy Sherman’s 1978 series Untitled Film Stills, a display of female images shot on film sets. However, you have insisted that the two series are completely distinct- having said, "I know Cindy Sherman in person, but the resemblance is actually a coincidence.". For the record, can you state the differences in your own words?

HT: I must say that I am not sure where you read that I was a friend of Cindy Sherman's. It is entirely not true. I know of her work, think she is goddess and would worship the ground she walked on if I ever met her though. I think she is amazing. That said she was a pioneer in another era really with her "Film Stills" work. I recently saw a retrospective of her's in Berlin and was drawn to all that has inspired me in my own work. She is a photographer who looks inside. I like that. The difference in our work is primarily in the subject matter etc. I am working with specific individuals in a specific scene in a very defined culture that is timely and relevant.

BS: Hugo, do you plan to continue this series? Or perhaps do a series of artists from other countries?

HT: I think I may add a couple of pictures to the Chinese series. I still have plans to collaborate with Yang Fudong. i am not sure about other countries and artists though. I will continue working partially in China though. As for now, I am interested in beginning a dialogue with the middle east. I do plan on setting up a platform for dialogue between Berlin and Tel Aviv as well.

BS: What projects are you working on at this time? Do you have any upcoming exhibitions?

HT: I have an opening at DF2 in Los Angeles that opens September 8th.

BS: Hugo, do you have any suggestions or advice for emerging photographers or video artists?

HT: Absolutely. Dig deep inside, be honest and do not do what you think others want. Work from the inside out. Also, work is all about the process. The final product has very little meaning for the artist.

BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the art-world?

HT: I am not sure what to say about the art world at large. Although we need the market, it has far too much influence at present. That said, the community of artists and thinkers that it encompasses is absolutely amazing. For me, it is all about the conversations. I am so grateful for those.

You can learn more about Hugo Tillman and his art by visiting his website: www.hugotillman.com

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin