as I have already told you before this years VOLTA I am going to focus on Bonnie Maygarden and her works. yesterday it was the Preview Day of VOLTA12 at Markthalle and I got to visit Bonnie Maygarden ‘s gallery where she also had some of her work on display in addition to her sticker works for AESOP in the city center. I had the chance to ask Bonnie some questions and am very happy to share everything with you.

1. What was the idea behind the artwork for AESOP?    

“I knew I wanted to create something that is conceptually in line with my current work, but would also work to draw people to the VOLTA Art Fair and the AESOP Store. In early discussions of the project what felt most interesting was creating an installation of paintings on the storefront rather than the typical digitally printed reproductions of artworks. I painted directly onto adhesive vinyl using the same process I use to create my works on canvas and paper.

I am fascinated by the role of painting in the digital age, and the way this project unexpectedly uses paintings to replace something that would usually be created digitally is conceptually consistent with with my current work. The works themselves are also meant to reference digital imagery with the use of bright colors, gradients, floating geometric shapes, trompe l’oeil, and photorealism. Playing with traditional modes of painting in a language that visually references technology allows me to explore what our expectations of contemporary images are in a digital world.”

2. How do you approach your art, meaning where do you get your inspiration from?

“I think, like many painters, that I’m inspired equally by the past and the present, and, like many painters, I am essentially making paintings about painting. I am inspired by movements in art history such as Minimalism, Photorealism, and Op Art, as well as how the visual narrative of painting has generally evolved over time. I am also interested in processes and imagery that feel seamless to our current digitally dependent culture, and I mimic elements of those aesthetics using painting.  I look at stock photography, advertisements, graffiti, photoshop filters, and the digital screen as inspiration for my work.”

3. Do you like the AESOP products, and if so which one is your favorite?
(my favorite one is their hair and scalp rose masque.)

“I love the Fabulous Face Oil and Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Oil.  A couple of years ago I discovered how amazing oils are as cleansers and moisturizers, these two really are fabulous!”

4. Would you be interested to put your artworks on fabric and combine your art with fashion?

“Absolutely, if the right situation came along. The theme of the trompe l’oeil crumpled surfaces that runs throughout my work is meant to hit on a history of drapery in painting as well as natural phenomena of light and color.  A the same time it is also something that people want to somehow interact with. People always want to touch the paintings to understand them. The playfulness of something that is a flat pattern but looks three-dimensional is something I could certainly see being exciting to wear.”

5. Do you have a favorite fashion designer?
“I absolutely love Céline, Stella McCartney, and Alexander Wang. I am always looking to innovation in fashion and design for artistic inspiration. However, I tend to dress much more subdued than my work, lots of black and white- I leave color for paintings!”

read my previous blogpost about Bonnie Maygarden:
www.isawsomethingnice.ch/bonnie-maygarden

thank you so much Bonnie for answering all my questions, too bad we could not meet in person but I am looking forward to seeing you in the US or another year in Basel.

in case you are in Basel you should come by at VOLTA12 BASEL NACHT and get your free ticket here https://www.microspec.com/tix123/eTic.cfm?code=VOLTA1216 by entering the code: SOMETHINGNICE – see you on Thursday June, 16, 2016 at 5 PM at Markthalle. X

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