From Russia with Love
Our time here in Moscow has been quite a trip! It seems only a couple weeks ago that we arrived in this mysteriously orthodox city. Our days have been filled with plenty of sight-seeing. Stunning architecture, such as the “onion domed” churches, seems to lie around every corner. And centuries old palaces like the one at Kolomenskoye, where President Putin spent his childhood summers.
In addition to this amazing architecture, we’ve also been exposed to some great art at museums like the Pushkin Museum and Tetryakov Gallery, where we’ve discovered some great works of Russian art.
But with so many sights, it’s important to take a break and relax a bit like the locals. Yes, we’ve had a few drinks here in Moscow. On one evening, our hosts took us to a rooftop party with pyrotechnics, kindly celebrating American Independence Day, which happened earlier this month.
Another popular pastime in Russia is ping pong—what fun!
Contrary to popular belief, Muscovites are really very warm and friendly people.
Moscow is a very beautiful city and the people, extremely kind and welcoming. Our guides Sonia and Masha have been extraordinary, introducing us to their many friends and revealing the special places in Moscow that they love. We’re so grateful for their hospitality and for host Nikolay Koshelev for arranging our stay and studio accommodations. Spasibo!
Visit to Artists’ Studios and Museums in Istanbul
In conjunction with studio time, Ali has been giving us private tours of Turkish artists’ studios and museums. His visits have been enriching and engaging. The conversations have been related to Turkish social climate in relationship with art, politics and religion. Each visit has been unique to a particular artist but the conversation tends to go back to politics and social structure and the fact of making art in that particular context.
The art world in Turkey is young and evolving. Historically, most art collections have been in the hands of the elite. However, within the past years these families have started foundations and museums to make art more accessible to the public. Although these museums are young, the push to expose a variety of artists has created an interesting conversation with the rest of the art world. Pera Museum is great example of Turkey´s evolving culture. The museum’s permanent collection consists of Turkish craft antiquities (ceramics, jewelry, furniture, porcelains, etc.) as well as 19th century paintings, which exposes Turkey’s switch to a more secular acceptance. The juxtaposition of the permanent collections to the revolving contemporary exhibitions further exemplifies Turkey´s desire to be a part of the global art conversation.
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| Didem Unlu´s studio |
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| Beysa Boynudelik´s studio |
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| Sultan Ahmed III Receiving a European Ambassador, Jean-Baptiste Vanmour. Oil on canvas, 1725. Pera Museum |
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| Tortroise trainer, Osman Hamdi bey. Oil on canvas, 1906. Pera museum. |
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| Grayson Perry´s exhibition at Pera Museum |
Greetings from Leipzig!
Greetings! July has been good to us. On the 15th we had our Summer Show followed by a visit from the illustrious Margaret McCann, who whisked us off to Dresden.
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| A shot from the show. |
The ‘Zwinger’ in Dresden is so incredibly beautiful that I was actually misty eyed, overwhelmed by the scale of its enveloping intricacy against hastening storm clouds.
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| Notice the white bells hanging on either side of the clock that add musical magic as well. |
The city of Dresden was carefully reconstructed after a devastating firestorm in WWII, using as much as the original black-charred masonry as possible in a patchwork with new, sand-colored stone.
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| Back in the studio… A visitor to the Spinnerei happened to catch me at work. |
Lastly, a ballpoint drawing and future print. This will be part of a folio that Vlado and Maria Ondrej are putting together. And after the prints are finished (hopefully) by this Friday, we will be leaving Leipzig for lone travels and ultimately back to NY. Hope you are all well and see you soon!
Works in progress from Moscow
I will keep this blog rather short as I am more concerned with showcasing the work I have created over the final duration of my stay in Moscow. During this time, I spent my early mornings in the studio and my afternoons wandering the streets trying local coffee shops and absorbing the atmosphere of the city. I must confess, I also did my fair share of shopping. These 5 pieces are introspective works. After painting my colleague, I opted to express my self through self-portraiture. I decided this would be most direct.
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| Untitled, acrylic on watercolor paper, 24 x 36 inches, 2015 |
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| Untitled, acrylic on watercolor paper, 20 x 36 inches, 2015 |
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| Untitled, acrylic on watercolor paper, 20 x 36 inches, 2015 |
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| Untitled, acrylic on watercolor paper, 24 x 36 inches, 2015 |
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| Untitled, acrylic on watercolor paper, 24 x 36 inches, 2015 |
Beijing Residency: Welcome to Wangjing
Welcome to Wangjing.
A district of Beijing, primarily inhabited by Koreans, bustles with the latest western style malls and taxis lining the streets. Situated along the north east section of the Fourth Ring of concentric circles that make up Beijing, this district is home to the Central Academy of Fine Art and is where we would be spending the next six weeks.
With the first week I aimed to suspend any judgment. I tried to feel that culture shock that I was anticipating considering it was my first time leaving my home country, to probably the most foreign place I could end up. A full twelve hour difference on the exact opposite side of the globe, but for some reason it still felt familiar. Sure all the signs were in a different language and it was unquestionably more difficult to communicate, but I felt a similar underwhelming sense when I first came to New York. For me, major metropolitan cities feel pretty homogenous, and despite some minor adjustments you never really have to leave your baseline of modern comforts.
I passed the feeling off as bleak cynicism for the time, but I was still optimistic that China had something to show me. Our amazing CAFA contemporaries that we would be sharing a studio with in order to create an exhibition had shown us a street just behind the major art store next to campus.
This was the first glimpse I had at something I hadn’t seen before anywhere in the US. This small street shared by family run stores, street food and apartments alike showed me something unexpected about Beijing. As a foreigner, you would never have found these stores, since the art store around the corner on the main road would have everything you need. It was here that I first started to think about my first painting teacher, Zhimin Guan, a native to southern China who often painted what I learned were called hutongs. I wasn’t sure at first why this was important to me, as this street certainly wasn’t a hutong, but it recalled a similar feeling and aesthetic that I gathered from his paintings.
As the second week came around I continued to carry on doing the small plein air paintings I had intended on doing before I left, still unsure what was going to drive my imagery for the exhibition. I knew I didn’t want to paint the usual subjects, based on superficial understandings of a place I would only barely scratch the surface of. I, for some reason, thought heading to the old city at the center of town would guide me toward something uniquely Chinese. So I made my way to Tiananmen Square near the Forbidden City, a place that is supposed to have historic architecture and an important place in Chinese history.
And there it was, I had just rubbed salt into the wound. Hordes of crowds, selfies as far as the eye can see, and more foreigners than I had seen in my all of my time in Beijing put together. I had accidentally walked myself into the Times Square of Beijing, a place no average citizen would go on a normal day by choice.
I turned around and little bit of my inner punk died, seeing a place that was a teenage symbol of revolution and anti-militarism turned into a shrine of tourism made me cringe. Thankfully my old teacher’s paintings kept coming back to my mind. A local I had talked to mentioned that there were hutongs near the square. I felt I needed to try and find my own version of what he saw, and luckily the guards were reasonably accommodating. They pointed me in the direction of a small area just south of Tiananmen, and what I found was a whole different world.
I found a place where there were no crowds, no taxis, and even some quiet solitude. There was no rush here, no glamour, or competition. The markets had great-looking produce and everyone seemed to know each other. Obviously I stuck out like a sore thumb, and almost got into a fight with a stray dog, but this was a place unlike what you imagine a modern city to be. This was where the culture must have really come from. Not in the fancy western façade that is being displayed to the world, but in the back alleys, hutongs and family owned shops. These are the places where people aren’t trying to become something different, and where the only important aspects of life seem to be adapting to survive and finding happiness within a community.
If there’s anything that will lead me back to china, it’s these small areas with honest working people just getting by, not the newest shopping malls.
Istanbul Residency: Spontaneous trip to Cappadocia
Spontaneous trip to Cappadocia:
Bus transportation in Turkey is hectic.
With an approaching national holiday, studio closure and city shut down, we decided to plan a last minute trip to Cappadocia. In a day’s notice we booked a hotel, a hiking/hot air balloon excursion and four one-way bus tickets to Gerome, Cappadocia. We started our adventure with some peaceful and productive afternoon sketching then boarded a shuttle bus that would start the longest trek ever. Zero English, three bus transfers, bathroom/prayer-cleansing room confusions, crying babies, 3am highway gridlock, onboard chickens, no AC, 5 bags of peanuts, three-ish naps, multiple are-we-supposed-to-get-off-heres, 16 hours and TA-DA! Stunning Cappadocia! All worth it.
The time here has been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before. It’s been filled with an unbelievable combination of drawing, exploring, learning, trekking and immersing ourselves in the local culture. Without a solid itinerary, each day has been filled with unexpected surprises and mystery. It’s been a valuable lesson on living in the moment and embracing whatever comes our way! I know we all feel incredibly grateful for this experience.
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| Daily Sketching |
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| Devrent Valley, aka Camel Valley |
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| Sunrise hot air balloon excursion |
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| Simón’s midflight anxiety attack |
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| Afternoon hike through the Red Valley, Cappadocia |
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| Byzantine Frescos in a hidden Red Valley cave, Cappadocia |
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| Sunset over the Red Valley, Cappadocia |
Dreamy Whimsical Sweet Moscow
Let’s start this entry with some Pushkin inspiration. I still remember back when I decided to move to NYC, the chills it gave me watching Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwiecien starring Eugene Onegin. Hopefully, we will be able to watch some Russian opera at St. Petersburg but for now, let’s embrace the Moscow atmosphere.
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Novodevichiy Convent
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Or enter a many thronged church,
Or sit among the wild young generation,
I give way to my thoughts.
And however many there seem to be,
We must all go under the eternal vault,
And someone’s hour is already at hand.
When I look at a solitary oak
I think: the patriarch of the woods.
It will outlive my forgotten age
As it outlived that of my grandfathers’.
If I dandle a young infant,
Immediately I think: farewell!
I will yield my place to you,
For I must fade while your flower blooms.
I habitually follow in my thoughts,
Trying to guess from their number
The year which brings my death.
And where will fate send death to me?
In battle, in my travels, or on the seas?
Or will the neighbouring valley
Receive my chilled ashes?
And although to the senseless body
It is indifferent wherever it rots,
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| Study nature. graphite on paper. 2015 Magaly Vega-Lopez |
Short stories inspired by this whimsical land.
Ms. V was remembering the first time she heard about Moscow. Meanwhile she was waiting for a nice lemon sorbet tea. She was old enough to remember her father telling her about the USSR and how most orthodox churches were closed or vanished away. It was a faraway land where everything would be closed by 17:00 just to watch some old Mexican soap opera. Ms. V remembers her 5 old year self looking carefully at old Kodak photos. Somehow there was a place really far away where candy shape churches exist and beautiful ballerinas would depict delightfully, the Stravinsky music or maybe Tchaikovsky. In the winter the snow would be sweet as caramel and the famous Anastasia would be hidden in some magical forest, where you can find lost magic of ancient times.
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Gorky’s House
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Ms. V is slowly opening the window of her room, thinking how time passes on such strange matters. The world will change and collapse more than once, it barely feels like the old stories her father used to tell her. She looked through the window; a living fantasy. Thinking she feels something different inside a sort of happiness.
-A really weird emotion-
She grabs her purse full of dreams ready to explore the unknown.
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Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
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This is an ordinary story, or perhaps a sort of unordinary tale at least for those who like to explore the world or are some kind of forest dwellers. If you are not this kind of person, then maybe you would not be interested in continuing reading, and that is just fine. You don’t need to hear about little girls that have parent frogs as pets or drink birth cake tea every morning just to feel a rainbow explosion inside. Maybe you are the type person that drinks English breakfast without sugar, likes to eat plain potatoes each day and insists to be realistic about life. Well, I have bad news for you. This story requires you to look at sky and search for cotton candy clouds and strawberry stars.
There was a tiny little girl called mmm… lets keep it like V, she prefers to be called Y but that is our little secret. V has a quest going around the world, she is in pursuit of real magic. The magic that makes you ride unicorns and for that she needs to take really long walks, journeys that would take months. She is quite gifted to find those places with true magic. There is people skilled to find bars in middle of nowhere, others to find substances that would open doors to other worlds, others to find abandoned places where to create art, but if you are looking for fairy castles V is the one to call for.
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Kolomenskoye
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Now, V is in search of a wooden palace belonging to Tsar Alexis and within this search she is not alone and she needs to convince the non-believers to trust her.
“I don’t think this palace exist at all, maybe was burned in the Great Fire,” said S.
V smiles. “It does, just keep walking.”
“But there is nothing here.”
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Kolomenskoye
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V looks at the grass, the tiny flowers growing, some insects drinking water.
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Kolomenskoye. Alexis I Wooden Palace
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Far in the distance a strange palace appears.
V smiles; she was home.
Leipzig Reidency: Opening Show
After a month and half of burning our candles at both ends, Marcello, Valerie, Charlotte, and myself had our official opening show at LIA in the Spinnerei! Having prepped and cleaned the space the previous day (an artist studio, however organized, is never the cleanest thing), we were ready and excited for our big evening. The culmination of all our hard work came together wonderfully: we filled our studios respectively, and had our work curated in the main hall with the four other residents. I was tasked with cocktails for the opening – something my past as a cocktail bartender came in handy for – so whipped up a simple Pimm’s Cup Punch for the night.
The night started when Anna (the founder of the program) herded all the attendees to introduce us artists and give a guided tour of each of our studios. Cocktails in hand, everyone listened to her eloquently talk up each artist in their own unique way, giving the audience a more complete view of who and what they were looking at. Once touring through and talking about all the artists, we were free to mingle and chat. Much like any opening, there’s an odd sense having to be on display that I find awkward and unique, but that just might be me: I’d rather be fully there answering questions, or behind the bar helping people enjoy their night. The space in between is what gets me! But everyone we ended up talking to was very nice and complementary of our work, even if at times it had to pass through multiple languages! Words can’t describe all the artwork, so I’ll leave it to the pictures to do the rest of the talking.
Academy Awards – Interview with Michael Meadors (MFA 2010)
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| With a student next to her artwork in a group show |
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| One of the streets in Al Serkal Ave gallery district early on an opening night |
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| ‘Three Page Spread’ 2015 Painted graphite, stabilo pencil, enamel, and collage on paper. 39×44″ |
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| My friends in the desert. Drove up one of the smaller dunes. |
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Visit our 2015 Alumni Reunion page to see a full list of Academy Awards.
You Need Experience to Gain Experience: Beijing Adventures
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| Me in the sunflower garden |
I called my mother and told her I was hoping for a residency. She was of course very excited for me and after asking many questions she jokingly added with a hint of loving fret, “Oh God, I hope they don’t send you to China!”
I laughed with her.
And as I unhurriedly boarded the plane, I was still managing to reluctantly accept my good fortune.
Oh God. They’re really sending me to China.
I realize now that the stagnant panic I felt, was just my mind’s feeble reflex to the idea of possible discomfort. Though it seems that this very concept has been a beautiful overarching theme during our trip in many ways. It has been about more than painting and sight seeing. It has affected our self awareness, mind sets, our bodies, and tested our hearts with a dramatic, and all-consuming game change.
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| Mysterious rabbit in 798 District. We saw William Kentridge’s Exhibition |
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| New friends |
New, Beautiful, Weird, Gross, Confusing, Alien, Complex, Overwhelming, Awesome, Hilarious, Polluted, Inspiring, Large, Pungent, Ridiculous, Traditional, Exhaustive, Graceful, Hot, Powerful, Intelligent, Loud, Human, Terrifying, Delicious, Mystical, Different
These are just a few words I have used repeatedly to describe my China experience since I arrived here three weeks ago and began adapting.
These words are pretty exciting to me because they are an honest measure of change, and I think that change is exactly what art is all about.
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| Our first authentic Beijing meal |
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| Playing an Ancient Instrument of Earth and Sky called Guqin |
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| Pong Pong, Taylor, Daniela, and part of Ben’s arm |
Being here has forced us out of our comfort and familiarity, and has required us to become quite helpless, confused, and overwhelmed in many aspects of daily life.
Change has asked us to be brave, curious, open minded, humble, creative, responsive, and positive as we seek answers and solutions in the unknown.
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| Taylor |
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| The studio mascot cheers us on! |
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| A documentary moment crossing the street |
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| Adventures with Melody |
As for me, I feel all the new experiences are echoing in my work. For the first time I feel unafraid to enjoy the discomfort of searching for the answers in making images. Im embracing the change! For once I realize how much I have to say and paint about. I find myself in the studio each day with my own self, my own problems, and no distractions. China has forced a mirror and a microscope on me and I find myself unabashedly defining what I see.
I feel like I am actually beginning to enjoy this crazy ride my work is taking me on and in an amazing way, my own paintings have become a metaphorical life raft.
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| Barbeque seafood place that ended Ben’s stomach the first time |
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| Crossing the street on the way to school |
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| Daniela and me |
I know it’s not over yet, but I can already say that this trip was exactly what I needed and I am so incredibly thankful for it. I am glad I know this before it’s over, because I am embracing all the change and newness with open arms. There is so much to learn and take away from this incredible adventure.
And here is my juicy episode update.
We laugh.
We cry.
We are working hard and sweating hard. Unfortunately the two are unrelated.
Poor Ben..his stomach says so much about him. He’s tough, but stubborn. When he isn’t indisposed, he’s eating exactly what makes him sick.
Taylor is tall and hilarious. He walks and talks at a super human pace and never stops hoping in vein that the Chinese will understand what the word “vegetarian” means.
Daniela is so sweet and determined, always laughing; and often an anchor of sanity when I’m confused with work.
We are all bonding and laughing and eating and working together all the time.
We have made some great friends who have shown us more than the ropes, Pong-Pong, Melody, Ian, Zhe-Zou, and Quentin have been taking good care of us.
I bought a bunny from a street vendor. Yes, to keep as a pet.. and everyone keeps making jokes about eating it. Mostly the Chinese kids. His name is Huasheng – Peanut in Mandarin
We have plans for some much needed spa time and The Great Wall this weekend. Wish us luck.
More updates soon to come! WOOHOO!
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| Best art store! |