Cultblender: Kendrick Mar

Paintings by Kendrick Mar

innerchild

 

tellme

 

golgotha

 

sixharpoons

 

painreceptors

 

stgeorgeandthedragon

 

nausea

 

afterthebeating

 

Q&A with Kendrick

Ever since Luc Tuymans started receiving international recognition for his brilliant paintings - even the Polaroids he makes as subject studies are considered high art nowadays- art students have been doing Tuymans' style works. Cynics would say that they are merely copycats, hoping for a free ride to stardom, more optimistic viewers would see it as admiration for and inspiration from a brilliant artist.

No matter how you look at it, like Hollywood sequals, the original version stands out miles above all the others. You cannot copy Tuymans. The way he uses his paint and picks his subject. How he never stuffs too much information in a work, but carefully chooses what to show and what not. The tension he creates with his composition.

I sometimes wondered, what would Tuymans' works have looked like if he had worked at Disney? Even though it is not respectful to the artist to try and describe his work by naming others, this is the feeling I got from looking at Kendrick Mar's works. Like I was looking at works from a 'Walt Tuymans' with a dark side. His works made a really lasting impression on me, so I e-mailed him a couple of questions. Not only does Kendrick prove that it is possible to be a great artist and a nice guy as well, his answers read like a novel.
Since we wanted a good start of 2008 for cultblender.org as well, we proudly present: this online expo of Kendrick's works.

Q: Looking at your works I get a sense that you are not an artist thatmerely 'likes' to paint, but you 'have to'. I don't mean to suggest itis some sort of therapy for you but it's like there's anuncontrollable urge to paint. Am I totally wrong, or is there sometruth in that assumption?
A:What motivates my art is the communication I hope to engage in with the viewer. Through my work I am compelled to express things that reside only in the hazy, pre-verbal realm of the unconscious. In that realm things are unquantifiable and intangible but still have a powerful reality to them. The creative process involves capturing these things and sharing them and hopefully engaging in a larger,collective meta-narrative. I hope my work does not function as 'art as therapy' because effective art has to evoke, not emote.

Q: From what we see around us, cartoon characters and toys are always happy and cheerful (okay, perhaps Chucky's excluded), yet in your works they seem sad, depressed or even worse. This creates a lot of visual tension, but there's obviously more to it. What's 'the story' behind your art?
A: With the bright colors and iconic imagery I hope to initially capture the viewer's attention and then have the work resonate in a darker and more primal way. Having a sharp contrast between what I am expressing and the way it is expressed creates a dissonance and depth. The content of my work deals with childhood trauma and feelings and the figures act as stand-ins for memories and emotional states.
Visual sweetness mixes with a darker undercurrent and mimics the way nostalgia for a childhood toy or experience is tainted with a dim,unconscious discomfort. Children's books and toys present a world of happiness, security and loving adults. The loss of innocence is themoment when a child realizes that it is an illusion and that the grown-up world is a place of nastiness and hypocrisy. My work dealswith that moment.

Q: Your paintings reveal a real love of painting and you have your own website where you show your works. Some painters feel that their works don't translate to computer screens and would rather not see their art online because it may give their potential audience a wrong impression, how do you feel about that? Does the internet provide you with extra opportunities as an artist?
A: Showing my artwork via the web is very important for me even though the medium cannot perfectly reproduce the original. The vast majority of artwork is seen through reproduction, much of it online. Without the internet, the only way for an artist to reach a greater audience is by having a gallery show or publishing a monograph. An artist only wanting their work to be seen in person is a bit like a musician only wanting their music to be listened to live. I embrace the web as a forum for showing my work. Most of our visual experiences (and livesfor that matter) are mediated through technology anyway.

Q: Painting is one of the classical art forms. Do you make use of modern media, such as a film, photography and computers as well? And if you do, in what way?
A: As far as incorporating new media and technology in to my art, I consider my website a 'piece', in my body of work as much as any of the paintings. I sometimes do drawings and color studies on the computer. Of course I draw inspiration from film, the media and the internet. The reason I work primarily in oils though, is that my work is very primal and intuitive. Oil painting is a medium that doesn't express its limitations and lends itself to working intuitively.

Q: You live and work in New York. Are there any chances for people that will not be visiting the USA anytime soon to be able to see yourworks?
A: I will continue to build my web presence for the purpose of visually communicating with people who don't see my work in person. The idea that people far away will see my work is amazing to me. It's like sending out a message in a bottle and having it be received.

If you would like to read more from Kendrick Mar, there is an excellent interview with him on the Creep Machine website and a short postiong on his works on the cultblender blog.