Artist Profile: Braden Denton

Writer: Helen Grant
 

As one Resonator regular put it: "Art by Braden Denton: Total Mystery. Maybe Alien. Complete Enigma. Friend and Colleague. Not a Vampire."

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A quick Q/A with our featured artist for the January Art Walk:

Q. What is your artist statement for this show?
A. I don't really believe in artist statements to be honest. If I could express myself well enough with my words, I wouldn't have to make art. I guess right now my work is about love, growth, & play.

Q. What compelled you to put it together?
A.  Artists are supposed to share their work!

Q. What is something you’d like for audiences to take away from this event and your work?
A. That I love them, hopefully.

Q. What do you want to focus on moving forward?
A. Writing a story.

Q. Do you have links to other works, video, or a website you would like to share?
A. resonatortv.com

Vegan Cooking Class: Overview

Writer: Helen Grant
 

For those just learning of this new cooking series at Resonator, or for those who haven't made it to a class yet, here are some examples of the lessons and types of dishes prepared during Andrea Duran's first two classes. Andrea currently teaches this series on Monday nights. You can view the event, sign up for a class ($10), and get her contact information through this link.

Recipe used during the first class.

Are you just learning the basics? Not sure what you can purchase locally? Here is a list of some other items discussed in these classes.

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The next set of photos documents a rare collaborative opportunity students had. Resonator's visiting artist from India, B. Ajay Sharma, teamed up with Andrea to present a distinctly Indian take on vegan meals.

Below is a sample of these spices put into action!

Ajay makes spinach pakoras after making the class a warm beverage of ginger, honey, and lemon .  

Here we see the makings of a vegetable couscous salad.  

Jenna Bryan samples a spinach pakora, later Ajay would treat those students who stayed after class to an eggplant version as well.  

Spinach pakora with served with a mint-cilantro chutney. 

Students don't just sit and learn at these classes. They are welcome to help in the preparation of various dishes, get a sample something freshly made, or get close for a better view of the process.  

Artist Profile: B. Ajay Sharma

Writer: Helen Grant
 

"The Death (Mistake of the Poet)", Medium –Hand Embroidery, image courtesy of the artist.

B. Ajay Sharma is Resonator's visiting artist for the month of October.

See our calendar for scheduled events with Ajay.

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Q: What's the biggest influence that pushed you to pursue performance art?

A: Well, this is a bit of a complicated question for me, but if I had to explain in few sentences, I would say it was just happened. I was not able to understand what I did in the past that led me to this art form, but then one day while I was doing my daily Yoga practice I could suddenly see my body movement in the context of space and how it comes across as an image. So that's how I realized I had performance abilities. But that is not the end of answer. After some experiences in different situations, I found myself still struggling to find my language in performance. I was looking to alternative performance practices in Europe when I met Roi Vaara and several other members of Black Market.  They helped me to think about performance and myself as analogy and this idea help me evolve my art a lot.


Q: I read that you had a residency at a contemporary art festival in Budapest, Hungary this year. What was the aim of your performance? How did you prepare for it?

A: I had an idea for the performance when I applied to participate, but after going there and looking at the political and social situations I decided to create a performance with several more layers, which I feel made my performance more informed for the audience who would see it: art people and common people who don't have a lot of engagement with performance art. I also wanted to work in a gallery space as well as an outdoor space. And I've always wanted to work with all types of people and collaborate with them, whatever their background, through cultural exchange. To inspire in them that feeling of physical involvement in a place and time.

The method I used was satirical and mocked the oppressive parts of Indian, my culture, and Western culture. To confront air pollution and the politics behind it, I used a special breathing technique and meditation process. I also used in my drawings images sourced from the Second World War. This time frame is where I pulled a reference image of people protesting against the Hungarian government. So, basically it was a way to give the Hungarian people a reference point in my work to see what I'm trying to do.


Q: What draws you to Norman, Oklahoma? And what are your plans for working with Resonator?

A:  One year ago I met Jenna Bryan, from Resonator, at Flash Crises Performance Festival in Kansas City, MO. It is through her that I developed an interest in Norman. I am interested in creating layered performances. I am looking for the Norman community's participation in my research base community practice I plan to do at Resonator, where food is the main communicative element, as it usually is for any society on Earth. These particular performances function as a social practice where anybody can join and participate.


Q: Can you tell me some background on your video "Motherland and Other Stories"? Did pieces from that work end up in "Residue of Performative Acts"?

A: First of all my idea was not to make video. It was supposed to be purely a photographic project, but after awhile certain situations and experiences made me think of turning the idea into a short film.  As for the "Residue of Performative Acts" exhibition, I got my first solo show with Galerie Felix Frachon in Brussels. This is where I started working on the video with him. The concept behind the short film is to imbue the abstract performances with a feel for what is going on in my country in pictorial and choreographed way. My short film is very symbolic. It references the extremist right wing ideologies rising up all over the world, even in the U.S. or India. 

 

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Artist Profile: Katy Seals

Writer: Helen Grant
 

To cast your gaze upon Katy Seals' work is to take a brightly colored trip down "the last temptation of Lisa Frank" lane. Along the way there are images that may evoke a sense of quiet strength where women in the foreground loom large despite the chaos of the landscape behind them. There are also the more irreverent scenes depicted in Seals' prints, which read as if the cadre of muses are in the midst of something showy yet utterly mundane; dare I say "basic"?

                                                                     Jarrell, TX II and I, Katy Seals

In one of these portraits a barfly, rodeo queen waves to an unseen crowd. Her eyelashes are caked in heavy mascara and an unmistakable orange glow tints her otherwise flawless skin. Curiously, however, Chanel logos grace the barfly's background. The "Country Girl" in this context finds no immediate conflict between her "All-American" beliefs and her choice of French design house. Does "good" taste transcend politics? One wonders in an era where Freedom Fries are still on the menu in some places.

                                                    Doggy Style I&II, Day Drunk, Noodler, Katy Seals

Then there are the women who eat pizza, burgers, and corn dogs. Some women "go" bad, drive hot like a $2 pistol, or suffer from day drinking gone awry. There's a performative element in these larger than life depictions and the resulting juxtapositions, for some, will be humorous.

                                                                     Untitled, Katy Seals

"Diamond in the Wilderness: A Solo Exhibition of Works by Katy Seals" starts at 8 p.m. See this link for the details. Below is a Q and A Resonator conducted with Ms. Seals.

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Q and A: KATY SEALS

Q: What is thematic arc of your new series?

A: The theme I have been working with has shifted focus to color choice/ color harmonies, and experimenting with opacities and layers. I have been trying to mimic aesthetics of 1950's and 60's advertisements of cosmetics/beauty products and deconstructing into my own mutant approach. 

Q: What are some of the stories that inspire you to make the portraits you create?

A: For portraiture, I admire all the grotesque and awkward expressions the face can make and try and mimic that in my work. The inspiration ranges from a cynical stay at home house wife to a forlorn factory worker. 

Q: I noticed your new work uses more screentone compared to older portraits. An OVAC article said you got a grant to study printing making at the Frogman Print and Paper Workshop in 2014, did some of that experience make it into this new work, and how so?

A: At Frogman's in 2014 I studied Intaglio from Kansas-based artist, Michael Krueger. I chose to sharpen my intaglio skills to aid my pedagogical practice. Typically my personal work utilizes serigraphy, mono print, and painting but I wanted to learn safer, less toxic approaches. I challenge myself to absorb new techniques to bring into my studio and classroom, O.V.A.C. allowed for that particular trip with their educational grants. 

Q: Looking back on past and current work I noticed white women are predominately featured in the lowbrow lineup. Now that Trump is President, will the politics of the women who elected him be explored in a future series? 

A: That's a great suggestion for a series! Living in a rural location, I unfortunately have a plethora of muses.

Q: Hypothetical and just for fun: The bots on Twitter acheive enough sentience to join forces with server farms across the world. Together they suddenly evolve into our new Robot Overlords, how are you resisting? 

A: OooHHHhhh my! I'd have to say maybe my secluded location would allow for me to go rouge and off the grid to escape the grips of the Robot Overlords! Sounds terrifying. 

                                                        Kali, Katy Seals

Artist Statement:

Diamond in the Wilderness is a collection of drawings and prints creating a visual commentary on low-brow Americana culture and folklore through found photos, advertisements, old patterns and illustrative drawings. I enjoy the didactic and often democratic quality of printmaking, which was historically used to expose imagery to the public. I feel that printmaking appropriately aids my aesthetic and subject matter, and I embrace the uncertain outcome of the process.

Artist Bio:

Katy Seals received her BFA at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in 2008 and her MFA in printmaking from the University of Oklahoma in 2012. She currently teaches printmaking at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. Katy draws inspiration from cultural phenomenon of western society regarding the bizarre and the kitsch. Originally from Texas, her work often shows her Southern roots, however, due to journeys into the the depths of youtube and cable television, one can expect to see anything from a pageant queen with a bouquet of corn dogs, to giant granny panties and Snooky paper dolls.

Artist Website: http://www.katyseals.com/