Local Art Seen: Eris Vafias and Dissonance @ Pizza Luce

Pizza Luce's featured artist for the month of March is Eris Vafias of Superior. Though unable to attend Wednesday's opening reception I was able to swing by yesterday mid-morning to share here what I missed.

Eris has been orchestrating the numerous Artist Kamikaze events that have taken place in the Twin Points, a competition involving the pairing of artists of dissimilar mediums around a specific pre-determined themes. 

Looking at the various paintings and multimedia assemblages brings to mind echoes of several 20th century artists. Some of the paintings bring to mind Cy Twombly's later work, and the free-flowing loops with colored sections brings to mind some of the Spanish modernist Joan Miro's abstract designs.

I see Miro.

Black and white linear forms on a more subtle textured colorless field.

Lively and living organic forms.

Foreground and background fluidity scurries about with  endless motion.

Detail from the above.

Detail- from another piece hearkens back organic designs from the natural world.

This last painting has imagery from the ancient game of chess and today's Tetris. The chess pieces stand in what appears to be the opening stage of a duel, just before the duelists have been instructed to take 20 paces. The color scheme has natural sources, earth tones, slate and sky, It's the beginning of a longer story. It could even be a post-modern romp on Thomas Eakins' The Chess Players or Duchamps later years of immersion in the chess diversion, most famously depicted in Julian Wasser''s photo of Duchamp playing chess with Eve Babitz.

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Reminder: Tonight Marah in the Mainsail will be performing at The Red Herring and The Jane Gang will be playing at the Keyport at 5:00 p.m.

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Meantime life goes on all around you. Get into it.

Local Art Seen: Eris Vafias @ Beaners

I had a couple meetings at Beaners this week, one of my fave spots to meet for business (Thank you, Jason & Becca), just across the parking lot from Zenith Bookstore (Thank you, Bob).  

This front room toward the street this month features paintings by Eris Vafias. I've seen a few of these before but the whole series together made for a nice presentation that I enjoyed very much this week. The skies were blue and the extra sunlight (once the overcast skies diminished later in the week) made the paintings come alive.

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NOTE: WEATHER PERMITTING, Laura Velvet & the Bookhouse Boys will be performing tonight at Barker's Island in conjunction with the kickoff of the Dragonboat Festival this weekend. Details HERE

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Local Art Seen -- Eris Vafias at the Red Mug

You can see these and more work by Eris Vafias 

at the Red Mug Coffehouse in Superior 

through the end of June. 

There may be a closing reception announced at 

Twin Ports Arts Align on Faceook. Stay tuned.

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Meantime, life goes on all around you.

Get into it.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Local Art Seen -- One Year of Selective Focus and Collection of Chaos II

One Year of Selective Focus: Tim White's contribution 

to perfectduluthday.com, documenting the people and activities 

of our Northland corner of the world @ Red Herring Lounge.

Collection of Chaos II: Eris Vafias retrospective at Pizza Luce.

Twin Ports Arts Week of April 4: Trump, Vainio and Vafias

Two art events slated for today in the Twin Ports and one for Thursday

Donald Trump, who first identified himself with artists with a book titled Art of the Deal, has scheduled a campaign stop in Superior, Wisconsin.  Details can be found in this Duluth News-Tribune story. If the event unfolds like a number of other recent campaign gatherings, there will undoubtedly be a number of very creative costumes and signs on hand. At the very least it will give our local papers something to write about. Gates open at 10:30 and the artist will make his appearance at 1:30 p.m.

Opening reception for Ivy Vainio's The St. Louis River: Diverse Connections 
The Northland has to be a photographers paradise, with its astonishing variety and perpetually "new every morning" visual wonders that appear like manna from heaven. So we attract artists and photographers like bees to honey. Amongst the seemingly countless talented photographers here, Ivy Vainio's work has set her apart. She brings something to her images that is more than technical facility, which so many photographers have. Whether it's a human quality or visual acuity that she brings to her work, I don't know. What I do know is that I always appreciate the spirit with which she brings her vision to life.

This week her photography will be on display in the Great Hall at the Depot as part of the One River, Many Stories project that is happening this month. The opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m.
On View: April 4 - 9, 2016

Collection of Chaos II

Thursday evening is the opening reception for artwork by Eris Vafias which will be on display at Pizza Luce throughout the month of April. Vafias is the force behind the Artist Kamikzae events which she has assembled and curated over the years. This year's Artist Kamikaze VII had Dystopian as its theme. I suspect from the title that Collection of Chaos II may feature some dystopian elements of its own.

This show will be a collection of work created by Eris Vafias throughout space and time. Paintings, photography, assemblage/conceptual art...music. Let's get dressed up, break free from hibernation and be social-like. (Rumor has it that Eris will be giving out prizes for most interesting outfits throughout the reception.)

Opening Reception will be this Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Pizza Luce in the heart of Downtown Duuluth, which has been and continues to remain "everything special."
Special Guest Musician: Richie Townsend

Meantime, art goes on all around you... Engage it.

Local Art Seen: Artist Kamikaze VII @ Pizza Luce

“There will come a time when it isn't 'They're spying on me through my phone' anymore. Eventually, it will be 'My phone is spying on me'.” ― Philip K. Dick

"Dystopian fiction only amplifies and catalogs the indignities of existing dehumanizing practices." ~Rebecca Lemov

This past Thursday I attended the opening for Artist Kamikaze VII at Pizza Luce. Artist Kamikaze is a competition between artists who work in different media who get randomly paired for the purpose of collaborating to produce new work within a specified time period. Each pair can make up to five pieces for consideration. At the opening an informal election is held to determine winners. That is, two dollars buys you a ballot. Kudos to Eris Vafias for creating the concept and curating the shows.

The theme for this year's Artist Kamikaze art show was Dystopian. Dystopia is the opposite of Utopia, and our competing visionaries produced some unexpectedly original images. What kind of dark future world do these visionaries portend? The show will be on the walls at Pizza Luce throughout the month of March.

In addition to the artists and their work, Israel Malachi performed original music and a number of artists collaborated on a live painting during the two hour opening reception. When the votes were tallied, the winners were Jonah Cannon and Rachel Eisenmann, Team 8.

"Our winning of the 2015 Kamikaze," Cannon said, "came with little surprise for me, not because I felt our work was better than anything else hanging on those walls (there were some amazing artworks on display, and I am thrilled by what a terrific job the competition did on their own art), but because Rachel's strengths played so well with my weaknesses, and vice versa. Rachel brought a degree of enthusiasm to our work that I never would have attained on my own. Between the two of us, no idea was left unexplored. Where I put depth in our work, Rachel added color and texture."

I had a similar experience in the A.K. events I participated in. The enthusiasm of a partner elevates your expectations. Perhaps you're forced to rise to the occasion because you don't want to let someone else down.

Of the five pieces themselves, Cannon said, "Our work on this project shows how hell is paved with good intentions. As a society, we tend to recognize problems and build solutions, often without deconstructing the infrastructure behind the initial issues. Some of us move forward while others remaine in the past. This is how good intentions can become an ugly future. We took all of our good ideas, layered them in, and then burnt, smashed, or cut the layer apart. Then, we just added another layer, and topped it off with a nice paint job, until the scars on the surface of our work paled in comparison to the scarring underneath."

The runners up also shared about their experience here and their work.

Nina Holz: "I would have to say that I enjoyed doing something new like this. I've never done a collaboration piece before and it was exciting to be paired with an artist I've never met before and create a piece based on a theme that was universal to the show.

Live painting, Dusty K

"I was really lucky to have been paired with Lesley I believe. Eris did a great job of pairing us up. We had complementing talents, ideas and really worked well together. Not only was it great to be able to work with Lesley, I met a new friend that is pretty darn awesome and I was fortunate to be able to meet and get to know. It was pretty cool that we both were interested in the nature aspect of a dystopian world. We both seemed to envison nature not being natural and how the technological world, deterioration of the post-apocalyptic world and nature seemed to meld in our vision of dystopia. All in all, I am thankful to have been able to be a part of Artist Kamikaze this year and to have met some great new people and to have been able to work with such a talented artist. I hope to be able to do it again next time around."

Nina's partner in collaboration, Lesley Ross: "What I enjoyed most about working with Nina was our easy, open communication; neither were shy to share our thoughts and bounce ideas back and forth. Quickly comfortable around each other, we were able to enjoy the playful nature of the creative process."

Of their project itself she stated: "Within our dystopic world, nature is no longer self-sustainable, nor adaptable to the deteriorating and disregarded mechanics of the forgotten world. Our piece depicts the four seasons in this climate."

When asked for her impressions about the caliber of this year's show, curator Eris Vafias said, "Hmmm... the Artist Kamikaze is a collaborative undertaking open to artists of varying skill and level, so it is less about caliber per se and more about meeting other artists, finding a sense of community and most importantly having fun while challenging oneself in the process. With that being said, I was very pleased with what our artists created this year. It was fantastic."

"As for what surprised me the most," she said, "All of it... While I may be privy to the in progress shots, I actually do not see the finished pieces until the night we hang the show. That's part of the appeal in curating such a show, figuring out how to make it all fit together."

Though they failed to win, the John Heino/Adam Swanson collaboration bore all the trademark fingerprints of their styles while emerging as something wholly other from what they may have created on their own. Now that the voting is over, and I say this wistfully, it would be nice to see identification tags on all the pieces for the rest of the month so we can see who did everything else. Otherwise, it was fun, despite the dark theme.

If you work downtown, grab a lunch a Luce sometime, or stop after hours and take in the show while sipping a libation. Congrats to all who participated.

Meantime, art goes on all around you.  

Artist Kamikaze VII: Dystopian

Next week at Pizza Luce is the opening for Artist Kamikaze VII: Dystopian

The event pairs artists who work in different media to collaborate in making art reflecting a theme. This year's theme is Dystopian, a word that seems to be popping up a lot these days. Dystopia is essentially an antonym of Thomas More's Utopia.

Dystopia has been defined as a community or society that is undesirable or frightening. "Utopia" is the blueprint for an ideal society with no crime or poverty. Dystopian societies appear in many artistic works, particularly in stories set in the future. Famous examples include 1984 and Brave New World, and Ayn Rand's Anthem.

Dystopias are often characterized by dehumanization, totalitarian governments, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society. Dystopian societies appear in many subgenres of fiction and are often used to draw attention to real-world issues regarding society, environment, politics, economics, religion, psychology, ethics, science, and/or technology, which if unaddressed could potentially lead to such a dystopia-like condition.

Other famous dystopian novels that we are familiar with include Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury), The Iron Heel (Jack London), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Philip K. Dick) and A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess).

An estimated 20 local artists have been randomly paired. The opening reception is slated for March 3, from 7-9 pm. The public will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite works from 7-8 with winners announced afterwards. There will also be music by Israel Malachi.

Previous Artist Kamikaze themes have included Monochromatic, Gnomes, Time, Elements and Intergalactic. This one sounds as interesting as can be.

*Much of this paragraph constructed from Wikipedia .

Almost Wordless: Local Art Seen from Red Mug to Studio 15

Top two: Nissa Wick's paintings interpret Eric Archer's photos at the Red Mug.

Below: Eris Vafias works in a variety of media; on display at Studio 15.

Eris Vafias and Artist Kamikaze V

Next Thursday is the opening for Artist Kamikaze V, at Pizza Luce in Downtown Duluth. Kamikazes were Japanese fighter pilots who had been trained in the art of making suicidal crash attacks during World War II. The literal translation of the word kamikaze is "God wind." The name has since been co-opted for a cocktail that includes Smirnoff Vodka, triple sec and lime.

Here in Duluth we have a couple kamikaze events. One involves musicians, and this one involving the random pairing of artists who work in disparate media. The theme for Artist Kamikaze V is MONOCHROMATIC and will feature work by Kristin Martin, John Heino, Aleasha Hladiek, Lesley Ross, Kat Singer, Patricia Mahnke, George Ellsworth, Ali Peace, Jonah Cannon, Tobin Dack, Sarah Riley, Nichole Cannon, Jeanna Aldridge, Peyton Farrell, Eris Vafias, Wally Mahnke, Rebecca Domagala, Tina Luanna Fox & Melissa Griffith. The public is invited to vote for the winning submission from 7:00 till 8:45 p.m. The winning team will be announced at 9.

The founder/mastermind behind this event is Eris Vafias of the original Limbo Gallery. In addition to the events she assembles, she is an artist in her own right.

Here's some Assorted Random Trivia about Eris...
Favorite Artists: Hieronymus Bosch, Dali, Basquiat, Schnabel, Picasso, Chuck Close, David Lynch, Jeffrey Scott, Biafra…just off the top of my head.
Favorite Curators: Leo Castelli and Mary Boone.
Favorite Hot Beverage: Cubana Breves with whipped cream.
Sign(s): Leo in astrology, but a Dragon zodiac wise.

EN: Where does the name Limbo Gallery come from?
EV: It is apt due to the nature of the gallery. We are always moving, always transforming…but whatever shape Limbo Gallery ultimately takes in the future, I have had a wonderful time organizing same and working with some of the best artists in the area.

EN: What motivates you and/or inspires you?
EV: I look around and I am inspired. Everything has a story and intricacies from which ideas can spring forth. Once all pretense and suppositions fall away, it is the quirks and oddities that make us distinct and memorable. I am fond of the exposition of the inherent weakness & vulnerability present with all that is transient. Moments caught in time when facades fall away, exposing the beauty of fragility… I love contextual contrast and “mistakes”— aside from photographic tinkering (of which efforts I would gladly sell the end result due to the relative ease of reproduction), I do not make art to make money, I don’t make art to please others. I think any work that can elicit any type of emotion, good, bad or ugly, is in fact…art, but that is really incidental. I have had more than my fair share of tragedy... art serves as an outlet for me. Ideas/concepts pop into my head and I feel compelled to do them, it is a release that gives me great satisfaction. I don’t curate shows to make money, which is good because we seem to live in a town full of artists, less so collectors. I have an idea for a show I would like to curate and once it is all up on the walls for people to appreciate and enjoy, I can relax. I love finding emerging artists to work with and watching them grow.

EN: Where else have you shown your personal art work?
EV: Aside from the Limbo Gallery shows, my work has been shown at the Rochester Art Center, the Kruk Gallery, Beaner’s, the Phantom Galleries (Red Interactive), Jitters and the Cult Status Gallery (Minneapolis). I was the “poster child” (and contributing artist) for the first Night of Steampunk at the DAI and was a participating artist again this year at the Steampunk Extravaganza and recently I had work up at Clyde Iron as part of the Snobarn c.d. release party and at KLM Studio’s for the Pre-Fest Art show for the (UCF).

EN: You make art in a variety of media. What are some of the forms which your creativity has taken in recent years?
EV: I enjoy painting, writing, photography, mixed media recycled, upcycled/repurposed found art—which I like to refer to as “pack rat art,” conceptual/installation art, sculpture, jewelry, costumes, graffiti, modeling…even hanging a show is an art form, figuring out the most complimentary/interesting layout in the ever changing location. I hesitate to fully define or label what I do, as I fear being boxed into this or that. I would, however, like to branch out into short films eventually and write some books.


Meantime, art goes on all around you. Engage it.

Spotlight on Eris Vafias of Limbo Gallery

Her de facto artist statement begins, “an oft misunderstood, idiosyncratic, renaissance woman with eccentric tendencies: a mother, an artist, a curator, a writer, a dreamer, a cynical idealist, a socialite, a recluse, a loyal friend, a formidable adversary… an agent of chaos, etc… who ‘daylights’ as a litigation paralegal under her real name.”

I first met Eris Vafias at a Limbo Gallery pop-up show called Hallways & Attic. In addition to being founder of Limbo Gallery and the annual Artist Kamikaze art experience -- this year will be AK 5 -- she is also an artist in her own right. I caught up with her here in advance of this weekend's cir-cum-am-bi-ent show at Sacred Heart.

EN: When did you first take an interest in making art? 
EV: I cannot remember a time that I was not interested in being around, learning about, collecting and/or creating art…I was always drawing “designs” for things, sketches, (clothing, dream houses, dream imagery etc.), as a young child. In kindergarten I caught some flak for creating a mythical hybrid animal instead of “any animal I could think of.” Fortunately it did not deter me and through the rest of my academic career I was blessed with teachers and professors who supported my unconventional leanings. Art has been such a central part of my life that upon graduation from high school I fulfilled my dreams of a trip to New York and was in awe of it all. The Guggenheim and the Metropolitan and all the smaller independent galleries in Manhattan blew me away.

Temptation

EN: What are "pop up" galleries and when did you first produce/curate one of your own?
EV: Pop-up galleries are not a new concept, in general they are non-traditional art events--they are exhibits that defy geographical and temporal obligation. In fact, a man by the name of Leo Castelli (who became one of the largest and influential art dealers in the world) was almost 50 years old when he finally opened the Castelli Gallery — in his living room, a fourth floor townhouse in New York. I drew inspiration from this and started doing pop-up shows in May of 2011 at my own private residence. Much in the way a church can be anywhere, I believe art can be anywhere. I think having shows in non-traditional ways and spaces, makes it more accessible and a little less intimidating to someone who may have never thought to go to an art show. I often like to combine the art with music and/or film to make the exhibit a multi-sensory experience, much in the same vein as Andy Warhol’s Great Plastic Exploding Inevitable. Since that time I have had shows in host galleries, private studio spaces, art stores, dance studios, garages, and back yards. Of particular note and pride, I curated the one night only “Matter: Metal and Minerals “m3” show in the Twin Cities at the Cult Status Gallery which included the fabulously talented Venus DeMars and work by the late Amanda Christine (Kortuem/Royer).

EN: In addition to “pop up” galleries you have curated some more traditional shows and have had more than a few of your own shows. Can you tell us more about that? 
EV: Limbo Gallery was not always, nor is it strictly, a “pop-up” gallery. It used to be located in the historic NorShor Theatre circa 1999-2001 during which time there was a show about every month. I could be mistaken, but I think that we gave Chris Monroe, Jason Huntzinger, Eric Horn (Chronicle) and many others their first art shows back when we were all relatively new to the art scene. I was on the committee and was a featured artist in the first May Day celebration at the Red Mug. In addition to organizing the Artist Kamikaze at Pizza Luce, it is hard to believe it will be number five this year. Last year I co-curated the Wunderland show at the Zeitgeist Arts Café, which showcased some of the best and brightest artists from the Twin Ports and Twin Cities. Limbo Gallery also has featured local artists online with e-interviews from time to time. Maybe one day Limbo Gallery will find a permanent residence of its very own, but we are grateful to have such wonderful hosts thus far.

EN: What is cir-cum-am-bi-ent? You have a pretty hefty cast. How did it come about and can you share a few details?
EV: I was appointed “Art Director” by Tobin Dack for the upcoming Umbrella Cloud Festival “UCF” (ambient/experimental music) and the cir-cum-am-bi-ent show will be a pop-up show in conjunction with same. I am pleased to have some great artists on board such as Richard Rosvall, Patricia Mahnke, Jonah Cannon, Dusty Keliin abd Tobin Dack, among others. I am especially excited that Tim Kaiser will be bringing down some of his sound sculptures. In addition to the pop-up show there will be live painting by Yuya Negishi, Allison Price, Kristin Martin, Lesley Ross and Tina Luanna Fox. I have partnered up with Pineapple Art Center care of Lydia Walker and we will be having a community art project during the festival that anyone can contribute to and take part in.

The event this weekend is at Sacred Heart on Fourth Street. For details see the link at the beginning of this interview.