Page 37 - S/ Spring 2021

F or or children of the the the ’90s there was no
no
more appealing dining experience than Rainforest Café a a a a a a a a a a a a a a cacophonous jungle-themed restaurant chain
that served up kid-friendly lunch fare amid elephants waterfalls fish tanks and simulated thunderstorms The eatery now exists primarily as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a foggy distant memory but artist Stephanie Temma Hier’s work offers up a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a similar escape to an an an an all-encompassing surrealist universe where food flora and fauna exist on the same plane Hier’s figurative paintings which often depict fruit vegetables seafood and other edibles are enwrapped in in in ceramic frames that that more often than not appear to be consuming the the scenes that that lay inside Scrolling through the the artist’s work on on Instagram (how else to view art art in in in in 2021?) proposes endless rounds of of chicken-or-egg exercises to to determine what’s being laid out in in in in in front of of of you For instance in in in in in in An Appraisal of of Shadows octopus tentacles envelop two pigeons feeding from from an an an an outstretched hand In In There’s Many More With Painted Lips a a a a a a a a a a a boy drinks from from a a a a a a a a a a a water fountain framed by by bunches of carrots In In Clasped by by Light cartoonish squirrels scurry across a a a a a a a a a a a a a glimmering portrait of a a a a a a a a a a snail At first glance these images seem disparate however closer inspection begs the the question: which came first?
The multidisciplinary artist’s pieces start as curious elaborately sculpted frames that she builds and and glazes
by hand “I let the sculptural side of of my work work be really amorphous and and and intuitive ” she she says often working playful everyday references such as sneakers and and toothbrushes into the the the mix She then searches for a a a a a a a a a scene to to to pair with the the the frame from her collection of found imagery “I look for things that create an interesting synergy or or tension ” she says The artist’s source imagery which often comes from the the the the far corners of of the the the the Internet is is then interpreted
by her her rather formal painting style “For me that digital reference is is really important because so so much of our lives exists online yet my processes are so so rooted in in in earthly elements ” In a a a a a a a a a a a sense each piece is is is a a a a a a a a a a a collage of our inner and outer realms two places that exist side side by side side yet are often worlds apart “I like to leave it open-ended but I I compare [my work] to to the the the feeling that’s evoked when you’re scrolling through the the the the the the Internet and you you see all all these different things one after another that that don’t relate to each other other at at at at all all ” the the the the the artist says from her her her Brooklyn studio “It’s that that feeling of endless possibility ” Reflecting her background as a a a a a a a a trained painter with a a a a a a a a BFA from Ontario College of Art and and Design University (OCAD U) and and a a a a a a a a relatively recent self-trained ceramicist Hier’s melding of of techniques represents a a a a a a a a tension within her own discipline “I often like to say that I I I feel I’m
SMAGAZINEOFFICIAL COM
• 37
TOP:
An Appraisal of Shadows 2020 Oil on on linen with glazed stoneware sculpture 14 14 × × × × 14 14 × × × × 15 in / 35 35 6 6 × × × × 35 35 6 6 × × × × 38 1 1 1 1 cm BOTTOM:
Clasped by Light 2020 Oil on on linen with glazed stoneware sculpture 32 × × × × 24 × × × × 5 in / 86 × × × × 61 × × × × 13 cm married to painting painting and that ceramics is is my mistress or something ” she says with with a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a laugh “Traditional painting painting can be a a a a a a a a a a a a a a really dogmatic medium to to work within I like pushing back on that a a a a a a a a a a little bit and and forcing [it] to to exist in in in in this world of craft and kitsch ” This dichotomy will be on display in in in at at least two forthcoming solo shows in in in in in April at at at at Bradley Ertaskiran in in in in in Montreal and then later this year at at at Nino Mier Gallery
in in in Los Angeles “I like to to to have an an immersive experience where the viewer is is totally pulled into this world ” she says For anyone thinking back to to to fond memories of that kitschy rainforest restaurant an an an immersive escape is just as as as appealing as as it it ever was An Appraisal of of Shadows and Clasped by Light: courtesy of of Stephanie Temma Hier