For fans of the artist, it’s no secret that music is not the only creative outlet through which Halsey enjoys expressing herself. Her passion for painting has shown itself in her music career on multiple occasions such as The “Graveyard (time laps)” music video or her performance of « Eastside » on Saturday night live. In her newest art venture, however, fans and admirers of her art now have the chance to acquire one of her pieces for themselves. On the 12 of march, the artist announced that she will be putting some of her artworks on sale for the first time through the Nifty gateway, with a portion of the sale going to My Friend’s Place (MFPLA), an organization for homeless youth and Carbon 180, which works to fight global warming.
The artworks in question called « People disappear here » , consists of one principal hand-painted piece with an animated version of it as well as multiple animations of the painting’s characters. According to Halsey, these creations were inspired by the multiple episodes of sleep paralysis and their demons which she has been experiencing a lot since the beginning of the quarantine. She says that « After seven years of bed surfing hotel rooms around the world, adjusting to my own pitch-black cave in California had a little bit of a learning curve. »
This state of mind becomes more than apparent with the disproportionately grotesque and almost human creatures dispersed through the impressive art piece and animations put up for auction on the 17th of march. The vivid colors and almost clay-like texture of the animated monsters along with the eerie music in the background of each bring to life all of the artist’s strange nightly companions whether that would be a «toddler TV programming evil dentists » or a child born with huge claws. Fan’s of horror video games might find this style a bit familiar.
Overall, the collection was well received and 5 days after the release of the art pieces, the main art work and most animations were sold out during the silent auction and their owners are not accepting offers. However, a lot of character animations are still available for sale on Nifty from the previous buyers, so there still is hope for fans who still wish to acquire a piece of Halsey’s collections. The price range goes from 2, 388 $ to 10,710 $.
Between the millions of videos posted daily on TikTok can be found a blooming community of artists and art historians. But lately, it’s in disarray, the balanced established have been shaken, by a…boy who ruins paintings..? Let me elaborate, Jack Carden, a 19 years old artist from New Zealand, has sparked both Horror and admiration in the hearts of every person that came across his pieces. The fine art and art history first-year student has started exhibiting his artwork at Christchurch’s The 013 gallery in 2020 and has now accumulated a big following on social media in a short time despite the controversy that surrounds his works. Having turned the heads of many, a big number of questions arose regarding the artist and his work. As such, we went directly to the source, Jack Carden himself, in hope of finding some answers.
Q: How did you come to work with this style of art and from what do you draw your inspiration?
A: I have been drawing in this style since I could hold a pen. Something about messy left-handed handwriting and Scribbly drawings has always been a part of my bookwork growing up throughout school. In year 12, I was forced into art -I wanted to do chemistry- due to a timetabling issue at my school. I studied it for 2 years of IB. It quickly became my best subject. I researched Basquiat, Damien Hurst, Warhol, Keith haring, Jenny Saville, Hannah hock, John pule, the Dadaism movement, and so on. From these artists, I learned a lot about the intentions behind art, as well as ways of expressing oneself without limits – enter the whole of neo-expressionism.
This combined with ideals from Dadaism and my neo-gothic touch, developed my style as it is known today.
Q: Anti-art is quite a vague concept, how would you say it applies to your pieces?
A: I would say anti-art applies to my work on a few different levels. Firstly, the most recent series of works I have done is based on Dadaist ideals – this “rejection of art”. The concept of taking pre-existing artworks that are not mine – f*cking them up – and then selling them for thousands… it’s almost like one sarcastic p*sstake of the art world, especially the “art world” of TikTok. And it’s beautiful. On a more simple level, the act of fucking up artworks is in itself is “anti” art. The final level however is irrelevant to the art I make. It’s about myself as an artist – and my approach to art. I am going against the traditional route to becoming an artist. I’m a fucking kid on TikTok – not a 60-year-old man painstakingly painting beautiful and intricate oil landscapes only to be discovered and praised after he dies. My approach to the art world fundamentally does not fit within its norms. Which is perfect. I love it. Because fuck the traditional path. Literally who the f*ck cares about that anymore? It’s a new era – so let’s carve a new path. I have always said that I would rather everyone hate my art with a passion than be indifferent.
I’d much rather be an anti-artist than not an artist.
Q: Because of this, a lot of controversy surrounds your work and whether it is or isn’t art, but how would you define art?
A: To me, art is about provoking emotion. Whether good or bad, beautiful or ugly. And without a doubt, my art does that. But this “controversy” regarding whether my art is or isn’t “art” is bullsh*t. Beautiful bullsh*t. Who gives a f*ck if it’s “art” or not in everyone’s eyes. To spark a conversation – a heated, rage-filled argument – about my art in the first place is something that as an artist, is extremely fulfilling. And was entirely intentional. “Anti-art” is a controversial term – utilized to spark controversy… and it worked. Of course, it worked. I had no doubt it would work… but when I started seeing hate videos with hundreds of thousands of views, I knew it really worked. To quote @jayclaytonwelch “this kid made something that will have a bigger emotional impact than most artists will achieve in their entire lives”. It worked. Whether “art” or not… it worked.
Q: Regardless of that, you have recently gained a big following on social media, why do you think your art resonates so deeply with some people?
A: I think my art resonates with people for a lot of reasons. But what I like about it is that it’s not like I’m this “art connoisseur” character. I title my TikToks very deliberately. “Boy draws picture”. Because realistically, that’s all I am. And despite what some people say, that’s all I’ve ever claimed to be – a boy that draws pictures. Which is believable. Relatable. Achievable for anyone. at the most basic level. Of course lots of people relate to it for personal reasons – e.g. the writing itself conveys stories that some people will relate with or simply people just really like gothic art etc…
Q: And finally, what future do you envision for you as an artist, and for your work?
A: In the near future I have a lot I want to achieve. I am working on clothing currently – as well as a run of limited prints. There are also a lot of other artists and tiktokers that I want to collaborate with. Once Covid-19 has fucked off, I want to do a gallery show internationally – ideally in New York.
In the far future, I envision myself as still not quite being accepted by the “art world”. Hopefully.
Whether you like him or not, Jack Carden entered the art world with a bang and is planning to continue leaving his mark through his artwork, opinions, and future project.
The louvre museum, similar to every Touristic and artistic center in Paris, is a place highly visited and sought after. As a direct consequence of that, it tends to be crowded during the holidays. Especially the days that are followed by the end of the holiday in question or by a day of the museum closure. For this reason, it is recommended for a person seeking to visit the museum to plan. It is important to choose the dates in which the museum is less likely to be crowded to make the experience more enjoyable.
Research the art pieces beforehand.
The most known painting in the louvre is undoubtedly Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Because of this painting’s fame, the first-time visitor tends to ignore the other pieces placed in the louver on they’re way to the Mona Lisa. Although, it is not the only notable artwork found in the louver. In fact, many important paintings such as Delacroix’s liberty leading the people, ancient Egyptian artifacts, and many more pieces get overlooked or ignored simply by ignorance of their importance. Henceforth, doing some research on the pieces worth seeing in louver will not only expand the visitors’ knowledge but also win the time lost typically in confusion to what to see next during a visit.
Take advantage of the map and audio guide.
When going to a museum, some visitors tend to overlook maps and audio guides as unnecessary. This assumption can be very harmful to a person’s experience in a museum, especially the louver. In a museum as imposing as this one, someone without the specialized knowledge might get lost and confused and end his visit without learning anything. With the help of the map and previous research, a visitor will know where to look and what to see. Once the art piece is reached, the visitor will be truly able to expand their knowledge and appreciation of the piece with the information provided by the audio guide, making their visit more fruitful.
If planning to see an exhibition, check the museum sites for information.
For certain exhibits in the louvre, it is necessary to reserve a place and buy a ticket separately from the initial ticket that gives access to the louvre museum. These reservations can be done on the official louvre museum site. It is very important to check the available dates and align the available one with the date of your visit. Some visitors visit the museum with the promise of seeing an exhibition only to leave disappointed that they couldn’t enter with no reservation. This tip is currently even more important to note considering the current Le Corps et l’Âme exhibition and the museum itself can only be accessed if a time slot is booked as a consequence of the spread of the coronavirus.
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