#blaxidermy

[mocada-museum]

Pamela Council is joining us for the Re: purpose  Artist Talk on April 16th and premiering a new performance on April 13th! See more images of her process on her amazing Blaxidermy blog. You don't want to miss this!

[blaxidermy]

Listen little man, please finish burning so I can go get a snack, thanks. #RootsPeopleProblems #Blaxidermy #Velvets #WitchIssues

[w10w]

GET TO KNOW: PAMELA COUNCIL

ART IN BUILDINGS: When did you first start creating art? What are some of the significant points in your artistic trajectory?

PAMELA COUNCIL: I began making art at a young age as part of my learning process. I would create visual responses to reading and solve problems using drawings. At Williams, art was my way of linking interests in design, math, and pop culture. I used it to make commentary and facilitate conversations about community issues. Recently, my residency at the Wassaic Project helped shape the way I approach my studio practice. And, of course, being in the MFA program at Columbia is a significant point!

AIB: Themes of beauty, labor, and consumerism appear throughout your work. Can you explain your approach to these issues and any other important themes in your art?

PC: Since my upbringing in the Hamptons, those themes have always been of interest to me. I relate to them first through my personal and professional experience, then through obsessive research and material exploration.

AIB: What appeals to you about working with mass-produced objects? Can you talk a bit about the ready-made materials used in "Blaxidermy Venus"?

PC: Mass produced items are embedded with labor. Although their existence presupposes a high demand and wide use, our relationships with them are so intimate and varied. My work is usually made with one person in mind, and shows a different way of using, or disusing, these products.

AIB: You use acrylic nails in several of your pieces. How did you begin working with fingernails?

PC: I began amassing acrylic fake fingernails while traveling in Vietnam. I was working in footwear, and had already been making art relating to the beauty industry. I was curious about the commercial and cultural relationships between the US and Vietnam, and an industry that has been dominated by Vietnamese-Americans. In Vietnam, there are specialty stores for so many items. I discovered the nail store and the raw material of the trade and I was hooked.

AIB: The West 10th Window is a unique space in its size and setting. How did you develop your project to fit the space?

PC: Yes, it’s such a unique space! It’s like a little peekaboo. I saw this as an opportunity to create an element of surprise and wonder, right at street level! After visiting the space, I wanted to transform it into an aquatic diorama window display that would work best with the windows of retail shops nearby- a cosmetic spa, a jewelry store. AIB: What are some of your inspirations?

PC: Botticelli, The Williams Sisters, Home Shopping Network, and Central African power figures.

AIB: What’s next for you?

PC: More public art! I’m working on a monument for James Brown Way, the street behind the Apollo Theater. So excited to reveal that this Spring!

  See more of Pamela Council's work on her website, and follow Pam on her blog and on twitter! Don't forget to come see Blaxidermy Venus, on view at West 10th Window through February 28!

[blackcontemporaryart]

Pamela Council

Flo Jo World Record Nails, 2012.

2,000 acrylic fake fingernails, nail polish, rhinestones, metal, and wood; 60" x 40" x 22"

[blaxidermy]

So many of my relatives have been buried looking like Ash Monsters. I'm going to become a mortuary makeup artist. #BLAXIDERMY

[blaxidermy]

Nicki Minaj: Bride of Blackenstein on SNL. :::: We've come so far.  #BLAXIDERMY

Q: How many black (female) stereotypes can you fit into one skit without making it funny?  

Q: Neuroplasticity: Do plastic surgery recipients experience awkwardness after their growth spurt?  Does the brain process movement/balance differently until it relearns how to move its new body?

Nicki Minaj, with her facial expressions, fantastic fashion, wacky personalities, and character development, could do some great burlesque acts.  She might just need some movement lessons first, as her stage performances last night were a little....  stiff.  Maybe she had a mix-up about when to act like one of the undead.   With some movement lessons (take 1 Grace Jones VHS and call me in the morning), Nicki will be on her way to owning her outfits and the stage, instead of having them own her.

"EVERYBODY KNOWS I'M A **** MONSTARRRR"