Thinkspace Projects is proud to present Mark Jeffrey Santos‘ (aka Mr. S) U.S. debut solo exhibition ‘Uncharted Paths’ in our main gallery. His new body of work is based on his personal experiences traveling, creating a body of work that evokes the certain feeling of excitement when you find yourself in a new place. Complete with a dreamlike environment and his wide-eyed characters, Santos is not only technically skilled, but also gifted with the vision to construct imaginary, bordering on surreal, scenes. His characters can often be found on an adventure, accompanied by larger-than-life creatures. Such talent in world-building and character design only comes natural for Santos, who did works in video and film before becoming a visual artist.
Our interview with Mr. S shares his creative influences, which skill he would easily download in his brain if he could, and what he hopes viewers take away/experience while viewing his work.
What does a day in the studio look like for you? How do you structure your days? Do you have any rituals that help you tap into a creative flow?
There’s isn’t any specific routine to my workflow. I like to be spontaneous when it comes to my schedule. I noticed that I come up with great ideas when I’m doing mundane tasks. Still, I make sure that I meet the deadlines.
What is your most favorite and least favorite part of the creative process? Who are some of your creative influences? Why do they inspire you?
Besides the painting itself, my favorite part is solving how to achieve a certain mood in my paintings. I have a lot of influences in terms of painting, but I think Andrew Hem really inspired me to learn how to paint landscapes and understand more about color temperature.
If you could have any skill or topic downloaded into your brain, what would you want to be able to do / be an expert at? What do you hope viewers take away or experience while viewing your work?
Learn a new language. I want to be able communicate better. When I paint, I usually like to look at my subjects to have a feeling of calmness in them. And I hope that’s what the viewers would feel when they look at my paintings.
How do you like to enjoy your time outside of the studio? Do you celebrate the completion of a body of work?
I actually do a lot of things. I try to stay away from painting but still try to be creative in other ways. it’s important to live life and be present in the moment because I’d like to think that my art is a representation of my life experiences.
If you could collaborate with any artists in any sort of medium (i.e. movies, music, painting) who would you collaborate with, and what would you be making?
I would definitely collaborate with an animator. Seeing my characters to life would be awesome. Think of the movie ‘Kubo.’
Who would be on the guest list if you could throw a dinner party for five people, dead or alive? What would be on the menu? What would be the icebreaker question?
No comment. 😅
What was in your musical rotation during the development of this body of work?
My playlist is super random. But usually I listen to korean and japanese musicians like Ovall, Kan Sano, Tsubaki, Sweet william, Nujabes, and yes I listen to Kpop as well.
Thinkspace is excited to present Clémentine Bal for her debut U.S solo ‘Magic Friends,’ which welcomes viewers into her world of characters who proudly embrace their uniqueness and vibrant colors, filling Gallery II of Thinkspace Projects for her debut U.S. solo exhibition.
This body of work explores slightly strange, quirky, or even truly bizarre characters and a joyful luminous ensemble fueled by gradients and contrasts. Each subject was designed to celebrate their own individuality, even as some of them still struggle to accept themselves as they are. They form a magical entity that can transform at will. With their simple, clean lines, it’s as if they just came out of a drawing, evoking a childlike wonder and even a disconcerting naivety.
“I truly enjoyed bringing these characters to life, aiming for them to be light-hearted, kind, and funny, like friends.”
Our interview with Bal reveals her creative inspirations, what she would choose if she can download any special skill, about her dream collaboration and more!
What themes were you exploring in this body of work? Did you have a piece that was particularly challenging?
I wanted to work on original characters, giving them sometimes strange shapes. I also wanted to make wall sculptures, so that they take a little height. I wanted to give them confidence, to impose their strangeness and take us into their magical world. I wanted to work a lot more with colors for this body of work. I wanted to create a very colorful set, in line with the more playful temperament of these new characters. I had a great need for joy and gaiety. The work on certain sculptures was particularly long and difficult. The large wall pieces with complex shapes in particular required months of work. Days and days of sanding, finishing and handling difficulties. It’s all the more rewarding when the job is done!
What does a day in the studio look like for you? How do you structure your days? Do you have any rituals that help you tap into a creative flow?
I have very conventional working days because they are based on my children’s schedules. I am in my studio from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. I sometimes go back a bit in the evening but I generally take this quiet time to do little drawings. In general, I plan the day before my goals for the day. In the morning I start with what I prefer to do, listening to audio books. In the afternoon, I advance on what is necessary, with music. It is rather well structured and it helps me to be well concentrated.
What is your most favorite and least favorite part of the creative process? Who are some of your creative influences? Why do they inspire you?
I have lots of favorite moments! First of all, I love the beginning, throwing myself into building something. But I also like to realize the details, and to see these forms which become characters. What is most complicated is the end. The final touches, often endless, and the photos, which closes the process. There comes a time when you have to accept that it’s not perfect, and move on to try to do better! The discovery of Mark Ryden’s work was a big crush for me, I loved the distorted naivety of his characters, the link with the world of childhood. I’m a fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, these masterpieces with all these extraordinary characters. In literature, Murakami is truly one of my favorite authors, with his fantastic creativity. And then there are these contemporary artists whose work I admire like Otani workshop and Klara Kristalova with their characters of great sensitivity. Nicolas Party, whose work with colors I particularly admire. Ob with all its delicacy. Roby Dwi Antono and his incredible artistic path. David Shrigley and his humor. And of course so many others…
If you could have any skill or topic downloaded into your brain, what would you want to be able to do / be an expert at?
What do you hope viewers take away or experience while viewing your work? So what I would like (maybe it’s more of a magic power than a skill) would be to be able to talk to the animals. I could tell them how much I love them, and how sorry I am for all the harm done to them. But concerning my work, I believe that it would be better to remove things from my brain. With less expectations, control, fear, I could gain spontaneity. I work on that! If my sculptures can give people a sweet, inner smile, then my job is done!
How do you like to enjoy your time outside of the studio? Do you celebrate the completion of a body of work?
When I’m not in my studio, I take care of my children, my animals, my family. And when nobody needs me, I go back to work. It is both physical and cerebral activity. I like feeling tired after a hard day’s work. I don’t celebrate anything at all! Of course, I can be satisfied with the work done, but I immediately think of what’s next. There is continuity and each completed work calls for the next.
If you could collaborate with any artists in any sort of medium (i.e. movies, music, painting) who would you collaborate with, and what would you be making?
I would like to collaborate with a designer, and create everyday objects that would take on eccentric shapes as if they were transformed. It would amuse me a lot! What might also interest me would be to see my characters in stop motion, I find certain film aesthetics magnificent.
Who would be on the guest list if you could throw a dinner party for five people, dead or alive? What would be on the menu? What would be the icebreaker question?
There are obviously plenty of people whose work I admire, but for a dinner, I prefer to invite those with whom we are going to have a good evening. I invite Laure Calamy, brilliant French actress, super funny. The kind of personality opposite of me, I adore. I invite Marion Peck and Mark Ryden, because they are so inspiring! I invite Totoro (I allow myself! ), Because if I had to worship a god, I would choose him. And I would love to give him a hug. And I invite Ricky Gervais, he really does me good. Regarding the menu, well, I hope my guests won’t have too many expectations about it because gastronomy is clearly not one of my passions. It will be vegetarian, and above all we will drink a good little wine because I will be very intimidated by everyone! And I’m really not very good at sociability, so icebreaker questions usually come the other way around!
What was in your musical rotation during the development of this body of work?
I usually listen to a bit of everything, classical, rock, electro, it’s very varied. But the last few months, it’s been very hip-hop. Working on large pieces can be very physical, and music is a great help in maintaining pace and motivation. Thank you Eminem and Dr Dre, you have been a great help to me!
Thinkspace is excited to present Wiley Wallace ‘Woven Trails,’ bringing a captivating exploration of interconnectedness, time, and space to Thinkspace Projects’ Gallery IV. ‘Woven Trails‘ delves into metaphysical concepts, inviting viewers to reflect on the mysteries of existence. The paintings depict transformative journeys where time, space, and interconnectedness intertwine to form a mesmerizing tapestry of exploration and reflection. Wallace’s pieces convey a kind of sci-fi nostalgia harkening back to a Spielberg-era of extraterrestrial-themed filmmaking. At times their implied innocence and naiveté give way to darker and more dystopian readings, surfacing amidst the neon-hued glow.
Our interview with Wiley reveals what a day in the studio looks like for him, his creative influences, and about his dream collaboration.
What themes were you exploring in this body of work? Did you have a piece that was particularly challenging?
In this body of work, I was trying to build off of themes that I have used in the past like the desert, my children, skeletons, and glowing ethereal and polyhedron shapes. I was also trying to add more translucent and abstract shapes of different materials like glass or minerals. Additionally, I was trying to challenge myself to paint bigger on some paintings and smaller on other ones, playing with scale a bit.
What does a day in the studio look like for you? How do you structure your days? Do you have any rituals that help you tap into a creative flow?
From month to month, a day looks very different depending on what our kids have going on. During the school year, I love to swim or hike in the morning after getting the kids off to school, then paint until I have to teach a class, and then paint until we eat dinner together. In the summer, with everyone home, I moved all my painting stuff into the living room so that I could hang out with my family. I would be painting while the kids watched a show, movie, or played videogames. I did a lot of half watching/listening to whatever they put on. Sometimes they would join me by making their own stuff; crochet, drawing, crafts, etc.
What is your most favorite and least favorite part of the creative process? Who are some of your creative influences? Why do they inspire you?
I love the act of painting and zoning out into the process for a long time. Least favorite part is the set-up, clean-up, and how fast paint can dry in the summer in Arizona. Old movies and shows definitely are a huge creative influence on my work. I also love going to art shows when I can and seeing paintings in person and asking myself, “How did they paint that?” After seeing a cool piece of artwork, I always want to get home and paint or draw.
If you could have any skill or topic downloaded into your brain, what would you want to be able to do / be an expert at?
I think it would be awesome to be able to speak every language.
What do you hope viewers take away or experience while viewing your work?
I really like to create narrative paintings that have several different interpretations. If someone can look at one of my paintings and build a story in their mind and see each subject matter that I chose to paint as a symbol that stands for something, it would make me happy.
How do you like to enjoy your time outside of the studio? Do you celebrate the completion of a body of work?
Our kids always have some activity that keeps us pretty busy between boy scouts, football, basketball, swim team, other sports, clubs and classes. My daughter has been really into volleyball, which has been so fun to watch. When I finished the last big body of work for the museum show at Mesa, I needed to take a big break and we celebrated some… but for this show I felt like getting right back to painting.
If you could collaborate with any artists in any sort of medium (i.e. movies, music, painting) who would you collaborate with, and what would you be making?
I would really love to learn/collaborate with an awesome VFX or CGI artist. I have a background in 3-D animation and would love to learn more so that I could have awesome references for paintings.
Who would be on the guest list if you could throw a dinner party for five people, dead or alive? What would be on the menu? What would be the icebreaker question?
I honestly would just love a fun dinner party with my family; the five people would be my wife and our three kids. It would be awesome if everybody could pick their favorite meal and we could all share. We wouldn’t need an icebreaker but “twenty questions” or “would you rather” are always pretty fun.
What was in your musical rotation during the development of this body of work?
I listened to a lot of MixCloud and longer mixes people make on YouTube. One of my favorite set of mixes on YouTube is called KHRUANGBIN VIBES by an account called Mol.
Exhibition on view August 5 – August 26, 2023 at: Thinkspace Projects 4207 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90016
