q+a: elena redmond
Tchotchke Gallery: The title for this work is Sitting, Smoking, Spiraling. What is the significance behind this verbiage?
Elena Redmond: I’ve made one or two paintings now with this title structure, which are inspired by a 2009 Dana Schutz painting called “Swimming, Smoking, Crying”. That painting has been stuck in my head ever since and I reference it in the title as I think I’m trying to discuss a similar sort of drowning feeling. ‘Spiraling’ refers to that feeling of quick emotional decline, sparked by one little thing.
TG: As well, what inspired this painting?
ER: The painting was inspired also by a niche-ly infamous group of photos showing Dakota Johnson smoking in Paris on the set of 50 Shades of Gray. The photo of her really reads as paparazzi, but it was someone on set who took the voyeuristic photos. There are a few photos of Jamie Doran from the same night riding a bicycle with a leg in the air. I just kept coming back to this image and the idea of accidental paparazzi.
TG: It’s always a delight to witness your use of color through your individual palettes. Can you tell me more about your color choices behind Sitting, Smoking, Spiraling?
ER: Ya! I usually try to build the color palette in consideration of the references I’m using, the mood of the figure in the painting, and the mood the audience may experience. It’s intuitive in a lot of ways. I wanted hot, nervous reds and to borrow the yellow from the picture I used for this reference. In other areas, color theory balances out bold choices, so the leaves became a heavier dark that created a hollow-looking effect.
TG: Your current exhibition Be A Body with Alexandra Smith is on view at Launch F18. Do you have a favorite moment or memory from creating the works in the show?
ER: It feels like all one big blended favorite moment! Visiting Alexandra in her studio was great, getting to see other artists’ tools and studio flow is always exciting. I very much enjoyed making Chair Pose, that painting opened some doors for me that I’ll continue with. Too jazzed to share works in person in NYC, as well, a very exciting first and favorite.
TG: Are there any techniques or themes you look forward to exploring in the future? What can we expect from you this year?
ER: Yes, always attempting to explore. In my upcoming solo, She’s a Cow, I’m focusing more singularly on eye contact/gazing, hugeness, and power in predator/prey relationships. The works also have underlying influences of internet culture and celebrity-isms. I'm really interested in pop culture and how all of these things affect individualism.