Hasta La Ideas

Yan Pei-Ming captures past and present in five large-scale paintings

The first thing Yan Pei-Ming said while presenting his new exhibition, “Black Paintings” at David Zwirner was “I aspire to be an artist, period. Not a Chinese artist.” Though born in Shanghai, the artist is now based in Dijon, and speaks French—not Chinese—through a translator. “My work,” he continued, “does not have a ‘made in China’ feel to it. I’ve always tried to speak in a universal pictorial language.”

Pei-Ming certainly has a knack for choosing subject matter with a global reach. In the past, he’s gained notoriety for his large, monochromatic portraits of people like Lady Gaga, Bernard Madoff, Michael Jackson and Maurizio Cattelan. In this show, however, you won’t see many familiar pop-culture faces, save for Muammar Gaddafi in the work “Gaddafi’s Corpse”, which is hard to discern without reading the title first. In “Pablo”, Pei-Ming shows Pablo Picasso as a huddled young boy wearing large men’s shoes, an imagined memory of the great painter playing dress-up, perhaps, in his father’s clothing. “Exécution, Après Goya”, a bright red homage to Goya’s “The Shootings of May Third 1808“. The show’s title, says Pei-Ming, is “derived from a late series of wall paintings by Goya, since transferred to canvas. In these works, not originally intended for public view, the Spanish artist offers haunting visions of humanity’s darker side.”

“When Goya worked he had to work from his imagination, but in my case I’m working from documentation” says Pei-Ming, referencing the artist’s historical paintings. “We’re surrounded by photographs and documents that attest to what has happened and I use that as source material.” Though it’s doubtful that much original source material was needed for “Pablo”, it’s still true for most of Ming’s work, including his dark interpretation of the Acropolis, which he describes as “the cradle of Western civilization and democracy.” Titled “All Crows Under the Sun Are Black!”, Ming mounted it first in his show, as his way of putting “it in dialogue, face to face with art in the contemporary world,” he says.

“Moonlight” is another monochromatic gray painting depicting an immigration over rocky waters, illuminated by brushstrokes of white moonlight on the waves. Painted in much the same style as “All Crows Under the Sun Are Black!”, it too is a landscape that features a barely discernible outpost on the dark horizon, but the Acropolis is so dark it almost fades into the feverishly painted background. If you’ve ever seen a picture of the Acropolis you know that it’s huge and white, the centuries-old pillars standing strong on their flat-topped perch above Athens—and at night it’s lit up like the Lincoln Memorial. Here, Ming has shrunk it down and killed the lights, blending it so thoroughly into the background he seems to almost be wiping it from history itself.

“Black Paintings” marks a departure in Ming’s work not only from his focus on contemporary culture but also in his point of view. Instead of traditional portraiture, we see his figures splayed out, crouching on the ground or facing a firing squad. They’re not only shown in scene, in a narrative, but as part of a larger historical context, one that’s not pinned down to a specific moment in time. Instead of immortalizing a cultural icon at the height of their fame, Ming is depicting history in progress. He goes back in time to moments history may have overlooked in an attempt to connect the recent and distant past, and though he makes his point of view clear in the subjects he chooses to paint, those choices don’t represent a distinctly Chinese or even Eastern perspective, but one that’s uncompromisingly universal.

“Black Paintings” runs through June 23, 2012 at David Zwirner.

David Zwirner

525 W. 19th St.

New York, NY 10011

Chilean illustrator combines pop culture, sci-fi and fantasy in a mind-bending amalgamation

The work of Fab Ciraolo makes it immediately clear that the Chilean-born illustrator has a very interesting outlook on this world. His pieces combine re-imagined elements of nostalgic popular culture with fantastical sci-fi standards and beautiful space-like atmospheres. Incorporating classic cartoon characters, fairy tale favorites and edgy popular icons, Ciraolo constructs compelling and enchanting artwork that stirs up whimsical feelings for the past while keeping one foot forward. We recently caught up with Ciraolo and got some insight into his process and where his surreal scenes take root.

Where are you from and what is your background? How long have you been illustrating?

I am from Santiago Chile, born here. I think I’ve been illustrating since I can remember. My background was always around paintings, drawings and art exhibitions. I must thank my parents for this, they always encouraged me to keep doing this and showed me that this can be my way of living. The most important advice from them was to always stay true to what I love and to what I need to be happy, other stuff comes free if you are at peace with your talent.

What techniques do you use to create your work?

Traditional painting, a lot of drawing, acrylics, color pencils, mostly anything I have near that might work to get a final result that makes me happy. I can remember using coffee in some paintings. Coffee is good to make some cool textures!

What is the story behind your “Old School Heroes” series? How did Skeletor end up in a plaid suit?

These cartoons were always in my mind, when I was little I would draw all of them by hand, I just loved them, so one day it just came to me. Drawing He-Man in a flower suit, I just did it and the result was interesting and fun to me. So I keep digging in all these characters making them more fashionable, always wondering how will they look in cool suits and jackets and tight pants— hipster looks. I wasn’t inventing something out of this world, just giving a little twist to things that were in my mind a long time ago.

A lot of your work incorporates space-like elements and fairy tale references as well as pop culture icons, where does your inspiration comes from?

I am like a sponge, very visual, I hate reading but love looking. My mind is full of these icons and these images. I love to mix the old with the modern, giving things that already exist a new fresh air, a new vision. I am working in these series, with Frida, Che Guevara and Dalí, it is the result of all these things that are in my mind. How would these great characters look today? This is the main idea of all of these. I mix them with all the images that are inside my head and it is like an explosion of images that I need to get out and put them together in one piece.

How much of your work is commercial and how much is personal? Is there much crossover between the two?

I think it’s 50/50. I think this is the perfect mix, sometimes I get tired of doing commissions, but sometimes I love it. I have been lucky to participate in very interesting projects this year, and to always have time to make my personal art as well. You must find a balance between these two things, but always, ALWAYS give time to your own art, this is the best way to grow, to learn, to make mistakes and not be afraid of changes.

How do you think art fits into popular culture now with the power of the Internet? How has the web affected your craft?

It is amazing and has helped me so much. It let me show my art to the entire world and really fast too. I was very afraid at first to show my work, because it was so mine, it was my real thing, what comes out of my head, but people like it and I am so glad. Art should be a popular culture, art is culture, art is expression it is a must! At least for me!

London’s King of Sequins puts a fashion shine to pop culture

A Delhi-born fashion designer living in London, Ashish Gupta‘s East-meets-West approach all comes down to sparkle. Runway shows might resemble Bollywood productions with parades of theatrical ensembles splashed in vivid color, but there’s nary a sari in sight. Instead Ashish, known as “The King of Sequins,” interprets pop culture cliches—from preppy knits to Hawaiian prints—with the dazzling material. The Central Saint Martins grad describes the instant glamour they add as magical, explaining how “sequins animate clothes and throw light on surrounding walls.” The offbeat effect first caught the attention of buyer Yeda Yun at London’s Browns Focus boutique, when Yun spotted a friend of Ashish’s wearing a sweatshirt in brown herringbone tweed with chunky cream ribbing, covered in neon-orange sequin bows.

Such highly imaginative work isn’t as easy as it looks; Gupta says, “I get bored of things very quickly so its always a bit of a challenge going from initial ideas to runway show without ending up being completely random!” For his Spring/Summer 2011 show (pictured at top), the line pairs Western accessories—cowboy hats, Native American feathers, trucker hats with Coca-Cola logos and McDonalds’ golden arches emblazoned cowboy boots—with a range of sequined tops, skirts, dresses and pants that look like something like Rihanna might wear to a truck stop. The previous A/W 2010 collection (pictured above), a tad more subdued (if that word is ever appropriate for Ashish), included a range of Gypsy-inspired sequin outfts that referenced traditional Uzbeki designs and patterns found on Persian rugs.

Like a modern Midas, everything Gupta touches shines. Fabrics that on first take look normal aren’t really how they appear. Flannel, cotton and wool textures are actually glittery garments, all made by hand. “I subconsciously imagine everything made in sequins, sometimes it doesn’t occur to me to use anything else! I’ve been working with sequins so long now it’s very instinctive. I love the way sequins look, the way that they move and hang on a body and how a dress can look like molten metal or wet paint.”

Achieving such stunning effects takes more than Gupta’s passion alone. Working with intricate material isn’t easy, requiring the skilled hands of sometimes up to sixteen people to finish. Gupta pulls it off in his own factory in India, explaining, “All my garments are made to order. Its a very unusual way of working, almost couture. The fabric is stretched onto frames then beaded, then cut out and sew together and then hand finished.” With each sequin sewn on individually, quantities are small but each item is truly a “labor of love.”

Whether a comment on mass production or simply a love letter to the brand, Nike resurfaced as a theme in his S/S 2010 show after making its first appearance five years prior. The affinity is in keeping with the designer’s slight obsession with American pop culture, but also perfectly embodies his interest in making something glamorous feel casual. “I like things to be easy, so I usually design things that can be slipped on and off easily, I love pockets and zips, things that makes clothes feel relaxed and comfy. A fully beaded dress should feel as comfortable as an old t-shirt.”

Ashish will show his Autumn/Winter 2011 collection at London Fashion Week this February, mixing London references, polished punk and “really classic fabrics” in sequins, naturally. The line sells from stockists around the world.