@The Armory Show: 297 Niggas on Linen

297 Niggas on Linen
Photo by Sandra Stephens

 In viewing The Armory Show in a flash, in the blur of the huge market/ showcase for 'serious' contemporary art a few works definitely caught my eye and some made me laugh. Some made me stop and some I had to go back to again and again. One of the ones I really enjoyed was Devin Troy Strother's '297 Niggas on Linen'.

What do I respond to in this work? I saw the work from a few feet away and was drawn by the pattern of flat black squiggles on a neutral tan textured ground. Moving in closer to admire said pattern, a mass of tiny stylized/ stylish black figures, the mentioned '297 Niggas', burst forth. In various poses and facial expressions suggested by different dots representing eyes and smiles, vaginas, nipples and anuses. The work is so tongue in cheek and delivered with an eye wink it wins you over. I went back to see it again and laughed.  I see it as standing in the legacy of Kara walker's work, which though brilliant, always makes feel slightly bad about myself.

Work from Strother's The Coloured Series

In visiting Strother's site I found a series of even more playful works tilted for example: 'The Coloureds Series Part 4: "Gurrrl I'm just talking about that composition, Gurrrrl what'chu know about that post abstraction?". The Nigga's, Coloureds, black shapes, or whatever is more comfortable to refer to them as when framed against art history and modern painting  is like a punchline that makes me stop after laughing and say 'Hold on, wait, what?!'

See more of his work here

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Lifestyle Branding

This is the second part of jamaicaninjapan blogger, Marcus Bird's Tokyo Story. He spoke with me recently about his fascination with the Tokyo creative scene and the various opportunities he has had. Through his experience of living and working in Japan he has evolved as designer. One of the stories he shared was about his interest in how designers use characters and branding to shape lifestyle in Japan.


You spoke about lifestyle brand and wanting to get involved in that direction as well as to take some of your influences in Japan and adapt it for Jamaica. Can you explain what lifestyle branding is and the ways you have been creating lifestyle brands?

For me a lifestyle brand encapsulates the dominant aspects of a culture or a movement and allows people to a new way to participate with this brand through ownership of what that brand provides as a product. I lived in D.C for a while, and there I really saw for the first time kids and people who had investments in different brands that allowed them to make a statement about their kind of day to day life. Like skaters, the “indie” crowd, gamers, and so on. These folk wore more edgy shirts, or stuff that represented what they loved, like T-shirts with Nintendos on them. I found myself at that time embracing my gamer and geek side more, because when I was in Jamaica, there wasn’t so much of a serious geek culture, or people who represented lifestyles they liked with their style of dress. My current set of characters are a fusion with aspects of Jamaican and Japanese culture that highlight what I like about both. Jamaica is vibrant and colourful; Japan to me sounds clean and smooth. After I got the idea a couple years back, I took steps towards learning design to see if I could make it real and came up with my current set of characters.

Living in Japan revealed to me more about marketing and consumer behaviour than giving me tons of new influences. I say that to mean when I was in Japan, there weren’t a ton of shops I’d always frequent or clothes that I’d search for. Since I had my own concept, it was more a matter of feeding on the energy around me to keep feeling like my stuff would make it. I saw that in Japan, people aren’t afraid to pay for product they like, expensive or otherwise. So I saw the proof that lifestyle brands survive because people ravenously support them. Whatever you make has to fit where you are coming from, or fit into what people already like. Hello Kitty is the best brand that represents tenets of Japanese simplicity and cuteness; it “fits. This seems to be universal across the boards for all brands that I’ve seen of this variety. You might have to adapt slightly different business models depending on where you live, but at the end of the day its those ravenous fans or people that love how your stuff “fits” with them that count. If you can model that, you are gold. 

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Tokyo Story: Creative Potential of Pecha Kucha

Marcus Bird delivering his Pecha Kucha. See the video here

Marcus Bird of the Jamaican in Japan blog spoke with me recently about his fascination with the Tokyo creative scene and the various opportunities he has had. This is the first part of three in Bird's Tokyo Story. Through his experience of living and working in Japan he has evolved as designer. One of the stories he shared was about when he presented his creative ideas and character designs at a Tokyo Pecha Kucha night. He found that it is a strong way of networking and sharing his unique creative thought. He explains the presentation format here.

ART:Jamaica: I saw your blog where you presented a Pechakucha presentation in Tokyo. What is Pechakucha and how did you come to be talking about your ideas in Tokyo?

Marcus Bird: Pechakucha is a creative forum where everyone has to present in the same format. So you get twenty seconds and a limit of twenty slides. So you get a little over six minutes to talk about your ideas, projects, a philosophy, anything. I was able to present because I met this guy named Jean who runs a monthly meetup for creatives called Pause Talk. He is responsible for Pecha Kucha in Tokyo, and after going to his thing a few times I decided to pitch an idea to the Pechakucha team. They said it was cool, and luckily for me it fell right in Tokyo design week.

Talking about Tokyo, I have to say that the city right now is the  biggest representation for me of me trying to actualize my creative concepts. I was living in a small town in Shizuoka when I first went to Japan, and trust me, I wasn’t inspired by living there at all. My first trip to Tokyo a few months afterwards was … how do I say this? EXPLOSIVE! (laughs) After a year of being somewhat disgruntled where I was, I just decided to go. I moved to Tokyo, found a place and then started getting into the scene. If you are a creative person, Tokyo is a place constantly overflowing with ideas, colours and sounds; like a living battery. The more creative people I met doing things in Tokyo, the more I started to envision myself doing stuff creatively in Tokyo as well. Pecha Kucha was a representation of that; me doing a presentation based around the same questions I was asking myself about my creative journey and where I felt it was going. That’s why I called it “Untitled Design”, because that's how I think about stuff you want to achieve that isn’t clear yet. It has a form, a shape, but its still untitled until it is ready to be revealed.

Check out this video on how Pecha Kucha works and the format. Has Pecha Kucha night happened in Jamaica? I wonder how we could use this format as contemporary artists as a way to effectively convey our ideas to anyone or as a creative medium itself?
Next: Bird discusses his ideas about 'Lifestyle Design'

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Contemporary Art in Stores

The Kyoto BAL building's use of artist mirocomachiko's painting and
reproductions to create enticing tasteful window displays for
their New Year sale

The possibility of exposing art to the public is great if you utilize spaces that are less traditional. It is not uncommon to see reproductions and paintings and drawings of local artists used in banners, window displays and dedicated in-store displays in some of the trendy Japanese department stores. The image of the store benefits from the eye-catching, unique imagery of the artist and the artist benefits from the increase in appreciators and earning potential.

In arts cultures there is the stigma of watering down the seriousness of one's artists' persona by indulging in commercial activity to earn a living. This attitude perhaps became ingrained because the inability to live from your art could indicate that the artists work has not reached the level of development to attract committed collectors and dealers. In an age however when an ever increasing number of students are choosing to study media, frequently use Photoshop, engage in fan art and keep art schools thriving, it may call for reconsideration of attitudes toward fine artists pursuing commercial activity.

Window display using painting and graphics from mirocomachiko

On the ground, art dealers are charging larger percentages for access to gallery spaces and use of mailing lists while the public is reaffected by recession and tastes for collecting art decrease. It perhaps is time for artists to look to alternative avenues for diversifying their creativity. As an artist myself, I can also imagine getting my hands on window displays in stores in the city capital to create narratives and worlds which utilize the displays of the store.

What ways do you think artists can apply their talents to create diverse opportunities and reach new audiences?

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Free Up

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.


I want to be able to speak about Art in whatever way I choose. I wan to use media and the internet in the way it was meant to be used: freely for all. With SOPA and Protect IP this wouldn't always be possible. How do you feel about this?

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The Art Student at the Zoo

The zoo as a place to encourage creativity, is rich in intriguing delights. There are so many animals from the region and far overseas which literally become captive subjects. Apart from the obvious socialization and entertainment students of art can engage in with their peers and the animals, it is also a great method of expanding life drawing skills.

Two days ago, I went to the Kyoto Zoo and reminisced about my own art school days when we had a chance to leave the studios to go and sketch skylines and foliage at Hope Gardens in Kingston. Just as the university students of Kyoto made their way in groups to each exhibit, we also wandered the grounds of Hope Zoo to capture in quick studies, the movements of our small collection of wild animals. Many of us on those trips improved the fluidity of our line and growing confidence as artists.

I wanted to write about this zoo visit partly out of nostalgia for those days and with the hope that it will encourage us to find creative benefit in life that we don't usually study. The other reason is what occurred to me as I observed the students sketching the animals in two particular exhibits.

The brown bear was a large mammal who though fascinating as a subject,on looking closer, had very little standing room in his area. There was a large enough pool for him but in the freezing Winter climate, it did not look at all inviting. There were also high structures for climbing but the actual flat standing room was barely enough for him to turn in. I noticed this while the student was sketching. The next exhibit was a shock for me because though I have spent hours fascinated by them on YouTube, I had never seen this animal in life before.

On entering The Zoo's Ape Sanctuary I came immediately face to face with The lone Silverback gorilla peering at the students with his face pressed up to the glass. There was an invaluable interaction between the gorilla and students that would undoubtedly produce very animated drawings but immediately I couldn't stand to see the animal's face as he sat inside a concrete enclosure not much bigger than my first apartment.

It was very hard after that to objectify the animal as a willing model when I knew that this wasn't the case. Undoubtedly zoos are great resources but in keeping with newer thought about how we understand ourselves in relation to our fellow animals I wonder about the reasons we have zoos.
In thinking about whether it was the existence of the zoo or the way the animals were housed that bothered me, I realized it was the latter.

Newer zoos concepts are more like wildlife parks such as Twycross Zoo or Whipsnade Zoo in the UK. This concept makes me feel a bit more comfortable with holding animals in captivity as we can see them in close to wild habitats and social groups. Our understanding will not be limited to the capture of animals for amusement purposes only but for fostering respect for our fellow creatures. I can also remember in my art school zoo visits where particularly empathetic students would leave saddened by the state of the two lions at Kingston's own zoo.

What do you think about the zoo as a place for drawing? Do you have memories of drawing live animals?

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The Art Student and Activism

Anti-Nuclear Posters on a wall on the Kyoto Seika University campus

The wall of posters pictured above is part of the NO NUKES campaign which uses poster design to capture the attention of the public in discreet ways. Each month since the launch of nonukes.org budding artists from the various art schools across Japan, post their designs. The posters can then be printed and arranged as a public art/ wall of protest in various places. I imagine that there are several walls like this one all over Japan and I would love to see them. This particular wall is in an entrance way to a building which houses 2-3 departments and is directly in front of the bench where students and lecturers take their cigarette break.

Campus police at UC Davis campus using pepper spray to remove protesting students

I used the word 'discreet' earlier however because it is a very subtle way of getting the point across if we compare it to other recent school protests. I recently learned about the UC Davis campus protests and the David Willett Cambridge talk protest from comedian Josie Long's set on BBC Radio 4's The Now Show Extra. She described through sarcastic humour her reaction to seeing the videos on YouTube. The first protest provoked the anger of protesters because a group of students engaged in a sitdown protest where unnecessarily pepper sprayed by campus police. The Cambridge students were protesting high fee increases and the UC students were joining the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

The way students have chosen to protest in Japan, with the continuous flow of NO NUKES poster designs and public space interruptions is less overt and a bit more subliminal than their Western counterparts. The manner however is perhaps more in keeping with Japan's non-confrontational culture but in this instance I found it interesting that Art was used as the tool of protest rather than the more conventional methods of marching, picketing and protesting familiar in the US and UK. It makes me wonder about the effect and speed at which the desired change will occur.

The more passive method will seep into the consciousness and it will be carried with you. Due to the website also proliferation and distribution of the posters can occur easily and portably. The more vociferous method will definitely grab more headlines and documentation of it in this age of social media will attract more viewership and discussion however. The method is ultimately appropriate to the culture and the message.

A work attributed to neugerriemschneider addressing the isolation of Activist Artist, Ai Wei Wei 

In writing this post however I am considering what causes art students in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean today are putting their talents to and organize themselves around. I remember working on my final body of paintings for my graduation show in college when a respected lecturer asked me what mechanisms I had employed in my creative language to address current events, socio-political issues etc. Then it occurred to me that Art was not only for individual expression but also useful as a social catalyst. Sometimes in focusing on the gallery system and its market driven practices, considering individual desires can become stronger than societal contributions but activism offers opportunities for creative expression and experimentation in other ways outside of the Artworld bubble. The example of the NO NUKES Movement illustrates how activism need not be considered a distraction apart from main studies but a beneficial aid to development of the thinking artist of tomorrow. Of course Activist Art is an end in itself also and can be an effective way to voice opinions and protest.

What causes are you interested in engaging in using Art? How do you propose we use Art to handle problems with governments and other institutions that we want to change?

  

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Disillusions goes on tour

Production Still of Snow White Remixed, Video Installation,
Sandra Stephens & Allie Tyre, two of the
exhibiting artists

On September 27, this group show of Caribbean and diaspora artists, opened at Middlesex County College, New Jersey. The show is curated by Tatiana Flores, who was also involved in curating the expansive 'Wrestling with the Image' earlier this year at the Art Museum of the Americas. This time around she has curated a show which focuses on 'Gendered Visions of the Caribbean and its Diasporas'.

So successful has the show been in revealing aspects of contemporary Caribbean Art that it was invited to travel to The Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery in New York for a second opening. The show opened this weekend and runs until December 31st this year. The names involved are newer names than regularly seen in years past on the Caribbean art circuit and reflect the diversity and experiences of culture and exploring gender. A panel discussion/ artists talk will happen at the gallery on December 14 at 6pm.
View the e-vite and see more info here

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Andrae Green on The Artist's Residency

Altered-States (Conversation with Colonel Percy Wyndam). One of the smaller paintings Green produced while in residency

The artists residency is a part of the artists career which we never really learned about in art school, yet facilities and organizations worldwide providing residency programmes have been growing steadily. It is often a good way to boost an artists confidence and exposure* and can sometimes help artists push further in their career. By the provision of a working space and support, it at least gives the artist time to create a small body of work depending on the duration. The hoped result is that it will benefit the maturity of the artists work and networking opportunities as well as contribute to the life and economy of the facilitating communities. 


Emerging Jamaican Painter, Andrae Green, has kindly shared his experience and thoughts about the artists residency. We asked questions about Green's recent residency experience and he tells us about the process and the role it plays for him. *It should be noted that the artist was featured in a local newspaper while on residency.

You recently came back from a residency in New York, introduce us to the residency programme you went on. 

The residency that I was invited to be apart of is called the CAC (Contemporary Artists Centre) Woodside, located in Troy New York. The residency is multidisciplinary, and it's open to artist from all nationalities. The CAC was founded in Berkshires Massachusetts but was recently moved to renovated chapel at Woodside Troy, New York. Troy is a small town in upstate New York located 10 minutes outside Albany, which is the capital of New York state. The CAC residency is year round and artists are invited to stay from as little as 2 weeks to as long as 3 months. The application is done online through the CAC's website. My stay at the residency was from July 17th to August 26th. Its a great program and I recommend it to anyone. I will say that if your coming from the Caribbean you should plan your residency for the summer months.

Why did you feel the need at this point in your career to go on a residency? 

As I see it, an international residency is one of the best ways for any artist to gain experience and exposure outside your country and make, if possible, crucial connections that might bode well for your career. These were the same reasons that I had when I applied to the CAC. 

Green and other artists in the programme in front of his paintings.

What activities did you get involved in and tell us about the kinds of networking that happened for you?

 At the residency we had weekly critiques, where we would present our works to the newly arrivals, and also update the group on any progress that we had made during the week. Also we went on outings to the town of Troy, like the farmers market on Saturdays, and to other historic sites close enough to drive to. As I think that I have said before I met alot of people while at the CAC, and hopefully I made some lasting friendships. 

You had an exhibition as well, was this related to the residency and did the results of the residency meet your expectations?

Yes the exhibition was put on by the director of the residency, Mrs. Hezzie Johanson. It was a group show and every artist at the residency or affiliated with the CAC was invited to participate. The show was held as a part of "Troy Night Out". Troy Night Out is held every end of the month in summer, between June and September, as a celebration of the arts in the town. The whole town comes alive with artist of every kind exhibiting their wares of every kind. It's really exciting, there is music and dancing in the streets and art everywhere almost like the old time Jamaican grand market. 

Being as it was my first residency I came into the experience with and open mind, with no expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. The facilities were great, the staff was very helpful, and the whole experience was thrilling to say the least.

Woman 1. Another small painting created by Green
during his residency

For what purposes would you recommend a residency to an artist, Can you share some tips on practical information about finding, applying and funding a residency experience? 

As stated before I wanted to expand my career possibilities and get exposure for my work. There are a lot of opportunities open to anyone seeking to expand there career horizons. Some residencies that you find there will be application fees to pay, while others are free application. There are a lot of different types of residencies and they offer different things, for different kinds of artist. Some are only for emerging artist, while others cater to both. You have to know what position you are career-wise so that you will be able to take advantage of whatever you may find. Also keep in mind that you can't apply to everything , and you need to keep a check on how your spending your money as, application fees do add up. A websites that I have found very helpful to me is transartists.org, I am sure that there are others, but this is the one that I know of.

Have you done a residency yourself? What was that experience like?

Do you think doing residencies  are important for all artists to do?

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'The Artist' Series

In concentrating some of the things that we have been talking about on this blog since the beginning I am starting a new series. The focus has always been from the perspective of the young and emerging artist trying to figure out the 'Art World' and all the twists and turns involved. There have been several interviews with artists as well as issues concerning subjects such as preparing a portfolio, visiting galleries, politics etc. There have also been several posts relating to international and regional art scenes. Now to hone in on what it is to be an artist in this time I am launching 'The Artist' series.

The idea is that artists in this time more than ever are wearing many hats out of necessity, resourcefulness, changing roles and expectations. I would really love for you to participate and share your stories and experiences with us.

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Art & Design Culture: Spec Work

The Huffington Post recently mounted a competition calling for entires for logo designs for their political campaign activities. This act created a backlash among designers who thought it was in bad taste for a rising media power like The Huffington Post to call for free design work via Spec competition or crowdsourcing

. This, I learned, is referred to as Speculative (Spec) work. One of the main groups against this latest call is called AntiSpec and in its campaign it battles the scourge of Spec work head on.

'Spec(ulative) work is a cancer within the design industry and all designers need to understand their role in fighting it.'

   - AntiSpec site

Why is this Spec Work so offensive though? Doesn't everyone win? Designers get guaranteed payment when they win competitions and companies get the best design right? I ask the question because while working in Jamaica in the mid to late 2000’s, I gained a little experience as a designer and commissioned artist and found this to be part of the general practice. Then after visiting the AntiSpec site and listening to their arguments I started to realize that I felt this way as well but also had one foot in the other system of crowdsourcing.

Many young creatives frequently participate in this crowdsourcing activity as I also did in my early art school days. At that time, there was a constant flow of competitions calling for new logos for government bodies and departments, banks, special events, publicity posters etc.- the usual fare. Usually the award was enough money to cover personal expenditure and cost of materials for a semester in school. It was always a chancy issue as I could win the money or lose the money.

This is where focus of the AntiSpec group's campaign seems to lie. For each design call more than one and sometimes hundreds or thousands of designers prepare and submit work. Even though its one design, if we add up each individuals time and effort that they put into doing the work, the hours and costs rack up. When I was doing this, those hours included researching the subject and the organization, brainstorming, conceptualizing and sketching ideas, rendering the design digitally or by hand, transporting the design to the submission offices and other details. This doesn't include the money involved in funding this venture such as your art supplies, printing and more. That was also time away from my studies and assignments. In total of all those perhaps 4-6 entries I took place in I was fortunate enough to win one. This however is

rarely the case for the majority of competitors.

By now you may be thinking that it was not forced and that I willingly participated. I calculated the risks and due to the cost of my chosen field and the extreme shortage of part-time jobs for college students in Jamaica, I decided to enter. After all there was the potential of getting returns on my hard work. I remember the point however when I decided never to enter another Spec competition. It was when I realized that the persons judging these competitions were not necessarily looking for the best design in an academic sense. Often there were no designers or like creatives on the judging panels. In finding that to be the case I concluded that it was essentially pointless to use my creative training to create these designs when that wasn't even a factor in assessing submissions. I then decided to focus on fine art as my outlet.

I had an option but what if you are deeply rooted in the industry as an independent pro designer or part of a team at a design firm and have to spend substantial amounts to submit designs for these competitions and you never get compensated? It may not have occurred to commissioners of designs don't really understand that they are asking for free work as the focus is on the fact that there is a winner and a cash prize, but what about the unsuccessful designers? Maybe this issue comes down to a simple fact of value. Companies could be approaching the issue as opportunity for the masses of designers but isn't that ultimately disrespectful of the design craft?... or like auditions are part of the actor's career, should it be accepted as just part of the trade? Maybe artists, designers, writers, performers are also allowing the value of their work and control they have to be eroded by doing Spec work.

And one last thought...if there is Spec work in 'Design' what about 'Art'. Are calls for proposals for sculptures, paintings etc. and artist competitions hosted by galleries also speculative?

What are your thoughts on this?

Oh by the way, The Huffington Post pulled that campaign.

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