One of this weeks features is Vi @cuh.theremix who creates multimedia pieces of work to digital graphics. Upon looking at their digital graphics it can be from "polvo lucas" "aguas frescas" "hubba bubba ouch" and "bubbaloo" which are all items that have escaped my mind except agua frescas. While looking at these I was internally saying "OH!" as I remembered a piece a memory attached while looking at these. Memories from my childhood from when I was in Mexico. I remember when it came bubbaloo I would literally go for the treasure within it being the liquid center then I would chew it. I'd say to take a moment to look at her work and see what it brings back to you.
We begin by asking Vi what they've been enjoying as of recently "Well, as my health and energy will allow me I enjoy living my life as much as I can. Enjoying simple shit like drinking a glass of soda is a big deal for a person such as myself. It's complicated for me to give a simple answer to this without thinking about real hard about life lol. I will say lately I've just been working on art and being an active Juntos Coop member which has really been helping me mentally and emotionally. I've been enjoying spending my time doing those activities very much!" Honestly drinking soda is a big thing. With everything that can come from it from an upset stomach, a sugar rush, guilt, and so on. I recently had a half a can of mountain dew frost that my friend bought. We decided to split one can and man that fucked up my stomach. Ah yes Juntos Coop! Where the homies hang and where all the buff hormigas get their gym drip from (which I still need to pick up.)
Vi continues by adding in a couple of shout outs "I'd like to give special shoutie to my family, HI MOM! All my beautiful friends at Juntos Coop, The haters and my fans. Besitos."
We start by asking Vi how they would describe their art style as she says "Minimalistic with elements of impressionism, and childish whimsical nightmarish illustrations. I am also inspired by The Memphis Movement of the late 70s which inspired most of 80s pop culture. Geometric shapes, Confetti, stuff like that." I would say that there is "childish whimsical nightmarish illustrations" I mean have you looked at the "Mac n Cheese" digital graphic? It certainly has an aura to it. When it comes to the addition of "confetti" being an inspiration even while looking at piece or two I thought that to myself. Like this is like if someone put confetti pieces by color to create this item which is really neat. If Vi could give a name to to their art style what would it be? "I don't have a specific name to call my work so we're gonna go with Doo Dooism. The why you ask? I thought it was a hot name." If you think I should rename the title of this feature to "Vi, The Art of Doo Dooism" let me know!
What is about digital graphics that Vi enjoys as she says "The affordability lol. Listen she's fucking poor alright I prefer pro physical media but this all I can afford at the moment. Nah but it's just fun you know I don't know how to describe it. I just love the feeling of accomplishment with all my work I know this is cliche but it's a drug. I get a sense of euphoria working on stuff whether it's digitally or physically made." She says it's "cliche" but its the first time someone describes to me like that. I can only imagine how it feels to work on a piece that's nostalgic. I get even when it comes to writing I get excited especially when it comes to reading the answers and then getting to share my commentary it's just something I enjoy.
When it comes to work I see pieces such as "Crujitos" "Joya" "Bubbaloo" "Hubba Bubba Gush" 'Aguas Frescas" when I look at these I get memories of when I lived in Mexico along with the candy such as Bubbaloo and seeing the commercials on TV. Just seeing these brings joy. What do these items evoke from Vi? What does Vi wish to evoke from the viewer looking at the pieces? What do these items mean to her? As she begins to explain "Ooo! Ok so yes these have nostalgia stamped right on them! Most of my pixel pieces which I call The 1up Collection are supposed to be of things I love some of which are discontinued in the present time we are in right now. Most of these yes I enjoyed these a kid I am sure most of you did as well. Personally I never think about what I want from the viewer, you take whatever meaning you want from it. I never have a goal of how I want to make the viewer feel. I am happy that these particular pieces have evoked any emotion at all. These items do mean a lot to me because they all have a memory attached to them. All good, these are memories I cherish a lot. I am not finished with this collection and it'll get done when I run out of special items I like hee hee. They are all pixelated because I wanted them to be like power ups from games. My 1ups." I'd say for me from my perspective with them being called the "My 1ups" they really gave me a boost. They unlocked some memories from which brought joy. I remember specifically having these in my hands. It's items I forgot about it as I got older, but seeing them again in Vi's style it's almost like a dream that formed fully in my mind. I look forward to seeing what else gets added into the "My 1ups" collection.
Is there anything that Vi adds about herself into her work? "I do add a bit of myself in almost everything I do. Most of my work has to do with something I like, enjoy, friends, family, memories, feelings, etc." I mean just looking at it I can see the people and the family and the emotions brought to Vi as they shared in the previous question. Even with friends they do have a skating Nelson illustration on their page.
Does Vi have a favorite piece they've created "No. I don't have a favorite piece because they all are my favorites. I have always told myself if I'm gonna spend a lot of time working on something I have to love it before it becomes an official piece. I love all my work." Honestly looking at the process for the "Aguas Frescas" a lot certain goes into just making 1 digital piece. I did not understand what I was looking at, but I was just like WOAH. A lot certainly goes into these pieces.
Seeing through Vi's posts the latest piece is from 2015 to her most recent. How has Vi seen her work progress or how has she experimented with her work as as time went on? As she explains "Honestly there are thousands of drawing and paintings that are way older and I will never share because they suck they are terrible and are classified as abominations to mankind so yeah I would say I progressed over the years. I just started focusing a lot more on color, and discovered that I can do a lot more on a computer than I can physically. " Now I'm wondering what these "abominations to mankind" look like, but we will never know. I'd say that there is a lot to work on computer. I was using blender for awhile, but I haven't put any of my ideas on it yet. I wanted to make an orange on blender, but hmm maybe I will. Even if it comes out as an "abomination" that's how we learn right?
Is there anything Vi wishes to experiment with? "Not really I can't think of anything. An idea just pops in my noggin and off I go into making it a reality. Shit just happens." True "shit just happens" sometimes we don't even make any drafts and just dive in. That's how it be.
Looking at the "making of agua frescas" could Vi explain the process behind this? As the viewer I/We see the finished product, but what are the squares with the numbers and such in the video? "Ok so I work with a pixelating tool that numbers images to paint by number to follow along turning it into pixel image. Those numbers are like a crutch to make sure it doesn't end up looking misproportioned." I did not understand the first sentence, but now I get it. It's so it doesn't look "misproportioned." Okay now that I re-read it a couple of times I fully understand. Man the power of doing art on computers is crazy. I'll never not be amazed.
How does Vi decide on what's the next graphic piece/multi media piece she plans on working on? "Like I mentioned before, it just happens. An idea just pops in and I just work on it. With 1ups I just have a list of items I love and go down the list." I just gotta wait till the next one pops up on my feed and it'll be worth the wait.
What sort of feedback has Vi received on her work? "All positive! People really enjoy my work and I've heard nothing negative. Never got any constructive criticism either and I would prefer not to receive it because in my mind these are masterpieces so haven't been constructively criticized means I'm doing amazing." And if someone does have something negative to say well just like Vi said earlier "The haters and my fans. Besitos." I've said what I said about these pieces from my personal nostalgia to the confetti like blur and shows itself fully in my mind. Especially their other pieces that aren't from the "My 1ups" collection. I really enjoy the other pieces such as "kiss your homies" "primary 55" "spiraling" "cream wrap" and "it bloo badadee badada" as examples. There's plenty to look at on their Instagram.
What does Vi think about the local valley scene,
They're all bottoms. Jk. I love the local scene. I like that I got to see its evolution. It's always been here it just keeps growing and changing with the times. I miss a lot about the scene but I am also happy that it exists and I love seeing new faces contributing to it. I love that there will always be something new and fresh I have no doubts we will be seeing an acknowledgement of talent down here in the 956 because there is an infinite amount of it.
Along with a final comment,
I would like to mention to please check out the Juntos IG page to stay updated on events we have coming up and we also have Open Public Community Meetings every Monday at 8PM for planning events, shop upkeep, etc. Everyone is welcomed.
Comments