2013-View-Magazine-Shantell

Julie Tremblay – visionary existentialism
with a touch of dry humor
SHANTELL MARTIN – A STUDY IN BLACK AND WHITE â
form, her work manifestly crosses boundaries and draws on recycled
materials from chicken wire to bottle caps, wax, scrap metal and any­
thing else she can find! Looking at the rough materials she fashions, it is
surprising to note that her hands appear undamaged. Some of her float­
ing, life-sized body forms are suspended in a graceful mid-backflip, as if
frozen in the middle of a ballet performance. Others stand erect, while
still others kneel, their arms outstretched as if in prayer, conveying a
sense of peace and power, sensibility and a lightness of spirit. Tremblay
reiterates her love for metals whose reflection of light seems to bring
them alive with every move. She describes her works as «visionary exis­
tentialism with a touch of dry humor». Art Deco and architecture, rather
s H A N T e L L MA R T i N
than contemporary design, are the sources of her inspiration. Art Deco,
she explains, is a kind of distinctive era, a Utopian vision, sufficient unto
itself. She loves Rodin, Louise Bourgeois and Brancusi, of course.
At the corner of Tompkins Avenue and Throop Street in the Bedford­
Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York, the stage was set at the onset
of last winter for my rendezvous with London­born and internation­ally
Since the late 1990s, Tremblay has participated in various group and
acclaimed visual and performance artist Shantell Martin. And what a
solo shows in Canada, London, Denmark and New York. Her floating
sight she was to behold, towering nearly a foot over me, exuding her
sculptures are privately collected in Denmark, Turkey, England, Germany,
unmistakable aura of gentle mystery! I was surprised to learn that this
Canada and the USA. In 2010 alone, she engaged in the solo exhibition
imposing lady was born on october 1, 1980 (the same date as my son)
Interstices at the Galerie Lacerte Art Contemporain in Québec City, the
– and then utterly blown away to discover that they both pursued
Summer Show at the Andipa Gallery in London, Re-creation at Ogilvy
undergraduate studies at Central Saint Martins, though they have yet to
& Mather in New York, the Mixed Summer group exhibition at Galleri
meet in person.
Rebecca Kormind in Copenhagen and the Go Figure group exhibition at
the Craig Scott Gallery in Toronto.
Martin’s practice features a blank white wall bearing characteristic
analogue elements and recurring words and phrases such as WHo ARE
Julie Tremblay lives with her investment banker husband and her daugh­
YoU, ME, ME, ME, RIGHT WRoNG, LEFT RIGHT, THE HoLE NEAR MY
ter in Brooklyn. Your expertise in metals is truly astonishing, Julie. As is
HEART, WHITE HALF 1980. Its sheer simplicity is too deep to fathom.
your expertise in risotto, which I hope to taste on my next visit to New
For all her stunning virtuosity, there is clearly still room for a palpably
York! We could also take a trip to our favorite pizza joint in Brooklyn.
light­hearted originality in her more comical works. Martin’s presenta­
Carbohydrates, here we come!
tions are not restricted to walls and canvasses alone: They also appear
60
ViewS Magazine
Photo Credit: catalina kulczar-marin
on cars, shoes, clothes, toy planes, cups, glasses, jars, iPhone covers
experience that prompted several visits to Tokyo. Here, as a ‘gaijin’,
and even people – not to mention the music-enhanced performance
she taught English to support herself while simultaneously producing
projections that she showcased on enormous screens at the Shibuya
digital performance art at clubs and dance spaces. Since then, Martin
and Harajuki crossings in Tokyo, for example. Nor is television exposure
has expanded her definition of drawing and animation to include light
exactly in short supply for the illustrious artist, who has appeared in New
projections in such iconic spots as New York’s Museum of Modern Art,
York’s show of the hour «Gossip Girl», been interviewed on CNN and
assorted megaclubs in Russia, large spaces in Bangkok – and even here
even been called a muse of super-hip design blog PSFK. In 2011, France’s
in my native Switzerland. This spring, Shantell Martin was invited to
Glamour magazine named her the «coolest it girl». Yes, she has success­
teach a course focused on «Drawing» and «Drawing on Everything» at
fully positioned herself as a black and white artist, tracing her trademark
New York University. According to Martin, «the objective of this course is
continuous lines with permanent black marker pens while at the same
to explore analogue and digital drawings not only as a static exercise,
time choreographing interaction with her audience.
but also as a tool for performance installation and collaboration which
will teach students to gain the skill and confidence to draw in real time
Martin grew up in London’s middle-class Thamesmead district, the eldest
using a variety of different media, advance their improvising skills and
of four sisters and one brother. She attended South Lake Primary School
learn to perform without delay.»
– and evidently found inspiration in several viewings of «A Clockwork
Orange». From age 11 through 18, she completed her secondary edu­
With so much going on in her life, Shantell Martin’s stellar rise is continu­
cation at Bexley Heath High School, going on to visit the Camberwell
ing both in the USA and internationally. Me, I am just delighted to have
College of the Arts before earning her bachelor of arts degree, major­
met such a wonderful, open­minded, inquisitive, curly­haired artist from
ing in graphic arts and design, at Central Saint Martins. It was indeed
the heart of London. See you again soon, Shantell. Keep those black
at CSM where she first came into contact with Japanese students – an
Pentels rolling!
ViewS Magazine
61