New Series: “Lies We Tell”
January is a great time to start lining up art shows, exhibits and events for the next year. Recently, I was prepping a submission for an art mag that profiles emerging artists.
I asked my girlfriend her opinion on whether I should include some of my “Urban Hues” photography pieces (which I’m ready to introduce to the market this year), or just focus on my pop art works.
She offered, “Your Urban Hues series is fluff. It’s couch art.”
“Orange Concrete” from ‘Urban Hues’ series, 16in x 20in ©2010 Nikolas Allen
She went on to explain that my DigiPop collection is deep, layered, provocative and makes people think about uncomfortable subjects such as sex, addictions and infidelity.
“LIARS!” DigiPopFuzzBox diptych, 30in x 30in each ©2010 Nikolas Allen
We proceeded to have a great conversation about the difference between “art as decor” and “art as emotional provocateur”, including the merits and drawbacks of each.
Later that night, my wheels were turning. Into my head popped the phrase, “He was provoked”. This was followed by, “She wanted it”, “He deserved it” and “She had it coming.”
I knew I was onto something, so I grabbed my sketchbook and proceeded to jot down over a dozen phrases.
I started to realize that these concise, but powerful, statements are stories we concoct in order to absolve ourselves of blame and to justify our actions after doing something stupid, irrational or heinous.
These are the “Lies We Tell” to ourselves and others.
BAM! Another concept was born.
“Had It Coming” digital print, 30in x 40in ©2010 Nikolas Allen
As for the medium, I’ve been getting into painting on canvas lately, and I thought it might be cool to create colorful, abstract, expressionistic pieces using letter stencils for the words.
But it was late at night, I had no stencils and this concept was burning a hole in my brain. If I’ve learned one thing in all my years of pursuing the Muse, it’s this: When she shows up, be ready to dance.
It was not the time to be contemplating new techniques. It was time to “Go With What You Know”. And, hey, I’m a Digital Pop Artist, so I hopped on my trusty computer and worked into the wee hours on the above piece.
“Made Me Do” digital print, 40in x 30in ©2010 Nikolas Allen
Over the next couple days, I fleshed out more ideas. While the first piece was softly suggestive, the next two were a bit upsetting to work on.
I felt like I was lowering my energetic frequency; shifting my consciousness to that dark place where people who think like this exist.
As I worked, I was concerned that viewers might think these sentiments were the voice of the artist. Or, would they be savvy enough to realize that I, as an artist, am merely a spotlight, shining a light on the absurdity of our actions and beliefs?
“Provoked” digital print, 40in x 30in ©2010 Nikolas Allen
And, would anyone in their right mind want this hanging on their walls? Wouldn’t they rather have a nice piece of “fluff” hanging over their couch that they don’t have to think too much about?
Either way, the conversation I had with my girlfriend was echoing through my head. While I do believe that “couch art” has a place in the world, I also believe that artists should attempt to create work that wakes people from their slumber to contemplate issues they would prefer to ignore.
This concept is just emerging, but I wanted to share its origins early in the process while its exciting birth is fresh in my mind.
I feel like 6 to 8 pieces are necessary to make a cohesive, powerful statement as a series. I’m not sure where it will lead, but I guess I’ll be lingering in this dark place for a bit.
One thing I do know is that, after spending time and energy on this challenging concept, I’ll be more than happy to work on a little bit of “fluff” for awhile.
(“Lies” Model: Tiffany Alexandria Moy // Photos by: Nikolas Allen)
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YOUR TURN:
Do you enjoy “easy” art or “challenging” art? Is there a difference between what you want to see in a gallery or museum vs. your home? What are some of the lies you tell yourself?
Welcome to Nikolas Allen Art dot com. I am a Contemporary Pop Artist with a background in music, advertising and video production. 
Comments
I have experienced as most women who have been deemed “attractive,” had to deal, with the concept that it is somehow my fault if we get unwanted aggressive sexual and/or sex/violent attention. How do we get this? By the way we dress or behave of course. God forbid we show skin or act and feel sexy and free. Comments that have been directed at me personally include: “you know if you wear that, you’re just asking for it” “is that what you’re going to wear? Aren’t you worried what people will think?”
Girls grow up subverting ourselves to protect ourselves from the male aggressor. Ask an average woman on the streets of a city or a college campus what she does or thinks about on a daily basis to keep herself safe. There will be a list often, keys in hand, look around first, look under the car, look in the car, park in a lighted area, dress conservatively, mace, walk with purpose…blah blah blah I could go on and on. Ask the same of a man. I’m pretty sure the answer will be much shorter. And this is in America, land of the free. Think about the woman in Africa of Iraq of India.
My bitter self says that the prey must protect itself from the predator, and that’s just the way it is. My hopeful understanding loving self, knows that Yang consciousness is still in it’s evolution towards loving kindness. I know because I’ve witnessed those men, and I am grateful.
On the other hand, there’s a market for pretty pictures:}
>>> Dear Sassy Female Artist
Thank you so much for your insightful comment. You are totally on point and can obviously relate to the disturbing message I’m exploring in this series.
The whole idea of “She was asking for it” makes me shudder. Actually, that seems to be the underlying concept of all these pieces. Yikes!
I realize this is a hot-button topic, so it should be very interesting to hear the myriad opinions and feedback that this artwork will surely incite over the course of its existence.
May you continue to experience the positive, loving side of Yang consciousness.
~Nikolas Allen
As soon as I read your statement on the images shown here, before I even had a chance to view them, I was taken back to the year 1977.
That was when, on a rare trip to LA, I saw first-hand what was then a breathtakingly controversial image used on a huge billboard on the Sunset Strip.
Depicted was a woman in bondage, her body wrapped and criss-crossed with rope, her legs pulled apart and crossed with rope, her hands above her head, her clothing torn, and her flesh covered with what appeared to be cuts and bruises. The copy on the board read “I’m ‘Black and Blue’ by the Rolling Stones, and I love it!”
This was an advertisment for the Rolling Stones album “Black and Blue.” I recall a certain amount of shock on my part, though sadly, less to do with the subject matter than with the fact that this was a whole entire billboard on the Sunset Strip advertising a record by the Rolling Stones!
This was unheard-of, to me, anyway, as I was not then a resident of LA (that would come later) and had never witnessed anything of this sort in my life (as much of it as had by then transpired LOL) having grown up in a part of San Diego so rural, it might as well have been located in central Oklahoma.
But the image of an abuse victim, perhaps not quite so graphic as this, was not completely unheard-of; I remember seeing similar images on TV and in magazines. I was not yet seeing films, being a teen and having no theater in town. While such pictures were not seen in books, abuse and violence were often described as part of the plot in more than a few books. Comics, too, were rife with violence between couples.
The subject matter of your new work is indeed thought-provoking. The images are not so blatantly violent as those used in the 1970’s for the Rolling Stones ad as well as in other advertising media.
The addition of the stark, stencil-style font used to add the written copy to your digital images works well to create the jarring message of each work onto the viewer.
I would love to see a series of images in this style expanded. A sort of “time-lapse” series, using the image of the same woman in each, depicting the deterioration in physical beauty as well as in her own self-esteem that such abuse and its justification inflict over time.
Just a thought.
>> Paula - Wow! Thank you for sharing your vivid memory from your ‘77 road trip to L.A. That does sound like quite the controversial billboard. It would probably draw much more ire from the community today! It sounds like it made quite an impression on your teenage mind. I think it’s pretty cool that my blog post brought you right back there.
I appreciate your feedback and ideas as well. I will definitely continue to experiment with the concept and idea of “beauty”. I find that a lot of my work walks a fine line between sexy/disturbing, which I continually find to be a fascinating juxtaposition.
Thanks again for visiting the site and taking the time to share your thoughts!
~Nikolas Allen
Oh the age old question, is art something to be enjoyed as piece to decorate your surroundings? Or is art only considerable if it is provocative? It is a fine line to walk, when selling your work to a country full of people who could give a shit about art is your source of income, it is wise to dabble in both. I was thinking this the other day, who do we make art for? Personally, the people who are interested in my art aren’t necessarily the people who have money to purchase it. The people who have money to purchase art usually are looking for ‘couch art.’ Catch 22 right? It is the devil’s dilemma. You should send CSG a piece for our Peep Show July 9th, BTW.
>>Erin – That’s a great question: “Who do we make art for?” In my case, I’m an artist AND a business man. I refuse to disguise my desire to both make art AND sell it to people who connect with my creative expressions.
However, I still make art for myself FIRST. I figure, if I love it, chances are there are others out there who will identify with it as well. The minute you try to guess what the public wants to consume, your authentic expression wanes.
As for the Catch 22 you mentioned, I can totally relate. Many people love my work at art shows. Does that mean they buy it? Not as often as I’d like
But, the more I create and the more I exhibit, means I’m building a cohesive body of work and a solid reputation, which means a lot to me. Then, when I DO sell art, I know I’ve connected with people on my own terms, and that feels great.
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