Thursday, April 30, 2009

Bonus Video

As a bonus, Erik Gudris will be showing some of his video work. Check out one of his pieces here.

Click here to visit its page on You Tube.

Susanne Melanie


















Susanne Melanie Artist Statement

While physically aware of the fact of my visible stature at six feet and two inches tall, I often feel invisible, unnoticed and on the outside. The result is a sense of invincibility which removes self-consciousness because I feel as if no one sees me. This perception of invisibility has lead to an overpowering need to leave some kind of demarcation that I have been “here”.

I pursue this act of mark making in investigations in a variety of media and formal strategies allowing myself to create without the constraints of pursuing a singular style. Hand crafted bikinis made from wax paper, band-aids, aged bottle caps, or richly colored European wallpaper function to represent a confidence, a fragility, or a protective armor or potentially harmful defense.

The work I produce is self-referential and stakes a claim on my existence; the dualities of what I exhibit to the world, my outside and my inside, what I perceive you to see and what I perceive of myself, insanity and sanity, invisible and visible.


a few words about the intervention series

a series of photos documenting an intervention project. the project consists of sewing bikini's that are custom made to fit me. each is marked with a scarlet blood red "M" hand embroidered on the inside of each piece, top and bottom, representing the actual blood i used to spray on walls after i had shot up junk to mark my existence in the world. now, these bikinis are placed in the world to demarcate my existence. i photograph each intervention guerilla style, leaving the bikini behind to be found. these photos document each event.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tatiana Bracinac



















This week we are highlighting the work of Tatiana Bracinac. Read her artist statement below.

Art is an activity through we participate in the process of creating of personal history and of creating the world. The artist uses intuition rather than perception, and through intuition achieves knowledge of truth that is felt or imagined rather than perceived or reasoned.

My art is about everyday occurrences, and how I feel about them and what after all stays in one’s mind. I play with color and texture while using mixed media-photography and Photoshop, acrylic and paste arranged with plenty of color.

I arrived to this country from Eastern Europe, former Yugoslavia as an engineer, and also with two years of Architectural school. At the third year of college, in our physics class, we started to break the light, and by the wavelength of the light to determine the content of certain elements.
Somehow that lecture is what keeps underlining my work. What do we see, and what do we perceive-as humans and as representatives of “laws of nature.”

I also studied Art and Design at Santa Monica College and Otis College of Design.

I started painting when I was three years old. My first painting was of the water and the fish. That painting got destroyed and since then I studied Science, Architecture and Design, but as the faith has it, I’m back to Art and prehistoric fish.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Aurora Filipescu


















Today we are spotlighting the work of Aurora Filipescu. Below is her bio and artist statement. To learn more about her, please visit her blog/gallery.
http://isabel-paintings.blogspot.com/

Artist Bio:

Aurora Filipescu was born in Braila, Romania in 1970. She now resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Many things contributed to her artistic development. She traveled to Europe and US mostly interested in learning about other cultures and their history. Her father was an artist and although Aurora didn't develop her artistic abilities during her youth, the artistic presence of her father had a great influence to her later growth. Artist like Pollock, Van Gogh, and Modigliani were all sources of inspiration.

Artist Statement

My art is a manifestation of the unknown filled with uncertainty and the mysterious. It is a honest response of a question that I was seldom asked as a child: "How are you feeling?" 'Feeling?' What is 'that'?

Painting is a reflection of my experiences, of my struggle to fit and be loved, of my pain to accept that I am broken and that I need to heal before I can be complete. And only through acknowledging these feelings I can become free and empowered. Through my experiences and my paintings I only hope to bring the viewers in touch with their own feelings and beautiful spirit.

Aurora Filipescu

Monday, April 20, 2009

Event Announcement

Art Emerging 1
Showcase of Emerging L.A. Artists
Opening reception: Saturday, May 16th, 5 - 9pm

3557 1/2 Motor Ave., Culver City, CA 90034
Contact: Erik Gudris
(310) 237-6709 -- email: artemerging@mindspring.com

With Los Angeles a growing center of contemporary art, many emerging artists have relocated to the city, both to explore their craft and to use the city and its many environments as a focal point for inspiration.

Art Emerging 1 is a new showcase for a diverse group of emerging artists including: J Grant Buckerfield, Tatiana Bracinac, Aurora Filipescu, Megan Galiber and Susanne Melanie.

Each artist responds to their environment, both internal and external, with work that is surprising, fun and deeply personal.

Jay Grant uses pop culture images and a quirky sense of humor to acknowledge the increasing swing in the collective consciousness away from patriarchal concepts of religion.

Suzanne Melanie’s “Intervention” series uses hand-made bikinis that are then photographed in unique and unexpected locales.

Aurora Filipescu’s evocative paintings explore the manifestation of the unknown filled with uncertainty and the mysterious.

Megan Galiber’s color-fused work gravitates toward subjects related to the city's culture and landscape.

Tatiana Bracinac’s latest work in painting explores light and perception.

“With the abundance of art being made in the city, we felt it would be great to showcase this work in the hopes that it will inspire future community events promoting the arts,” said co-organizer Erik Gudris.

A reception will take place on Saturday May 16th, from 5-9pm. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, please call (310) 237-6709 or visit www.art-emerging.blogspot.com