Demonic goddesses and amorphous love children dominate the compositions by Japanese-born, San Francisco-based artist Junko Mizuno (featured on the cover of HF Vol. 23). Mizuno has an expansive oeuvre, which spans such media as graphic novels and television animation. Her original paintings, in addition to wood, giclee and silkscreen prints, will for the first time be seen in London during the artist’s retrospective, “Belle: The Art of Junko Mizuno,” opening October 20 at Atomica Gallery.
The bare-breasted women in her paintings exude both erotic passion and innocent charm. The figures are intoxicating for their antinomy, such as Jungle Queen, who gleefully bats her eyelashes while holding steadfast to a heart-staked spear. Nurse has big blue eyes and wears pink gloves, but her soft touches contrast greatly with Hells Angels-esque tattoos covering her arms and a skull and cross bones emblem displayed on her nurse’s cap. The two angelic characters flanking her breasts could not possibly be saviors, but must instead be conspirators to the wicked woman’s plan. One can only imagine what might be in store for the creature contained within the nurse’s needle.
“Belle: The Art of Junko Mizuno” will be on view for one week only, October 20 through 28, at Atomica Gallery in London.
Born in London, Lina Iris Viktor merges hip hop and high fashion with Art Nouveau patterns to create bold artworks that scream contemporary pop expression. Many of her designs contrast soft swirls and sharp peaks, referencing motifs used to convey the mood of spiritual and technological progress of the early 20th century. Viktor however, is perhaps best known for her use of 24k gold. The artist, who has an interest in astrophysics and theater, uses the luxury material to elicit the same guttural response of awe that viewers have expressed towards uses of gold for centuries, such as in Byzantine icons.
The cerebral paintings of Cody Seekins blend amorphous, psychedelic figures and elements of pop culture. The artist’s focus and psychological exploration within each work is not only evident in the complexity of each one, but also his accompanying narratives and context he provides when sharing a new piece.