Arches, Women in Trees, and David Lynch—This week in art

Some fun news to share with you all this week!

Looking at the Art of Arches

When’s the last time you’ve taken a moment to admire the beauty of an arch? Has it really been that long? Arches are ubiquitous they make up so much of our surroundings, but it’s very easy to not notice them—an example of how well they blend into their surroundings. Well, not only are these circular gateways important to the integrity of the buildings that many of us make use of on a day-to-day basis, they can also be quite beautiful. Frieze.com recently gave the arch its proper due in a blog post with some beautiful videos.

Frieze London & Pablo Bronstein: The Art of Arches from Frieze Art Fair on Vimeo.

Women in Trees

For over 25 years Jochen Raiss has been collecting pictures of women in trees. Sound weird? I promise it isn’t. It all started at a Frankfurt market when Raiss stumbled upon a vintage, black and white photo of a woman in a tree. With her dress and dancing shows, she wasn’t exactly dressed for climbing a tree. SInce then, Raiss has found a number of vintage photos of well-dressed women ensconced in trees. Below is an example of one of those photos. To see the rest, check out “Delightful Vintage Photos Of Women In Trees Are What You Need Right Now” in the Huffington Post.

Working With David Lynch

David Lynch is an iconic visionary in the world of cinema. His absurd, jarring, and sometimes downright uncomfortable master pieces like EraserHead, Mulholland Drive, and Blue Velvet have left an indelible mark on the medium. But with all of his high-concept, emotional surgery pieces it leaves one to wonder: what’s it like working with the guy. Chrysta Bell has collaborated with Lynch on a number of projects to bring her music to them. The Wall Street Journal recently had the opportunity to conduct a long interview with Bell that is just as much revealing about her own creative process as it is about Lynch himself.

Here’s a look at Real Love, which was written and produced by David Lynch and features the talents of Bell:

Real Love — Chrysta Bell/David Lynch from LOVE on Vimeo.

Those are my highlights from this week. Have you found anything good yourself? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading.

Julia Sotnykova

May 4, 2016

Emanations

Just published the first part in my Emanations series on Behance.

Check it out!

March 30, 2016

Flowers

Hello All,

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I love nature. To be able to hike or go for a walk or generally enjoy the outdoors is essential to my creative process. A lot of my work focuses on nature and nature’s intersection with humanity. I recently released a series that focuses on Flowers around the Vancouver area. I scoured the city for good subjects, looking in gardens, parks, window sills, and of course florists. In this series I really experimented with different media and tools to get a multi-faceted approach to flowers. It’s not just about the angle or the color of a piece, it’s also about the tools you use to tell the story. A no-brainer to some extent, yes, but nonetheless something that I really tried to explore with this series, that I feel I’ve often left to the wayside in other series.

I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to tell me what you think by visiting Vimeo and leaving a comment or via Twitter @JuliaSotnykova.

Julia Sotnykova Presents: Flowers I from Julia Sotnykova on Vimeo.

Julia Sotnykova Presents: Flowers II from Julia Sotnykova on Vimeo.

February 9, 2016

Exercises and Exams from Art School

Hello All,

I just created a presentation of some of my work from art school. This body of work comes from my still life painting class, which I found to be a lot more invigorating than I though it would be. If you’ve seen any of my digital design work, you know that I love the intertextuality afforded by the digital medium. You can collage dragonflies wings onto human silhouettes, juxtapose a textureless house next to surreally textured trees, and even emulate the techniques of manual painting.

Something I learned to really value in school is just how important it is to master manual techniques before moving on to digital means. I’ve always been big on drawings and sketches, but I did not always have the finesse and attraction to painting that my art school days instilled into me.

Hope you enjoy!

Julia Sotnykova Presents: Exercises and Exams From Art School: Part 1 from Julia Sotnykova

Julia Sotnykova Presents: Exercises and Exams Part 2 from Julia Sotnykova

January 5, 2016

Art Paris Art Fair 2016

I’m super stoked for Art Paris Art Fair 2016! I mean, I don’t think I’ll be able to go this year. I want to go this year. But I don’t think I’ll be able to go. Alright, I might be able to go. We’ll see.

A.C.M., Sans titre, 2013

At Paris Art Fair is basically the comic con of the visual arts world. Artists converge from countries all over the world (roughly 20) to exhibit their work in a number of modern and contemporary art galleries (about 140). Paris may be the historical capital of European art but, Art Paris Art Fair makes a point to lure in and showcase artists from a number of regions, including Singapore, Bangkok, and Casablanca. This year introduces the festivals first artists from Azerbaijan, Colombia, and Iran.

Orsorno Juan, Malformaciones, 2015

In fact, expanding the representation of international artists is one of the main focuses of the fair. Guest Curator and Guest of Honour Sang-A-Chun

will be showcasing some of the top talent from her country of South Korea. All throughout the fair, South Korean art will not only be on display within the main exhibition area, but also throughout the city (2015-2016 marks the France-Korea year).

desert of winds, yun soo kim, julia sotnykova

Yun Soo Kim, Desert of Winds, 2005

The flavors of art featured at Art Paris is largely post-war and period, and comes in a few different packagings. Solo Show focuses on the work of an individual artist. Promises showcases up-and-coming galleries and artists. ArtDesign explores the dynamic between design and contemporary art with limited-edition pieces. Exhibitions run the spectrum from traditional pictures to full-room pieces that completely immerse you to digital mappings that are projected on the side of the Grand Palais (the HQ for the event).

So you see, there’s a lot to be excited about! And the best part is, you don’t even have to be there to enjoy it. On the fair’s website, you can take a look at a gallery that encompasses a lot of the art work there. Of course nothing beats getting to see the art in-person. And of course, there’s no way that a picture can do justice to a lot of the three-dimensional and immersive art there. But, it still is great to be able to see what so

October 27, 2015

The Best Art Exhibitions of 2015

Every year the art world pushes the envelope with new exhibitions. Across the globe there’s plenty of drool-worthy museum shows. In 2015 we saw female artists leading the way headlining massive art shows including Bjork, Marilyn Minter, Yoko Ono and many more.

Here’s some of the best art shows of 2015

On Kawara at the Guggenheim, New York, New York

Karara passed away in 2014, leaving behind a massive body of complex conceptual art. This is the first full representation of his output, which spans over 50 years. Art lovers were excited for the continuous live reading of his “One Million Years” series, which consisted of a steady recitation of numbers by volunteers at the ground floor of the Guggenheim rotunda.

Bjork at Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York

The influential full-scale retrospective of the Icelandic singer and artist, Bjork, had her entire career of work including sound, film, visuals, instruments, objects, costumes and performance. The show presented her new for 2015 “music and film experience.” This exhibition was a must see for all Bjork fans.

Frida Koahlo at the New York Botanical Gardens

The currently running (until November 1st) exhibition, is a collection of Koahlo’s paintings and works on paper that mine her relationship with the natural world of in Mexico. The show also features a flower show that re-imagines Kahlo’s studio and garden at the Casa Azul in Coyoacan, Mexico City.

Islamic Art Now at LACMA, Los Angeles, California

The show featured 25 works from contemporary artists from Iran and Arab world. Artists such as Shirin Neshat, Susan Hefuna, Lalla Essaydi, Mitra Tabrizian, Mona Hatoum, were all featured. Also on view was Bari Kumar: Remembering the Future, Drawing in L.A.: The 1960s and 1970’s, Noah Purifoy: Junk Dada

Super Indian at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado

Currently running into 2016, featuring the works of Fritz Scholder. Scholders paintings have been called many things, like controversial, revolutionary and haunting. Scholder claimed he was “not an American Indian artist”, but he was. He claimed his art wasn’t political, but it polarized the art world.

Yoko Ono at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City

Just wrapping up last month, this was the MoMA’s first exhibition dedicated exclusively to the works of Yoko Ono. The last time she’s had work at MoMA was in 1971, and this show differed by being a bit more extensive. Featuring 125 early objects, works on paper, installations, performances, audio recordings and films that celebrated her career.

Julia Sotnykova | Graphic Design

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