Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Studio Visit: Behind the Scenes of Lala Abaddon’s Woven Photography

Emerging NYC-based artist Lala Abaddon's journey through the art world started with analog photography and poetry. The idea of creating works that carry more than one story always fascinated her, and Abaddon felt like she found the answer when she wove her first piece. Interested in the process of deconstruction and reconstruction, she decided to cut up multiple existing photographs and weave them into new images.

Emerging NYC-based artist Lala Abaddon’s journey through the art world started with analog photography and poetry. The idea of creating works that carry more than one story always fascinated her, and Abaddon felt like she found the answer when she wove her first piece. Interested in the process of deconstruction and reconstruction, she decided to cut up multiple existing photographs and weave them into new images.

As Abaddon discovered, these pieces concealed the original photographs within the new, abstract compositions. They also had a unique texture that added a whole different dimension to flat photo prints. Soon enough, the works started getting bigger and the patterns started getting more complex and elaborate. Her initial woven works began as 8 by 10 inch pieces, hand cut using a ruler and a box cutter. Abaddon is now using a stationary rail cutter and has recently finished creating a composition that is comprised of two 30 by 40 inch weaves. This work, along with a couple of other new ones, will be exhibited at a group show organized by Mecka NYC opening tomorrow at Hotel Particulier.

The prints Abaddon used come from her archives, but they’ve been coupled with new photographs and paintings she created for the weaving process. It’s important for her to adjust the flow of the images and see where the contrast areas will be, so she takes her time choosing two prints to merge. These are then enlarged and rephotographed to get the desired pixilated effect.

While abstract at first, her work carries a visual story by juxtaposing intense, gruesome images with delicate ones. Inspired by first love, the nature of reality, time and space, her images stem from complex backstories. The patterns decide the flow and the feel of the finished piece. Sometimes chaotic and other times rhythmic, they communicate with viewers on an emotional level. The organization of each piece might be adapted from traditional weaving patterns, 17th century ornaments, avenue grids or subway grates.

In addition to the Mecka NYC group show with Bast, Judith Supine, Paul Insect, Pryce Lee and Swoon, Abaddon is working on her first solo show coming up in March 2015. The texture and peculiar technique makes the work optimal to experience in person. In the mean time, we bring you some exclusive photos from Abaddon’s studio to shed some light on her creative process.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
A master manipulator in the dark room, Misha Gordin has been creating surreal photographs with PhotoShop-like effects since the 1980s. Gordin's work looks at the universal elements of life: conflict, birth, death, loneliness and the quest for companionship. His bald, naked subjects represent the archetypical everyman. Often featured alone or with their doubles, these characters are not tied to any particular time or culture. Gordin's most recent work takes place on the beach, where his unadorned subjects engage in fraught and seemingly aimless activities that suggest a battle within themselves more so than a struggle against an external force.
One's manner of dress can lead to powerful transformations. Switching up the ways we present our gender identity or our occupation can inspire us to act in ways we wouldn't otherwise. While this can be empowering, photographer Juha Arvid Helminen investigates the ways uniforms denoting positions of power can grant their wearers permission to commit inhumane acts. "In 2006, I witnessed the so-called Smash ASEM 'riot,'" writes the artist. "There I personally saw the dark side of the Finnish police. How young men hid behind their uniforms and hoods and anonymously committed misconduct. Later I witnessed the reluctance of the justice system to punish those in uniforms."
In the La Merced neighborhood in San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico, costumed characters hit the streets to welcome the feast day of Our Lady of La Merced and reflect the sins of the wearer. In Diego Moreno’s photo series “Guardians of Memory,” he navigates this tradition in his old neighborhood and explores converging cultures by placing these monsters in domestic situations.
While he works primarily in advertising and editorial photography, Richard Burbridge has a vision that's distinctly his own, no matter who the client is. The photographer has been based in New York City since 1993 and has shot a slew of covers and fashion features for the likes of Italian Vogue and Dazed & Confused. Though he photographs models in luxurious couture, Burbridge throws traditional beauty conventions out the window. He often alters the models' faces and bodies with surreal props — bondage masks, baby doll heads, food, foam and anything that will give his sitters an otherworldly appearance. Unafraid to violate the models' pristine hair and clothing, Burbridge confronts viewers with the beauty within the ugliness (and vice versa) and creates images that challenge our expectations.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List