Dear Artists Unknown,

One year later and we are on the fourth issue of AU Magazine! The caliber of artists we receive submissions from every season continues to be on the rise. The connecting fiber of these talents has to do with a humble beginning and achieving success through hard work and dedication. Everyone finds time to dedicate to a form of art and perfect it. The beauty of this communi-ty is how we mix media to generate new types of work. We construct a story out of a simple concept and present it to the world, knowing that every pair of eyes that sees our work will take away a different variation of the message, thus creating a narrative that relates to their own experiences. So this issue in particular has a bigger volume of featured artists, and in our interviews, we asked them to get deeper and tell us who they were, what their thought process was in coming up with the design, and how they were able to execute it. With work from artists all over the world, you’ll be delving into the photo stories of a Russian pencil-carver who found his fame after being laid off in an economic crisis, a Polish photographer and costume designer who painted on print versions of her portraits, a digital artist who combined post-contemporary graphics with 19th century photos his friend gave him and so much more.

I am so glad to be able to work with Dan again to photograph model Alexis Hamill for this year’s first editorial. Her striking blue eyes and terrific dance background surely complemented the hilarious situation we put her in. After contouring her face in shades of gold, we asked her to lie on top of a piece of badly painted cardboard and pose, as we covered her hair with mul-titudes of jewelry, feathers, lights and every gold item we could find in our possession. I am sure the amount of fun I had with our team resonates with that of many other artists and hope that it resonates with you as you flip through the many pages of Artists Unknown Magazine.

Do what you love,

CindyChen

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES www.artistsunknownmag.com/submit

GENERAL INFORMATIONartistsunknownmag@gmail.com

ARTISTSFELIPE MOREIRA....................OWEN NICHOLS....................SILVIA BELLU...........................SAM WAXMAN.......................DANIELLE TALLAKSEN.............HAYDEN LIHOU......................SALAVAT FIDAI.........................MICAH JAMES........................LIZZIE ‘TWIG’ MAKEUP...........EMMA ESCAMILLA.................YOUNG-SUNG KIM................AUGUST RELLIESBIS..............LAUREN OXENDINE...............MARTA BEVACQUA.................LYDIA CORRAL........................AGNIESKZA LOREK.................JONAS JÖDICKE....................VIKTORIA TUROK....................DARIA BELIKOVA.....................NINA VILLANUEVA..................JANELLE PIETRZAK.................

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PORTUGALBRISBANE, AUSTRALIAMILAN, ITALYMAINE, USAMASSACHUSETTS, USAADELAIDE, AUSTRALIAUFA, RUSSIAARIZONA, USAPOLANDNAYARIT, MEXICOSEOUL, KOREANEW YORK CITY, USAFLORIDA, USAROME, ITALYMADRID, SPAINCARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOMBERLIN, GERMANYKYIV, UKRAINEMOSCOW, RUSSIAMANILA, PHILIPPINESASPEN, COLORADO

Felipe MoreiraAKEUP CAME INTO Felipe Moreira’s life as a joke. It was a hobby that took off with the guidance of his grandmother and mother. At first, his inspirations were

drawn from the conventional makeup tutorials, but quickly he sought knowledge in the techniques surrounding conceptual and artistic makeup. He was most curious about the look of brush strokes and he wanted to introduce a new type of canvas painting on skin as he sees the face as nothing more than a living screen.

Mesmerized by the works of Moises Ramirez who creates paintings on faces, Moreira immediately identified with his artistic intuitions and was deeply inspired to develop his own abilities. Moreira keeps track of his progress by posting on his social media outlets, namely Instagram, and shares that the globalization effect with social networking today never ceases to enchant him. Before, one had to appear in print, on television or the big screen to be recognized, so a great mass of talent was overlooked. With the visual library on Insta, Moreira found solace in being in control of his wall of images that exhibited his versatile art.

Taking a look at Moreira’s collection, he merges the old with the contemporary in order to express duality. He refuses to cling to one technique or form, but he also knows when to take a breath from

watching endless art documentaries on the search for inspiration, and finds leisure in watching guilty pleasure reality TV shows. Entertainment can be the perfect place for an explosion of creativity and remembering to take breaks keeps the innovative Moreira from repeating old designs.

Some of his ideas require raw materials that are hard to come by, hence, he racks his brain for alternative options such as paper, paint or mixed pigments to create new textures for his shoots.

“The poor do not see it as a difficulty, but as a challenge,” He says.

His fans can expect to see an environmentally focused project coming up. Moreira will demonstrate the harmful effects of garbage on the ecosystem by taking disposed items and using them as a piece of art. He leaves us with a warning to be wary of becoming over-confident in ourselves, as the greatest artists are constantly seeking self-development. Complacency would impede one’s success. And in his style, he cites the Brazilian songwriter, Raul Seixas, “I’d rather be this walking metamorphosis than having that old formed opinion about everything.”

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PHOTOGRAPHERS: MAURICIO NORO, RENATO MORETTI AND RODRIGO NAGAFUTTI

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Owen Nichols

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Silvia Bellu

UM, FORMALLY KNOWN as Silvia Bellu, is an Italian chore-ographer and theatrical artist born in Cagliari (Sardinia), and currently living in Milan. As the assistant manager of the F.A.A.

Makeup Artist Factory directed by Vittorio Masciarelli and assistant to Micol Salvioni (an Italian makeup artist), she works with a wide spectrum of visual artists and musicians. She plays a major role in interactive theater performances and helps create artistic installations, while still in the process of finishing her final year at the University of Milan, where she will be graduating in Art and Performance Arts with a Cultural Heritage Sciences Degree.

Considered a versatile artist, Lum is eclectic and multifarious. Her performances have often received critical acclaim from the press, noting a precious fusion of artistic expression that spans from theater to body art, and visual arts to performance art. Her passion for the

art of makeup is, not surprisingly, an asset greatly appreciated on picturesque sets. The public finds visual pleasure and is emotionally responsive in the presence of these colored bodies that are the fruit of her work.

“The act of painting a face or a body has the same meaning as telling a story, writing a script [or] imagining life.”

Skilled at devising characters out of rolls of aluminum foil, a handful of straws and a splash of color, Lum creates a narrative of bodies becoming “something else” or “someone else.” Her works have been shown at the Think Tank Festival (International Awards & Festival) Mediolanum Forum and at My-Loft Gallery of Milan (IED). She has also been in publications such as the Dreamagazine, a Montreal-based digital indie magazine.

Psychadelic SnowflakeBody Artist: Silvia Bellu (Lum.s)Photographer: Andrea BenedettiModel: Giulia SansonCreative Consultant: Diana Celsa Vittoria Corti

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Many of Lum’s works are about feminine figures that represent a dreamlike and surrealistic world, pulling inspiration from animated films, Greek and Latin tragedies and images she comes across. She likes bringing attention to the flair of dramatic fluo-rescent colors. As she created the “Psychadelic Snowflake,” a co-creation with photographer Andrea Benedetti, she was thinking of elements found in a classic favorite, Alice in Wonderland.

“It took me about two weeks to figure out what the picture had to look like. I wanted it to be simple, but bear eccentric forms at the same time, remotely [reminiscent of] some kind of winged “being”, which is almost…fluctuating.” She said. “I want colors to lose their classic decorative purpose, so that they’re deliberately imprecise, dirty.”

The rawness in texture and technique and her background in different forms of art, particularly in theater, have allowed her to emulate a signature style in body art breaching the bold, beauti-ful and dramatic.

ELEKTRABODY ARTIST: SILVIA BELLU (LUM.S)

PHOTOGRAPHER: PIERO PANDOLFINOMODEL: MIRYAM CUPPONE

CREATIVE CONSULTANT: DIANA CELSA VITTORIA CORTI

The 2ndLaw

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symbiosisBy Digital Artist, Photographer and Craftsman: Sam Waxman

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The Making Of “Symbiosis”BOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO, a good friend of mine gifted me a small decaying box containing over 100 medium format photo neg-atives. They were photos that her great-grandfather had taken, and

ranged from the late 1890’s through the 1920’s. She told me that she had no use for them, and hoped I might be able to use them in my artwork. I spent a month scanning all the negatives onto my computer, and spent several more months poring over the photos. They were haunting, beautiful, and overflowing with information about a family I would never have the chance to meet. The more time I spent with the photos, the more invested I became in the lives of these people. They became very real characters in my life as I

pieced together a narrative based on recurring characters, places, and daily activities. It became an obsession.

I watched children grow up, go fishing, graduate from high school. I watched parents grow older. I witnessed picnics, horse and buggy rides, Sunday morning church outings. The photos were so beautiful, so loaded with nostalgia and feeling that I had an incredibly difficult time figuring out how to make something new out of them. I felt like a voyeur, and like any attempt at inserting myself into these photos would be something of a violation.

Eventually, I decided that if was going to make something new from the photos, I wanted to collaborate with the original photographer in as au-

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thentic a way as possible. I started going out and taking photos of my own with a medium format camera so that I was using the same process as the original photogra-pher. I endeavored to document my life much in the same way that he did. At first I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but as I played with different combi-nations of my own and the old photos, I discovered a process of overlaying that seemed to flow seamlessly.

It became difficult to tell where his photos ended and mine began.

They were intertwining and creating a world outside of time and space where our lives were harmonious. To highlight this, I stitched the photos together with a matrix of dots and lines, illustrating the fractured and forever incomplete nature of our relationship. They represent the bridge I was building, and my often futile efforts to pull answers from a sea of incomplete information. I feel that what I ended up with in this series which I’ve titled “Symbiosis,” is a collaboration between me and the original photographer in the most sincere way I could manage, and the sense of kinship it fostered in me towards a man and his family who I’ve never met is a strange and exciting feeling that I experience every time I look through them.

Who is Waxman?Always interested in photography as a kid, Waxman had pursued his passion throughout high school but did not consider the career option seriously until he transferred into SMFA in Boston as a sophomore in college. The program, open and flexible, allowed him to dip his hand in different media. It was during that time that he fell in love with metalwork and ended up splitting his time evenly between photography and sculpture.

In his exploration of these two media, Waxman found himself drawn to the overarching themes of life and death, identity, semiotics, queerness, sexuality and the mysteries of the natural world. His influences are greatly dependent on where he is at in life (both figuratively and physically). As a child, he was intensely shy, wherein photography let him look inward, while at the same time giving him a way to share with people in a way that he couldn’t achieve in so-called normal social terms. Having grown up in Maine, Waxman spent a lot of time alone in the woods. He says it was in those moments where he developed a kind of appreciation and respect for the primal beauty surrounding life, death, and the natural and spiritual order of things that he knows now.

“I’m constantly discovering new things about myself and reinterpreting my world,

(often in unexpected ways) through my work.”

Later, Waxman’s work became an essential and powerful

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tool with which to explore the incredibly complex feelings he was dealing with surrounding his sexuality and identity as a queer man. It gave him a platform to put himself out to the world.

“It’s always been a process of dealing with myself and finding ways to interact with the world that work for me. The more work I produce, the more cohesive it all becomes,

but I think I come upon my influences and the ideas I want to explore pretty organically.”

On the production side, he takes himself very seriously as a craftsman, with sculptural work involving a lot of technical processes dealing with materi-als such as wood and plaster. He often finds inspiration in things that might seem mundane or commonplace, which demonstrates a mastery of craft. “Tactile, antiquated, and alternative processes in photography have a big pull for me because of the level of hands-on craft involved,” he says. “The

artist’s physical hand is so present and important to the final product.”

Currently, his work is on display at Roffi on Newbury Street in Boston. Soon after, he plans on trading in his digital mixed media work for projects that are a little more hands-on. He has an ongoing series of steel sculptures sur-rounding the male form, which he is “hell-bent” on finishing. Each piece is cut out of sheet metal with a torch, hand-hammered into shape, and then welded onto their respective fixtures. The whole process is incredibly tactile, loud, and aggressive, which aside from being a great stress-reliever also ties in well with some of the themes he is exploring.

As far as photography projects, Waxman has been focusing on various portrait series’ surrounding queer identity and culture in Boston with a particular focus on the leather/kink/fetish scene, both as a participant and observer. He notes that the process is still very much in the early stages of planning and research for these projects, so he advises his art patron follow-ers to stay tuned for updates on his social media.

Sam Waxman

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Danielle Tallaksenof danille joy photography

HE BEAUTY OF A LIBERAL education is being able to take courses outside your comfort zone. As Danielle Tallaksen studied graphic design, she took one photography class that changed her life. She had

laughed about it because back then it was just an online class for extra credit. She didn’t realize that shortly afterward, she would decide to pursue a career in the field.

Tallaksen names Rene Margritte and Whistler’s works, as well as Halsman and Annie Leibovitz as her favorite artists. Her appreciation of art extended beyond photography, but lately she has been very interested in Brooke Shaden and Kyle Thompson’s conceptual photography. In Tallaksen’s personal work, she aims to create something that seems out of place, borderline chaotic, but still holds onto serenity. The tranquil moment she is able to produce is a result of well-planned, complicated thought processes wherein the composition of elements in each photo is purposeful. Although the photograph is of something unusual, the viewer feels calm seeing it. Tallaksen’s friend Jeanne was her greatest influence in her personal work. Jeanne had shared the same passion for photography. When Tallaksen eventually lost her, photography became a coping mechanism. The photos she took afterward evoked a transition into what she truly loved.

“I definitely found my niche while I was making these pieces. Each image put a little piece of my mind and soul out on

display. I am a very emotional person and feel a lot while I am making an image. Because of this I feel my work can speak to

people in many different ways.”

She believes in the importance of letting the audience create their own stories in her photos. There is a lot of vagueness in what is occurring within the images. A woman coming or going, submerged in the woods, or sitting with an empty frame in replacement of where her head should be. Like the empty frames, the space allows our brains to finish the semantics so that we as an audience can decode her composition in unique ways.

finding calmness in an estranged chaos

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H AY D E N L I H O U

H AY D E N L I H O UPARTY OF ONE

CAREER CHASERS

THE SOUND OF INFLUENCE

HER

AYDEN LIHOU is a 22-year old photo manipulator and compositor from Adelaide, Australia. He became interested in photography when he just 13 years old, finding a way to eventually meld his interests in other mediums of art with a camera. From a young age,

he taught himself how to retouch and edit photos using online tutorials and experimentation. Only recently did he receive formal training in lighting techniques to bring his work to another level.

The surrealism in his work share stories that resonate with the general public quite well. While he certainly takes on his projects independently, he has the support of his friends and girlfriend as his assistants and models of his photos.

DULLAHANMODEL: LAUREN KOOPOWITZ

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REBIRTHMODEL: ADRIANO ARLOTTA

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C A R V I N G A N E W L I F E

W I T H

S A L A V A T F I D A I

sometimes it takes something terrible to happen to discover your true potential

AST YEAR, SALAVAT FIDAI was a manager of a big company in Ufa, Russia. In a split second, a crisis in Russia occurred and he was laid off. Finding himself jobless with a family to feed, he took the risk

of sacrificing time from hunting for another office job and devoted himself full-time to the arts in hopes of realizing his potential. The decision led him to become possibly the most successful artist of his kind.

“I think now is the moment when I have something to tell other people and know how to do it.”

As a freelance artist, making and selling sculptures had become his main occupation, a way of earning a living and being able provide. Fidai’s parents are also professional artists and art-school teachers. They are the ones to thank for teaching him everything he knows. So to speak, they “handed [him] the baton.” Fidai was quite the painter during his years in school. The first prototypes of his micro sculptures were actually created whilst he was still in his early studies, carving out designs from chalk.

His journey begun as a creative experiment and has grown into large projects. These projects ”Carved pencils” and “Miniatures on Seed” have

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become very popular today. Many people are already familiar with his work and have added his miniatures and sculptures to their collections. Fidai has followers internationally. From the United States to Australia and all across Europe, people love his art. However, in his own country, Fidai says that the people love art but in the aftermath of a huge economic crisis in Russia, art has not been a prime necessity for them.

Under the glow of a single work light while his family sleeps, Fidai uses a craft knife under a 4x magnifying glass to create tiny sculptures out of pointy pencil lead. It takes six to twelve hours for an average statue to be

completed. Complicated models can take up to two or three days. The creations come into full view only after he has used a macro lens to take photographs that reveal the great detail of faces, hands and objects left by his slow, deliberate blade. He is a total night owl and finds himself much more productive and focused at night.

Additionally, his miniatures are not limited to pencils. One of his favorite canvases is the humble pumpkin seed, with its smooth, white surface as the perfect medium for creating tiny copies of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, and even a series of portraits based

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on characters from Star Wars. The concepts for his paintings or sculptures start to take form while he is asleep. When he wakes, he looks for photos and video material that coincide with his thoughts, and then he proceeds to sketch layouts before starting to carve the actual piece. Fiddle explains that for him, the different mediums correlate to different moods.

“When I work with oil on canvas, it’s more emotional and expressive. If I paint acrylic on seeds, it’s hard work and

more detail oriented. When I carve sculptures from pencils, it’s much more meditative.”

At the office, Fidai worked only six hours. Now he works for twelve hours, seven days a week. He spends these hours in his home studio, creating miniature sculptures or paintings. He also likes to experiment in different areas of art: photography, painting, drawing, and sculptures. The most fun

comes in the form of brainstorming new ideas, trying out new materials, and attempting new subjects. Fidai gets his inspiration from an array of places—from his dreams to artist exhibitions and good music. Despite his hours being doubled with the rise of his success as an artist, he confidently states that he is now very happy with his chosen profession, a profession he intends on passing down to his children as well.

“My children will be artists, too. My son learned pencil carving and recently sold his first carved pencil.”

It is certainly heartwarming to know there are stories out there like Salavat Fidai’s where an impassioned career change came out of a very unfortunate situation. With nothing to lose, he yielded a happy artist out of himself, not to mention a proud father enveloped by recognition and accomplishment.

FEATURE

MODELS: MAKENNA LEONARD, FINIGAN LIPSCOMB, MARCEL LIVOTI, NOAH CANEPA,

ALYSSA WELLS.

BY MICAH JAMES

PROJECTED BEAUTY

ICAH JAMES AND HER WORK is yet another example of how formal training and traditional technique can have very little to do with creating art. In fact, by learning

through experimentation as many of us have, you get to experience the purest sense of discovery. It is thrilling, because everything you do inspires you to do more. Once you start, it gives way to a potentially unending realm of inspiration. James shared with us her perspective on inspiration.

“There is this cosmic collective of creativity [that] continually recycles inspiration to everyone. Inspiration can come from anything at any given time, It can come in a form of a melody of a song, from the light

reflecting off a glass, and even the streets we walk on.” She says. “Influences come to all of us daily, it’s up to us to create with it.”

What better way to embody her beliefs than how James began her art form. According to her, it was early morning on a Sunday in October of 2015. Sunlight poured through the window blinds, creating vertical lines on her skin. She noticed the composition of highlights and shadows. It was in that moment when the epiphany happened. Motivation swelled in her, pushing her in a spontaneous pursuit of recreating this vision in the way that she saw it. Despite not having had a DSLR camera until under a year ago, James succeeded in discovering passion in her craft, a craft that she readily invests her time and funds into as to make her visions into reality.

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“Some people like to shop, travel or go out on the weekends, I like to invest in my craft.”

At first, it was buying a projector in order to have an alternative light source. But the glorifying moment of her commitment to the arts was in her purchase of a DSLR camera. She began like everyone else, shooting in auto, but then put in the work to understand and utilize the manual capabilities. She has never hesitated to do what would enable her to accomplish her task, a tenacity that has simultaneously led to the growth of her work style and confidence. James began by employing her light projections as well as some alternative editing techniques. She has since incorporated theatrical makeup, multiple light sources and played with videography.

The evolving complexity of her work and the fact that she is branching away from what she started with is a sign that she has not fallen victim to a trap that many artists find themselves in, which is to feel stuck. She warned other artists of putting themselves in a box or, worse, letting others put them in a box. She says from experience that if you are known for doing a certain thing or a specific style, there is no reason that needs to define you or be the only thing that you do. It is important to change things up and even push yourself into unfamiliar places as to not allow yourself to become complacent.

“You can create for your audience, and that’s okay, but don’t forget to create for yourself.”

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Lizzie of TWIG Makeup

IZZIE LEARNED THAT success relied on hard work and devotion as she endured a painstaking two-year vocational course in a special effects school in Poland. Having always had

some aesthetic sensitivity and an interest in art, she didn’t know which direction she was going to go with, even as she attended art classes as a kid. She was always criticized for going overboard and not adhering to the standards expected in her art classes, which partly discouraged her from pursuing a secondary education in an art-focused high school. However, as a teenager, she became interested in makeup when she began to experiment with colorful eyeshadows. At the time, she didn’t think twice about professional makeup. Fast-forward a couple of years and she had graduated from high school and university, decided to become an English teacher and return to complete her Master’s degree studies. Only then did she find more time to go to makeup school where she took two basic courses in professional makeup, which led to more advanced courses and lash extensions courses following her graduation from graduate school. Back then, she started off collaborating with local photographers and models before she got her first handful of individual clients.

She chose the name TWIG Makeup when she made the ultimate decision to step out of miserable and unmotivated haze as a result of her job in special effects. Without many options to become a full makeup artist in Poland, her opportunity for freelance work on the side with clients who wanted her services for photoshoots were slim. For a while, posting on Facebook did not give her much attention, as the majority of her Polish followers were more interested in glamour makeup. But when she created her Instagram account, she found a different audience that peaked her interest to continue challenging her creativity and post new looks regularly.

The Instagram feed of TWIG Makeup centers mainly on close ups on the eye, with her favorite looks involving glossy eyes, pastel creations and minimal makeup. Although she is more widely recognized for her editorial makeup, she keeps doing glamour makeup looks to please the followers, but upon getting bored of all the same things, she goes back to her preference of jumping beyond the daily creams and powders to a fantastical playground of color and texture. Unlike many big social media makeup artists, Lizzie is not a dedicated makeup junkie that buys every new collection and owns a load of neutral palettes. Ironically, she considers herself quite the minimalist (but only in terms of her purchases), and knows how to consider her new products reasonably as not to waste products.

“You can create so many looks with one product when you look beyond the product’s original use.

For example, an eyeshadow can be used as lipstick, eyebrow product, eyeliner, colored mascara and

blush.”

With the success of TWIG Makeup, Lizzie plans on getting out of her comfort zone of close up eye designs and incorporating full face makeup as to work on her self-development. Slowly, she would like to make more use of her special effects diploma and apply another layer of art medium to her current work. She hasn’t gone pro yet, but for now, she is satisfied with where she is at and will continue to satisfy her admirers on Instagram.

It is never too late to find what you

want or what you are meant to do

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Emma

Escamilla

THE 11 MONTH HAULMMA ESCAMILLA is a Mexican artist who resides in the multi-cul-tural city of Los Angeles. At a young age, Emma found his undying passion for the Arts in his beautiful, scenic hometown of Tuxpan,

Nayarit, Mexico. But the beauty of the human form captured his interest. In fact Emma claims to have drawn his own version of Mona Lisa by the age of 8. He was inspired by the act of capturing fine detail, and despite having no formal training, succeeded in understanding the nuances of the human facial structure by the age of 15. His interest in detail has lead Escamilla to admiring the work of artists such as Jean Pierre Roy, Gottfried Helnwein, Laurie Lipton, and Yanni Floros, who’s art all take part in some form of hyperrealism.

For Escamilla, the meaning of the piece is of much more significance than the look of it. His work, “ A Demon In Me” reveals a young woman holding an umbrella inside a bubble. We learn that the scenario is a manifestation of a girlfriend of his, who had broken her back in attempt to succeed in the dance field. He creates the narrative of her being trapped inside the bubble that represents her hopes and our vulnerability. A bubble—fragile and sus-ceptible to bursting—much like our dreams.

The bubble is on uneven ground as he and his girlfriend were while working on their crafts. The bubble is purposely little flat, as to display the despera-

tion they felt as time was running out. Looking closely at the light reflec-tions in the piece, there are hidden demons, which are meant to represent the emotional course of their relationship. The layers of complexity to this piece are an impressive feat that provides the viewer something potent and poignant to hold on to. Escamilla’s hope is for people to truly see inside the bubble and find one message that resonates with them.

“I want the viewer to be left with a feeling of emptiness as they walk away from it; as if the bubble was never there. At the end of the day, we want the bubble to burst to let the dancer inside shine!”

While he has found a lot of success in the art he sought out to create, he admits that his process, like that of most artists, is not without its troubles.It takes him about 11 months to finish one piece. But this does not faze the artist. Escamilla has plans to make another attempt at the bubble idea, this time in a life size form. The mere thought of the dimensions of this project meant he would anticipate a full year of work. As he says, “This shit ain’t easy, but it’s not impossible.” Full of drive and talent, these qualities have led him to multiple shows and exhibitions in galleries. Moreover, Escamilla tells us that he is expecting collaborations with other artists to curate a massive show in downtown Los Angeles sometime late this May.

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YOUNG-SUNG KIM

OUNG-SUNG KIM, born and bred in Seoul, Korea, is an artist who has had exhibitions in Representative Gallery - Waterfall Mansion Gallery, New York and Plus One Gallery,

London. In an economically driven world where we are conditioned to subconsciously place value on the genuinely invaluable, Young Sung Kim has visually critiqued the level at which we place “value” on objects both commercially and ethically. Kim uses contrasting subject matter to illustrate the distinction between the living and the material.

“IT SEEMS THAT AS A SOCIETY OUR IDEAS OF HOW SOMETHING IS VALUED ARE

INTRINSICALLY ROOTED IN COMMERCE.”

This series expresses the modern society where lives are threatened and many things have disappeared due to the advanced development of material civilizations. The coexistence of objects representing Life and Object are shown as a piece of advertisement or a theatrical piece to analyze and depict the phenomenon cold-heartedly to express the desolation of modern society and nihilism of modern people and to reveal humans’ negligence of life.

NOTHING. LIFE.

OBJECT.a realist oil painter expresses

his hardened views on modernity

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AURORA.

August Relliesbis

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT.

of Relm Art

CELESTE.

CORDELIA

SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST raised in New York City, Relm studied fashion design briefly before leaving to pursue art full time. Like many others, the idea of being a painter never

crossed her mind. After she left school, she was left with a lot of time on her hands, so she began dabbling in oil paint for fun although her preferred medium was always her colored pencils since she used it so frequently in fashion school. With many ideas swimming around in her head nonstop, pencils helped bring the ideas to paper faster. Paint-ing had always intimidated her too much, hence why she never focused on it until two years ago when she put her pencils down and decided to switch over to oil painting.

“Finally for the first time I felt I could bring my pieces to life.” She exhaled.

It wasn’t an easy switch, as she had to undergo the challenge of learning how to properly work with oils. She reminisces about how difficult it was for her since there was no voice of guidance. With a ton of research, persistence, and of course, trial and error, she was eventually able to figure out enough of the technique to collate a small body of work to showcase. While still a challenge to be an oil painter, she keeps on doing what keeps her interested and is adamant about perfecting the craft.

Dropping out of fashion school, Relm never imaginedshe would become such a successful oil painter

WITHIN THE HALOCLINE.

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PULLSBY LAURA OXENDINE

CONTRIBUTING MOTION DESIGNER AND SOUND EDITOR: BRIAN CAMPBELLVISIT WWW.ARTISTSUNKNOWNMAG.COM FOR FULL VIDEO

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST of photography, video, motion design, live performance and poetry, Laura Oxendine is a lover of bold colors with a heavy emphasis on abstraction. With a

Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York, she has accumulated her skills to create a digital piece called PULLS.

pULLS is a series that is oxymoronic in that they feed off a tension between the organic and the digital. The final product is a purely digital piece that uses original photo-

graphs as source and is “hand painted digitally.” All of the movements and shapes visible in the work represent hand movements with a mouse and are carefully honed to convey a sense of movement, of action, of confidence. The process becomes quite reactionary, in that, there’s an exercise in saying, “this movement works, and (maybe more important-ly) this one does not.”

The work is printed on an aluminum plate that both gives the final product a modern feel while the process of infusing the image into a metal plate adds a viscosity to the color. The video work takes this process one step further to bring literal movement into the images in combination with text and sound.

REASON AFRAID OF DEFEAT

UNFOLD (VIDEO STILL)

UNFOLD (VIDEO STILL)

WILD CAVERNOUS BEAUTY

YOU ARE MY SOUND

30 PERCENT SIREN

A

REASON

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UNFOLD

WILD

SOUND

GAIAPHOTOGRAPHY: MARTA BEVACQUA

MODEL: MATHILDA ZERTY

Marta Bevacqua

DECORATION AND FLOWERS DESIGN: FRENCH ANTIQUE WEDDINGMODEL: ELÉONORE LEGER-DEPOLLIER

MAKE-UP: MEYLOO

COLLECTIONS 2016 FRENCH ANTIQUE WEDDINGPHOTOGRAPHY: MARTA BEVACQUA

ART DIRECTION: FRENCH ANTIQUE WEDDING

DRESSES AND ACCESSORIES : VICTOIRE VERMEULENHAIR STYLE : ADÉLIE BALEZ

JEWELS: MARIE-HÉLÈNE DE TAILLAC

LABRYINTH

LIGHTSPHOTOGRAPHY: MARTA BEVACQUA

MODEL: DEILA VOGUR

The fashion photographer taking strides in the magazine world

ABOUT marta BEVACQUA

REELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER Marta Bevacqua from Rome, Italy, dedicates her free time to set photography, lookbooks and experiment-ing with the general field of fine arts. One of the largest leaps she had taken in her career was after her exhibition in London in 2009, where she encountered Arcangel Images’ Staff and found herself collaborating with them and two other agencies to design book covers for famous

authors, one of who won the Nobel Prize in 2014 (Alice Munro). It was after she came across a campaign for Romeo Gigli Eyewear (2011) that she became fascinated by fashion photography. Bevacqua left no time to waste; she enrolled in a short course of Fashion Photography at the Central Saint Martins School of London and visualized fashion editorials that quickly put her on several magazines like POSE, Kult, Flawless, Papier Mache, Trend Prive Magazine, Ben Trovato, In Bloom, to name a few. As she spiraled up into the sphere of noticed fashion photographers, she curated a solo exhibition at the ExEliograpfica of Perugia during the famous Umbria Jazz Festival in 2012. After, she created advertising campaigns for companies like the Generator Hostel Paris in 2014. Since then she has been living in Paris, France. Bevacqua had been selected and published on PhotoVogue (Vogue Italia) and Swatch, and earned mentions in International Photography Awards.

ABOUT THE EDITORIALS

HE FIRST SERIES called “GAIA” is a story of a fairy that is encompassed by nature. Her emotions are dependent on that of the plantation that surrounds her. The second series called “The Labyrinth” is a dream-themed editorial shoot held in Normandy, France for the new collection of French Antique Wedding. The third and final series, “Lights” is a personal project of Bevacqua’s. The use of lights is a favorite

prop of hers and it was a pleasant surprise to see how well the Christmas bulbs looked on her model’s face.

F

T

FEATURE

MARIAPHOTOGRAPHER: REBECA SARAYMAKEUP: LYDIA CORRALMODEL: SARA NUNEZ LOPEZ

LY D I A C O R R A L

I S T H E A R T I S T B E H I N D

O C E A N S O F B LO O D

YDIA CORRAL IS THE FACE and handyman of the popular Instagram page, “Oceansofblood,” a name she never considered as a professional

one from the beginning. People on social media were attracted by her abstract and eye-catching makeup work, so the name never changed. She describes her personal style as a makeup artist to be full of contrasts between light and shadow with a wide gamut of colors.

As a child she was drawn to horror and supernatural films that led to her designing her own ‘creatures’ from a beauty and delicate perspective to one that is dark. While a woman’s natural beauty is wonderful, she tries to break the rules to provoke interest in makeup. Seeing her body of work, Oceansofblood adds an unordinary point of view far from the line that defines conventional standards in society.

MEDUSAPHOTOGRAPHER: IRENE PASCUAL

MODEL/MAKEUP: LYDIA CORRAL

L

GEAMODEL/MAKEUP: LYDIA CORRAL

PHOTO: IRENE PASCUAL

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FEATURE

EDWARPHOTOGRAPHER: SERGIO CUTILLAS

MAKE UP: LYDIA CORRALMODEL: EDWAR TIGUER

EDITORIAL

Agnieska Lorekof A.M. Lorek Photography

YAZZMINA. M. LOREK PHOTOGRAPHY

MODEL: YAZZMIN NEVELL

SELF-PORTRAITA. M. LOREK PHOTOGRAPHY

MEDUSAA. M. LOREK PHOTOGRAPHY

MODEL: MAGDALENA ANDRUSZKIEWICZ

MAGDAA. M. LOREK PHOTOGRAPHYMODEL: MAGDALENA ANDRUSZKIEWICZ

SPRING LADYA. M. LOREK PHOTOGRAPHYMODEL: OPHIDIAMAKEUP: DARIA BERENDT FASHION DESIGNERS: MAGDALENA WILK - DRYLO DESIGNER & MALGORZATA MOTAS

OPHELIAA. M. LOREK PHOTOGRAPHY

MODEL: OPHELIA OVERDOSEFASHION DESIGNER: AGNIESZKA OSIPA COSTUMES

SYMBOLS OF LIFE

BROTHERHOODWe may be as day and night,as different as black and White,yet there is no reason hereto fight a War because of fear.

cause you’re just you and i am me,come, open up your eyes and see,that no matter hoW different,it’s love that binds us in the end.

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BY JONAS JÖDICK

PEACEis War the ansWer,

is hate the Way?is life just a game

of predator and prey?

give me your hand,feel my heart beat,

put doWn your Weaponsand let us make peace.

for We both knoW,We can’t hide,

We might die together,if We chose to fight.

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NE OF SIX SIBLINGS, Jonas Jödick had always caught himself imagining fantastic worlds ever since he can re-member. Born in Berlin, Germany, he took his artworks to

the Internet in 2010, gaining an impressive fan base that eventu-ally, like many others, turned a hobby into a profession. His works are being appreciated and purchased all around the globe with features in well-known blogs, websites, magazines and books.Jödick is enthralled by the yin and yang of light and dark or

good and evil. His series, “Symbols of Life” portrays the bipolar relationship between dark versus light and good versus evil. Each artwork contains a common symbol such as heart, eternity and others, thus containing an even deeper meaning beyond the theme of duality.

ETERNAL BONDWe live, We die,We laugh, We cry,We’re loW, then high,We fail and try.

We hope, We doubt,We breathe, We shout,We’re soft, then loud,We’re meek and proud.

eternity is ment to bea never ending harmonyof dusk and daWn,nor split nor torn,

for as We die,We’ll be reborn.

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OFEATURE

“In this series these two poles, represented by animals with slight human traits, are actually bound together in a mix of affection, love, necessity, but also pain. My belief is, that each of them cannot exist without the other, as we know stars could never shine without the

dark of the night. The same applies to relationships between humans sometimes: we may be different as day and night, but still we can and ought to be bound together in love.”

CIRCLE OF LIFEin life We face both loW and peek,We fail and sometimes We succeedto gain fulfillment, joy and peace,

until We find that missing piece:

someone to hold, someone to feel,someone, Who makes our joy so real,

a lover, friend, a child, our god,someone We can truely love.

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YIN AND YANG balance is a state of opposition,a state of tWo forces facing each other.

there is no light Without darkness,no peace Without pain.

it is our choice Which Way We faceand in the end that choice

...determines our eternal destiny.

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FEATURE

V I KTO R I A T U R O K

PHOTOGRAPHER: MARIYA BARDASHMODEL: MARGARITA KOVELMAN

M A K E U P A R T I S T

PHOTOGRAPHER: MARIYA BARDASHMODEL: ALINA RYBKA

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FEATURE

PHOTOGRAPHER: MARIYA BARDASHMODEL: MARGARITA KOVELMAN

PHOTOGRAPHER: ANTON RIAKHINMODEL: ALINA RYBKA

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FEATURE

PHOTOGRAPHER: ANTON RIAKHINMODEL: ALINA RYBKA

PHOTOGRAPHER: ALEX BUTS MODEL: ELIZABETH PENTSARSKAYA

PHOTOGRAPHER: ALEX BUTS MODEL: ELIZABETH PENTSARSKAYA

PHOTOGRAPHER: ALEX BUTS MODEL: ELIZABETH PENTSARSKAYA

Madame Fly BY DARIA

BELIKOVA

MERGING FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER Daria produces artwork

that is laced with emotion and steeped with ethereal beauty. Since 2009 Daria has continu-ously developed and pushed her practice of fashion photography towards heightened levels of sur-realism and beauty. Production is key in creating Daria’s signa-ture aesthetic. From models and outfits to props and locations these carefully curated choices result in dark, emotive photog-raphy with a large degree of fairy tale like sensibility. She cur-rently lives and works between Moscow, London and New York City.

STYLIST: ELIZAVETA MAZITOVAMAKEUP: IBI MOLNAR

HAIR STYLIST: WAKE ADACHIMODEL: KANICE LEI

DRESS AND TROUSERS BY AMANDA SVART

E

KIMONO COAT BY AMANDA SVART

KIMONO COAT BY AMANDA SVART

KIMONO BY HIROSHI GOTO

TOP BY HIROSHI GOTOSKIRT BY PRADA

DRESS BY HIROSHI GOTO

KIMONO BY HIROSHI GOTO

NINA VILLANUEVAPHOTOGRAPHER

FEATURE

Le Jardin

des Esprits

The Garden of Spirits

*****

photography by NINA VILLANUEVA of envy photography and creative studio

makeup art and headpiece designs by CINDY CHENmodels: RHIANNON HALLEY & ERIKA YUSECO

*****

HE IDEA OF THIS SHOOT was conceived through a hybrid muse within the patterns of Frances Hodg-son Burnett’s “The Secret Garden” and Alexander

McQueen’s explosively gorgeous and intense designs. Chen treated the floral pieces like water, how a face would emerge from a pool, how lavenders would drape overhead with the trajectory of a splash, or the fluidity of a willow tree’s leaves when brushed by a breeze. The violets are reflected with subtle polish from the orchids onto the model’s face and the blood orange of daisies are powdered onto her eyelids. Drift off into fantasy with Le Jardin des Espirits.

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French Fairytales BY JANELLE PIETRZAK

AUDOBON’S DAUGHTERPHOTOGRAPHER:

JANELLE PIETRZAK - EXPLORED EXPOSUREMODEL: MONIKA GOCMAN

COAT, SKIRT AND BLOUSE, HAT: NATIONAL THEATRE EARRINGS: JOLITA

RINGS: VELVET ECCENTRIC & NATIONAL THEATRE HAIR & MAKEUP: RACHEL SIGMON

STYLIST: MINNA ATTALAPRODUCTION: MISS ANIELA

FEATURE

WIND SWEPTPHOTOGRAPHER:

JANELLE PIETRZAK - EXPLORED EXPOSUREMODEL: KRISTINA VAICIUNAITE

HAIR & MAKEUP: RACHEL SIGMONJACKET AND SKIRT: NATIONAL THEATRE

EARRINGS: JOLITARINGS: VELVET ECCENTRIC AND NATIONAL THEATRE

STYLIST: MINNA ATTALAPRODUCTION: MISS ANIELA

LADY OF THE HOUSEPHOTOGRAPHER: JANELLE PIETRZAK - EXPLORED EXPOSUREMODEL: KIMHAIR & MAKEUP: RACHEL SIGMONDRESS: WENDY BENSTEADHAT: RACHEL SIGMONCHOKER: VELVET ECCENTRICRINGS: NATIONAL THEATRESTYLIST: MINNA ATTALAPRODUCTION: MISS ANIELA

MARIE ANTIONETTEPHOTOGRAPHER:

JANELLE PIETRZAK - EXPLORED EXPOSUREMODEL: ANITA SIKORSKA

DRESS & UNDERSKIRT: NATIONAL THEATRECHOKER: VELVET ECCENTRIC

RINGS: NATIONAL THEATREHAIR & MAKEUP: RACHEL SIGMON

STYLIST: MINNA ATTALAPRODUCTION: MISS ANIELA

MARIE ANTIONETTEPHOTOGRAPHER: JANELLE PIETRZAK - EXPLORED EXPOSUREMODEL: ANITA SIKORSKAHAIR & MAKEUP: RACHEL SIGMONDRESS: MISS ANIELACHOKER: VELVET ECCENTRICEARRINGS: JOLITARINGS: VELVET ECCENTRIC & NATIONAL THEATRESTYLIST: MINNA ATTALAPRODUCTION: MISS ANIELA

of a photo story.

“This series was taken while attending a photography workshop at the incredibly beautiful estate, Chateau Challain, located in France’s Loire Valley. The workshop, titled: “French Fairytale” - A Fashion Shoot Experience, was produced by photographer Miss Aniela, and gave six photographers the chance of a lifetime. During this event we spent five days, photographing four, fully styled, agency-represented models. All together, we were able to shoot ten unique looks and ultimately walk away with a fantastic portfolio of high fashion photographs. Surrounded by new friends and tons of creativity, were pampered with gourmet French meals, and spent our nights tucked into magical rooms with canopy beds.

Minna Attala masterfully handled all the styling, while the stunning hair and makeup looks were created by Rachel Sigmon and Grace Gray. As well as being a master cosmetologist, Rachel Sigmon, is also the owner and designer of Posh Fairytale Couture, and was responsible for fashioning all of the wigs and some of costumes. Other outfits were created by Miss Aniela, Fairytas, or were rented from the National Theater London. Jolita Jewellery, Velvet Eccentric, and the National Theater London, all supplied jewelry for the shoot. The extraordinary models came from all over including Poland, London and the USA. This workshop exceeded my expectations and was indeed a life changing experience.

While shooting, I wanted to be sure to keep with my style of photography, in that I am a storyteller with a fine art background. I love both fashion as well as fine art imagery, and think these images tow that tenuous line between the two. Ultimately, I would love to work more in the fashion world, but only by holding onto my roots in fine art photography. I learned so much during this workshop, and am still reaping the benefits of this experience months later. Through this, I feel like I gained so much confidence as a photographer, both by working with teams and trusting my vision. I was so thrilled to attend, and I am now very excited to share this series “French Fairytale” with Artists Unknown Magazine.”

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EHIND THE LENS of Explored Exposure is a fine art pho-tographer from Aspen Colorado named Janelle Pietrzak. She studied photography at the University of Colorado

at Boulder and fashion at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising LA. She has shared with us a few exclusive images

B

GOLDEN QUEENPHOTOGRAPHER: JANELLE PIETRZAK - EXPLORED EXPOSUREMODEL: KRISTINA VAICIUNAITEDRESS & HEADPIECE: POSH FAIRYTALE COUTUREHAIR & MAKEUP: RACHEL SIGMONRINGS: VELVET ECCENTRIC AND NATIONAL THEATRESTYLIST: MINNA ATTALAPRODUCTION: MISS ANIELA

FOLLOW OUR AU MAG ARTISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIAFELIPE MOREIRA....................IG: @FELIPE_MAKEUP | FB: FELIPE MOREIRA MAKEUP ARTISTOWEN NICHOLS.................... HTTP://OJN-PHOTOGRAPHY.TUMBLR.COMSILVIA BELLU........................... IG: @LUM.SSAM WAXMAN....................... IG: @WAMSAXMAN | HTTP://SAMWAXMAN.COMDANIELLE TALLAKSEN............. HTTP://DANIELLE-JOY.COMHAYDEN LIHOU...................... FB/IG: @HAYDENLIHOU | HTTP://WWW.HAYDENLIHOU.COM/SALAVAT FIDAI......................... IG: @SALAVAT.FIDAI | HTTP://WWW.SALAVATFIDAI.COMMICAH JAMES........................ FB: @MICAHJAMESARTISTRY | WWW.MICAHJAMES-ART.TUMBLR.COMLIZZIE ‘TWIG’ MAKEUP........... FB/IG: @TWIGMAKEUPEMMA ESCAMILLA................ IG: @EMMA_ESCAMILLA | HTTP://EMMAESCAMILLA.WORDPRESS.COMYOUNG-SUNG KIM................ IG: @_Y_KIM | FB: @10VUNAUGUST RELLIESBIS.............. IG: @RELMXX | HTTP://WWW.RELMARTIST.COM/LAUREN OXENDINE............... HTTP://LAURAOXENDINE.COMMARTA BEVACQUA................. IG: @MARTABEVACQUA | WWW.MARTABEVACQUAPHOTOGRAPHY.COMLYDIA CORRAL......................... IG/YOUTUBE: @OCEANSOFBLOODAGNIESKZA LOREK.................. IG: AGNIESKZA LOREK | FB: @A.M.LOREKPHOTOGRAPHYJONAS JÖDICKE.................... FB/IG/DEVIANTART: @JOJOESART | YOUTUBE: PEEGEEARTSVIKTORIA TUROK.................... IG: @VIKTORIATUROK DARIA BELIKOVA..................... FB/IG: @DARIA_BELIKOVA_PHOTOGRAPHY | WWW.DARIABELIKOVA.COMNINA VILLANUEVA.................. IG: @ENVY.CREATIVES | HTTP://ENVYPHOTOGRAPHY.TUMBLR.COMJANELLE PIETRZAK.................FB/IG: @EXPLOREDEXPOSURE | WWW.EXPLOREEXPOSURE.COM

INDEX

follow artists unknown magazine on instagram:@artistsunknownmag

tag us and you might win a feature in our next issue and appear on our website: www.artistsunknownmag.com

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additional links from editorialsPG. 105 - 112MODEL: MONIKA GOCMANFB: @MONIKAGOCMANOFFICIAL MODEL: KRISTINA VAICIUNAITEFB: @KRISTINA.VAICIUNAITE.1MODEL: ANITA SIKORSKAFB: @SIKORSKAANITAIG: @ANITASIKORSKASTYLIST: MINNA ATTALAIG: @MINNAATTALAJEWELRY/COSTUMES:JOLITAFB/IG: @JOLITAJEWELLERYJEWELRY/COSTUMES: VELVET ECCENTRICHTTP://WWW.VELVET-ECCENTRIC.CO.UK/IG/TWT: @VELVETECCENTRICPOSH FAIRYTALE COUTURE

FB: @POSH.FAIRYTALE.COUTUREIG: @POSHFAIRYTALECOUTURENATIONAL THEATER LONDON:HTTP://WWW.NATIONALTHEATRE.ORG.UK/COSTUME-AND-PROPS-HIRE MAKEUP/HAIR: RACHEL SIGMONFB: @RACHELSIGMONCOSMETOLOGISTMAKEUP/HAIR: GRACE GRAYFB: @GRACEGRAYSMAKEUPPRODUCTION: MISS ANIELAFB: @MISSANIELAPHOTOGRAPHY

PG. 92 - 99FASHION DESIGNER: HIRO SHIGOTO HTTP://WWW.HIROSHIGOTO.CO.UKFASHION DESIGNER: AMANDA SVART HTTP://WWW.AMANDASVART.CO.UK

STYLIST: ELIZAVETA MAZITOVA HTTP://ELZVTA.COMMAKEUP: IBI MOLNAR HTTP://IBIMOLNAR.COM

PG. 73 - 79MODEL: OPHELIA OVERDOSEFB: @MODEL.OPHELIA.OVERDOSEFASHION DESIGNER: AGNIESZKA OSIPA COSTUMESFB: @AGNIESZKAOSIPADESIGNERMODEL: OPHIDIAFB: @MODELOPHIDIAMAKEUP: DARIA BERENDTFB: @DARIA BERENDT MAKEUP ARTISTFASHION DESIGNER: MAGDALENA WILK - DRYLO DESIGNERFB: @MAGDALENA WILK DRYLO DESIGNERFASHION DESIGNER: MALGORZATA MOTASFB: @GOSIAMOTASFASHIONDESIGNER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFCindy Chen

MANAGING EDITORDan McCarthy

SPECIAL THANKS TO:Chris KimAmy Chen