Fall SOLOS: Meet the Artists Pt. 2
As we gear up to open the 2014 Fall SOLOS, we’re continuing introductory Q&As with this fantastic group of emerging artists. Read on to meet two more of the SOLOS artists!
Ann Tarantino
What motivates you to continue to create work?
An insatiable desire to make things.
In your mind, what does art contribute to community and culture?
This is something I think about a lot as my work turns the corner from solitary studio practice to public projects integrated in the community or drawing from the landscape/site in which the work is installed. I think art has the capacity to highlight parts of our lives, landscapes, histories, and memories that we might not otherwise access or think about. Art can draw connections between seemingly disparate times and places and weave these into a cohesive narrative. And art in public spaces can provide a touchstone for conversations about communities, places, and the people who inhabit them.
What elements of pop culture and contemporary life emerge in your work?
Graphic design (colors, shapes, and forms), the realities of natural forces and climate change, Pantone’s “color of the year,” data visualization, billboards, the plants in my garden, self-seeded urban landscapes, cracks in the sidewalk, knitting patterns, and maps of all kinds.
What is your favorite late-night studio snack?
Chocolate and a glass of wine.
Khánh H. Lê
What motivates you to continue to create work?
It is my inner struggle to grasp my personal identity or lack thereof. Being a Vietnamese-American, I am neither Vietnamese nor American in each of the respective cultures. Art allows me to imagine and generate new possibilities within the hyphenated culture.
In your mind, what does art contribute to community and culture?
Beauty. Even though humanity has many cultures and communities across the world. The universal language of beauty is one that helps us connect to one another, no matter who we are and the culture that we came from.
If your work were a sound, song, or musician, what would it be?
An electric guitar. I love seeing performers rocking out at any music event. There is nothing better than seeing my works front and center in a show for the audience to enjoy.
