An Evening Filled With “An Exchanging Glance”

The Jeremy Hush Exhibition at Last Rites Gallery, NYC
21 November 2015 – 16 January 2016


On November 21st, I attended the opening reception for “An Exchanging Glance”, a solo exhibition of new works by Philadelphia illustration artist Jeremy Hush. The title of the show comes from one of the main pieces featured in the exhibition, where a Bateleur eagle sits atop an empty skull that rests in its nest, the piercing stare of the eagle juxtaposed with the vacant human eye sockets. It’s a reversal of dominion (i.e., the thinking of what humans actually assert dominion over) and what that entails. This piece, along with others included in the exhibition, is meant to remind us of the responsibility we have to other inhabitants of this world. In this way, Hush’s work demands that we rethink our roles, definitions, and the ways we understand ourselves as somehow superior to nature. Many works feature humans at moments of extreme vulnerability, or even demise, and with utter emotional vacancy. The plants and animals, on the other hand, are depicted with rich emotional and psychological character. This aesthetic experience comes complete with a massive installation comprised of five wooden rosette arches underlying the works of art.

When I first saw the media for this show, the images reminded me of 17th – 18th century Northern European still-life paintings, the really beautiful but incredibly ominous ones that contain time pieces, skulls, rotting fruit and dead animals, things which serve as symbols for death, life, vanity, earthly pleasures, greed, etc. Hush’s work, like these classic paintings, also holds a cautionary message about our behavior and inclinations towards the world we live in. The golden giant rosette arches, reminiscent of those found in a church surrounding stained glass windows or comprising the alter rails, create a dramatic contrast with both the imagery of the works and the black walls of the gallery. They inspire further contemplation of the things we humans do and why we do them. Religion depicts man as God’s highest creation, the earth with all its plants and animals is ours to use as we like. Often that statement seems to be interpreted as ‘abuse as we like’. Humans have used God not only to commit atrocities against each other, but against Mother Nature as well. Hush’s work forces us to confront the notions we have about our status in this world (i.e., a creature among creatures or an entitled godly beast) and even question the things that supposedly make us superior. At this ‘place of worship’ we do not find imagery of the Good Shepherd holding the docile beast, but rather we discover triumphant aspects of the natural world teaching humans the error of hubris. It’s all very dramatic and oh so stunning to look at.

As a philosopher, the theme was one that deeply interested me because historically great thinkers have attempted to assert and justify humankind’s superiority over nature by way of our rationality: we have big brains and can do logic, therefore we are master over mother nature! (I think, therefore I am the master of the universe.) Yet, we really know and control so little of this world. Hush’s work not only reminds us of the responsibilities we have to creatures great and small, but that this notion of ‘dominion over all’ we have entertained for over a thousand years will never succeed. It’s a fantasy. And given the state of the world at the moment – wars, poverty, racism, climate change, and reality TV – should we really be top beast?

Be sure to check out this exhibition before it’s gone. It’s beautiful, provocative, and insightful.

As for Last Rites Gallery, it’s a wonderful place to take in some great contemporary surrealist art. The gallery strives to display a showcase of thought-provoking art imbued with references to the dreamlike landscapes and ambiguous feelings originated from an intimate, philosophical contemplation of the self. Last Rites invites the observer to reflect inward and abandon himself to a conscious perception of what the innermost recesses of the mind can reveal and produce under the urge to see beyond our apparent limits. The gallery program is mainly focused on figurative paintings and sculptures featured by an unconventional interpretation of the human existence that seems to escape any definition of what is real, unreal or unknown.

 

About Jeremy Hush:
Born in 1973 in San Diego, CA, Jeremy Hush graduated from the Savannah College of Art in 1997. Inspired by the work of Arthur Rackham and other 19th century illustrators, as well as by the world of punk and heavy metal music, Hush’s imagery is strictly intertwined with the allegories and symbols of nature. To create his works, Jeremy prefers to use found materials such as ballpoint pens from around the world. While drawing and painting in a seemingly traditional way, Hush also experiments with a variety of unconventional mediums and techniques. Jeremy has been included in a number of group and solo exhibitions, and his works can be found in many private collections. He currently lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.

 

About Last Rights Gallery:
Established in 2008 by Paul Booth, Last Rites has become a premiere gallery for contemporary surrealism and a haven for artists who are not afraid of exploring and dissecting every aspect of the human condition to investigate the invisible, the unintelligible and the inexplicable with a focus on the most recondite twists and turns of reality.

Last Rites Gallery is located at 325 W 38th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, New York, NY.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 1pm to 9pm, Sundays 1pm to 6pm.
For more information, please email info@lastritesgallery.com or call: 212.560.0666.

Meet MEAT

Meat is the new collaborative fashion venture of London based designers Alis Pelleschi and Bo Claridge. Specialising in rubber wear, the brand was born out of their belief that the material could transcend fetish-wear clichés. Reflecting the pair’s backgrounds as digital natives, Meat is a brand fully in tune with the internet. Not only in the inspiration they draw from online culture, but also in their adoptions of the internet as a presentation platform in itself. The ideology of Meat is to constantly evolve and reinvent itself with every season.

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How did you start MEAT? 

Alis Pelleschi: It happened quite organically out of our own desires to wear latex, but no-one was really making latex that suited our own styles. So Bo started making us pieces to go out to clubs in and stylists started requesting pieces. We suddenly realised that we’d found a gap in the market and it started from that. We both have different skills that compliment each other, so we’ve been pretty lucky that we can be as self-contained as we have been. And then along the way we’ve had so many lovely talented people help us achieve the MEAT dream. Neither of us have come from well off backgrounds, so we’ve had to do this on our own, off our own backs and we’re just genuinely really lucky to have talented friends and meatbabes around us!

How long has MEAT been running for?

AP: Three years. (Scary.)

Do you have a background in fashion?

AP: Neither of us studied fashion but we both came from studying Visual Communication. Before that I was shooting fashion editorials and knew the fashion and art world, whereas Bo came from the more art / tattooing world. So I knew what was needed to bring together these ideas and make a fashion brand. We both felt strongly that it wasn’t just about the clothes, we wanted to create this whole world via photography, video, ideas, music, stories and people.

What do you love about working with latex?

AP: Latex as a material is so futuristic to me and so sexy. It’s unlike any other material. There’s a reason why latex as a material gets fetishised, as it is so luxurious and unusual. There is nothing that makes me feel more sexy than slipping on a sexy latex dress. It’s empowering!
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Do you guys have any tattoos?

AP: Bo has lots, she’s currently 2/3 way through a big back piece by our friend Stewart OC.  I actually have no tattoos. I have up until now quite liked the idea of never having any, as I like being able to transform myself and evolve. However, I have been contemplating a few for a while. So planning to get my first tattoo in the new year.

What made you use Grace Neutral for you latest shoot?

AP: I’ve been fascinated with Grace for a long time… she is this perfect futuristic alien princess. She was actually one of the easiest models I’ve ever had to shoot as she is just so effortlessly beautiful and she’s super nice, so that helps. I really love the idea of a ‘meatbabe’ being anyone and making it your own and we like to use either hot friends or creatives we admire who are bold, full of self confidence and doing their thing. She has really honed in on her craft, it’s inspiring!
I LOVE BEAR G MEAT CLOTHING 2015

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Meat clothing can be purchased via their website and they can be found on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Interview with Hannah Hill

21-year-old Hannah Hill is the talented lady behind independent business, Hanecdote. Since 2012 she has been creating cute and quirky embroidered patches, along with establishing the Ghoul Guides International club. Not only does her stitching wizardry make you smile, with slogans such as “Avocado Angel” and “Pizza Princess”, but they also bring awareness to subjects such as mental health, racism and feminism.

Amber Bryce caught up with Hannah to talk about her art, inspirations and amazing collection of tattoos, of course…

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When did you first start embroidering? I started embroidering when I was about 17, at college studying a BTEC Art and Design course, where I was given the opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of mediums and techniques. Saying that, my mum has always knitted and stitched so the influence has been around me for most of my life.

Where do you find your inspiration? My sources of inspiration can vary a great amount. I find beauty in kind people and my intense love for my best friend, nature, architecture, pop culture, emotions and politics, girls, identity and family. I find huge inspiration and support in my online feminist art babe community, and people constantly making me want strive to be better and make even more meaningful work.

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Are you interested in any other art forms? I love all kinds of art forms and styles, although hand embroidery is my main skill. Both of my grandparents were architects, which influenced my outlook on the world around me from a very young age, and as I mentioned, my mum is a very talented crafter, who has done projects including mosaic, stained glass, knitting, painting, floristry, embroidery and sculpture. All my life I have been surrounded by art/design in one way or another, whether it was crafternoons, gallery trips or work experience. This year on my fine art course, I hope to expand my textile techniques as well as explore my identity further. This is something I am really excited about, and look forward to seeing where my work goes.

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Do you have a favourite artist? There are plenty of artists who I love but I don’t think I could choose just one. I recently saw Ai Weiwei’s exhibition at the Royal Academy and it was incredible. What stood out to me in particular, other than the deep historical context and emotion behind lots of his pieces, was the beautiful craftsmanship, which just further represented aspects of China’s history.

I also love Yayoi Kusama’s work and am really inspired by her resilience through mental health issues and how that transpires in her hypnotic, colourful work. Right now I am obsessed with Reuben Dangoor who has been painting Grime artists as if they were landed gentry, which combines my love of grime music and classical painting. I am all about changing up the art world, and injecting the variety of cultures now residing in the UK into what we think of art and history in England, and this series really represents that crossover.

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Which of your creations are you proudest of? Over the past year, my embroidery has grown from teeny patches expressing hobbies and interests, to more biographical pieces, which are much more detailed. I love both kinds equally, but the patches that are closest to my heart are ones that support and encourage little victories, activities that are hard for people with mental health issues but still deserve to be rewarded. Knowing that I have impacted someone’s mental health, and helped them to not feel so alone is so heartwarming to me.

I personally love the embroidered self-portrait I made last year, which was challenging but my hard work really paid off. It had originally started of as a self-care project, which turned into really fun way of working for me.

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What are your future plans for Hanecdote? As far as my shop, its had to be put on the back burner while I’m back at university, but I do hope to reopen it soon, just selling machine embroidered versions of my classic designs while I study. Next summer I will have more time to commit to my business, introducing some clothing, expanding the machine embroidered range and also offering customised embroidered hoops, similar to the ones I have been making. I love being able to share my creations and designs with people, but I wouldn’t say I enjoy business, so I kind of make it up as I go along, improving and learning constantly, and I would like to grow personally as an artist for a while before committing to my shop again.

What advice would you give to others wanting to start their own business? It takes a lot of patience, that’s for sure. I struggle to think of sound advice as it is all about trial and error for me, and I’ve been running Hanecdote since I was 17 so there really has been a lot of learning and figuring out the best process. I was making and sharing kind of crap things for a year or more before I made my Ghoul Guide patches and they got popular online, which propelled me into the patch machine I have turned into over the past two years. I guess be confident in your products, work ethically, don’t copy other peoples designs and have fun expressing yourself.

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Tell us about your tattoo collection? I got my first tattoo a week after my 18th birthday, which is a bum in a heart shape and could still be one of my favourites as my mum also got tattooed with me and it brings back fond memories. I also have a black cat on my wrist; a matching honey jar with my brother, which commemorates a fond memory with our grandpa; an interpretation of my popular Too Cute To Care patch; a palm tree, which I got in Antigua with my boyfriend; a pin up girl with a snake wrapped around her, inspired by John Collier’s painting of Lilith and Salma Hayek’s character in From Dusk Till Dawn; a skull pin cushion; a Friday the thirteenth embroidery sample; a sad girl; a crying eye; lil ghoul; a heart with a G inside; a heart saying ‘mine’; a nude Polaroid, and a butterfly.

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Have you got plans for anymore in the future? I have lots of ideas for tattoos in the future, including some mermaids, no doubt more embroidery inspired ones, some more babes, and I’ve been really thinking about a beautiful under boob tattoo. I think I’m gonna go easy for a while though, if I can help myself! Matching tattoos are my favourite and I would love to get some more. Hopefully one day I can convince my dad to get one with me

Desireé Dallagiacomo Poetry

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Photo by Christopher Diaz taken at last year’s Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival 

Earlier this year at the 2015 Women Of the World Poetry Slam, a four day poetry festival, Desireé Dallagiacomo was ranked 3rd. Amongst Desireé’s performances was her spoken word poem ‘Thighs Say’, in which she negotiates the space within society that her thighs fit in, the places they cannot go and the things that they can do. Ultimately she concludes that they are her’s and her’s alone.

She also performed ‘Shave Me’ a spoken word poem in which she smashes society’s ridiculous standards connected to the beauty of women. With a hilarious and angry look at American culture and its need for women to remove their body hair.