Ayin Es
Ayin Es is a trans-queer artist from Los Angeles working in mixed media.
I believe in creating singular artworks based on spontaneous inspiration. Each and every project requires an exclusive approach that comes about through an intuitive narrative. Instead of playing by any rules, I like to rely on introspection. I have a special affinity for surreal abstraction, existentialism, and absurdity. My goal is to do successful work by taking personal risks, and I hope to move others in my creative process.
Denis Leo Hegic
Curator
“The works by Ayin Es resonate with their aesthetic sensibility and emerge like singular monoliths native to a desert-like environment. Yet they also reveal a visual syntax defined by intensity and variety of color and shape. I appreciate both the circular journey and the free fall from "Sky Houses" (at the very top) to "Foothills" (at the bottom) that Es is exposing us to. It is not an exaggeration to say that Es´ works are stimulating and exciting, neither is it an understatement when highlighting the joy found within them. I have discovered both and look forward to exploring future works.”
ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.
How would you describe your artistic approach?
My work reflects on identity, memory, inheritance. I wonder about the inheritance I received, but also about the inheritance that I want to leave, that is why in my work the idea of repairing is important. Each work is an attempt to repair a memory, a lost identity, an absence, a belief. I like the word re-appropriation, because it implies taking something that already exists (inherited) and transforming it.
And how did you get started as an artist?
I've been making art since before my childhood memories began. It's been a mystery as to why because no one in my family was associated with the creative arts.
Ayin Es working in their studio
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?
Self-doubt, the art world, evolving despite the art world, keeping other people's judgments (or assumed judgments) out of my sacred studio space; depression, and organizing my creative plans.
Describe a typical day in the studio/wherever you make your work.
Wake up at 5 am and have two cups of coffee. I answer some emails and do 10 minutes of Instagram. Then I make art until 3 or 4 pm. I usually start and end my day with rough sketches with notes and plans for future paintings or projects. I will work in whatever medium I'm feeling for that particular day: watercolor, oil painting, mixed media.
What are you currently working on and what’s coming up next for you?
I am finishing up an Artist's book called, "Outlander." It is a fine art edition of five original mixed media books. I am also working towards my next solo show for the fall of 2022 (not yet titled). The show will include oil paintings, watercolors, and drawings, It will exhibit at Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica, CA.
How does it feel to be selected as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch?
I am grateful and honored. I hope to make new connections with art lovers and other artists.
See more of Ayin Es’s work
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