On a rainy Friday in Brooklyn, we sat down with multidisciplinary artist Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter to discuss histories of Black refusal, adultification bias, systems of care in our society, and much more.
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Artist
Reality Bites with Lexie Smith
Lexie Smith is an artist and baker presently based in upstate New York who spends a lot of time researching, thinking about, and making bread. She runs the online resource center Bread on Earth, which explores bread’s “potential as a social, political, economic, and ecological barometer.” In this interview, she shares her favorite spots for pastries, bagels, and loaves in New York City, as well as a variety of books and resources for learning more about bread and grains.
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Meet Laurie Simmons
in Artist
We might have never come to know Laurie Simmons for her sharp critiques of gender, mass media, and consumerism or as part of New York City’s celebrated Pictures Generation if it hadn’t been for an unsuspecting downtown psychic in 1972. “Join the photography club. You'll meet people, and you'll make friends.” Following this advice set Laurie off on a path of integrity, grit, and curiosity through decades as an artist, wife, and mother. We talked to her about the importance of prioritizing friendship, why a successful marriage is based on accountability, and being unapologetically feminine for the first time in her life.
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Meet Shirin Neshat
Shirin is a renowned visual artist who works across photography, video installation, and film. In this conversation, she generously shares how each stage of her life has led her to today: from her upbringing in Iran to her youth in California and her life now in New York. Her dedication to ritual and to her artistic practice has remained consistent through the tumult and triumph of all her days.
Read MoreCamera Roll with Annika Hansteen-Izora
This week we feature Annika Hansteen-Izora, queer artist, poet and designer, creative director of @ethelsclub, @formnoform, @somewhere__good and @black.feast. We talk with Annika about exploration, storytelling, and how living ‘many lives’ in a day is actually possible.
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Meet Maayan Zilberman
in Artist, Entrepreneur
Maayan got into fashion after a formative trip to a textile factory in Fondazione Ratti, Italy. She went on to co-found the lingerie brand the Lake & Stars. Initially a hobby, she now runs her own luxury candy sculpture company, Sweet Saba which has been exhibited everywhere from ArtBasel to the MET Gala.
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Meet Kinlaw
in Artist
Meet Kinlaw, an artist who resides in Brooklyn, New York. She moved into the city as an opera singer, and eventually worked her way into becoming an artist who has now performed at various museums and venues.
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Meet Clémence Vazard
in Artist
Clémence is a Paris-based artist. Her artistic approach is an exploration into the role of women in contemporary society, as depicted in pop culture and media, and her work has been exhibited in Paris, Montreal, London, Albuquerque, Greece, and Belgium. Currently, she works for Sinny & Ooko Agency.
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Meet Melanie Coles
Melanie is a London-based visual artist working in collage and video. Originally from a small agricultural community in British Columbia, Canada, she now lives in a studio flat in Islington, where she creates art and writes amongst her plants, art supplies and books.
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Meet Bianca Valle
in Influencer, Artist
Bianca is the Community Manager at Milk. Born and raised in Coronado, California, she always knew the city life was for her. She graduated New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a major in Film and a minor in Art History. In addition to her position at Milk, she does freelance photography, painting, and production design for editorial videos and short films. Lately she's also been modeling for a number of brands that are striving to feature girls with untraditional looks. She also recently self-published a zine, "hotpot," with photos she took on a recent trip throughout Asia.
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Meet Cassi Namoda
in Artist
Cassie was born in Maputo, Mozambique to a native mother and American Father. She briefly studied Cinematography at Academy of Arts in San Francisco. Cassie has lived and worked in New York City, but she is currently an art director/curator based in Los Angeles, CA.
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Meet Andrea Toscano
in Artist
Meet NYC passerby, Andrea Toscano, a designer based in Greenpoint.
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Meet Julia Sherman
“Julia Sherman was born and bred in New York City. Sherman runs “Salad for President,” an evolving publishing project that draws a meaningful connection between food, art, and everyday obsessions. Each of Sherman’s blog entries contains a salad recipe made in collaboration with an artist, musician, writer, or creative professional, living their lives artfully. Sherman has written the “Salad For President Cookbook,” published by Abrams Books in Spring 2017.”
on her morning routine
I don’t really have a morning routine since my projects and schedule are always changing and I travel so frequently for work. That said, when I am lucky enough to be at home, my days start with a strong cup of coffee and a walk to Fort Greene park with my husband and my dog Lucy. Back at home, I like to make a savory breakfast (often salad and eggs, or even brothy soup with a poached egg), and tend to my plants and my garden before opening up the computer and hitting the ground running.
on creating salad garden
When I made my Salad Garden at the Getty Museum, I discovered the original house that was built on the property way before the museum was built. It was this gem of a Mid-Century home with a swimming pool that ran from outside to the living room. It had the sweeping views that the museum is famous for, but it was wonderful to imagine this home had been the only property on the mountain top at one time. So, I found the architect, Harry Gesner, who is in his 90s and living in Malibu. I went to his house and we made a salad, and then I offered to grow his favorite plant, horseradish, at the museum garden I would go on to plant that coming winter. I invited him back to the little house he built almost 50 years ago, and we made a video wearing WWII gas masks and pureeing the root the way he used to when he was young. He is a wild character, and someone I felt so privileged to spend time with. I am not sure how that could have happened if salad hadn't been the foil for our introduction.
“The MoMA Artist’s Cookbook is a real inspiration to me. It has recipes and conversations with 155 artists, from Louise Bourgeois to Salvador Dali. Some of the recipes are just funny or conceptual, like Warhol’s which instructs you to open a can of tomato soup and heat it up. That’s it. My dad gave me this book as a gift when I was a kid and I forgot about it until recently, which makes me think it must have been embedded deep in my subconscious. Also, can we get a round of applause for dads who know their kids better than they know themselves?”
on becoming an artist
I have always been an artist. I grew up in my mother's art studio, so I can't think of a time where art wasn't essential to my identity. I grew up in Manhattan as well, so going to the museum was required. I was lucky enough to have people encourage my creativity from an early age and still to this day: family (my mom and both my grandmothers were artists), to incredible professors who still support my career.
on creating her blog
After finishing my MFA at Columbia University, I was exhibiting my work in galleries and museums, but I found myself pouring more willing energy into the meals I prepared for friends than I did into my art work. I think my time in the New York art world really altered my perspective on what it means to be a "professional artist," and I no longer felt like I was having the kinds of conversations I wanted to have with my peers. I was cooking all the time and my husband urged me to start a blog, given that writing and photography were my primary media already. I have never and still don't read food blogs, so the idea was hard for me to grasp. I started to document my cooking and was really challenged and inspired by food photography. It was a whole new thing for me. I started blogging three salads a day, and eventually, other artists started asking me if they could contribute their favorite recipes to the project. My artwork had always been super collaborative, more about other people than myself in some ways, so the project just evolved from there. I realized I had found the hack that would allow me to be an artist, participate in the art world, but not be beholden to it.
“That Javelin record is one of my favorites to cook to. They are dear friends of ours from when we all lived and in Providence, RI, and I get a kick out of hearing them sing. They are so humble and approachable, I love knowing the people on the other end of amazing music.”
Outfit, Vintage
on her beauty routine
I don't have much of a beauty routine, though I probably should! I try and keep things pretty simple since I have the world's most sensitive skin. I suppose the only thing I am committed to is keeping my skin moisturized. I wear tons of sunblock, this Jurlique cream (which is basically a thick paste), and I use coconut oil in my hair and almond oil on my body. Every now and then I do this powdered Rare Earth Clay facial mask from the health food store, and it does wonders to exfoliate and brighten skin. Also, avocado and manuka honey whipped together makes an amazing face mask. I use Weleda Wild Rose Deodorant.
on her shopping habits
I can't say I really shop at any one place. I am more of a collector than a shopper. I like to buy clothes when I travel, things I find along the way. That said, the brand that really fits me well is Apiece Apart. I used to dress like a demented baby doll, all kinds of vintage clothes with embellishments and ruffles from head to toe, but lately I have been trying to reign it in, wear more monochromes, structured sophisticated tailored lines. I find when I wear clothing like that, I take myself more seriously and other people do as well.
on her book, salad for president
The book, Salad for President, will be published in May of 2017, and it will be a cookbook inspired by artists. I am featuring 10 artists in a similar format as I do on my blog. I shot the artists over the course of the last year, traveling to places like Japan, Mexico and California. Many of the conversations we had were about how they conceive of themselves as artists or creative thinkers, and how that extends beyond their “work” and into their everyday lives. On top of that, there are about 70 of my own recipes in the book, plant-based food and drinks that best express my love of produce, cooking and entertaining.
“About two years ago, Chopt’s founder Tony Shure sent me three consecutive messages on Instagram insisting we had to meet. Their menu being inspired by travel and “faraway flavors,” he proposed his company pay me a salary to travel and create a blog for them. I could consult on design related work, and even use the ground floor of his building in Red Hook as an event space for both Chopt’s private events and my own. It was such a ridiculously generous proposition, I didn’t take it seriously. After some light negotiation, I came on board and haven’t looked back since. Having spent my life navigating the nuanced waters of the art world, it is so refreshing to work with people who are straight-forward, who do not shy away from talking about money, and who believe you should be compensated for your hard work and creativity. I love my job and pinch myself everyday, I can’t believe how fortunate I am to have landed there.”
julia's favorite books
Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston's Women Health Book Collective, Bauhaus Women by Ingrid Radewaldt, Sandra Kemker, and Ulrike Müller, Museum of Modern Art Artists' Cookbook, Kim Kardashian West: Selfish by Kim Kardashian West, Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees by Lawrence Weschler
julia's favorite records
The Legendary Patsy Cline by Patsy Cline, Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: a Retrospective by Brian Jonestown Massacre, Imagine Our Love by Lavender Diamond, No Mas by Javelin
julia's favorite movies
The Act of Killing, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Sleeper, The Gleaners and I
julia's favorite places in nyc
I love to eat at restaurants where I know the chefs and they are can tell you about the food themselves. Any restaurant by chef Alex Raij (Txikito, El Quinto Pino or La Vara), is my preferred way to eat. Small plates, Spanish/Basque food and great wine. Also, Mission Chinese because Angela is a genius and conceptualizes each dish as an artist would.
Overalls & SHIRT, Vintage ; Shoes, PUMA X SOLANGE DISC COLLECTION ; Hat, Clyde ; Sunglasses, DUSEN and dusen
photography by lanna apisukh
Meet Emma Orlow
“Born and raised on the Upper East Side, Emma is a confessional writer, aspiring curator, taurus and an only child. In high school she co-founded a global webseries about telling the stories of teenagers via videos of their bedrooms which garnered a front page NYTimes spread. She is currently graduating from NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in confessional art and contemporary female artist. Emma writes poems and creates text art that focuses on the relationship between female sexuality and food. Emma is also working on a curating collective and trying to put together her first show which is going to be an entire home for visitors to explore.”
on her morning routine
My morning routine is usually making awkward eye contact with my neighbors across the way who have seen me eat snacks in my underwear, have sex, and cry way too many times because for no reason I refuse to get blinds. After that’s over, I usually put on music and try to remind myself to hydrate.
on her interest in confessional art
Confessional art as a genre intends to reveal a truth that is inherently shameful. I guess I like that because I don’t go to therapy and am an only child, so it’s the way that I deal with things on my own. Plus I like turning gross, rotten memories into the silliest, most colorful looking objects to cherish. Although I suppose you can argue that all art intends to reveal something autobiographical, even a paired down abstract painting. I like making work that most people probably think is embarrassing, like anything about the time my laundry bag opened in the elevator and this guy handed me back my period stained underwear seems like relevant fodder, even though period art for the most part is pretty done at this point.
“I used to work as an editorial assistant at New Distribution, which represents all these amazing independent magazines I love like Buffalo Zine, Food For Fashion, PIN-UP, and Editorial Magazine. I care about spending full price on thoughtful independent print projects because for titles that are actually going back to long-form journalism and using really experimental typography in their layouts I just feel like this is the most functional form of art to indulge. My favorite books of all-time are “The Glass Castle” and “Please Kill Me.” In the photo above though there some other good ones: Frida Kahlo’s diary in particular uses such poetic language to talk about selfhood and colors. I can always go back to it for inspiration. There’s also a hardcover poetry book I self-published called “I Want to Scratch ‘n Sniff You,” as well as a Japanese photo series on pregnant women and the uncanny of the domestic sphere.”
on the beginning of her art series
My best friend in high school and I started [The Do Not Enter Diaries]. Part of it came from the fact that we were obsessed with the art direction that went into the bedrooms in some of our favorite films and how it was, in a lot of cases, the crux of the characters’ development. We knew how much we had worked to make our own bedrooms these special havens and how much we hoped it said about us and our friends. We wanted to showcase how something as simple as the way you decorate is a form of storytelling. The other part was we felt like we didn’t have the outlet for all of our weird ideas in our claustrophobic high school atmosphere and wanted a space of our own to work on. It was very low-tech—we only had a crappy camera and didn’t know much about web development but it was such a fun and important learning experience. It was incredible that we got the kind of press we did. The fact that MTV and Amazon’s E-book office invited us to their office at one point was insane. But I am honestly glad none of that came into fruition at that point in my life.
on moving on to other projects
[We didn't continue The Do Not Enter Series because] we were at first limited to our friends and friends of friends and those who emailed us, which didn’t make the project nearly as diverse as we wanted it to be. If we had a bigger network it would’ve been different. But eventually we started getting correspondents from as far as Slovakia and Shanghai, which was great. I think it had a lot of potential, but there are still so many other issues I would’ve loved to touch upon and it was hard to keep the film style consistent when the correspondents were sending us the footage. We realized that having your own bedroom itself was such a privileged concept and we wanted to explore more subjects who were engaging with the teenage bedroom in nonconventional ways. Had we had better resources—funding, even just a better camera-- I would’ve loved to delve in even deeper. But in the end, we both went off to college and got involved in other projects and being obsessed with archiving the teenage bedroom sadly seemed less pertinent all of a sudden.
Dress, Vintage
“I just finished a series called “Packed Lunch” which are humorous silk tapestries that use food metaphors for different erotic situations. I am kind of fixated on the relationship between food and sexuality, mostly because meals are a way that I archive a lot of memories. Someone recently told me that Graham crackers were created by this religious guy to keep boys busy so that they wouldn’t masturbate. I am so into that. I’ve been thinking of what foods would be the equivalent for women. Rewriting a mythology around Cheetos, maybe…where a psychoanalyst was like, women eat Cheetos because they remind them of penis envy, or something? I don’t know. I also just bought a dollhouse off of Craigslist that I am going to recreate, where each room is a different story from my past. I recently got back from this curators intensive program and my friend and I are brainstorming work for a curator collective we want to start.”
on her beauty routine
I don’t wear much makeup, but when I do it's usually a little bit of the Bare Essentials bronzer, Glossier Boy Brow, and maybe some sort of black eyeliner or red lipstick, depending on the occasion. I also recommend Glossier Priming Moisturizer, St. John's Shield Light Regenerative Bath & Body Oils, DKNY Be Delicious Eau de Parfum Spray, and C.O.Bigelow Rose Salve.
My dad is a dermatologist so I think I’ve grown up being really skeptical of most beauty products that say they can rock my world. I am still totally attracted to makeup with really groovy packaging or anything that smells like a Jamba Juice smoothie. I still think simple stuff like Dove soap really gets the job done best. I am wary of complicated ingredients.
on her shopping habits and style
Most of my wardrobe is vintage, junky thrift-shops, and random online places I follow on Instagram. I love 10 Ft. Single Stella Dallas, Amarcord Vintage, 9th Street Haberdashery, Coming Soon, and Georgia Vintage. I just want my wardrobe to look like a lava lamp sort of spilled all over an episode of Lizzie McGuire.
Dress, Vintage
Top, Topshop ; Skirt, Vintage ; Tote, Rube Goldberg
emma's favorite books
How Should A Person Be by Sheila Heti, Chelsea Girls by Eileen Myles, The Diary of Frida Kahlo by Carlos Fuentes, A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, I Want to Scratch 'n Sniff You by Emma Orlow
emma's favorite movies
The Doom Generation, Coffee and Cigarettes, Reality Bites, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
emma's favorite places in nyc
Lowkey brunch spot: B&H Deli
Favorite sandwich: Cheeky Sandwiches
Best bookstore: Mast Books
Photography by Audrey Cotton
Meet Molly Surno
“Born in California, Molly creates physical experiences that connect people to their own bodies and the “communal body.” So whether she is working as the Director of Partnerships at Splacer or composing a sound sculpture for BAM, her work is always about the human form and how it generates tension and unity when sharing space. Her works has exhibited internationally at the Essl Museum, Salzburg Museum of Modern Art, Suzanne Geiss, and Anat Ebgi Galery. She is also the founder and director of Cinema 16, which pairs contemporary musicians with experimental films.”
on her morning routine
I love rituals although I rarely adhere to them. The current one I am going with: wake up, resist looking at my phone, brush my teeth, scrape my tongue, wash my face with either CeraVe or baking soda, moisturize with Linne facial oil, and apply Dr. Hauschka Summer Impressions Bronze Fluid. If I'm feeling ambitious I will make yogurt with fruit and honey or do some stretching. I go to Variety every morning before work for the best iced coffee in town.
on starting her career
My art career has taken many different forms, but I would say what unites them is creating physical experiences that connect people to their own bodies and the “communal body.” This has taken many forms: my series Cinema 16 or my sound choreography at BAM, We of Me. These ideas are influenced by the traditions of social sculpture, happenings, séances, and rituals, among other things. I use film, sound, performance, sculpture, and photography as a launching point to explore genre, the psycho sexual, the fragmented body, gender, and ritual.
on one of her favorite projects
For BAM, I handmade hairbrushes filled with microphones and choreographed a one-hour sound piece with 20 male performers. In the middle, my collaborator Brian Chase, drummer for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I did a live mix in the middle. This piece was so much about the collective experience of listening, how sound affects our bodies, how touch and watching people being touched [affects our bodies]—there’s a very physical component.
Molly's favorite books
“Michael Taussig’s “Beauty and the Beast” is my new favorite text, essentially about the nature of beauty and the grotesque. Does all beauty end in tragedy? Taussig is an anthropologist at Columbia and uses case studies in Colombia where he compares plastic surgery cases, the aesthetics of narcotrafficing, and the reconstructive surgery of high profile drug criminals.”
on her current job role
I work as the Director of Partnerships for Splacer, which means I get to talk to the most interesting people, organizations, collectives, and help them figure out how to reimagine space for any sort of creative activation. Social space and how people congregate in present time is always a driving force in my work. At Splacer I get to reimagine space as it relates to a variety of gatherings. Working with so many different types of people, I get to help conceptualize, execute, curate, and contribute to the culture of the site by programming really remarkable social gatherings. So far I’ve gotten to collaborate with everyone from the Criterion Collection to Van Alen Institute.
on her style and shopping habits
Ultimately I am a creature of convenience, so I generally choose a handful of places that I commit to on and offline. These days I love Staud clothing based in LA, online shop LisaSaysGah, American Apparel, Trademark, and American Two Shot. So many of my friends have incredible style and they inspire me constantly: Sarah Kuhn, Gaby Ron, Jasmine Pasquill to name a few.
I try to mix it up: a combination of 60s French New Wave, with 70s Southwest desert, beach girl, and old fashioned maiden. Cher has become somewhat of a style icon to me, which is birthed out of my obsession with extremely long hair, as evident in my art.
“Neil Young’s On the Beach has sort of carried me through my teens and into adult life. The sounds are really silky and haunting. They remind of a Los Angeles that I was too young to ever know, simultaneously betraying and full of promise.”
on her skincare routine
I like to think of myself as pretty low maintenance but I am sure that's a total self distortion. In the last two years I have gotten really into skin care and do a facial every two months. I wash my face day and night with something super gentle and moisturize with Linné Botanical Skincare Facial Oil, which is all organic botanical products. Once a week I use the Christine Chin Hydration Mask (also when I fly). It's really important to keep hydrated especially in such a congested city like New York. I also recommend Aesop Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Oil, MD Solar Sciences Mineral Crème Broad Spectrum, Malin + Goetz Eucalyptus Deodorant, Medline Remedy Phytoplex Hydrating Cleansing Foam, and Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream.
on her beauty routine
I recommend Lancôme Le Stylo Waterproof Eyeliner, Maybelline Eye Studio Brow Drama, and Chanel Lip Color.
on her haircare routine
I've been trying to grow out my hair for years and take it really seriously. Every morning I take Biotin and rub coconut oil into the ends of my hair. I wash it once a week with Pureology, which I actually learned about from Passerbuys! Also I try to do a conditioning treatment once a month and dust off the dead ends.
“One of my favorite beauty tips is washing your face with baking soda once a week. It’s sort of a natural scrub and evens out your skin tone. Of course, water and sleep are better than anything you can buy. Threading only on your face— best shape for your brows and doesn’t pull at your skin. (Warning: extreme discomfort)”
molly's favorite books
Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch, Hollywood Babylon II by Kenneth Anger, Poems by Yvonne Rainer, Criterion Designs, Beauty and the Beast by Michael Taussig, The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
molly's favorite records
Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly, Dub Housing by Pere Ubu, Suicide by Martin Rev & Alan Vega, On the Beach by Neil Young
molly's favorite movies
Harold and Maude, Moonstruck, 3 Women, Persona
molly's favorite places in nyc
Threading: Amazing Eyebrows on 331 Graham Ave
Coffee: Variety
Acupuncture: Sherry Chang in Williamsburg
Facial: Christine Chin
Salon V for Collagen Conditioning Treatment
For amazing food, Eastwood, Speedy Romeo as an alternative to Roberta's, for a food/wine splurge The Four Horsemen
Windowfront art gallery Four A.M
For a special beach: Dead Horse Bay
Meet Jenna Rosenberg
in Artist
East Coast born and raised, she settled in New York for School. Now she parses her time between her Clinton Hill studio and assisting the painter Bjarne Melgaard.
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Meet Rachel Howe
Meet NYC Passerby, Rachel Howe, an Artist and Spiritual Advisor. Since attending Parsons, she started her own business making functional ceramics under the name Small Spells, and after two and a half years with ceramics as her full-time job, she is now moving on to working on many other projects, mainly design projects and healing services.
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Meet Grace Miceli
Grace is an artist and curator living in Brooklyn. She runs Art Baby Gallery, an online exhibition space that as well as her clothing line, Art Baby Girl. Currently, Grace is working on publishing a book of her illustrations through Belly Kids Press.
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