6 + 1 Questions with Yasemin Kaçkar-Demirel

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I sort of expect that most people do, to some degree. The love part of my own relationship with Instagram comes primarily from my connections with other artists. I’m drawn to the generosity of artists who share the bits and pieces of their studio practices, their successes and their failures, the consistency of their work ethic, and the small glimpses into their day-to-day, non-studio lives. I’m well aware of the ability of the grammable image to deceive or to self-mythologize. Instagram, like all things, has changed since I joined in 2014 and the algorithmic suppression of lower-profile, emerging artists is a major disappointment. That said, I am still thankful enough for the relationships that I’ve been able to maintain over the years, as well as the new, online ones that I’ve been lucky to develop.

 

One such artist who keeps my Instagram adoration afloat is the Hudson Valley-based artist, Yasemin Kaçkar-Demirel.  Although we have never met in person, our work has been included in two physical exhibitions together: "18", a group exhibition of 18 abstract artists at the Janice Charach Gallery in suburban Detroit AND "Painting at Night", organized by Artist/Mother Podcast and juried by my friend (and phenomenal artist) Allison Reimus. I was immediately smitten with Kaçkar-Demirel’s ability to work with a variety of two- and three-dimensional materials (oil paint, embroidery, insulation foam, yarn, etc., etc.) while maintaining her own consistent voice and vision. The irregular, highly specific shapes within her abstractions bring to mind land masses, geographical boundaries and islands. Her work, however, resists many boundaries within traditional painting and incorporates chance as part of her making process. Kaçkar-Demirel often uses found materials and accidental stains, the detritus and residual marks of the painting practice, as a means of reflecting on the mutability of natural and human-made landscapes.

 

In the interview below, Kaçkar-Demirel discusses both Susanna Clarke’s 2020 novel, Piranesi, as well as the novel’s eponym, the 18^th century, Italian artist and architect, Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Known for his layered etchings of inescapable, imagined prisons, Pirenesi’s interior worlds border on abstraction. We lose the ability to discern direction. Conventional depictions of reality crumble. In "Two dots or lavender clouds", one of Kaçkar-Demirel’s more frenetic, mixed-media works, I feel immersed in the same sort of disorienting un-reality evoked by Clarke’s novel and Piranesi’s prison etchings. The linear, embroidered paths lead my eye around the surface, diligently mapping both the stains and deliberately applied areas of paint. The tracks seem to weave and retrace their steps, linking explosions of paint, cyanotype prints and areas of camouflaged stitching.  In spite of the crystallographic balance, the elements push centrifugally outward, bending and distorting the edges with their delicate and persistent force.

 

Through July 17, 2024, you can find Kaçkar-Demirel’s work in ‘Scapes, a group show at Elisa Contemporary Art gallery in Riverdale, NY. She will also have work included in Peep Space’s 2024-2025 Flat Files program, with an opening exhibition in Fall 2024. Kaçkar-Demirel will be spending the summer in Bodrum, Turkiye where she will develop and experiment with mixed media works on paper, involving relief structures, blockprints and cyanotypes.

 

Thank you, Yasemin, for your generous and insightful responses and your willingness to share a peek into your studio practice. Here’s to an in-person meeting at some point in the future!🍻

Yasemin Kaçkar-Demirel, Leap island, 2022, fragment of paint palette, insulation foam, modeling compound, acrylic and oil paint, 8 x 9 x 1 1/8 inches

1. What’s your sign? If you are astrologically inclined, feel free to give your Sun/Moon/Rising. Do you identify with the characteristics of your sign(s)?

Both my Sun and Rising sign are Sagittarius. My Moon sign is Aquarius. I do identify with their characteristics in the sense that I consider myself free-spirited and try to avoid getting tangled in possessive relationships or restrictive environments. I have a curious nature, a love for learning new things, and eclectic interests. I enjoy traveling and exploring places, as well as testing materials and taking risks in my studio. While I generally have a joyful and lively disposition, there is also an introverted, introspective side of me that is very emotion and intuition driven. I feel quasi-comfortable within groups or crowds, and definitely prefer more intimate, one on one interactions. I like to think of myself as being quite observant and I enjoy listening rather than talking. I have a highly romantic side too but in a very down-to-earth kind of way.

 

Yasemin Kaçkar-Demirel, Wonder of a ruin, 2024, oil on oil paper, 12x 9 inches

2. What is your morning routine?

I have to say that I do not follow a strict routine. It tends to change frequently especially depending on the season. But a typical morning involves preparing my son for school and after sending him off, I brew some coffee. I briefly check my e-mails and Instagram. I take some time to greet the nature outside of my window. I pick a poetry book from my library and read at random, taking notes of any verses that resonate with me. I also recently began practicing meditation with an online community in real time. After it ends, I step in to my studio which is in the basement of my home. I start by spending some time planning my tasks for the day, and organizing the physical space. I make dance movements and stretch my body. Depending on the season, I incorporate outside walks to my morning-to-noon routine as well.

Yasemin Kaçkar-Demirel, Two dots or lavender clouds, 2022, paint stains and paint residues, hand embroidery, cyanotype on fabric, dye, on found textile

3. Have you ever cried in front of an artwork? If so, what was it?

 

I cannot think of a time that I cried, but I do get chills, teary-eyed or awestruck very frequently when I view artworks. Some specific moments stand out, especially from my youth. The first one might be a cliché for some, but the first ever artwork I remember that astonished me was Michaelangelo’s fresco in The Sistine Chapel. I was in middle school, visiting Italy with my mother. Seeing the figures so masterfully executed on the ceiling had a profound impact on me then. I wanted to reach out to the ‘Hands of God and Adam’. I was drawn to the delicacy, fragility and emotion of the hand gesture. Likewise, seeing the similar effect on the Pietá sculpture, the marble absorbing and projecting the emotion of grief and compassion was equally thrilling. Another memory is when I had visited the archeological site of the ancient city of Ephesus near Izmir, Turkiye. Walking on the marble stones on the site, the statues, the amphitheater, the infamous façade of the library and the promenade of columns have since been feeding my fascination with structural remnants and interest in transformation, bridging the past and the future by making art in the present moment. One last memory I would like to mention was on the very first day I entered my alma mater Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul as an undergraduate student. I was teary-eyed seeing the sunlight shine on the replica of the Hellenistic statue of Niké, known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Yasemin Kaçkar-Demirel, Décollage, 2023, oil and oil stick on linen, 16 x 12 inches

4. What are you reading now? (You can also include what you’ve read lately, as well as what you are listening to, watching, etc.)

 

I am currently reading Piranesi, by Susanne Clarke. I was intrigued by its title because I love Piranesi’s architecture drawings and especially his series of intricate etchings called Carceri (prisons). Hence, I am quite attracted to the novel’s utopic labyrinth like setting, perhaps an island with its layered structure, halls full of statues, water flowing throughout and vestibules. The mysterious plot where new characters emerge through a quest for a ‘distributary’ world, sustains my interest. Before this book, I listened to the audiobook of A Wizard of Earthsea, the first one in a series by Ursula Le Guin, which, similar to Piranesi, followed a character’s quest to attain magic through journeys to various islands. I tend to forget the details of what I read over time, but a quote, a feeling or a description of a setting generally stays with me. Currently, I am also listening to the audiobook of Life with Picasso by Françoise Gilot and Carlton Lake. I find Gilot’s insightful account of their complex relationship with Picasso and conversations about paintings and processes within their circuit of prominent art figures interesting and useful. I have the hard copy as well but since I am a slow reader I gain more momentum by listening to the audiobook.

As for music, I am presently listening to Erlend Oye’s new album La Comitiva, Céu and the new single Like I say (I runaway) by Nilufer Yanya.

5.  Tell us four truths about yourself and one lie:

             

a. I sometimes dance in my head as if I am creating a mental choreography
b. I am left-handed but I recently became aware that I have a better tendency to dribble basketball and iron with my right hand.          .    
c. When I was in college in Istanbul, I sang ‘It is only a Paper Moon’ at a jazz music festival.       
d. I love wall tennis and paddle boarding.           
e. I prefer text messaging or facetiming rather than talking on the phone.

 

Yasemin Kaçkar-Demirel, Autumnal ascend, 2023, yarn and vinyl paint on monk’s cloth, 25 x 20 inches

 

6. This is the wild card question. What do you listen to in the studio? Does what you’re listening to change the way that you make your work?

 

I strongly believe that all I hear, see, listen to or experience have their way of seeping into my work. The music I listen to depends largely on my mood and the kind of mediums and process I am engaged with in the studio. While I cannot say that listening to music changes my work in a concrete and representational way, listening to a variety of genres certainly inspires me to save my paint palettes and paint rags to use them as a source to generate collages, blockprints, sculptures and textile works. Similar to noticing variations of sounds, harmonies, melody and rhythm in music, I regard my painting practice as a conduit of possibilities expanding in tandem with a multitude of mediums. When I am painting with oils, I tend to listen to instrumental music or with minimal lyrics, such as jazz, opera, classical or indie/electronic and ambient music, to cultivate concentration. For this purpose, I prefer rhythmic, improvisational or repetitive tunes.

At other times, I simply prefer the sound of silence, or some tunes intrinsically pop up in my head and I find myself listening to them while painting. When I am making mixed media drawings or collages, I choose songs with lyrics which can be very eclectic, from Brit Pop to Radiohead. When I am doing mostly slower paced or rhythmically repetitive tasks like priming or shaping a sculpture, rughooking or embroidery, I pick podcasts, audiobooks, and talk shows in English and in Turkish on Youtube. Some favorite podcasts are Ariacode, On Being, Poetry Unbound and Sound and Vision.

I also like listening to interpretations of well-known pieces such as Pink Martini’s take on Ravel’s Bolero or Jacques Louissier’s take on Bach suites. Growing up in Istanbul, I acquired an affinity to a wide range of musical genres including nostalgic French and Italian songs, musicals, jazz, and classical music, as well as Turkish music from Alaturka to pop. While listening to music, I feel as though a sound space gets transmitted to my painting. This space releases an atmospheric quality inviting me into a subconscious state similar to the structural cues and traces of places I observed transform and dissolve into what I call a beyond space. I have been thinking about this beyond space lately, where remains of places dissipate, memories wilt, end and begin again, continue as angles, lines, gestures, as a new realm within sea, sky and land. By maneuvering the paint through sound and intuition, I observe the work becoming a welcoming container to what arises. I love this aspect of abstraction in music and in painting coinciding, proposing open-ended directions, sensations and unleashing obscurity for the work.  Aside from sound and rhythm, a lyric or a verse in a song or poem can evoke a feeling that I contemplate which can later end up as a title to a work.

 

7. What other artist(s) would you like to see answer these questions?

 

Sarah Arriagada, Seher Erdogan, Niki Kriese, Ashley Garret, Melissa Capasso.

 

Born in Istanbul in 1978, Kackar-Demirel received her MFA from Northern Illinois University, and her BFA from Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul, Turkiye. She has had solo exhibitions at The Yard: City Hall Park, (NYC), Mooney Center Gallery of The College of New Rochelle, (NY), C.A.M. Gallery, (Istanbul, Turkey), Courthouse Gallery of Lake George Arts Project, (Lake George, NY), and McLean County Arts Center, (Bloomington, IL), including her virtual exhibition with Laura A. Sprague Gallery of Joliet Junior College, (Joliet, IL), among other venues. Her works have been exhibited in group shows across the United States as well as internationally in Turkey, Italy, Israel and including KinoSaito in Verplanck, NY, the High Line Nine Galleries in NYC with Visionary Projects and at Ortega y Gasset Projects in Brooklyn, NY. She attended the residency programs at The Bischhoff Inn in Tamaqua, PA, School Of Visual Arts in NYC and AreaOdeon in Monza, Italy. She is a recipient of Moon and Stars Project’s Exhibition Award. Her work has been featured in various catalogs and periodicals including Friend of the Artist, Dovetail, New American Paintings, New Visionary Magazine and Fresh Paint and was included in the online curated registries of The Drawing Center, All She Makes and in the Flat File 2021 Program at Collar Works. She lives and works in Lower Hudson Valley, New York.

@yaseminkackardemirel
www.yaseminkackar.com

All images courtesy of the artist.

6 + 1 Questions with Austin Brady

Sometime in the 90's, when I was a kid, my dad decided that he would build a platform structure for my brother and I on the wooded hill behind our house. From what I remember, it was meant to be some sort of wooden deck for a tent, an outdoor area for my brother and I to play camping. The job was started, but then slowly and imperceptibly abandoned. I was given no rationale, nor did I ask for one. The reminder of this failed endeavor remained in the back yard for years--the stacked cinder block foundation, a monument to projects left undone. Now, as an adult and a parent, I can think of about a million solid reasons why one might ditch an uneccessary project. To his credit, my brilliant, funny and thoughtful father also successfully completed many household jobs. However, this is the memory that comes to my mind when I reflect on Austin Brady's work, likely pulled forth by his body of work’s compelling title, “No Dads No Masters”.

There is a haphazard, mutable quality to Austin's work, although decidedly different than my dad's abandoned project. For one, Austin's work is complete, though perhaps not in the way a layperson might anticipate. Secondly, Austin’s various states of (in)completion are an intentional conceptual choice. Great care is put into his application of various methods and techniques. In one sculpture, Flail, Austin leaves visible the lumber grade stamp on a mass produced 2 x 4. This exposure is in contrast to a neighboring trompe l'oeil hole within which we glimpse painted Skeletors in a dark, cartoon world. In another sculpture, a modern-day Excalibur is adorned with truck balls and protrudes from an orange Home Depot bucket, its blade stuck and useless in what appears to be cement.

In addition to complicating the hierarchy between high and low art practices, Austin’s work invites a playful breakdown between fantasy and convention. An ordinary work space, such as the garage, becomes a place where magic can happen. The paintings and sculptures flip flop between functional and decorative, as I sift through a multitude of possible masculine gender roles. Some are problematic and stereotypical, while others are funny, nostalgic, vulnerable and unexpected.

I'll end on a synchronicity. As I am writing, I am listening to a recent Astrology Podcast ep called "Unshaming the Signs". When speaking about Gemini, astrologer Britten LaRue indicates that Gemini's tendency toward distraction has important benefits. Maybe each so-called distraction gives us something we need at a given moment. Maybe we aren't meant to finish every task. 

A thousand thank-you’s to Austin for sharing such thoughtful responses to my questions and for providing generous insight into his work, process and habits.  You can find more about Austin Brady and his work on his website: www.austin-brady.com and on Instagram @_wolfprison_

*☿*☽*☉ Bonus Astrology PSA ☉*☾*☿* I am not an astrologer, but after listening to hundreds of hours of The Astrology Podcast (plus extra cred for reading Chris Brennan’s 700-page book Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune), I am at least entitled to play one on this blog. Most people are familiar with sun-sign astrology, which is the zodiacal sign of the sun at the time of your birth.  Each of us, though, has an entire birth chart, which represents the placement of all of the planets in the sky (as well as other important astrological points) at the time of birth. In our natal charts, each person has a section (aka a ‘House’) for each of the 12 zodiacal signs. This means that we are all a little bit Gemini, babes. So, if you take astrology seriously enough to malign a sign, remember that every sign provides you with a different set of ways to exist in the world and is also, in some way, a part of you.

Enjoy! xoxo

1. What’s your sign? If you are astrologically literate, feel free to give your Sun/Moon/Rising. Do you identify with the characteristics of your sign(s)?

It’s pretty funny, I get this question almost every semester as a professor and I always tell my inquiring students to guess based on my personality. They usually get it wrong 5-7 times before they land on Gemini. When I confirm they are always like “uhggg, of COURSE you are a Gemini”

My mom was always very into astrology, and so I know a bit about it, but not a ton. I wanted to do a little research and found out my moon is Pisces and my rising is Leo.

I suppose I do identify with some of the characteristics, which I see as this kind of gazing pool, or like the Studiolo in the Ducal Palace. Just this big mesh to catch and organize all these insecurities and indecisions. It’s helpful to have some external source that can assign meaning and direction to all the chaos. 

2. What is your morning routine?

I am so bad at routine, hahaha. I find myself getting off task pretty easily. It’s kind of goofy, but I need a checklist to direct myself and show myself that I am actually accomplishing things. It is usually: brush teeth, wash face, take meds, feed the boys (our cats), make an improvised breakfast out of whatever we have in the fridge, listen to the news while I cook, and do whatever chores my partner and I have talked about the night before. If it is a day that I teach, I always leave extra early to go down to Milwaukee Cafe so that I can get a coffee with oat milk and vanilla cardamom syrup (shout out to Vern, a good friend and the best barista in Detroit) and then I walk from the cafe to campus and do all of my prep before class.

Before I say this, I have to acknowledge that, yes, I know he is problematic, but there is a thing that I watched about Tom Sachs where he practices “output before input” where you are supposed to draw or sketch or dance or whatever before you scroll your phone or listen to the news. I am so bad at this, but sometimes I can commit for few days at a time and it always comes out good. I really need an old-fashioned alarm clock so I don’t touch my phone first thing in the morning, otherwise I am in bed for an embarrassingly long amount of time just scrolling. 

3. Have you ever cried in front of an artwork? If so, what was it?

Absolutely. Every time I even talk about Untitled (Portrait of Ross in LA) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres I start to weep. It is so simple, and tender, and the feeling of loss… enjoying these small little bits of sweetness while the body diminishes. There is no greater love letter in the world. There are definitely others. I don’t shy away from being moved by artwork, but this one has made me cry pretty much every time. 

4. What are you reading now?

I have been reading a lot of sci-fi/fantasy with my partner. I know I should be reading more theory and whatnot but N.K. Jemisin has a chokehold on me. I read her Broken Earth trilogy and I was just hooked. I am a quarter of the way through The Shadowed Sun. So good. 

I am also reading The Wound is (Not) Real: A Memoir by Marty Cain, which is this absolutely beautiful and haunting book of poetry that are spliced with QR code’s that you scan for these short videos. I picked it up at this local book store (another shout out to Book Suey in Hamtramck) and I read about 3 lines of a random poem and practically ran to the register to buy it. It hurts my heart in all the right ways.

5. Tell us four truths about yourself and one lie (in any order, just don’t divulge which is the lie!):

a. I was once ran over by a car while biking to an interview and still showed up to the interview, on time, and in the back of a cop car
b. I once ran out of D-rings when prepping for an exhibition and ended up stapling pop tabs to the back of my art as a quick fix (and still get teased about it)
c. I have a casting of Vin Diesel’s real face in my studio that I talk to some times
d. I once mistook a sculpture at the MOCAD for my partner of 13 years. Even put my arm around its waist and got yelled at by security.
e. Coming up with truths about myself is a hell of a lot harder than coming up with the lie.

6. This is the wild card question. Your work often includes unusual, non-art materials that are in conversation with traditional oil paintings. Can you talk about the symbolic value of the materials you use? How and where do you find your materials?

There were quite a few processes that happened simultaneously in my practice that felt very important to this transformation. The big one is that I began to consider a painting as an object with an image on it rather than the traditional “portal” that depicts a scene. It is this funny punishment to painting. It started by leaning paintings against the wall rather than hang them in order to take them down a notch. When I did start hanging paintings on the wall, I would stack things on top of them to turn them into these really dumb shelves where I could just put knick knacks and empty beer cans onto. They are receptacles for the runoff of life. They get all gunked up.   

I am also in love with flatbed paintings and the way they could organize information free of physics. Things feel like they are always subject to change. I slowly shifted into the vernacular of the “garage,” letting it become a mythical site in which these paintings live. The organizational logic of garage pegboard worked in the same way that flatbed painting does. Here are these images and objects that are essentially tools of identity (more specifically white midwestern masculine identity in my work) that I can take off the wall, use, and put back when I no longer need them. Mounting swords or truck nuts onto the paintings felt as natural to painting as using the color red or using a certain brush. It also confused and frustrated some of my grad school professors, which I loved.

I source the materials from all sorts of places. Most of the weapons I get from flea markets when I can, or source online if I am looking for something very specific. Some of the objects are casts, such as the silicone D20s I use. Others are sourced from vintage shops or resale stores. I just picked up this resin “floating beer bottle” sculpture from a vintage shop that has got to make an appearance soon.

7. What other artist(s) would you like to see answer these questions?

I love Kyle Koguts work. I did a duo show with him a few years back at KO gallery and I think he would be great

Kristina Sheufelt would also be great. They have an insane body of work that spans ecological and technological realms that it just jaw dropping

Oh, and Kara Güt! Killer artist. Everything that they do just keeps getting impossibly better and better.

© Jeff Cancelosi 2022

Austin Brady was born in the cold midwestern town of Gaylord, Michigan and lived the majority of his life in the Detroit area. He received his BFA from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan with a concentration in painting, and received his MFA in Painting from the University of Notre Dame with a minor in Gender Studies. He is also an alum of the Redbull House of Art residency, and has been exhibiting nationally, including the South Bend Museum of Art, Snite Museum of Art at Notre Dame, Field Projects, Vantage Art Projects, and KO studio gallery. He currently resides in Detroit with his loving partner Lyndsay, and his dumb cats Renaissance and Goose. He enjoys cheeseburgers, Dungeons & Dragons, and music most would consider aggressive and unlistenable.

www.austin-brady.com

All images of artwork courtesy of the artist. 

6 + 1 Questions with Shaina Kasztelan

I am delighted to have another 6 + 1 interview to share. I am equally delighted that the interview is with Detroit-based artist Shaina Kasztelan.  I've been a fan of Shaina's work for a long time, since her years as an undergraduate art student at The College for Creative Studies. If you are even a little familiar with my own work, you are probably not surprised by the attraction—I’m drawn to painters that have an element of subversion in their work, whose use of materials expands the possibility of what can be included in a painting. Even classifying Shaina’s work only as painting feels narrow; the work is more contraption than window.

Contextually, looking at Shaina’s work through the lens of Halloween is rewarding. The paintings exude an undeniable October glammy kitsch: imagery of webs and wigs, bats and hats collide with faux leather and crushed velvet. Spandex stretches across plush surfaces. Painted marks comingle with swirls of synthetic hair, beads and textiles.

There’s more here, too, many layers to peel back and look beneath. Detroit, music, the 90’s, the history of abstraction and feminism all inform the work for me. I could go on and on…but I won’t. Let’s get to the good stuff: the interview. And Shaina’s gorgeous work.

Thank you, Shaina, for the generosity of your time and your willingness to share insight into your work and practice!

Shaina Kasztelan is currently completing her final year as an MFA candidate at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Look for her work in the Cranbrook Graduate Degree show in Spring 2024.

❤❤❤

Shaina Kasztelan

Beyond the Black Rainbow

48” x 29” x 6”

Faux fur, upholstery fabric, fleece fabric, glitter, sequins, textile trim, acrylic paint, faux leather, rhinestones, synthetic hair, spandex, beads, plastic needlepoint mesh, yarn, polyester stuffing, crushed velvet, embroidery thread, puffy paint, sand

2023

LR: What’s your sign? If you are astrologically inclined, feel free to give your Sun/Moon/Rising. Do you identify with the characteristics of your sign(s)?

SK: I am a Gemini (May 25). I’m not astrologically inclined whatsoever but I do think horoscopes are fun to read and fantasize about! Looking up the characteristics of a Gemini online, I definitely identify with the majority of the various traits: 

-I’m naturally curious
-I love to learn
-I can be impulsive
-I love to have fun and I’m adventurous
-I’m adaptable
-I’m indecisive
-I have a variety of hobbies
-I’m quick-witted

The only one that I don’t completely identify with is being a social butterfly. I love hanging out with my friends and don’t really have trouble talking to strangers but my social battery gets drained very quickly. I love spending personal time alone and prefer smaller, more intimate interactions with others. Big groups can be fun but it’s very over stimulating so I end up spending more time observing (or nervously overcompensating by talking too much haha). 

Shaina Kasztelan

2c-B(irthday Cake) 

34” x 24” x 6”

Spandex, satin fabric, sequins, cotton fabric, textile trim, beads, lace, plastic chains, hot glue, latex paint, puffy stickers, balloons, resin, glitter, acrylic paint, polyester stuffing, faux leather, sand, faux fur, white opaque flakes, styrofoam 

2023

LR: What is your morning routine?

SK: I desperately want to be the type of person who has an active morning routine but to be honest, ever since 2020 it’s been very hard for me to form and stick with healthy habits. COVID lockdowns, leaving my dream job because of OSHA concerns, and the death of one of my best friends and also my father all within a short window of time really did a number on me. I still feel a huge void inside of me so it’s been a challenging transition but I'm trying to focus on being present with myself and not dwelling too much on the past or anxiously anticipating the future. There is a part of me that is really appreciative of the whole situation though because it forced me to confront bad habits and reevaluate what was important to me.

Something that has helped shift that perspective in the last year has been undergoing ketamine treatments at Michigan Progressive Health. They’ve really made me more emotionally aware, feel more connected to myself & the world around me, and recognize that life isn’t strictly based on extremes of always/never or good/evil; there is so much more nuance to consider and both can be true at the same time. It’s also helped override this “default mode” in my brain that keeps me feeling stuck in mechanical thoughts and behaviors and instead encourages me to embrace absurdity and the unknown.

Because of this shift, the only semblance of a routine I have right now is a mindfulness practice that encourages me to be present in the moment. I try to do it daily but I’m not perfect. It’s something that seems like it should be so simple but it can be difficult to make time for. Inspired by the Situationist International’s practice of dérive, it’s basically just walking an unplanned route, reflecting on different sensations I’m feeling, and spontaneously allowing myself to be drawn to different areas that capture my attention without overthinking it. I’ve stumbled upon so many beautiful sightings because of this which feels pretty serendipitous at times. The other day I walked up on a huge group of deer sleeping in the forest, all of them surrounding a stump covered in bright yellow mushrooms! I usually put on headphones and listen to something ambient like Pauline Anna Strom or Boards of Canada; music makes everything seem more grand and emotionally compelling, even if it’s just watching how the light shines through the leaves in the trees or feeling the temperature change on my skin when moving from an open field to a densely wooded area. Afterward, I like to journal about my experience to really reflect on my gratitude.

Overall, this practice of grounding is about celebrating fleeting moments that I might overlook when I’m rushed or burnt out, even if it’s something small and seemingly insignificant. It’s welcoming the unexpected, letting it capture my full attention, reveling in the fact that I was in the right place at the right time to witness it happening, and recognizing that there is value in slowing down and connecting with the world around us.

Shaina Kasztelan

Mystic Picnic

36” x 18.5” x 8.5”

Fake grass, wicker basket, acrylic paint, spray paint, rhinestones, plastic beads, plastic toys, dentures, sequins, embroidery thread, faux fur, Joann Fabrics printed cotton fabric, textile trim, wooden wagon wheel bracket, wooden toilet paper holder  

2022

LR: Have you ever cried in front of an artwork? If so, what was it?

SK: I’ve never cried in front of a static, singular artwork like in a gallery or museum setting (I did feel pretty emotional in the Thierry Mugler exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum this spring though; he is a queer icon and an amazing designer and with all of the drag queen “satanic panic” type culture war stuff going on, I felt some type of way) but I did tear up while watching a live performance of "Our Domestic Resurrection Circus" from the Bread and Puppet theater troupe this past fall. I had just found out about them a year prior while I was briefly involved in the MFA program for Set Design at Wayne State University but they’ve been around since the 1960’s, so I was really excited to hear that they would be coming to Hamtramck to perform at the Detroit Puppet Company. Their performances have always been political in nature, very anti-war & anti-capitalist, and they utilize large handmade paper mache puppets that are made collaboratively on a farm in Vermont. They also run a printing press and sell prints at the end of their performances. One of my favorite prints was their Cheap Art Manifesto.

It reads:  

“People have been thinking too long that art is a privilege of the museums & the rich. Art is not business! It does not belong to banks & fancy investors. Art is food. You can’t eat it but it feeds you. Art has to be cheap & available to everybody. It needs to be everywhere because it is the inside of the world. Art soothes pain! Art wakes up sleepers! Art fights against war and stupidity! Art sings Hallelujah! Art is for kitchens! Art is like good bread! Art is like green trees! Art is like white clouds in blue sky! Art is cheap! Hurrah”

What moved me the most about this performance was the community atmosphere. Weeks prior, they put out a call inviting locals to participate in the show. The day of, I arrived at the Detroit Puppet Company’s outdoor space with my best friend (& frequent creative collaborator) Heidi Barlow, my brother Jacob, and my sister-in-law Qingzhuo. The performance was free to attend and the area was full of families, couples, friends, neighbors, children, curious passersby, etc all packed together laying on blankets or sitting in lawn chairs across the grass facing this hand-painted old school bus. When 7pm hit a huge group of like 20 or so people came running out from behind the bus all dressed in white, carrying flags, bouncing around the perimeter of the stage, laughing and cheering as they circled each other. The energy was electric- I immediately started smiling so big and tearing up because it just hit me on such an emotional level being surrounded by all this collective joy. After an isolating pandemic, grieving the deaths of some really important people in my life, and just feeling pretty depressed about the future, this experience breathed new life into me. I highly recommend attending one of their shows if they ever come to a town near you. They are currently on tour this fall so keep an eye on their website! https://breadandpuppet.org/tour-schedule 

Shaina Kasztelan

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a Double Rainbow

52” x 36” x 6”

Joann Fabrics printed cotton fabric, spandex, quilted fabric, acrylic paint, fleece fabric, faux fur, rhinestones, metal clasps, sand, beads, embroidery thread, textile trim, metal frames, found objects, polyester stuffing 

2023

LR:.What are you reading now? (You can also include what you’ve read lately, as well as what you are listening to, watching, etc.)

SK: I’ve been obsessively downloading tons of PDF’s from JSTOR while I have access to it via Cranbrook, so I have a seemingly never ending amount of content to browse for the next few years. Like my Gemini nature suggests- I’m on a quest for knowledge. There are many different subjects that I’m interested in researching and alluding to in my artwork: consumerism, psychedelic experiences, escapism, the act of play, the American suburbs, glitches, subcultures, American visual culture, Dada, Surrealism, sci-fi & horror movies, cartoons, internet culture, kitsch, queer camp, psychology, theater, nostalgia, the environment, etc. I also have like 100+ tabs open on my computer and phone of various articles, websites, PDFs, whatever. I’m slowly trying to organize my huge archive of research but there’s so much stuff it’s going to take a really long time.

Over the summer, I read (or am still in the process of reading):

Glitch Feminism by Legacy Russell
In Defense of the Poor Image by Hito Steyerl
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
The City Authentic by David A. Banks

Things I’ve been (re)watching and (re)listening to lately:

-Brad Troemel’s Patreon video essays
-Beyond The Black Rainbow by Panos Cosmatos
-The Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jodorowsky
-Wonder Showzen
-Comedy Bang Bang podcast
-A lot of newer jazz, like Portico Quartet and Yussef Dayes
-My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult’s Confessions of a Knife album
-New Aphex Twin stuff. He’s a huge influence. His live set at the Warehouse Project in Manchester from 2019 is so amazing. I really like to bop around to that in the studio while I’m working.



LR: Tell us four truths about yourself and one lie (in any order, just don’t give away the lie!):

SK:

a. I have four cats.
b. I’ve known my fiance since we were teenagers.
c. I’ve done some of my own piercings/tattoos.
d. I am an only child.
e. I’ve only ever lived in Michigan.

Shaina Kasztelan

Would You Like to Have a Happy Heart?

62” x 33” x 18”

Fleece fabric, Joann Fabrics printed cotton fabric, plastic toys, colored pencils w/erasers, resin, glitter, textile trim, plastic pills, beads, acrylic paint, sequin witch hat, dowel rod, decorative metal hooks, studded belt, plastic toilet paper rack, synthetic hair

2022

LR: Wild card! Can you share a bit about how play and experimentation relate to your artistic practice? How does failure play a role in your work?

SK: Play and experimentation are absolutely crucial to my work- they are the main drivers behind my entire practice. Having a day job in production over the past few years, everything I built had to be meticulously planned or constructed based on someone else’s blueprints with no room for my own personal touch. I had to perfectly follow my boss’s instructions and work as quickly and efficiently as possible which meant a lot of pre-planning and sticking to a strict schedule. It definitely exacerbated my perfectionism! In my own studio, I try to let that all go and allow myself much more freedom.

I really enjoy working intuitively and being spontaneous. I can just sort of turn off my logical brain and make intuitive connections in the moment based on responding to color, shapes, material, etc. I use a lot of found objects and found images in my work so I’ll start by going through bins full of junk that I have on my shelves or on my computer and pairing things together. Maybe there is a toy that fits perfectly into the curvature of another random object or maybe there is an object that is referenced in a found image that I’ll print off and incorporate. From there it’s kind of just moving things around, breaking them apart, manipulating them, and putting them back together in different ways until something feels right.

I try not to overthink it; if I plan too much or if the work translates too literally on a conceptual level then I get bored of a piece really easily. I am much more interested in work that surprises and challenges me. I want to sit with a piece and question what I’m even looking at and how did I get there.

Failure has taught me a lot in the studio. It took me a while to appreciate it, but now I welcome and oftentimes seek out those experiences. I have worked in a lot of different creative industries and have a huge skill set but I don’t have all the answers, so when something fails it teaches me a lot about what went right, what went wrong, and how I can change the results next time. Sometimes it’s something important like a matter of structural integrity which helps me become a better builder on future projects. Sometimes it’s just an unexpected material reaction which can be really weird and exciting. I’ve stumbled across a lot of great textures by accident because I mixed the wrong things together or added too much of something. It has never ended up in catastrophe, but when things have failed it’s opened up a whole new world of possibilities I would have otherwise never experienced.

Failure is inevitable; I don’t want to gloss over the messy parts of life and hide it under the rug. It feels more honest and human allowing scars to show rather than creating the illusion of a smooth, impervious shield. People who expect anything to be perfect in life are just going to end up very disappointed. I think reframing our experiences of failure as an educational guide rather than a moral judgment of character is a healthier outlook for all aspects of our lives.

LR:  What other artist(s) would you like to see answer these questions?

SK: My Cranbrook studiomates Sara Nickelson and Olivia Guterson! And BFF Heidi Barlow!

Shaina Kasztelan is a multidisciplinary artist based in Detroit, Michigan. Her artwork takes on many forms including painting, sculpture, and installation. She received her BFA from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and is currently pursuing her MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI with a concentration in painting. Her work has been exhibited in various institutions including the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Artist Market, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Painting murals has transported her work internationally from the NXNE Music Festival in Toronto, Canada to the CIMU Mural Festival in Mexico City, Mexico. In addition to creating work in her studio, Kasztelan has assisted many artists throughout her career. Most notably, she has worked in collaboration with a group of painters executing the mural work of Gabe Gault in Toledo, Ohio, which is currently the largest mural in the United States. As a production assistant, she has collaborated with a creative team building parade floats for America's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Detroit as well as theater sets for Wayne State University's Hilberry Theatre. 

Find her work at: http://www.shainakasztelan.com/ or @clowntearz on Instagram

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All images courtesy of the artist.