Melania Trump, 2018 © Bean Gilsdorf. Velvet, cotton, polyester, chenille brocade, wood, paint; approx. 66x 37 x 29 in. — *Melania Trump, 2018* © Bean Gilsdorf. Velvet, cotton, polyester, chenille brocade, wood, paint; approx. 66
x 37 x 29 in.

Bean Gilsdorf is an interdisciplinary artist, critic, and editor based in Portland, Oregon. In late July 2018, her solo exhibition State Dinner opened at Cincinnati, Ohio's Anytime Department. The installation reveals a three-year examination of female political figures - First Ladies who served in the last thirty years more precisely - and how “soft power” is both produced and mediated by mass media imagery.

HAF Senior Editor Roula Seikaly spoke with Gilsdorf about image sourcing from history books, covert political power and how it is exerted, and crafting three-dimensional objects that convey the public personas of women we think we know but do not.

Roula Seikaly in conversation with Bean Gilsdorf

PostedSeptember 6, 2018

AuthorRoula Seikaly

CategoriesExhibitions, Artists, Galleries

TagsBean Gilsdorf, Installation Art, Mixed Media, Soft Power, State Dinner Exhibition, Art in Cincinnati, New Photography, Appropriation, political art, Roula Seikaly

© Elsa Leydier. From the series Braços verdes e olhos cheios de asas — © Elsa Leydier. From the series *Braços verdes e olhos cheios de asas*

Elsa Leydier uses photography and found materials to unpack and re-think popular narratives of exoticism in South America.

"My work begins where the postcard breaks," writes Leydier, who has been making a range of challenging photographic series for the past 7 years. Her approaches include deconstructing visual representations of South America's regions in found imagery, manipulating press images, creating cyanotypes, and culture-jamming postcards and Olympic commemorative postage stamps. With these varying treatments, Leydier aims not to represent the terrain or people, nor to immerse the viewer in lush natural wonders, but to reveal the problems and false narratives in its constructed fantasy.

I contacted the artist via email to learn more.

Jon Feinstein in conversation with Elsa Leydier

PostedApril 19, 2018

AuthorJon Feinstein

CategoriesArtists, Portfolio

TagsElsa Leydier, Appropriation, new photography, visual literacy

Houston, Texas-based Phillip Kremer won't reveal much about his process, influence or motivations, but his faceless portraits are some of the scariest creations you'll find online. With subjects ranging from scientists, astronauts and random children celebrating their birthdays to political figures and celebrities like Snoop Dogg and "The Situation", his morphed portraits have drawn a vast and diverse fan base, largely outside the art world and photo communities, and have amassed followers ranging from Katy Perry to Christian youth groups.

Soft Power – State Dinner: Bean Gilsdorf's Latest Exhibition Uses Objects and Found Images to Rethink How We See and Understand the Role of First Ladies

Where the Postcard Breaks: Elsa Leydier's Photographs Dismantle Cultural Exoticism

Phillip Kremer Might be the Most Terrifying Artist on the Web