ARTisSpectrum ARTisSpectrum Volume 35 The Chelsea Perspective The Breadth Of A Life pg. 39 Profiles of Contemporary Art and Artists Volume 35 ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com 1 Image © The National Gallery, London Image © The National Gallery, Located in Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery houses one of the world’s greatest collections of paintings in the Western European tradition, and admission to see them is free. nationalgallery.org.uk Opening hours Daily 10am – 6pm Fridays 10am – 9pm Nearest tube Charing Cross / Leicester Square JUN 9 – AUG 28 VISITSAM.ORG/GRAPHICMASTERS The exhibition is organized by the Seattle Art Museum. Special exhibitions at SAM are made possible Presenting Sponsor by donors to Supporting Sponsor Baird Los Caprichos: El sueño de la razon produce monstruos. (The sleep of reason produces monsters.) (detail), 1799, Francisco Goya, Spanish, 1746–1828. Private Collection. 1 ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com FREE ADMISSION EVERYDAY CHARLES MCGILL: FRONT LINE, BACK NINE THROUGH JULY 3, 2016 CONNECTING JANE BENSON: FINDING BAGHDAD DIVERSE AUDIENCES TO THE CONTEMPORARY MAY 17 - JULY 3, 2016 URBAN EXPERIENCE 65TH ANNUAL ALL FLORIDA EXHIBITION JULY 16 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2016 WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY 11:00AM – 6:00PM OPEN FRIDAY 11:00AM – 8:00PM IN MIZNER PARK 501 PLAZA REAL 1040 GRAND CONCOURSE BOCA RATON, FL 33433 BRONX, NEW YORK 10456 BOCAMUSEUM.ORG BRONXMUSEUM.ORG PHONE 718.681.6000 ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com 2 ARTisSpectrum Publisher Agora Gallery Contents Editor-in-Chief 5 About the Cover Angela Di Bello 6 Profile Directory Managing Editor Sabrina Gilbertson 17 Art Matters 19 The Art of Buying Art Senior Editor Nikki Fraser Nikki Fraser Editorial Assistants 39 The Breadth of Life: an Interview with Walter Rossi Arielle Suskin Angela Di Bello Haley Carloni 57 The Humanitarians Layout Roanna Cada 73 New York City: Evoking the Muse Nanami Yamaguchi 81 Vandal, Vanguard, Dissident: Banksy, Street Art’s Golden Son. Staff Writers Craig LeDoux Steven Barnes Natasha Brandstatter 89 Studio Spaces: Mark Hellweg Chloe Eichler 101 ARTbeat Isabella Kapur Craig LeDoux Laura Camp Monroe Frank Nestor Sophia Tarnoff Contributing Writers Cover Photo Eva Otterström Mark James Ford Nanami Yamaguchi Gloria Bhargava Raul Mariaca Dalence Jean Lahoud Mark Hellweg Natia Malazonia Dino Rinaldi Sylvie Michault Kathleen Messmer Jerry Anderson Kirana Haag Lars Rasmussen Simon Raskina ARTisSpectrum provides a forum for artists and art professionals. Articles express the opinion and knowledge of the authors and not necessarily that of the magazine’s management. Artist profiles are written by staff writers or the artists unless otherwise noted. © All copyrights are reserved by the authors. The copyrights of all published artwork are retained by the artists. Reproduction of any published material is prohibited without the written permission of the magazine’s publisher. Suggestions for future articles are welcome. Any topic submitted in writing by an artist, art professional or professionals in the service of the art community will be considered for publication. Printed by The CPC Group.com ARTisSpectrum Magazine 530 West 25th Street New York, NY 10001 www.ARTisSpectrum.com 212.226.4151 [email protected] 3 ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com 39 81 17 73 57 101 ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com 4 About the Cover Most artists, if fortunate enough, have a studio connected to or near their house or apartment, or perhaps the studio is just the corner of a room. The goal is that when an artist has the urge to create, all of the material is there within arm’s reach to execute the idea. On the other hand, a studio can be an entire house, as is the case with Walter Rossi, who has virtually turned his entire two story house and basement into a studio and more often than not, his canvas. Rossi’s extraordinary turn of the 20th century Brooklyn house has a basement laden with: machinery, kiln, metal, motors, boxes of figurines, and a larger-than-life size David made of steel (much too heavy to move). There are kinetic sculptures on stands and hanging from ceilings in practically every room, colorful cave like paintings and drawings on walls and ceilings, chandeliers made of little figures, flags made of twisted painted metal, a 20 foot aluminum vertical cross in the garden along with other sculptures, paintings on metal that can withstand the elements hanging on a fence and a seven year old turtle named Lulu, hibernating in a small pond. The entire house is a magical wonderland of ideas come to fruition, in what can best be described as “the breadth of a life”. Angela Di Bello / Editor in Chief 5 ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com Profiles If you like to keep up-to-date with the art world and enjoy spotting talented emerging and established artists, then artists’ profiles are a great way to do it. These profiles showcase the work, motivations and inspirations of exciting new faces on the international art scene. 68 Andrée Levesque 100 Jacky Cheng 26 Michael Gleizer 93 Anna Des 91 James Chisholm 93 Nadia Lassman 78 Ardian Tragaj 38 Jean Lahoud 99 Nadiejda Charova Tscheltzoff 37 Auriane Margueron 71 Jerry Anderson 56 Naji Zeghdoudi 37 Ayda Mansour 72 Jessie Banaszak 23 Nancy McLean 53 Banjerd Lekkong 55 Joan Criscione 12 Natia Malazonia 33 Barbara Bateman 34 John Diamond, MD. 7 Nonye Ikegwuoha 10 Bekir Smolski 15 John Newcomb 28 Orfeo 80 Betty Neely 27 Judy Blundell 66 Patricia Olguín 80 Bree Castillau 48 Judy Howie Coury 88 RenéeRose 25 Carol Carpenter 50 Kari Rindahl Endresen 32 Riya Sharma 62 Chantal Le Brun 56 Karl Girardet 49 Robert Lenz 16 Cher Bettencourt 63 Kelley Millet 29 Rody 70 Cherril Kolesik 80 Kirana Haag 48 Ron Robidoux 9 Chris Brandell 24 Kirsten Hagen 93 Sarah Lynch 65 Cindy Parsley 35 Kristina Garon 94 Shifra 10 Colin Grant 11 Koki Morimoto 36 Shireen van Nieuwenhuyse 25 Corinne Garese 52 Koya 66 Shivender 47 Daniela Friederike Lüers 30 Kyra Cowan 14 Simon Raskina 31 Darla Rewers 51 Larry Greenberg 69 Sloane Merrick 34 Dominic Fondé 14 Linda Roffel 86 Stacie Hernandez 28 Dominique Cracco 72 Loren Howard 25 Stephen Najda 56 Eli Cantini 71 L.W. Shortridge 79 Steven Anggrek 97 Fahim Somani 50 Lucy O’Donovan 67 Susan Marx 13 Fanny Horowitz 16 Mahnaz Weldy 92 Susana Cecilia Taratuty 51 Farzad Golpayegani 87 Marcia Haufrecht 68 Tao Jiang 38 FONSEK 88 Margaret Vega 86 Tina McDowell 95 George Struikelblok 35 Marian Gaucher 69 Trent Altman 16 Gerd Dagne 30 Marianne Bech 62 Veronika Wifvesson 96 Gloria Bhargava 87 Marianne Fernandez 30 Viktoryia Vinnikava 52 Goodash 23 Marianne Monnier-Koenig 24 Von Coop 28 Henrik Sjöström 85 Mark Hellweg 24 Wallace 98 Hilde Gustava 97 Mark Salevitz 68 Winne 95 Iva Milanova 94 Menno Vos ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com 6 Nonye Ikegwuoha onye Ikegwuoha says his art is rooted in African culture, carrying forward what he calls “the fundamental issue thatN African art is creatively an ‘exorcism’—to give form to one’s fears, tormentors, demons and terrors.” That basic concept is the basis of a body of work in which a strong emotional charge is tempered with a sensitivity to line and color that gives each image balance and harmony. The fears and demons that the artist speaks of make their presence felt, but they are thoroughly transformed, with their emotional power taking on a dreamlike quality. The resulting images have a timeless feel, but their bold experiments in perspective, composition and color make them look thoroughly contemporary. M-Series Part 2 Oil on Canvas 59” x 39.5” The notion of combining seemingly contradictory elements is at the heart of Ikegwuoha’s work. Simplicity and complexity appear side by side in his paintings. A few lines can be turned into a believable image of a hand or face, while in other places a face can be fractured into an intricate web of reflections that looks like something from a hall of mirrors. Incorporating influences that run from Cezanne and Picasso to Rem Koolhaas, the artist finds the common ground that the modernist masters shared with so-called primitive art, highlighting the bold brushstrokes and earthy, intense colors that give both types of art their vitality. M-Series Part 3 Oil on Canvas 59” x 39.5” 7 ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com Working in oils, watercolors, pastels and charcoal, Ikegwouha—who was born in Nigeria and now divides his time between Nigeria, London and Shanghai—brings out the strengths of each medium. His oil paintings capitalize on the warm, rich tones those paints provide, while his watercolors and pastels burst with light and spontaneity. Trained as an architect and designer as well as a painter, Ikegwouha has a highly developed sense of structure, but that ability serves as a backdrop to his main emphasis as an artist—conveying emotions and feelings. “The emotional content of art must always take precedence over the aesthetic,” he says. But in his work, both are in evidence, resulting in unique and involving images. www.ikegwuoha-art.net www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Nonye_Ikegwuoha.aspx M-Series Part 5 Oil on Canvas 59” x 39.5” M-Series Part 4 Oil on Canvas 59” x 39.5” ARTisSpectrum | Volume 35 | artisspectrum.com 8 Chris Brandell ince she was a child, abstract artist Chris Brandell has had a fascination with color, believing that she could useS it to communicate with others in a way that she could not with words. She describes that color “vibrates” in her head and that it becomes so “tangible” she hears, feels, and sees it everywhere. Brandell embraces her desire to examine color and it fuels her work. She uses it to interpret the complexity of the human dynamic from Release Acrylic & Oil on Canvas 60” x 48” a personal and a social perspective.