All tied up with Kirsty Whiten

February 12th, 2010 — by Richard Scarry & Chippy Coates in Richard and Chippy's Blog

Q: Can you talk briefly about the process of creating one of your pieces?
I use various photographs to work from; some I take myself, and others I find in books, newspapers or on postcards. I want to create an off-balance psychological portrait, as simply as possible. I use models I know well, and we dress up and play, try out scenarios until something starts to happen; stories unfold, tensions brew, and I use the images to patchwork scenes for the drawings and paintings.

Q: What makes a good day in the studio?
Losing track of time and space. Waking up from drawing to find hours have gone by.

Q: How do you spend your time when taking a break from creating?
I love movies, books, I cook for lots of people to eat together, I go wild swimming.

Q: What artists inspire you?
I think I often get more from the work of dark, honest, funny photographers like Nan Goldin, Diane Arbus, or Rineke Dijkstra, than from other painters – though I love Inke Essenhigh, Paula Rego, Dana Shutz.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the monkey relic pieces?
I think of these monkey relics as Darwinian saints and sacrifices. There is a certain zeal in the way that humans set themselves apart from the rest of nature. To me there is just a continuation, we are animal, we have drives and instincts that always flow just under the surface of civilization. I am really interested in this line between human and beast; language, culture, and tool-making were all once held up as examples of what makes us unique, and have all been shown to exist in other animals.

Death to me is a state of non-being. All of the hopes and prayers lavished on these monkeys are the desire of the living to create meaning and continuation; just as with religion. I have none, and I am totally intrigued and touched by this need in people, and my technique, the level of detail and time spent on rendering surfaces is a sort of reverence.

Q: How is the arts scene in Scotland?
Edinburgh has many grassroots, artists run projects which are pretty exciting, but the gallery culture is conservative. My favourite gallery is a tiny powerhouse in Glasgow, RECOAT. They’re just about to host Matt Mignanelli from New York. Phewee.

Q: Do you collect art yourself?
I wish I could own more – I try to do swaps with mutually appreciative artists as often as possible. My best piece is a headless Jessica Harrison figure with a plume of smoke coming from its gullet.

Q: Which living artist would you like your work to be displayed alongside?
I’ve just been included in a touring show with Charles Avery, who is a proper hero of mine.

Q: Three things that you loathe?
homeopathy
the pope
olives

Q: Three things that you love?
hot baths
propelling pencils the green stuff in mint aero

Q: How long do you spend in the studio a week?
As much as I can. I have a busy home, but great support.

Q: Can you describe a Kirsty Whiten collector?
I can never predict who it will be, it’s a secret quirk in all kinds of folk if they get my sense of humour.

Q: Does Kirsty have a darker side?
I think my dark side gets to play in the work, but the rest is secret.

Q: A painting you would most like to own?
To live with, hmmmmmm. I would love something by Victoria Morton. I don’t think you could ever look at them too much. I love the night snow scenes by Inke Essenhigh too.

Q: What direction do you see your work going?
Post boundary. I’m working on big, gauche, psychedelic canvases of post-apocalyptic families living naked in the woods.

Q: The men and monkeys in your pieces are often bound, why?
With the men who are taken hostage, I wanted to explore the entanglement of men and women and their leaning on each other, their dominating of each other, their needing of each other, and – ultimately – their capture. With the monkeys, they are totally pinned down by the prayers, wishes, yearnings and offerings that have been attached to them.

Q: Did you go to art college?
Yup. Edinburgh College of art. Finished 10 years ago. Far more useful was a year I spent in Paris in an international art studio complex. Still, Edinburgh was one of the few colleges at the time who really taught drawing, and valued it, as I do.

Q: Do you have any shows planned you can tell us about?
Bold Hype gallery in Orlando Florida

Q: Where did you grow up?
In Fife, Scotland. In a small village. I also travelled a lot with my family because my father studied baboons in Africa.

Q: Have you shown outside of the UK?
Yeah. I met a lot of folks during my year in Paris who consequently invited me. Austria, Australia, Germany and Holland to name a few of the top spots. I’d love to get some more travelling on the go.