Portrait 8,
acrylic paint on panel,
2009, 24 in x 24 in.

Portrait 6,
acrylic paint on canvas,
2009, 40 in x 40 in.

Mask and Name,
oil and acrylic paints on canvas,
2007, 25 in x 25 in.

Old Skin and How to See Light,
oil and acrylic paints on canvas,
2008, 24 in x 24 in.

Portrait 4,
acrylic paint on canvas,
2009, 27 in x 27 in.

Man Woman Bird,
acrylic paint on canvas,
2008, 32 in x 40 in.

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CHECK OUT MORE IN THE PRINTED EDITION OF ISSUE#3

Herakut is a rare two-headed beast. Hailing from Germany Jasmin Siddiqui and Falk Lehma, known collectively as Herakut, have made a distinct and indelible mark on the contemporary art scene. Since meeting in 2004 the two have combined their diametric styles as seamlessly as they entwined their artist names, Hera and Akut, to form their potent crew of two. They have garnered international recognition for their striking works that cling to street walls and decorate galleries with the same haunting mystique. By combining their styles – her sketchy structures and his photo-realistic details – to produce an edgy fantasy realm of angular bodies, zany zoomorphism and wide-eyed wonder, they have forgone the transient trip-up of much street art and replaced it with something that is both immediate and enduring. An artist’s office hours can be lonely, but not for these two happy campers who set up shop together to make the most out of their talents. Drinking beer (and coffee), travelling the world and tagging cute German towns were just some of the things Hera talked about when we caught up recently.

GRAEME BERGLUND—Hello Hera.

Jasmin Siddiqui—Hera’s my artist name, but you can call me Jasmin.

GB—Whereabouts are you right now?

JS—I’m in Heidelberg, which is close to Frankfurt, Germany.

GB—What’s it like there?

JS—It’s very German. It’s very cute and small and quiet here. It’s surreal, but I like it.
GB—Were you born and raised there?

JS—No, in Frankfurt, which compared to Heidelberg is very international. Frankfurt has a big airport so everyone who comes to Germany either goes to Berlin or there – it has this city feel to it, but Heidelberg really doesn’t so I always feel I’m in a fairytale place when I’m here. It’s kind of cool.

GB—It sounds like a pretty good lifestyle. How did you actually come to be an artist?

JS—I’ve always drawn and painted, which my parents liked because I was quiet and busy that way, but that’s how it started. Now I work with Akut, whose real name is Falk. We both come from families with no artistic background – they didn’t push us into any art-related future, it just happened. I always tagged when I was 13 and Falk did the same thing. We met in 2004 and that’s when we started to team up as Herakut and it really started to be a future for us. Before we were just doing something we really liked and then it became a job.

GB—You guys were running around tagging cute little German towns?

JS—I was in Frankfurt then so I’d say I was tagging in a very cool city but Falk comes from a town that’s so much smaller than Heidelberg, and so much more protected, so I think he got busted. He did the cool stuff with the cool kids, which was tagging and doing graffiti pieces, but then I think he realised that there’s much more to it than just the adrenaline rush and you can actually do something nice with it. So he looked for legal wall spaces and started coming up with his own style, which is this photo-realism, and also there were some other kids and they all got together as a crew called Maclaim and they became actually pretty popular and famous. People invited them all over the world to hip-hop jams and festivals and that’s when he realised he could do something important.

Beautiful Victim I,
watercolor on cardboard,
1974, 53 cm x 73 cm.

The Murmur of the Innocents 1,
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
2009, 198 cm x 290 cm.

The Disasters of War 3,
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
2007, 200 cm x 293 cm.
In Memory of Francisco de Goya.

The Murmur of the Innocents 10,
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
2009, 127 cm x 190 cm.

I Walk Alone,
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
2003, 121 cm x 172 cm.

Untitled,
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
2005, 192 cm x 249 cm.

Epiphany I (Adoration of the Magi),
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
1996, 210 cm x 333 cm.
Denver Art Museum, Kent Logan Collection.

Epiphany III (Presentation at the Temple),
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
1998, 210 cm x 310 cm.
Jason Lee Collection, Los Angeles.

The Resurrection of the Child,
mixed media (oil and acrylic on canvas),
1997, 160 cm x 150 cm.

]]> http://thelabmagazineonline.com/2010/07/gottfried-helnwein/feed/ 0 http://thelabmagazineonline.com/2010/02/mark-ryden-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mark-ryden-2 http://thelabmagazineonline.com/2010/02/mark-ryden-2/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:48:45 +0000 Jeremy http://thelabmagazineonline.com/?p=1067

Mark Ryden is a man of mystery and somewhat of a living legend in the world of contemporary art. Combining classic surrealism with pop culture oddities, his paintings show a childlike vulnerability through unsettling familiarity. Themes such as butcher-bunnies, parades of raw meat and celebrity caricatures contribute to his world of twisted fantasy and barbaric beauty; so imaginative and unique is his work that one could brand him in a genre of his own. His art subliminally offers a commentary on the current state of pop culture and even humanity itself, but alas, not even the richest of write-ups can truly describe his work, so take a gander, if you dare. You never know who you might see staring back at you.

INTERVIEW BY JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

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ILLUSTRATION BY BEN TOUR

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Here is a list of words that might help you find Vancouver artist Ben Tour: Water Colours, Women, Toronto, Francis Bacon, New York, Lifetime Collective, Graffiti, Marvel Comics, Ballpoint Pens, Porn Star Sasha Grey, Germany, BLK/MRKT Gallery, Gibsons, Blue, Red, and Beer. Alone they mean nothing but together they form the experiences and views of a very metropolitan artist who spends his days on BC’s remote Sunshine Coast. We sat down with Ben and watched some of these words come to life.

JUSTIN—Hey Ben. I am really excited about this interview. I can honestly say that your work has influenced my own creations with photography and I constantly turn to it for inspiration. I mean, you’re just really fuckin’ good [Laughs], a true innovator and someone who has stamped a style not only here in Vancouver, but in the world. All in all, I think everyone should know who you are and see your work. I am so stoked that you’re in our first issue of The Lab. Thank you!
So to start it off, Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, where were you born, how you started? Maybe something crazy people wouldn’t usually know about you. The uncensored version!
BEN—I was born in Toronto—mid Seventies—Virgo. The uncensored version? You had to be there. It was suburban, big city life. I’m an only child raised by older parents —cartoons got me into Marvel Comics, listening to my parents classical music got me into N.W.A, Hip-Hop got me into graffiti and graffiti got me into illustration and Fine Art. I enjoyed being creative as a kid and had the opportunity to be. So, here I am.

J—Why are you an artist?
B—Because I have to learn everything the hard way. I’m an artist today apparently, tomorrow —I’m unemployed again. Some people call it freelance. It’s good work if you can get it.

J—I can relate. Being an artist today isn’t easy. But on the other hand, I actually think it’s an exciting time because so many people are getting fired from their jobs because of the economy crashing, but as a result focusing a little more on their personal ambitions. I am seeing it more and more, which I find rejuvenating. What is your major inspiration? Where do you search or does it find you?

B—It’s everywhere. I wish I could just tell you, but I can’t. Inspiration is only one part of making paintings —the other part is work. I haven’t even started yet. I always want to make a painting. I look through websites, magazines, and old photo books. I doodle, make notes, watch movies, take photos, and climb trees, whatever.

J—[Laughs] Who is your favorite artist and why? This could be anyone, painter, filmmaker, director, graffiti artist, actor, juggler, anyone at all.
B—There’s really too many to name. It’s impossible to really jot down some names and call it a day. There have been times in my life where I hunted for images like crazy —I lived in libraries just to stumble upon artists I’d never heard of or seen before. Now with the web, obviously everything is right there and everybody knows about every dried up dead illustrator there ever was and you can make a tool in Photoshop and do their style overnight. Last time I was in NYC I saw Francis Bacon at the Met. I’m into Francis Bacon, throw in some Schiele on the side there with a little Rauschenburg to dirty up the edge of the canvas a bit with a goat head or two. Then get William S. Burroughs to write a quick manifesto about it and then Akira Kurosawa to direct, starring Sasha Grey.