In Conversation with: Shawna X - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with: Shawna X

The artist Shawna X creates worlds that are graphic, immediate, psychedelic. Her pieces move and seem committed to the ways in which visual commentary (illustrations in magazines, murals on walls) can push us to reconsider how we live and who we are. Shawna X delivers a sense of navigation with each or her works, as though beyond the work itself is something subterranean and pounding. Identity, technology, the body, are all recurring themes, but more so, is a deep understanding that as humans, we’re never far from our next emotional encounter. 

Read more

In Conversation with: Holly Jolley - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with: Holly Jolley

What is it about Holly Jolley’s work that makes us want to wear a hat? Or take a 2pm nap in a patch of sun? Or journey to the forest, just outside the city, where the stars make themselves known. 

Jolley’s work, which often features cats, brings about the feeling of a cat. A cat’s energy in the room. How its gracefulness arrives with quirk, some attitude, solitude. Her characters are eccentric; up to something. They display a sense of comic regality. Who is that woman wearing extra large sunglasses? Where is she going in that extra large coat? Why are rosy cheeks and barrettes twin accessories? What is it about a fuzzy sweater that lets you know this woman writes letters to her friends? What is it about references like E.T., or school uniforms, or cereal boxes, that knock us free of adult panic—that remind us to find a book, a quiet spot, a windowsill. Jolley’s work seems to say, “Look up!” Seems to suggest the possibility of getting weird or resting one’s eyes, because the work will always be there, so for now, take a break. Enjoy the cat who’s wearing a crown—that cat is certainly enjoying his cup of tea.

Read more

In Conversation with: Marleigh Culver - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with: Marleigh Culver

Zoning out to artist Marleigh Culver’s work comes easy. Her palette is alert to opposites, cool purples, and playful neutrals. She’s got a thing for shades of clay. Her pieces bring to mind a vacation’s memories; the way we’re more prone to look up (blue) and experience true restfulness under a shady tree (green, so much green). Culver’s shapes are open to interpretation and always in the mood for fun. Blobs—beautiful blobs—that bump into each other and contemplative Matisse-like petals that give life to a dreary day. Culver’s work is peaceful, up to its own thing, and isn’t that nice?

Read more

In Conversation with: Bodil Jane - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with: Bodil Jane

Dutch artist, Bodil Jane, is known for illustrating everyday life with an attention to color and curiosities, and mostly, with a flair and quickness for detail—the crease on a pant leg, the shape of a fruit sticker, the thorn on a cactus. Her work is attracted to the art of paying attention and finding a particular note that draws you in. Like the rippled pattern on a seashell or the houseplant that looks especially alive in a purple pot, and now, all that matters is finding a purple pot for your plants. Hers is a world that feels familiar but twisted towards the imaginary. 

Read more

In Conversation with: Echo and Tre - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with: Echo and Tre

Interview by Durga Chew-Bose

Here is a list of satisfying stuff. Clean sheets and come summer, the miracle of a cool breeze; the movie ending when it should; socks that don’t slide down; pouring hot coffee over ice cubes; steam when you need it most on your face; a quiet room in a crowded house; a good stretch; a good (much-needed) big, fat laugh; the last puzzle piece, fitting where it should, just so.

Read more