Let’s go back to 2016 and re-consider how the works highlighted below are more relevant today than ever when asking “What is and isn’t art?”. The recent surge in AI and chatbot produced ‘art’ has created new challenges in recognition, interpretation and validation. Or has it? [J.Barker Content Producer for The Silo] It became immediately apparent that the rephrasing of the question “What is art?” to “What isn’t art?” signaled a dissolution of the boundary separating metaphor from reality.

Since, citizen and artist alike have been plunged headlong into the bacchanals of postmodernity, and the question has been obscured under a heap of incongruous discourse and subtexts.

Eva Davidova multimedia installation view

Two curious and intrepid artists offer their answers to this exhausting and illuminating question in their discussions of unexplored spaces and shifting subtexts.

Painter and multimedia artist Eva Davidova tests the digital waters of virtual reality through immersive, programmatic experiences. Articulating the conviction that emerging technology is obliged to transcend commercial application, Davidova’s phantasmagoric 3D renderings attempt to draw the strings away from the hands of big business. Topics mentioned include the beauty of academic reciprocity, the fiscal realities of living in the metropolis, and the future of collaborative artistic environments.

julie mehretu dispersion — Julie Mehretu’s Dispersion

Behind the meticulous and sweeping abstract landscapes from the mind of Julie Mehretu are subtle societal and historical cues, which inform and enrich the surface of her paintings. In her ebullient interview, Mehretu speaks of the benefits and restrictions that arise from using architectural semantics to ground explorations of political and social change.

Wrought from countless painterly quotations, the identity of Mehretu’s brushstroke vanishes the moment it falls under interpretation.

The elusive and curious nature of the Ethiopian artist’s aesthetic experiments, coupled with a steady ethical subtext make for an engaging and memorable listen.

Featured image- “A Questionable Tale(#1)” 2022 Marina Zurkow/DALL-E (AI)

For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Offering FLY’s artistic-inspirational book at a rational price tag of $35USD, Liron & Shira Ben-Arzi , the two sisters/artists behind it, aim to raise more than $11,730 to fund the production and help spread their vision of inspiration, globally. Their pure hope is that as you flick through the pages of FLY, you will be filled with a sense of strength; of light and of love. Meaning, that FLY will become our daily personal coacher, with messages of self-fulfillment and motivation, transferred through quotes, poetry and drawings. Using their personal talent and ambition, the two sisters have crafted this 240 pages book, based on pen & ink portraits and unique written narratives that tell the stories of 49 truly extraordinary people who forever changed the course of humanity.

They have collected the tales of people who have done the impossible into a book; stories of people who transcended the boundaries placed against them. For example; The unbelievable tale of Karina Chikitova – a little girl who survived 11 days in the wilds of Siberia; Sophia Scholl – A young woman who protested against the Nazis by painting murals; While also researched modern heroes, such as; gay-rights activist Brian Skerry, and artist Frida Kahlo who overcame many adversities to rise to success, as well as heroes from times gone by, such as; Leonardo Da Vinci and Ludwig van Beethoven.

“FLY is more than a book, it’s a remedy for remorse and a medicine for melancholy. It’s designed to motivate and inspire anywhere, anytime”, as Liron the painter behind it expressed. “Our vision and dream is that the power of human perseverance and of passion and positivity will flood the reader’s senses and remind him/her of the beauty and goodness in the world”, Shira, the poet in the team, added.

FLY’s Kickstarter campaign is just the beginning for these two, as they hope to take the mission of inspiration forward and much further. The awareness raised through Kickstarter will also help to fund future inspirational FLY projects including; exhibitions, lectures, workshops and other interactive visual media.

The Silo

Tag Archives: drawing

Through Mediums of Painting and Written Narrative, FLY shares Tales of Tremendous Strength and Courage

Canada's 'biggest little blogspace'