EAHR Interview: “Crisis of Narrative”
On the occasion of our exhibition “Crisis of Narrative”, the selected artists Adrian Gorea, Aditi Ohri, Stephanie Raudsepp, Solafa Rawas and Alisi Telengut were interviewed on their artistic developments and practices.

ADRIAN GOREA

EAHR: How did you come up with the idea for this piece?
A.G: For this drawing, I was inspired by my iPod screen, specifically by the volume bar. Other visual elements came intuitively while listening Byzantine chants and Looney Tunes cartoons simultaneously.

EAHR:  What are you trying to communicate with your art?
AG: In my work, which comprises different media (from drawing, wood-panel painting to new media), I explore the secrets of the iconic image regarding the relationship between body and desire. I aim to build a relationship with the image that allows me to maintain a sort of monastic lifestyle in contemporary Canadian society. In this particular drawing, I communicate the clash between a religious and Western narrative: the pop culture icons and religious figures.

EAHR: What do you see as the strengths of your piece, visually or conceptually?
 AG: My drawing skill which led me to materialize the images that I see in my mind.
Also, the composition of the drawing challenges the viewer conceptually at different levels, in the sense that he/she can think of many connections between the drawn elements and various visual aspects of contemporary society.

 EAHR: Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?
AG: I would like to explore the medium of performance as a continuation of the stories that I depict in my drawings.

 EAHR: What’s next on the horizon?
AG: I am currently producing a new series of 8 wood-panel paintings (icons) by applying the Orthodox tradition of icon painting with tempera and gold leaf on large-scale wood panels.  In combination with the icons, I am working on a single-channel video entitledPortrait of an Icon Maker that visually documents my process of making an icon from the research to cutting and shaping of the wood panel, making glue & egg tempera and so on.

ADITI OHRI

EAHR:  How did you come up with the idea for this piece?
 A.O:  I wanted to display the process of forming identity, as well as engage
in the process of learning something about myself that I had until
recently neglected. I am also interested in subverting the language of
multiculturalism in Canada to get at the racism that it perpetrates.

EAHR:  What are you trying to communicate with your art?
A.O:  I am trying to tangibly articulate an internal process. So I suppose,
some sense of subjective experience at this point. I am also trying to
articulate my subject position in Canadian society and in the world at
large. I think art is an excellent tool to position one’s self in global
superstructures.

EAHR: What do you see as the strengths of your piece, visually or conceptually?
AO:  Saris are beautiful objects and are aesthetically pleasing, on a
visual level. Conceptually, this piece is the first in a longer series
in which I develop a character that is an exaggerated version of an
Indian air hostess and in some way shape or form “welcomes” white
people to India… hopefully this will expose some harsh truths about
the contemporary Canadian political landscape through humour… at
this point, I am unsure how humorous this work is, but it is certainly
meant to be sort of funny.
EAHR: Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?
AO: Fibres!

EAHR: What’s next on the horizon?
AO: Next year I am taking my first fibres class and I plan to make Indian
garlands out of old saris and colourful fabric, like this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flowers_for_a_wedding.JPG/220px-Flowers_for_a_wedding.JPG

STEPHANIE RAUDSEPP

EAHR: How did you come up with the idea for this piece?
SR: As an undergraduate student at Concordia, I took a class called The Packaging of Contemporary Art with Dr. Alice Ming Wai Jim where we discussed the art world as a series of people, institutions and ideas located within a self-sustaining and exclusive network. I believe in accessibility of knowledge for all. The [Blank] Exhibition Catalogue came as a fully-formed solution and reaction to this exclusivity.
In that same course, we discussed artists who applied institutional critique, principles of consumerism, marketing and display strategies to their artworks. One example is Ron Terada’s subversion of institutional sponsorship, the exhibition space and related didactic material in his aptly named exhibition Catalogue. I liked his use of the exhibition catalogue as the site of an exhibition. I wondered how else an exhibition catalogue could be used. I sought to transform the exhibition catalogue into an artwork itself while also keeping true to its categorization as an educational and commercial object.
Another item that served as inspiration for this piece is the idea of the do-it-yourself kit whereby higher-end or inaccessible ideas, such as fine art, are made accessible through hands-on learning and creation with easy-to-follow instructions. Examples include how-to books by Klutz, that I grew up with and enjoyed, and Damien Hirst’s diamond-encrusted skull as a do-it-yourself kit sold online at
iartistlondon.com.

EAHR: What are you trying to communicate with your art?
SR: Playing on the form and intent of the traditional exhibition catalogue, I sought to bridge the gap between the art world and the public with a do-it-yourself exhibition catalogue where the user would temporarily step into the shoes of the curator.
The book as a form is fraught with historical connotations. Bookbinding and book works are not usually named as artistic media. Do exhibition catalogues need to be secondary to the artworks in an exhibition? I think not.
Through a variety of essays, The [Blank] Exhibition Catalogue reveals the historical importance of the exhibition catalogue and essential aspects of curating an exhibition catalogue. The [Blank] Exhibition Catalogue encourages the user to think about the book in social, cultural and historical contexts while participating in artistic creation.
The [Blank] Exhibition Catalogue reflects the idea of simultaneous knowledge transfer and the traditional historic power of the art world and institution in generating, perpetuating and promoting certain types of knowledge without and within this world, while also promoting self-reflection and understanding through creative pursuits.

EAHR: What do you see as the strengths of your piece, visually or conceptually?
SR: The main strength is interactivity. I think education through creation is essential to deeper understanding.
The [Blank] Exhibition Catalogue was created to be easily reproducible, circulated, and publishable. The intent is for it to be sold as either an artist book, a do-it-yourself kit or an educational publication to be found in a variety of bookstores. Its ease of reproduction makes the art world accessible to more people.

EAHR: Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?
SR: I’m fascinated and intimidated by digital recordings: either  video, audio or both. Both sound and moving images are inherently engaging and are not easily ignored in an exhibition setting. I’m curious about audio and video, but I fear I will bombard the viewer with excess stimuli. I like when a user can experience my art at his or her own pace, so I want to incorporate that aspect into my works.

EAHR: What’s next on the horizon?
SR: I’ve recently been working with thread, not only as a material for binding hand-sewn books, but as a medium. I have used a sewing machine to write in thread on paper: to create an absence of words and leave their traces on the page.

SOLAFA RAWAS

EAHR: How did you come up with the idea for this piece?
SR: I have always wanted to work with sand; it just was something I knew at some level challenged me. I am fascinated by the sand and the potentials it holds. Sand is very immediate and expressive medium and it is in itself, I find very inspirational. I use myself and my personal experience as the subject of investigation and it is where most of my ideas come from.  

EAHR: What are you trying to communicate with your art?
SR: The self-reflective method I am using in my art allows me to be attentive to my own cultural and social makeup and gain a cultural understanding of myself in relation to others, I hope that through the mini narrative presentations that are embedded in the work it opens up conversations, propel questions and evoke emotional responses.

EAHR: What do you see as the strengths of your piece, visually or conceptually?
SR: As an artist and as a viewer I feel that both are important aspects that need to exist in artwork to be complex and satisfying. I try to have both present equally in my work; supporting and complementing each other.

EAHR: Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?
 SR: I love working with sand and I would like to pursue it further and pushed it harder and challenge its potential transformation even more.

EAHR: What’s next on the horizon?
SR: I am currently preparing for upcoming shows in Montreal:
April 12th, MFA gallery, VA building, Concordia University
March 23- April 6th, Ultramodern, MFA group exhibition , Art Mur gallery

ALISI TELENGUT

EAHR: How did you come up with the idea for this piece?
AT: I grew up under the influences of my grandparents who lived as Mongolian nomads and they told me lots of stories and legends about nomadic life. Since this particular life style is gradually disappearing, I want to record the nomadic traditions with animation as my medium.

 EAHR: What are you trying to communicate with your art?
AT: Tengri is a Turkic word, which refers not only the holy, blue sky, but also the primary deity of nature that has been worshipped by Mongolic and Turkic peoples. It compromises Shamanism, Animism and other spiritual practices that connect people, spirits and nature together. It is an ultimate belief and reverence for nature and spiritual world. I believe that we need to preserve and spread shamanic wisdom for the sake of our environment. I also found it interesting to see my culture from a global angle.

 EAHR: What do you see as the strengths of your piece, visually or conceptually?
AT: In terms of the visual, the technique of Tengri is unique. It was painted frame by frame mainly with oil pastel on one piece of paper and it was shot on a still camera. The movement was created by adding and removing colors frame by frame. I have been exploring how to animate with the straight-ahead under camera technique for almost three years. It was very difficult and time consuming, but I became confident with the technique when I made Tengri.

EAHR: Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?
AT: I’m interested in experimenting animation with different painting materials, though some of them are not suitable for under camera animation.
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EAHR: What’s next on the horizon?
AT: I’m working on one short animated film that is about a story of a camel. I’m using a very similar technique for this film. It’ll be complete in April 2013.