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15 - August 2022

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02 CONT 04 05 06 Impressum Editor s Letter Anika Ignozzi 08 10 12 The Rise of Indie Filmmaking The Book as Art NFT Soiree 14 16 18 Marisol Escobar and Pop Art Martin Scorsese Bassem Interview

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03 22 28 30 ENTS Joey Allgood A Resurgence of Dutch Still Life Collages 32 36 38 Farida Chris Gwynn Philosophy of Contemporary Art 40 60 62 Community Features Open Call About Culturally

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THE CONTRIBUTORS 04 Executive Director Isabell Sliwinski Art Director Alison Chen Editor in Chief Aparna Prabhakar Design Syed Bukhari Javier Souza Marta Pakiet Jounalists Bryan Aung Shianne Henion Zaenab Najeeb Beatriz Rivera Dorian Shine Sreya Srikanth Elizabeth Wright Featured Ruby Usiskin Anika Ignozzi Marisol Escobar Bassem Joey Allgood Farida Chris Gwynn And All featured artists and writers from the Culturally community

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MODERN R AISSANCE CREATE AL A NOTE FROM AND APAR THE EDITORS MODERNR Culturally Arts Collective is a community for arts advocacy we aim to increase accessibility and inclusivity in the art world As two young artists we are excited to be a part of Culturally s monthly art magazine Modern Renaissance In this publication we feature creatives of all ages and nationalities exploring aspects of writing design and visual art Artists are multitaskers When we create artwork whether it be paintings choreography poetry or anything in between we focus on the details But we also make sure that we step back to see the bigger picture Though this is second nature while making art so many of us forget to do the same in the real world In art we fixate on perspective but in life we fail to realize how important it is Our lives are filled with so much detail and it s so difficult to take that step back and breathe From busy work weeks to sports to keeping up with everyone around us we often don t have the space or time to look at the bigger picture Art gives us that space and time It gives us those perspectives that we need We hope this issue of Modern Renaissance reminds you to step back and breathe Alison Chen Art Director Aparna Prabhakar Editor in Chief

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06 ANIKA IGNOZZI The Chronic Creator By Elizabeth Wright Stepping foot inside of OOH BABY on Greenwich Avenue feels as though you are getting a glimpse into Anika Ignozzi s mind The space resembles an artist s studio just as much as it does a clothing store Each wall is a different color that s been spray painted with cheetah print decals the store s name and her infamous face design dried paint covers her desk the shelves across from the door are covered in multicolored insulation and filled with random knick knacks every rack is filled with evenly spaced hangers containing her custom clothing A lot of designing the store was on the spot she recalled I sort of had some ideas in my head but I m just not much of a planner For 24 year old Ignozzi becoming an artist was not always her lifelong goal She grew up playing soccer and dreaming of wanting to help people which is how she found herself enrolled in Wagner College s Physician Assistant program in Staten Island One year into the program she decided she wanted to pursue a career in art so she dropped out and moved back to her hometown of Lower Burrell Pennsylvania to attend what she called YouTube University It felt natural to combine her love of art and fashion Through her brother she was able to meet with someone well versed in the fashion world who presented her with the opportunity to showcase her work in a fashion show and on January 20 2018 Ignozzi s 20th birthday the brand OOH

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07 I BABY was officially born As a child Ignozzi loved her art classes and was always doodling faces on notes to her friends during study hall which were kept by Anna Trefelner I think the artist that Anika is today was always inside of her Telferner said She was always very creative and good at drawing We had no idea back then that she would become who she is today but looking back it definitely all adds up Telferner showed Ignozzi the notes before she moved back to New York City in late 2021 and was surprised when she said that she felt a sense of relief knowing she had a creative side when he was younger She was worried that she was a boring person I told her that I found that so hard to believe She s so outgoing and funny there s never a dull moment with her and that s been the same since we were toddlers Ignozzi never sits idly at the store she s either helping customers or at her desk with a paintbrush in hand Despite not acting on her love for art until later in her teens her strong work ethic can be attributed to her first passion soccer It was the foundation of her resilience and dedication When it comes to my art I know I have to practice every single day she said You will get better and soccer taught me that The same skills also helped her build her business from the ground up Shortly after moving back to Lower Burrell Ignozzi found affordable housing for artists in Pittsburgh She was only paying 350 per month to live with other creatives and become involved within the artistic community It was an amazing place to start my journey she recalled with a smile It s small enough that once you re known you are supported and loved Every weekend she could be found selling her custom clothing in Pittsburgh s Strip District even during Pennsylvania s cold winters Constantly showing up on Penn Avenue was like a form of business school for Ignozzi I was learning what to say how to perfect my spiel and captive people I was learning what my brand was and how to correctly market myself Eventually the demand for her pieces outweighed the supply With the assistance of ChaShaMa a local nonprofit organization that provides affordable workspaces and storefronts to artists OOH BABY made its New York City storefront debut on March 19 2022 Over the past five months she has come to appreciate the welcoming response from the neighborhood The first time I met Ignozzi New York City was enduring one of its recent and brutal heat waves During our conversation a local West Villager popped into the store I m closed she said before realizing he was just there to give her a lemonade He s such a sweet man she said once he left I have a lot of locals who come in and check up on me The support she receives from the community has as much to do with her infectious personality as supporting her brand she is as vibrant and loud as her store with her eyecatching makeup and brightly colored hair that she frequently changes Mercury McCarthy her business partner who assists in taking photographs for the brand believes her enthusiasm for life is like an experimental stimulation I can come to her in any given mood and always leave feeling rejuvenated in hope Feeling that the world is nothing but continuous exploration and finding things that can give you joy and gratitude give s you peace to be here She stands out wherever she goes In September she will be making her New York Fashion Week debut Her show collection will consist of roughly 20 designs that she has created over the course of the past month Thankfully she finds satisfaction in being able to quickly accomplish tasks I have to create to feel something Ignozzi said I am a chronic creator

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08 THE RI OF INDI FILM MAKIN

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08 But now we re getting a change Nay we re getting a comeback ISE IE M NG By Sreya Srikanth It is no shock to anyone familiar with today s media that award shows no longer possess the same glamour that they did a decade ago 21st century movements have forced media consumers to question the way in which ethnic minorities and women as well as members of the LGBTQIA community are portrayed on the silver screen However the end of this traditional antiquated era brings about something new a renewed appreciation for Independent filmmaking Indie filmmaking saw its rise in the 1990s kickstarting an era that had broken away from the norms by featuring unconventional characters and plotlines When investors put their money into low budget yet meaningful art films they got films like Pulp Fiction a Palme d Or winning record smashing culture defining film whose developer Miramax was later acquired by Disney Many other companies started to take on a similar move and put the film genre under their thumb Pretty soon some of the most critically acclaimed films of the past decade came from the same suits on Hollywood Boulevard that became our feeders for modern day pop culture This way of the world continued for years without the blink of an eye But now we re getting a change Nay we re getting a comeback When the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020 everything from schools to film sets was shut down and delays in production led to delays in blockbuster release and the inability to have nerds for major franchises flooding the cinemas frothing at the mouths Along with the our doses of entertainment heading straight to streaming another new factor that arose was the rebirth of indie and art films Other social media hashtags such as that of the OscarsSoWhite as well as a lack of diversity and bias on nomination boards such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association responsible for handing out the Golden Globes as well as the Academy of Television Arts Sciences responsible for the Emmys have also been called out in similar ways These reasons have caused award shows to have seen viewership numbers decline steadily in the past few years With the downfall of award shows also bringing about the rise of indie film festivals along with those with social media accounts being willing to talk about and spread awareness for these small town creators and their films it s fair to say that we should start embracing this change something different to the Oscars or Emmys our other flashy award shows that exclude lesser known talent but still decide the worth of a film the worth of a piece of art

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10 B O O K B O O K ASART Books are a fundamental piece of humanity We consume them with knowledge seeking eyes hungry for the next sentence stringing each one together to create a story But what if books were useful for another purpose too What if a book told a visual story instead of a literal one For the National Museum of Women in the Arts there are seven online exhibitions that tell the story of historical memories For the exhibition The Book as Art Codex Curiosities each artist weaves a tale through a boundless range of mediums techniques and topics according to the exhibition site This is a new way to discover the magic of books and one does not even have to do much reading A codex is just the standard book format from historical periods usually made from vellum The artists in this exhibition mimic this style with their artwork The art pieces named here are not all of the ones shown The first piece is titled Incantations by Mayan Women created by mbar Past in 2005 It is said that this book may be the first written illustrated printed and bound by the Maya in over fivehundred years Past even constructed her own paper and is the first Mayan woman to write and publish Mayan poetry The cover of the book features a three dimensional construction of Mayan sculptures The face resembles a heart which could symbolize the artist s love and appreciation for her culture Another piece in the exhibition is one titled Back Ground by Ghada Jamal Her piece contains a colorful mosaic of a wall with a set of triple arch windows In those windows is a background of a Lebanese landscape filled with trees buildings and a blue gray sky It s a beautiful depiction of Jamal s childhood there and is a painful memory of her life before Lebanon s violence Back Ground grieves the loss of innocence mourns a dashed dream and yearns for the beautiful the mystical and the permanent the exhibition describes The Book as Art Exploring a Virtual Phenomenon with the National Museum of Women in the Arts By Shianne Henion ASART Caption Credit Ghada Jamal Back Ground 1995 Watercolor acrylic graphite collage on paper 9 3 4 x 9 3 4 in National Museum of Women in the Arts Gift of the artist Ghada Jamal In Remembered by Nelleke Nix she tells the story of her family s experience in Holland during World War II Originally inspired by the Gulf War she used writings and illustrations to build a book of

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11 war stories Nix heard radio interviews with civilians in the target zones of Iraqi SCUD missiles which were given the name due to being driven by the wind Caption Credit Nelleke Nix 1940 1945 Remembered 1991 Hand colored block prints collage and photo transfers on paper stamps fabric ribbon 7 1 2 x 10 1 2 in National Museum of Women in the Arts Gift of the artist Nelleke Nix Similarly Fifty Years of Silence by Tatana Kellner covers the topic of World War II and her piece emphasizes the brutatlity of the Holocaust This book shares the memories of her parents during the Holocaust with Czech text translated to English The most striking part of this piece is the cast molding of Kellner s father s arm It has the tattooed number that profiled the victims of the concentration camps which carries its weight with each turn of the page Composed with photographs of her parents and of concentration camps this piece of art symbolizes an important era of human history The exhibition closes with Litolattine This is a piece of art that may not be as heavy as its fellow art pieces but it captures the story of city life This is a book made from a collection of crushed soda cans run over by cars on the street The cans are covered in rust and dirt each one was held in the hands of people who have stories and lives that we may speculate on but could never know It s the perfect way to end the exhibition with the reminder that stories are vital to human lives We all have one and they can be preserved in objects Caption Credit Mirella Bentivoglio Book and Book clasp from Litolattine 1998 Iron cans and caps 4 1 2 x 9 x 5 in National Museum of Women in the Arts The Lois Pollard Price Acquisition Fund Mirella Bentivoglio Art is not just a means to create but it is a way to preserve pivotal parts of time Culture literature thoughts and ideas are stored in every piece The stories told through The Book as Art bring life and truth with them The National Museum of Women in the Arts contains the richest material for anyone who wants to invest their time in women s history

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12 NFT SOIREE By Bryan Aung It was in 2021 when my friend brought up the three letter acronym that caught the world by storm during the pandemic NFT A week prior a copy of the famous Nyan cat meme had just been purchased for 590 000 Pixelated apes were being sold at decadent prices during the height of the pandemic A single pixel by the artist Pak was purchased at Sotheby s for 1 7 million Naturally I was interested The NFT most widely talked about functions as a twofold contrivance In one aspect it s a cryptocurrency in another aspect it s art In an era of late capitalism it s the prophecy fulfilling signal that says we are here With speculative works of digital art becoming increasingly popular websites like OpenSea have popped up around the Web On that site in All art is benevolent and its ideas are valid in their own way essentially art reflects the present and that s what NFTs are today s art The NFT is the prophecyfulfilling signal that says we are here particular Ethereum is the blockchain used to trade NFTs Other sites use different blockchains but the theme is the same a chain of decentralized computers all working together to form a new frontier of the internet Once a dream of crypto libertarians like Peter Thiel the new technology is creeping up faster than most would like Like the internet in the nineties and early aughts the Metaverse and the strange visceral world that comes with it is approached with trepidation by many It s a strange new concept with possibly dystopian possibilities For the art world however the Metaverse is a strange case Possibly for the first time a new format of art has been introduced not by artists nor bohemians but by tech companies backed with billions of dollars Sure there are digital artists who create impressive NFTs but with the case of Bored Apes or CryptoPunks how far does the label art go During auction season collectors and dealers jockey around artworks for decadent amounts of cash In this Case by Basquait sold at Christie s auction house for 93 1 million far above the original estimate but even then it seems that much of the betting has a layer of dignity to it There s a subliminal standard for these works there s something more behind the works essentially the objects have depth and it s what separates them from most NFTs Of course there s a rebuttal to this The art world is no stranger to provocateurs and their works From Marcel Duchamp s Fountain to Yves Klein s invincible art gallery the boundaries have never truly existed they ve only acted as a catalyst for the avant garde to destroy with sadistic pleasure We are forced to watch as the established order sets up new standards for what is the new hot art only to watch it become reinvented The Metaverse is a new frontier albeit extremely speculative But then speculation and prices are nothing new within the art world When collector Robert Schull sold the works of Cy Twombly and Rauschenberg for several times the buying price in 1973 there began the art world s fix of multimillion dollar post war paintings Meta might host the blockchain Sotheby s uses for its virtual galleries but the idea is the same With AI generated art and pixelated street punks it is only natural that the art world embraces the new blockchain rebels All art is benevolent its ideas valid in their own way art reflects the present and that s what NFTs are today s art

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14 MARISOL ESCOBAR and pop art By Beatriz Rivera After recently visiting the Marisol and Warhol Take New York exhibit at the Perez Art Museum Miami PAMM I wanted to explore Marisol and her influence on the New York art movement The exhibit explores Marisol and Warhol s rise to success and the creation of their artistic presence From portrait sculptures to screen prints the curated exhibit features iconic works and moments in time from Marisol and Warhol s collection Although both were catalysts of Pop art Marisol s influence and works will be of focus Marisol Escobar was born on May 22 1930 in Paris France to Venezuelan parents She was encouraged to create art by her parents from a young age From museum visits to earning prizes she explored a variety of different mediums even venturing into embroidery She was heavily traumatized by her mother s death but it

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15 did not affect her art This tragedy was followed by her father sending her off to New York to attend boarding school The 1960s were a pivotal time for Pop art culture it was embraced by society and as a creator so was Marisol Her works largely consisted of sculptures using various materials such as wood and works of figurative art As her career launched into success she became friends with Andy Warhol who was not yet known and was still exploring his position as an artist at the time Both artists bonded over their different backgrounds and collectively explored and expanded their art The premise of Marisol s art focused on femininity She often used herself as a reference to portray various issues such as the relationship between femininity and oppression Sculptures such as Woman and Dog 1960 received criticism and ultimately categorized her as a problematic artist Pop artists such as Warhol and Lichtenstein have continued to grow professionally and become household names during the Pop art movement Marisol was hidden in a male saturated art movement and so were her influences and contributions The media and critics often marginalized her depictions of femininity at the time Her art was a critique of human nature vulnerability and the feminine experience and is groundbreaking to this day Marisol has defied countless societal expectations and should receive as much recognition as her male counterparts Her perspective as a woman of color contextualizes the world women especially women of color share similar experiences as Marisol did over time Pop art is one of the most influential and recognized art movements in history and Marisol Escobar shares her worldview with the world through her work HUMAN NATURE VULNERABILITY THE FEMININE EXPERIENCE

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16 Lessons in Loneliness The Beauty of Taxi Driver By Bryan Aung God s Lonely Man is the quote that preludes Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader s movie Taxi Driver It s the opening lines that forecast what is to come in the next hour or so Albert Camus said in The Myth of Sisyphus that the last pages of a book are already contained in the first pages and in the case of Taxi Driver the excerpt from Thomas Wolfe says all that is needed Taxi Driver follows Travis Bickle the anti hero and loner played by Robert De Nero In the script he s described as good looking and suave He s sociable but at the same time there s an uneasiness that follows him something unhinged and primal But behind that smile around his dark eyes in his gaunt cheeks Schrader writes one can see the ominous stains caused by a life of private fear emptiness and loneliness There s something to be awed at because the movie curates a perfect picture of unease The experience of watching Taxi Driver is the feeling of waking up during the quietest hours of the morning or night It s the perfect conception of being the only one awake and walking through a hallway at night while TV static plays distantly it is lonely uneasy and liminal These moments only exist a few times in life but they re terrifying enough for us to remember And it is a memory that Scorsese displays so well Travis version of the hero s journey is guided by several characters a temptress working for a political candidate a runaway child and of course the city itself The city is not only for the supporting characters to live in but it s also the catalyst for Travis loneliness With a brilliant soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann the scenes of late 70s New York City are shown in their true gritty form While a sultry saxophone solo plays we re introduced to crime filled streets there is litter on the sidewalk and mentally unstable people roam about mumbling to themselves Travis writes in his diary of the irony of his loneliness and the filth that surrounds him He wants to be pure not like the rest but he consumes the same decadence that the rest of NYC s inhabitants do and spoils his body with junk food Travis journal entries are reminiscent of Fyodor Dostoevsky s Notes from Underground which the movie was loosely inspired from Like the madman writing letters from his chamber Travis writes in his diary from his apartment The notes are ramblings neither coherent nor tasteful And it is through these alienated feelings that the audience is able to piece the movie s tone together Ultimately it s the PRIVATE FEAR EMPTINESS AND LONELINESS aura that makes Taxi Driver so memorable The contradictory distance feels immeasurable It s the feeling of everything happening around you yet you go unnoticed and the feeling of never being remembered because you ve never existed to the crowd to begin with The characters go on with their lives after the events of the movie Travis is hailed a hero in the end yet the movie ends in a palindrome finishing how it started with Travis lonely and alienated yet again to quote Thomas Wolfe The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness far from being a rare and curious phenomenon is the central and inevitable fact of human existence

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The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness is inevitable https m media amazon com images M MV5BMzQwNDM1NDY4MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjIwNzIwMjE _V1_ jpg 17

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18 BASSEM BEN BRAHIM By Dorian Shine FILMMAKER I want to express myself and there I found obstacles There are many people who do not accept the queer appearance I ve been following your work for a few years now and I ve noticed that the main theme of your work is queer Can you tell me about this choice and also about the risks that are linked to it especially since you are from Tunisia where homosexuality is punished by law Being a queer person in a society that criminalizes homosexuality and the queer cause I have found that homophobia stems mainly from the law from society and religion I think it is the cause that chose me I want to make art and cinema I want to express myself and there I found obstacles There are many people who do not accept the queer appearance Even in the artistic field it is not easy to integrate Who will fight for our freedom Nobody And I want to realize my dreams in the artistic field and even in my personal life This is impossible without freedom What is the secret of your choice to use animation as a young filmmaker When I was 17 years old animated films were the only genre that impressed me It gave me a strong desire to learn the field of film Animation gives us the possibility to dream in a rather difficult reality where we can deliver strong messages in a fluid and simple way It allows us to create a world elsewhere a whole universe where we can put in our dreams maybe our feelings our aspirations You can do all this in a small room with the necessary equipment and material Here are three short films that you have made and with which you have participated in many festivals Tell me about the difficulties you encountered in each production and also the moments of success The three films that I directed and participated in are Chromophobia 2019 The red Fish 2020 and Nidhal 2022 In

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QUEER MAKING ART I was lucky to have a friend like Rayan to do everything with me for free especially since the film was all animation and he did all the drawings and he even helped me with the animation afterwards Intissar Hassine also worked with me with a symbolic budget It is the friendship that saved me these three films I started to bring out the themes of gender and 2SLGBTQI My first problem was with myself because I was afraid to talk about it in a country that criminalized gay and queer appearances But then I realized that I was just making art and that our mission was to share stories to tell our reality for ourselves and the world but also for history because films write history and what happened in society I think this is a very sensitive time when we should be talking about queer stories not just in film but in just about every art form The hardest thing is to work without a budget like we did in the film Chromophobia It was made in a film school as an exercise and I was excited at that time to work on the theme rather than start I was lucky to have a friend like Rayan to do everything with me for free especially since the film was all animation and he did all the drawings and he even helped me with the animation afterwards Intissar Hassine also worked with me with a symbolic budget and she made drawings of decoration for me It is the friendship that saved me Then there was the problem of distribution of the film As an independent or amateur you have no access to festivals no production company or distributor to share and show your film This is the point where I did a lot of research sent emails tried all methods to find opportunities for this little film Later the 19 film was selected in more than 30 film festivals in the world From then on I started to work more and more on this issue especially with the film Nidhal Nidhal which was selected for the Europe Lovers Film Festival as well as image Nation Film Festival Canada and more that 10 other film festivals just in 5 months and got the price of best short documentary in Merced Queer Film Festival USA What is your current goal Do you have a clearer vision of your future path My goal is to stay productive and I try to stay positive while improving the quality of my work at all stages and looking into other levels of festivals But I think it depends on finding a good producer a good distributor strong relationships and of course quality production and that s what I m trying to achieve I didn t have a clear vision of my future but I knew I wanted to do a PhD in film I want to make feature films more animated films Why cinema What made you want to do this art Was there a particular moment or situation that made you think this is what I m going to do with my life Cinema came into my life by chance because at the age of 16 or 17 I was more into Arabic literature and everything that is Islamic thought But when I came across alternative STORIES

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20 CINEMA But really I avoided sharing the film in the Arab world or on social networks at least for the time being the time that a film is more solid and even to protect myself and the character who tells his story REALLY FOUND ME AND SAVED ME AT THE SAME TIME

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To be honest I don t think that art always has a role through art you can just pass a feeling release emotions But the artist is engaged he can t make his art without talking about his cause in my case at least EXPRESSION cinema in a film club I saw short films especially animated films They made a lasting impression on me It s different from anything I ve seen on TV and I realize that I can do it I can express myself more fluidly and perhaps more easily through this art form that is similar to me Cinema has led me to find my own way and finally to be free I think that cinema has really found me and saved me at the same time Your current film follows the struggle of a Tunisian LGBT activist who was forced to seek asylum in another country can you elaborate on the backstage of this creation I love this film because it tells the story of an activist friend of mine whom I love very much and I am proud of him Nidhal The idea for this film was born when I planned to go to Amsterdam for IQMF Academy with my former film Chromophobia and to reach the festival at the same time At the same time I was in contact with Nidhal and I asked him about the possibility to film with him He accepted with pleasure I traveled for the festival and then I visited Nidhal to film with him in 2019 But the film was released in 2022 because we took a lot of time to structure the story adding animation and was in discussion with Nidhal to know more details Finally the film was released with the support of Mawjoudin and Doc House in the final stages to be screened for the first time in Tunisia at Carthage Did this film provoke a reaction in Tunisia or in the Arab countries Tell me about the feedback received from the public also from social networks For the first screening there were only good reactions since in the preview there were only people invited who are from the community or are friends But really I avoided sharing the film in the Arab world or on social networks at least for the time being the time that a film is more solid and even to protect myself and the character who tells his story What is the role of art according to you And what is the role of the artist Do you subscribe to this opinion in your work To be honest I don t think that art always has a role through art you can just pass a feeling release emotions But the artist is engaged he can t make his art without talking about his cause in my case at least I avoided it at the beginning but afterwards I always had this will to say something to express my refusal of this situation I had the possibility maybe to go out and live in hiding but it s my right to live where I want I want to take my time to choose And in parallel I want to live freely And that s why I do artivism to free myself It is our right We want to live We want to love We want to share our feelings without being afraid harassed or threatened What is your next project My next project is also a short documentary on the same theme but with a wider vision which will be released at the end of this year How do you see yourself in 10 years I think I m not really aiming for the long term I m working I m doing my best I m aiming for projects that belong to me and I hope that fate will guide me to the best destination But I still see myself in queer art production at least for the moment I avoided it at the beginning but afterwards I always had this will to say something to express my refusal of this situation I had the possibility maybe to go out and live in hiding but it s my right to live where I want I want to take my time to choose And in parallel I want to live freely Interview conducted in French and adapted to English by Dorian Shine That s why I do artivism to free myself It is our right We want to live We want to live We want to love We want to share our feelings without being afraid harassed or threatened

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23 ARTIST Q A Joey Allgood By Elizabeth Wright When Joey Allgood moved from Indiana to New York City after a decade of working in a factory he was not planning on becoming an artist He started working towards a degree in journalism before switching to marketing and advertising and ultimately dropping out of the program Prior to dropping out he would play video games during his commute to school After tiring of unlocking virtual achievements Allgood began to learn how to create digital artwork on his phone He started to list his work on Craigslist for free and before he knew it he had a booth at the Union Square Holiday Market To this day all of Allgood s work is created on his Android phone In an interview with Allgood which has been edited for length and clarity we talked about the scenarios that set Real Weird Art apart from other artists as well as his mission to make his work more accessible all pictures can be found at https www realweirdart com

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How did your past contribute to your ability to come up with these weird scenarios that you depict in your artwork I grew up in a place called New Hope Indiana It was literally our house a church and a stop sign that was the whole town I had this kind of combination of boredom restlessness and social isolation My one sort of reprieve from all of that was comic strips Gary Larson s Far Side was in the strips and his sense of humor was just very different than everything else that I was looking at Bill Watterson with Calvin and Hobbes was also very funny and imaginative He was just going places in the same way that my mind likes to go places Watterson was capturing human behaviors through animals or objects which I thought was creative and fun And considering the lack of humans around me when I was growing up I was often also anthropomorphizing so I d stare at ants or the cows across the field and create stories My imagination just kept running wilder and wilder because it had nowhere else to go I noticed that your artwork is bright and colorful Do you have a favorite color scheme that you like to work with I don t know The only formal drawing class I took was a class at the School of Visual Arts here in New York but I don t think we even got into color because we were producing a black and white comic So as far as color goes I definitely prefer vibrant colors When I first moved to the city I ended up moving into this basement and the way I wanted to kind of brighten it up was to put these very vibrant colors on the wall It just looked like a circus down there And then I really like complementary colors But because everything I do is iterative I often have to change colors as I m going I ll just go until it feels right I don t consider myself a good illustrator If anything I m a good editor because everything I do is digital When it comes to color I might pick a certain color and start working with it but then I ll notice that it s clashing with this other color So when I realize that I reverse engineer I go back and I try to work the colors to guide the piece in a different way On average how long does it take you to create a piece I would say it takes me probably 10 to 15 hours I think the one that I did the fastest probably took about 4 hours and the longest took 30 hours So it really depends Sometimes I ll get stubborn and want the piece to do what I want it to do Other times my mind is almost too free so I ll start in one place and end up in another

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25 Do you prefer creating food animal or inanimate object scenarios more I don t think I have a preference Often the protagonist of whatever piece I m creating is in service to an idea or a message that I m trying to get across So I ll often choose the animal object or food based on characteristics that I want that specific protagonists to have During mid January of one year I don t remember what year I had already made and failed another New Year s resolution So I was thinking a lot about that and false victories I got the idea of making a character who believed that they weighed less even though they didn t I took the idea of a salamander whose tail will fall off when it gets stressed because I wanted to create that idea of false victory and the idea of anxiety causing this situation Whereas Toilet Paper Prepares For Another Crappy Workday was servicing the idea of objectification of self and how we sometimes will treat ourselves almost as objects Toilet paper is slowly taken apart it s not there and then gone It wastes away bit by bit just like what happens when you end up in an occupation that doesn t serve or suit you So the object animal or whatever is a function of what I need to communicate That s why I don t have a preference I know you used to dabble in poetry Can you talk about the intersection between your physical art and the descriptions for your pieces In other words how does coming up with these descriptions satisfy your creative outlet in a way that visual art does not I m really fascinated with context Often when I go into a museum and I look at art I struggle I know that the piece is important but without the context I m really looking at it from the outside For me creating context for my work allows everyone to have a shared experience with it In that sense I m sharing my own experience that I had with it and what I saw from it So I don t think of the writing as separate from the image One wouldn t exist without the other I kind of want to dive into this a little bit Hungry Swarm Can t Resist Shiny Noise Thing feels different from your other work due to its darker colors Can you talk about the inspiration behind that piece I personally have been addicted to video games television media and a lot of other sorts of shiny noisy things that don t provide any real sustenance but are consuming actual time that I get to be alive At this point it s clich to talk about the number of people that are walking around with their phones in their hands But at that time I was thinking about my own personal addiction to being on my phone and just realizing how starved I was I wasn t doing a lot of creating for a long time I was doing a lot of consuming I created this piece when Candy Crush was really popular so I think at one point I had a blurred out sort of version of the logo The brightness of the screen in the background and the darkness of everything else was this beacon of like nothingness I want to dive into Soggy Buddies How did you come up with this idea and what sets it apart from your other work I have no idea where the name came from other than the fact that they re all soggy due to their shared predicament of wetting themselves It was a joke that I had with a friend when I was reveling in the freedom that I have as an artist I made a passing joke that I could make a cherry wearing suspenders wetting itself and it became a I wasn t doing a lot of creating for a long time I was doing a lot of consuming I created this piece when Candy Crush was really popular so I think at one point I had a blurred out sort of version of the logo

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26 I never wanted the price to be a reason why they couldn t take it home I would just give them the piece on layaway To this day I will randomly have people come up to me and say You don t know me but 6 years ago you gave me a piece and told me I could pay you later Here I am paying you later challenge I m always one to go overboard when it comes to a challenge so I spend way too much time creating this series of nonliving things It s awesome It s a very fun silly nonsensical thing that I wanted to exist just for the sake of existing as opposed to Real Weird Art where I try to put humor into my work but also meaning and depth I know that you have set a goal to get your work in 50 different stores in 50 different states in order to make your work more geographically accessible How is that coming along That is not coming along as well as I would like It s absolutely a goal that I have and is something that I m interested in doing Right now I am focusing on my short term goal of finding people locally who share the idea of promoting accessibility in order to try and make it more geographically accessible just within the city I ve been trying to work on finding people who can represent my work in one location so that I can be at a different location If someone s visiting the city it s twice as likely that they ll find me My goal with that is to work towards getting 3 or 4 places that are housing my work at one time here locally Why is accessibility so important to you That s a good question I think that accessibility is so important to me because I remember going into places seeing things and feeling really drawn to them I d look at the price and realize or believe that there was no way I would ever be able to own it It didn t feel unfair in the sense that they were charging too much but just in the sense that there s no justice in this world There were things that I really wanted and I didn t have the capacity to have When I moved from giving my work away to selling it it was really important that if someone came to my table and saw something that they wanted I never wanted the price to be a reason why they couldn t take it home It s funny when I first started selling my work I was selling at Union Square and there would be college kids who came up and really liked my work I would just give them the piece on layaway To this day I will randomly have people come up to me and say You don t know me but 6 years ago you gave me a piece and told me I could pay you later Here I am paying you later I get goosebumps every time it happens What does the future hold for Real Weird Art In the foreseeable future I ll be doing street fairs like always The Union Square Holiday Market returns around mid November which is always an insane time My hope is that by finding people who can represent my work locally I ll be able to have people who can step in and help facilitate at both the fairs and holiday market Last year if I had gotten Covid I would ve been screwed I was really lucky and I don t want to rely on luck when it comes to whether people have access to my work or not I remember going into places seeing things and feeling really drawn to them I d look at the price and realize or believe that there was no way I would ever be able to own it It didn t feel unfair in the sense that they were charging too much but just in the sense that there s no justice in this world

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I ll be able to have people who can step in and help facilitate at both the fairs and holiday market Last year if I had gotten Covid I would ve been screwed I was

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28 FLORAL ART A resurgence of Dutch still life By Shianne Henion

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THE REBIRTH OF FLOWERS IS out and brings an overall sense of REMINSCENT OF 17TH CENTURY completion to her pieces FLORAL ART WITH A MODERN TWIST Marie turns real life flowers into art She F Floral art has returned with serene hues From flowers that look cartoonish to petals that seem as if they were in copy and paste format it seems like Dutch still life an art period from the 16th and 17th centuries has returned in full bloom Instagram artists such as Camilla Creations camilla_creations and Marie s Floral Art mariesfloralart have gained traction for their floral creations Camilla creates floral paintings for clients on canvas acrylic wood and a variety of other surfaces Her paintings are turned into prints and put on stationery With a unique style most of Camilla s work is often filled with dots that help the flowers stand preserves wedding bouquets flower arrangements and a collection of plants into resin in a variety of shapes Marie s work is quite literally life that has been captured and bottled Both artists have been described here because their work like cottagecore and dark academia aesthetics has been caught in the wave of realist passions in society Gentle nurturing tones like neutrals and lighter colors are seen in both of their works and bring with them the same calmness that is often captured in the trends mentioned previously This is similar to Dutch Still Life where flowers were painted in muted colors though they were the brightest spots in an otherwise dark painting Paintings from the Netherlands in the 17th century had more meaning besides the aesthetics of the piece In many depictions of Dutch Still Life there are often miniscule details that hold significance to the time period through religious symbols or of the peoples lifestyles According to the National Gallery of Art many floral still life paintings often contain floral bouquets with LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS plants that bloom in different places during different times of the year This style among other Dutch paintings of that period serve as a memento mori or a memento of mortality In other words the vase of flowers is to remind its viewers that life is destined to end Though this painting is too old to be classified under the language of flowers as it was written in the 1800s these petals were still given meaning based on life and death At the bottom of the painting there are dead petals decorating the table There are wilting flowers cast downward which could be a meaning of sin and hell The flowers that are towards the top of Vosmaer s illustration show more life as they are reaching for the light which is quite dim and frail This goes along with the idea of mortality that all things come to an end It s quite morbid but certainly goes along with the dark academia aesthetic that s currently popular Another thing to note is the title of the painting Called something ordinary A Vase with Flowers could stand for the meaning of life itself The lives of these petals are kept in a brass container hellbent on drinking water because it is the only way to survive The vase could represent religion as it was and still is a rulebook for many to live by The flowers that have fallen from their stems could symbolize death as a means to freedom from religion or captivity Now though flowers hold different meanings based on that original encyclopedia written by Charlotte de la Tour in her book Le langage des fleurs Since then hundreds of flowers have been classified to mean a variety of things from death to sadness to birth and prosperity Those meanings are reciprocated in modern paintings that depict plant life Such meanings can be found in almost any painting depicting flowers In the case of Camilla Creations and Marie s Floral Art the language of flowers is shown through their commissions personal to their clients and even to them A painting or preserving of a bride s wedding bouquet holds as much meaning as Vosmaer s wilting perennials Through this timeline Dutch Still Art has regained popularity through a renaissance of new art With new styles of flowers being shown in different ways besides religion and mortality the rebirth of flowers takes the 17th century art style to new heights

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30 One of the earliest memories of any wide eyed artsy kid is their collaging of family photos which almost certainly featured macaroni pieces surrounding stick figures While it may have been a creative and adorable way of preserving childhood memories it has also become recognised as a form of art therapy that has been widely recognized by art therapists as a way to express elements of yourself that are not normally shown to other people giving a better image about who you are GoodTherapy 2013 Collages involve taking select parts from a variety of materials and sources including books and magazines while using paint or different types of paper to alter them and create a much more coherent piece of art Websites like Creative Wellbeings have also stated that it allows the therapist to reach clients who are intimidated by the artistic process can help with verbal enhancement and can be easily altered to fit the needs of clients One of the best things about collages is their subliminal methods of helping patients acknowledge trauma that they cannot verbally communicate art therapists use this technique to touch on specific elements put it down on paper and bring it together by the cohesion that naturally comes with creating a collage By acknowledging trauma in such an unconscious nonverbal way it can allow patients to consciously and verbally acknowledge their emotions as proven in a study involving art therapy and cancer patients in chemotherapy Forzoni et al 2010 Collaging is also an extremely beneficial art form to practice for those who feel intimidated with the creative process of drawing or painting as bits and pieces of what the collage could be are already provided upfront However therapists can also select the way to present materials to tailor the creative process into one that suits the patient the way the patient may select which materials to include also provides a sense for creative freedom when it comes to their piece creating a sense of relief while the patient tries to push themselves out of their comfort zone For example as stated in page 164 of the Wiley handbook of art therapy patients who may be in a highly controlled situations and environments like having strict routines in care facilities may wish to select their materials by themselves while those who are more prone to distraction such as those with ADHD may need to have the cutouts given to them The association collaging has as a mere scrapbooking summer activity for a 10 year old frankly does it an underservice to the valuable tool it could be It is an important form of therapy that lets us piece together parts of who we are and communicate more openly about whatever emotions and situations we are going through or have been through It s time we recognize that the creativity and imagination of a human may be better experienced at truthfully conveying stories than words ever could be ABOUT COLLAGES By Sreya Srikanth

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31 THE CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION OF A HUMAN MAY BE BETTER EXPERIENCED AT TRUTHFULLY CONVEYING STORIES THAN WORDS EVER COULD BE https live staticflickr com 8121 8638965731_aaae0717c7_b jpg

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32 FARIDA BOUAZZAOUI By Dorian Shine Actress and Painter I want my work to touch the human being that we hide inside of us Farida was one of the first actors I saw on stage when I moved to Morocco for my studies and I was wowed by her presence and talent I was extremely happy to know that we went to the same college to study theater She is also a multidisciplinary artist and I hope you are going to enjoy our interview with her Farida what do you think about telling us about your artistic talents What can you do and what do you like to do I am a great lover of theater that s why I continued my studies and have a Bachelors of Dramatic Art from the High Institute of Dramatic Arts in Morocco ISADAC I am an actress but I am also a self taught painter Painting has been my deep desire since childhood Both disciplines for me are a way to express myself freely and a way to think out loud I also have some experience with artistique make up and disguise I have written theater texts a screenplay for a feature film and I am also a director I am an ambitious person and I like to learn new things I also learn from my failed experiences I am in perpetual search of self Several questions challenge me on my job and on the need of art in my society it s important Often I am disappointed when I return to the frustrating reality that the Moroccan public has less interest in theaters and galleries and spends more time in front of the phones and virtual games Apparently the whole world has become addicted to social networks and virtual games I want my work to touch the human inside of us My paintings for example are cruel because I want to say that this is what we have become where we are at How did your adventure with theater start I started doing theater at a young age but the first time I felt that I wanted to follow this road was the first time I had access to the stage I was very ACTRESS I was able to get to know myself I was reconciled with myself moved I touched the red velvet curtain I walked on the wooden floor of the stage The rays of light coming out of the projectors illuminated my face Since then something in me has changed it s more than a simple pleasure I felt that I found my way my true direction Thanks to my training and experience in theater as well as acting I was able to get to know myself I was reconciled with myself I was able to reeducate myself Theater has allowed me to travel in my country and in other countries as well and the more I travel the more tolerant and understanding I become How about acting for television and cinema At the beginning of my career I went through a lot of auditions but in vain I didn t get any role I didn t really understand how to play in front of the camera especially that the fact of playing to show my potential as an actress makes me uncomfortable and those who audition you don t make you feel comfortable already There is a lot of pressure in this business but I was able after one year to get a first role in a Moroccan series that gave me a lot of confidence and I learned a lot of techniques of playing in front of the camera but I always remained faithful to the theater and the stage After having played some roles between cinema and television I stopped for a few years because of personal and professional reasons I could not adapt myself with the conditions of the shootings and the behavior of some of the people who work in this field But I started again after I understood well how it works here in Morocco and I matured too WOMEN We are a developing soci women are now very pres in public spaces and in ar that were monopolized men The women s soc team reached for example the final of African Cup It is great a reassuring We must conti to campaign achievements for m especi against violence and ra

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33 CINEMA N iety sent reas by ccer has the and inue more cially I became more diplomatic let s say Fortunately I did not lose my spot I started again with main roles and first roles in cinema and television I want to know your opinion on being a woman first and then being a woman artist in Morocco I already find that the situation of women in Morocco is much better than the Arab world and the mentality has already started to change but there are other rights that we wanted to have through the law We are a developing society women are now very present in public spaces and in areas that were monopolized by men The women s soccer team for example has reached the final of the African Cup It is great and reassuring We must continue to campaign for more achievements especially against violence and rape As a painter and actress I often work on women s issues

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34 I have done a lot of awarenessraising theater on this subject with the Aquarium Theater it is my duty to change the mentality through art In Morocco many families refuse to let their daughters work in the acting profession because it is a risky job success is not guaranteed there is no unemployment compensation no pension no benefits and it is a job where you often travel and sometimes there are audacious scenes In short there are many reasons why a family would refuse this field as much for a woman as for a man At the beginning I also faced these obstacles my father was not at all in favor of it and it was thanks to my mother that I was able to study art in Rabat So you fought for your dream What do you think it takes to reach your goal Dreaming is a right Dreaming allows you to go beyond reality it frees your mind and gives you wings to fly beyond this rotten world I try to realize a dream and then pass another one slowly so as not to be frustrated because dreaming and dreaming and never being able to pass to another stage never seeing a dream being realized from A to Z is really frustrating I have become more or less realistic I dream of things that I can achieve that allows me to evolve and believe in my dreams I am looking for accuracy in my acting to perfect my interpretation to get roles that are deep and well written to realize my theatrical projects with my new company that I built two years ago The only secret to reach a goal is the will the rigor and the discipline and especially to work and never let go whatever the constraints I admire your work in that movie It can t have been easy to disassociate Now I am really curious to know about your current and future projects For the moment I am in full preparation of my new theatrical project with my company TRACE which was subsidized by the ministry of youth culture and communication and we will begin the rehearsals next month It is written by Anas Al Aqil and directed by Na ma Zitan Scenography is by Amine Ait Hammout and interpretations are by Monsif Kabri and me In September I will start shooting in the American series Beyrouth directed by Greg Parker and filmed in Morocco I will also start filming my play for children Zinet Lebnate which is based on the tale of Snow White for the benefit of the first Moroccan channel SNRT It is a piece that I wrote directed and played

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35 DREAMING IS A RIGHT My next project is a play that I will produce in partnership with the National Theater Mohamed V on the subject of confinement Is there any advice you want to share with those who want to start their career in the arts My advice to young people who want to make a career in the artistic field first of all you must have a lot of patience you must love what you do and not look for a material gain from the beginning as long as you are sincere and passionate and that you work you will arrive Interview conducted in French and adapted to English by Dorian Shine

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36 CHRIS GWYNN AND FRIDGEDOOR By Bryan Aung Fridgedoor is an online print company based out of Boston Massachusetts Started by Chris Gwynn in the height of the Dot com era the company had humble roots selling fridge magnets online hence the name but over time the brand has developed into a lively collection of prints and collectibles Gwynn s charming prints are inspired by mid century Americana with a hint of snarky humor added in every now and then Gwynn s combinations of post war fifties era illustrations and modern humor have allowed his brand to grow organically throughout the years 1 How did Fridgedoor start I started the company in 1997 as an online retailer of refrigerator magnets and related gift items Originally we stocked items from about 150 different suppliers for sale direct ly to consumers online I pivoted this model many times over the years in response to economic conditions and the evolving internet marketplace We became a manufacturer of custom magnets and created our own line of prints magnets and greeting cards rather than stock items produced by others We started offering this line at wholesale to specialty retailers soon after 2 Have you attended art school in the past I create all the designs in Adobe Illustrator I am totally self taught As a custom magnet manufacturer I have created thousands of proofs and set up thousands of jobs to print Although I had a graphic designer on staff I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to help with the order flow 3 What are your inspirations for the prints I like warm nostalgic images that evoke happy memories sometimes with a bit of snarky humor 4 I see a lot of 50s inspired designs any inspirations I m totally into the mid century modern era It s also a look that works well in vector format which is my specialty 5 Where do you find your drawings for your prints Do you have a team or draw them yourself I search the Internet for mostly mid century images for inspiration I create all the designs myself as vector illustrations 6 What s your key to a successful and prominent social media page You have an impressive following for your brand any advice for other artists I m in no way an expert on Instagram marketing Luckily our following has grown organically over the years We work with a social media marketing company to help us schedule in advance post more frequently and add more videos The goal is to create a consistent and engaging presence I can t say we have achieved this goal yet but we re working on it

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38 Philosophy of Contemporary Art ORARY By Zaenab Najeeb CON The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up 1838 J M W Turner Page Male and Female 1942 Jackson Pollock I had written an article in this year s April issue on the difficulty of understanding contemporary arts but the question remains how do we understand contemporary art If you try to find an answer you often won t find a satisfactory one

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39 I had written an article in this year s April issue on the difficulty of understanding contemporary arts but the question remains how do we understand contemporary art If you try to find an answer you often won t find a satisfactory one I don t think that explaining the philosophy of contemporary arts in its entirety would be helpful since individualism in contemporary arts seems obvious and is almost an essential feature of it but what if we go back in history For example why does the Mona Lisa receive so much attention I ll shorten it for you it is a mystery The Mona Lisa looks like a symbol of motherhood a godmother watching over us but why then does it also seem suspicious Perhaps she is just a prostitute The artist messed with our minds Secret mystery and enigma are what make art art This is happening in contemporary art in NTE The Mona Lisa looks like a symbol of motherhood a godmother watching over us but why then does it also seem suspicious refuse to talk about their arts and leave this to the public they would rather have their audience form their own interpretations of their work But the artists themselves may not know the source of the art why paint this way What prompted Jackson Pollock to draw at the end of his life in this way Why have I maintained my way of painting since I was 12 I find this pleasant and suspicious at the same time but if we pushed artists to write about their arts we might have had a great dictionary through which we could see contemporary art through its creators As I grew older I discovered that my paintings had a lot of shapes and drawings of animals and plants I noticed the same with a wide range of artists This will be our discussion in the next article It s nice to remember a scene from the movie Skyfall when James Bond had a remarkable conversation with Q about J M W Turner s painting The Fighting Temeraire Q It always makes me feel a little melancholy Grand old war ship being ignominiously hauled away to scrap The inevitability of time don t you think What do you see James Bond A bloody big ship Q hints that James has expired after a career high as one of the most important agents in the MI6 the reference to art solidifies these tidbits of information This conversation doesn t give us an artistic point of view for just James Bond it dissects his entire worldview Of course this is one point of view There will be an incredible multiplicity of views when talking about contemporary arts but isn t it great to live in a world that carries both meanings I think the beautiful philosophy of art is that it always carries both meanings So what we feel is more important than what we see We might see a picture of a young woman s face with features of beauty but how this woman made us feel is art a very focused way this view is reflected in its purest form in contemporary art So what we feel is more important than what we see We might see a picture of a young woman s face with features of beauty but how this woman made us feel is art What messages does contemporary art send to us Dread fear mystery or nostalgia I propose a project that gathers the views and perceptions that the contemporary artists themselves harbor about their own work I know this sounds anomalous and perhaps unworkable since many modern artists

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40 COMMUNI FEATURES We feature a variety of artists in Modern Renaissance and we are always looking for more community features If you are interested in being featured in our next issue head to Culturally s website or Instagram where you will find the online submission form If you are unable to find your submission keep an eye out for the next issue All works are copyrighted and all rights are reserved by the artists and writers

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41 TY S RUBY USISKIN AUGUST 2022 Hi I m Ruby I am a 17 year old artist from London I have done art projects on reflection places and landscapes and now I am focusing in on the urban landscape including the use of mortar and graffiti in my work My current work has been influenced by artists such as David Hepher and Laura Oldfield Ford In the future I hope to study graphic design or illustration as I am very passionate about art and design Instagram rubygraceart1 and Email ruby_usiskin icloud com About cover This painting was done with acrylic paints for a project of mine titled reflection it symbolizes freedom through the emotions and feelings that the painting evokes As said in the name Breath Of Freshwater the presented feeling is like a breath of fresh air but rather water that is providing that same kind of relief It is supposed to have a calming effect Additionally the sea life alongside the human body has a story to tell itself Often we are fighting with the life both around and within us this painting is about going with the flow relaxing taking a big deep breath and working with both the negatives and positives of the life within and around us

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42 LUNA MALUNA GRI Vienna Instagram lunamalunagri Luna Maluna Gri is an Austrian multimedia artist who was born and lives in Vienna Her goal is it to make people feel think and scrutinize the beliefs they were taught to broaden their minds and stretch their way of thinking

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43 Left Column 1 Waiting for All Tomorrow s Parties 2 Vulnerable Right Column 3 Oranges 4 What is Real

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44 VINCENZO COHEN Orvieto Instagram vincenzocohenartist Website https www vincenzocohen com https www pinterest it VincenzoCohen https www linkedin com in vincenzocohen https www facebook com vincenzo cohen https circle arts com vincenzo cohen https twitter com cohen_vincenzo Vincenzo Cohen is an Italian classically trained nature artist and photographer In 2002 he graduated in Fine Arts and in 2007 he achieved the second master s degree in Archaeology in Rome Italy As a polyhedric artist his production is the result of a continuous process of historical scientific research directed to the representation of cultural content with a naturalistic and social background The artist usually travels through Africa and Middle East to get inspiration for his art production and much of his work consists of the reworking of life and travel experiences by using different media and styles The collection titled Armored corps inaugurates a new pictorial season in which the body is the main theme The title refers to the human body as a protective shell The collection marks a return to the artist s previous style of the collection Twilight but also to a return to the centrality of the human figure focused in particular on the male universe The subjects aim to reproduce the concept of introjection through the representation of figures folded on themselves that describe innate fears mechanisms of defense outwards when the body becomes a fortress within which to take refuge simulacrum protection of himself

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45 The Return Greek Figure Unwillingness Armored Corp

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46 THE COLORKARR Gurugram Instagram THECOLORKAARR The Colorkaarr is an Indian artist based in Gurugram Haryana Born and raised in Uttar Pradesh she found her passion for art when the pandemic hit all over the world It was a blessing in the disguise for her as she could not recognize her interest in the creativity field when she used to get excited for the art projects in her earlier school days However she says the pandemic has totally turned the tables into her favor She is a 9 5 corporate lady but lives her dream as an artist too Hi fellas I love to create artworks inspired by our own wonderful nature Every little space you look around will inspire you to draw create and paint I am a free bird who paints free hand paintings not having particularly any art style I just go with the flow The main colors I usually work with are gouache watercolors and acrylics 1 Fly high my Love We have lived in the comfort zone not looking at our vast inner sky for so long But once we do our wings spread wide they flap hard and there we go take off to the heights of excellence 2 The Colorful World Have you ever wondered why vibrancy of red sparks love Why serenity of pink makes us blush Why shining yellow makes us feel alive Because these touch and caress our souls and make us believe that life is beautiful and colorful 3 The Magical Sky Just like millions of stars brighten up the universe your ever shining dreams illuminate your life 4 Spark in You It only takes a spark of faith and belief to make your life a spectacle

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47 Spark in You Colourful World Fly High My Love Magical Sky

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48 ALICE MASSONE Milano Instagram alice massone Website https www alicemassone com Born in 1998 Alice Massone is a photographer and artist graduate at European Institute of Design in Photography in Milan Her research mainly unravels between surrealism and metaphysics that she expresses through still life photography After studying foreign languages in high school she felt the need to find a way to express herself through visual language Photography proved to be the visual representation of her world where humans are not meant to be in their concrete form but only idealized with inanimate objects The creative process of Alice consists in bringing a situation or a theme on another level of comprehension where the objects and the interactions among them are most conceptualized synthesis of the message Liminal is a photographic project of formal experimentation through digital interventions I explored my vision of the concept of liminal which will be followed by a virtual exhibition in the spatial_io metaverse In fact Liminal is where no human presence is expected where the human being is too many a concept that greatly characterizes my aesthetics

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49 LIMINAL

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50 TANBELIA Ukraine Instagram tanbeliaart Website https tanbeliaart wixsite com tanbelia Linkedin https www linkedin com in tanbelia a05978226 Tanbelia is a Ukrainian artist working with the subjects of nature and environment In her work she uses the author s techniques and reused materials to create her unique art objects A series of sculptures Underwater world The ocean sustains various habitats that hold the different types of birds fish amphibians and mammals Here many creatures from starfish and crabs to penguins sea otters and everyone else coexist in a dynamic harmony Life underwater is constantly challenging and risky It depends on the amount of light oxygen lunar tides heat food availability and the speed of currents The bodies of various creatures are constantly adapting finding their own way of survival In my series I convey the variability of life forms their dances and colors My passion for freediving allows me to observe the life of underwater inhabitants hear the sounds of the sea and feel the power of water Through the recycling of paper and plastic I try to convey the full range of these impressions to the audience

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51 Green Anemone Underwater Home of the Surgeonfish The Dragon s Eyes Trip to the Underwater Park Ras Mohamed Seaweeds on White Sand

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52 BILLIE MAE Instagram phrenectomy_ Billie is an analog collage artist who likes to dig deeply into surrealist themes and abstract thoughts They have many achievements including magazine representation digital and physical exhibitions and various certificates and awards but to Billie the real reward is hearing how other perceive their work and the vast differences between individuals I love to work in analog collage because of the tactile element As someone diagnosed on the autism spectrum touch is a very important part of my creation I don t feel like I know where a piece is supposed to go unless I can hold it in my hands and play with it a little bit A lot of my work is based on my dreams and own mantras thoughts experiences however some works may have a more apparent message to the viewer as well

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Who s Runnning the Machine Slug Shaped Brush Strokes Abuse of Power 53

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54 KAKAJAN CHARYYEV Georgia Instagram charyyev art Artist Charyyev Kakajan was born in Turkmenistan in 1994 From the age of 3 his main childhood hobby was drawing Mom noticed this and sent Kakajan to art school From this began his formation as an artist and the first participation in Republican exhibitions and competitions In 2014 Kakajan left for Belarus and entered the BNTU with a degree in architecture and design Kakajan was always more drawn to painting and after university he became a full time artist The artist s paintings are in private collections in the USA UK Russia Belarus Turkmenistan Israel Since 2022 he lives and works in Georgia Only 580 Amur tigers remain on the planet today In my paintings I capture animals that are on the verge of extinction I can t stand by when animals need help Today an artist is not just a cultural figure he is a tuning fork of public mood Artists are followed and subscribed to and their words and actions are followed by millions of people It is artists who have the power to change the current attitude of society towards animals In my works I tell the stories of animals that are on the verge of extinction in order to draw people s attention to this problem Art is a mouthpiece in which to express today s problems of society And I say into this mouthpiece If you decorate your house with animal paraphernalia their skins other poaching trades this causes irreparable harm to the planet and its fauna it is much better to decorate the house with a picture in which a strong powerful lion in its familiar environment or in which the panda eats bamboo or on which the elephant walks on the savannah and does not lie slain for the sake of tusks I paint my works in oil on high quality linen canvases to capture every detail of the fur of the animal and so that my paintings will be preserved for many years forever leaving the memory of many animals regardless of the choice of mankind in relation to them

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55 African Elephant Panda with Bamboo Love of the Amur Tigers The akhal teke horse Strong Woman

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56 IZZAH KHAN Tokyo Instagram izzahkhanart My practice explores the relationship between various spaces and the people that occupy and use them My work uses the absence of human beings to focus on an image that tells a story about ordinary life It explores the connection that we develop with our homes and places that we are familiar and comfortable with The aspect of familiarity and home is also questioned in my work because although all of my subject matter is ordinary and everyday spaces the work depicts them in a manner that is not comfortable or intimate anymore The idea of solitude and silence is also a large part of my work These two ideas are both uncomfortable and welcoming depending on the person and their situation in life Solitude is often associated with loneliness and yet I don t see it that way Solitude doesn t have to be lonely It can be very calming and peaceful In my work I am interested in these shifting emotions that can be present in varying degrees often simultaneously I work with acrylic paints and this allows me to work in layers This is important for me because it helps me build up a world from scratch The image forms slowly and in the process I erase and add again My process of painting is a bit slow and it takes time to build up the layers I feel that this process helps me to create a mood that often shifts between nostalgia and discomfort Painting with layers also helps me create a narrative with my work Working slowly layer by layer makes the work come to life I think this process shows in the final works and adds depth to the image I also make digital collages and illustration focusing on the same theme of creating spaces that skim the line between familiar and unfamiliar awe and unease as well as questioning the idea of home

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57 The Staircase Shared Isolation Two Shelves The Aisle Shared Isolation

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58 TRENLIN HUBBERT Facebook TrenlinHubbert Website https ello co trenlin Linkedin trenlin hubbert Raised by an artist Trenlin Hubbert began painting as a small child In her 30s she became fascinated with the graphic languages of antiquity Because she could not be satisfied with merely copying Egyptian or Mayan glyphs she set about to create her own lexicon of symbols The acrylic on canvas works Trenlin created were unmistakably her own During the twenty teens she began to experiment with animation In 2019 Trenlin created her first animated paintings Trenlin Hubbert s surrealist works are painterly animated stories The audio visual paintings are akin to ancient myth with a futuristic bent They are a journal of my spiritual ruminations using my long developed lexicon of symbols Each image is a single frame from an animated sequence Each frame is individually composed as a self contained work of art My complete pieces are visual and audio compositions intended to stimulate the unconscious

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59 Ancient Story 30 Witness 33 Divine Truth 37 Strange Drift 13 Fated Element 23

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60 OPEN EDUCATION AND APPLY All internship positions are unpaid but students ca professionals and anyone with a passion People Questions Contact us at culturallyoffice gm https www culturally K 12 Education International Education Coordinator Manager Task examples Scholastic partnerships educational resource development by arts teachers virtual field trips with professionals from our network and schools classes initiatives for low socioeconomic areas Evening for Educators course partnerships with schools and more Task examples Small group mentorship programs sending educational resources under collaborations with communities courses for schools and more For instance Ballet Beyond Boundaries is our program for virtual Saturday ballet classes for an underserved neighborhood in Colombia taught by a professional dancer

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61 D OUTREACH POSITIONS Y NOW an get service hours All positions open to students e from around the world are encouraged to apply mail com or DM us on Instagram culturallyarts yarts com get involved Education Education Expansion and Associate Recruitment Manager Work with education operations with any sub department You ll be assigned or you can pick projects in K 12 education international education professional development or expansion and recruitment Recruit educators course creators virtual class instructors resource developers conduct print and video interviews host live Art Talks increase partnerships with galleries institutions etc and more APPLY AT THE LINK ABOVE

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CULTURALLY 62 Our mission is for individuals to embrace their creativity and ignite their passion shaping a global platform working on tangible reform for accessibility and representation in the arts Our purpose is to advocate that art is for everyone and by everyone We work to utilize the arts for social justice efforts for students to use their passions for global change Our biggest advocacy effort is toward representation in the arts we have members branches and communities in 60 countries on 6 continents Culturally advocates for the inclusion of people from every background and corner of the world regardless of level of practice or socioeconomic means We aim to provide a platform for artists of all ages from emerging students to established artists to develop their craft through education We strive to provide the utmost professional development through opportunities with an international impact Our work is to eliminate and abolish the deeply ingrained elitist and exclusive stigmas around the arts so we offer an artist directory social media network interviews and more to increase opportunities for aspiring artists

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VISIT OUR GET INVOLVED PAGE TODAY ARTS ADVOCACY REFORM FOR ACCESIBILITY AND REPRESENTATION WWW CULTURALLYARTS COM CULTURALLYOFFICE GMAIL COM CULTURALLYARTS ON INSTAGRAM FREE LIVE WEEKEND CLASSES FULL ONLINE COURSES K 12 RESOURCES WEBINARS INTERVIEWS EDUCATION BLOG PODCAST BECOME AN EDUCATOR TEACH WORKSHOPS CREATE COURSES RESOURCES WORK ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES COMMUNITY GALLERY SUBMIT A PIECE AT ANY TIME HANBELL GALLERY ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE EXHIBIT EXHIBITION YOUR ART IN A PERSONAL COLLECTION PAGE MILOTSKA CENTER FOR EXHIBITIONS SUBMIT ART TO THEMED EXHIBITIONS FOR CURATION INTO A 360 DEGREE VIEW VIRTUAL GALLERY ROOM JOIN A NETWROK OF 100S OF ARTISTS FROM 50 COUNTRIES GET SERVICE HOURS OUTREACH ADMIN TEAM MARKETING ADMIN TEAM TIKTOK CONTENT CREATORS MAGAZINE DESIGNERS WRITERS VIRTUAL CARDS FOR CHILDREN S HOSPITALS MENTORSHIPS ARTS CONTESTS CREATE EDUCATION RESOURCES CHILDREN S ACTIVITY BOOKLETS VISIT THE OUTREACH PAGE TO START VOLUNTEERING OUTREACH

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