Marta Levytska + Karmimadeebora McMillan
December 25, 2022 - January 7, 2023
“LSD” by Marta Levytska
Above stills from “LSD”
Tell us about the artwork. What makes it unique?
“Is LSD a drug? - Yes.”
“Am I talking about psychotropic substances now? - No.”
“LSD: line, shade, dot - are one of the main means of expression in graphics and art in general. Art is a drug. For our mind it’s enough to have only information about the plasticity of lines, color shades and size of dots to create more and more unique shapes in our heads. The same set of shades, lines and dots creates an infinite number of options and combinations that are formed in our heads. Sometimes the images that are painted by our subconscious, surprise, amuse, shock, drive us to emotions. Everything is in our heads. In my video project I explore the configurations variability of abstract drawings based on a line, shades and dots. And I also explore how these images are perceived by the viewer. A black screen that abruptly interrupts the bright picture is a parallel I drew to the state of a person using psychotropic substances. No drugs, only arts.”
Tell us about yourself. How did you come to be an artist in video / digital media?
“Hi! My name is Marta. I am a graphic designer, illustration, photographer and aspiring director from Ukraine. My artistic journey began when I was a child. At first my creativity was expressed as drawings and paper crafting. As time passed all these grew into my hobby. When I was 15, I graduated from the general education school and went to Art College. When I studied in art college I realized that I want to express and convey my ideas, life philosophy and world-view through art. Currently the meaning of my work is to create art objects, paintings, photos and videos that would convey my vision and perception of the world and certain things in it, create something meaningful that would tell a story, express emotions and evoke emotions of the viewer. At the moment I am a freshman in the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts. I am studying at two departments: Photo Art and Visual Practices and Advertising and Video Art. I took part in contests Pangram 2018, COW 2018, Pangram 2021, and Pixel 2021.”
“Ms. Merri Mack’s 1st Journey” by Karmimadeebora McMillan
Above stills from “Ms. Merri Mack’s 1st Journey”
Tell us about the artwork. What makes it unique?
“I’m using a character that was originally meant to instill fear in Black Communities. The character I call Ms. Merri Mack initially depicted as a picaninny, a derogatory term used to pick on dark skinned black children, to make them feel less than, unworthy and shame for the color of their skin. Through this shame colorism evolved – prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. I’m using Ms. Merri Mack as a catalyst for change, from Pain to Power. A reminder that things can change if you work hard enough for it. I want the viewer to recognize that she is just a dark-skinned girl living the life that was given. She had no choice in her skin color and deserves to be seen and heard like everyone else. This character is a reminder that no-one should be judged by the color of the skin.”
Tell us about yourself. How did you come to be an artist in video / digital media?
“I'm an interdisciplinary artist, I work in painting, printmaking, installation, sculpture and animation. For the animation I work with a collaborator, Sena Burns. The idea for the animations start from my paintings. I love to paint large-scale fantastical scenes for the characters that are in the paintings. Besides working large-scale I also work on small abstractions that just talk about shapes and color. Some characters in the paintings are found black dolls that have been gifted to me over the years through friends, family and students. Someone once told me that paintings reminded them of animations. I began to imagine the characters interacting with each other and the spaces within the painting.”