Me+5

Kevin Persaud

Inspiration Me+5


1-Who were the 5 +artists you chose videos about? 

Heidi Lau- sculptor (clay)
the artist becomes the medium.
Instead of sculpting the object, it’s sculpting and shaping the artist.
Lau’s work is inspired by the past and how she can recreate pieces to work for now and the future. Some pieces are garments and pots
Lau is also the first artist in residence at the green wood cemetery in brooklyn, which might also inspire her eerie pieces that have to do with the afterlife.

Dan Herschlein-
Deals with horror
Theme is to find comfort in horror or a desire for comfort
“I am scared, I am sad.. Maybe it’s fine to be sad, or sacred or anxious.” it's not a threat, it’s normal.

Jes Fan- glass artist
Material becomes alive and transforms from liquid, to almost plastic into glass.
Moved from Hong Kong where Fan was considered a majority to the U.S where he became a minority.
Work deals with biological mediums that are imbued with identity categories- testosterone, estrogen, melanin.
Fan’s body is in a period of transition as Fan uses testosterone, and he compares himself to the glass-liquid transformation.
His art becomes about identity

Doreen Garner-
“One small thing could make the body fail”
Her sister had a massive stroke; a blood vessel burst and was left disabled. Garner spent a lot of time in the hospital and the experience was burnt into her brain.
Many of her pieces deal with the physical body (and the organs/tissues)
Garner speaks on how black people have been mistreated. “Extra sets of hands to do tasks, people to take out your frustration on.. Just disposable bodies.”


Nick Cave-fashion and sculpture
The complexity of being a black male/being racially profiled
Developing thick skin and operating in a world that could work against you.
Lashing out in rage fuels his impulse to create. For Cave, It comes from a dark place.
His pieces are metaphors for suits of armor and empowerment. They serve as a second skin against racism, racial profiling and for viewers to look past skin color.


2-What were 5+ of the themes the artists addressed about making work?

Heidi Lau spoke on afterlife and how her work is inspired from that. She also includes that she feels that when she sculpts, she becomes the medium and the clay is sculpting her. Dan Herschlein focuses on the horror of life and the discomfort we face in sadness and anxiety. These are threats we face, but he explains that maybe it’s fine to accept these emotions. Jes Fan is an evolving artist who works with glass. He explains how by using testosterone, he is changing just like the medium he uses, from a state of water to glass. His art becomes about identity. Doreen Garner’s work is very eerie as it deals with the human body and many of her pieces are the body parts exposed. She provides an explanation of how black people are mistreated and used for just their body. Nick Cave speaks on racial profiling and having to grow up with thick skin. His suits are metaphors for armor against prejudice.

3-What were 5+ challenges the artists faced in making their work?

Many of the artists that I researched were minorities and faced some form of racial profiling, inequality or racism.

4-What were 5+ inspirations you drew from the artists?

To have thick skin
To not conform to society and their judgment
To continue evolving in myself and my work as an artist
Use mediums i’ve never used before and not be afraid to try new things
Find my identity

5-What were 5+ things you would like to Incorporate into your own work after watching these videos?

I’d like to try glass making. I feel it’s similar to clay where you can bend and play with the medium, but it’s a lot more fragile and probably dries faster. Heidi Lau says in her video that she likes to take walks to clear her ego and mind. I think this ideology is something any artist could benefit from doing. Garner uses a lot of casts in her pieces to create large pieces. I think I’d be interested in casting molds to create something big. Many of these artists move out of their comfort zone to try new mediums and explore themselves. Heidi Lau also finds inspiration from a ceramics shop in manhattan. It’s always great to know fellow artists and find inspiration and get to know them. It makes you a better artist and this is something i’m interested in doing.