American painter Austyn Weiner is the first artist our new “Art – Introducing” series will be focusing on. After experiencing a very busy 2020, Austyn should definitely be on your watchlist for the upcoming year.
The 31-year-old painter lives and works in LA. Last year she exhibited in places such as the Carl Kostyál Gallery located in London, and the Pit, an artist-run art gallery in Glendale (CA). At the latter was organized a group exhibition, called “Riders of the Red Horse”, which marked the very first event of the venue following the 4-months Californian lockdown.
(right) Nobody’s Baby (Diptych), 2020
http://www.kostyal.com
One of her most impressive projects of 2020, and the one she seems to be giving the most importance to, is called ‘Head’: during quarantine, Austyn arranged her garage to become a studio. She worked on four different paintings simultaneously during the whole period of California’s lockdown. Once done, she opened the studio/garage to anyone who wanted to come and see her work, respecting of course the social distancing rules by allowing only one person at a time. Visitors had therefore the opportunity to step into her world with this unique and immersive experience, literally taking the place of the artist.
In an interview she gave to Artnet News, Austyn described her work as autobiographical: “Bombastic, sometimes chaotic, cerebral, sensual, repetitious, masturbatory, and raw. The medium is the vehicle for the feelings at hand.”
She enjoys mixing techniques, from acrylic and oil paint to charcoal and crayons. Austyn’s artworks follow a certain pattern, she often uses doodles to start off her structure, before applying layers of vibrant colors with her unique flow: “And in my case, a mix of hard and soft lines, expressive automatic gestures, and thoughtful, tender moments.”.
A year and a half ago, she collaborated with Parisian brand Each Other on a capsule collection, offering her a chance to switch support this time. Each Other is a clothing brand focused on the intimate relationship fashion has with art. They worked with major artists such as Yi Zhou, Thomas Lélu and Robert Montgomery, and now Austyn Weiner. She applied some of her famous artworks directly to the apparel, making the collection instantly recognizable.
Austyn holds a very active Instagram account (@austyn) that you should definitely follow to witness the prodigy working her magic!
Editor’s pick from Austyn’s work:
By Stan Chalbos
