2015 갤러리이안 예술가지원 프로젝트 선정작가전 - Christopher Maslon展 / 2016.1.13 ~ 1.26

Artist Biography

Christopher Maslon

Born 1972 and from Monson, Massachusetts, USA. Maslon was the recipient of two American art scholarships and one Korean art grant and received his B.F.A in printing from Ohio's Columbus College of Art and Design in 1996. Maslon received his M.A. degree from Woosong University in 2014. Maslon's work has been seen and published in numberous magazines, newspapers, journals and websites.

Maslon is a Neo-POP artist. His refined focus is primarily on serigraphy (silk screen printing) and his mixed media images cross boundaries of the everyday and mundane, mixed with glitz and glam, then soaked in the unfamiliar. Maslon has been influenced by Robert Rauschenberg (mixed images), Peter Max (paint) and Roy Lichtenstein( heavy black lines) – all of whom he has met respectively. With credit to artist Andy Warhol for the use of silkscreen as a medium and introduction into the study of Pop Art.

Maslon's philosophy is based on the collective. Collective nature of layers of information presented to the viewer to create a new image.

Maslon currently serves as a chair member of the Daejeon Arts Collective. Neo-POP artist.

Artist Statement

Rockets. The very word of rockets conjures up a plethora of ideas of what they

are and what they represent. What are they exactly? On first view the viewer is shown many surface rocket images. Words, numbers and some small pictures that highlight the works. However, this is not what the work is about. That is what I would like for the viewer to see: only rockets and only surface. 'Surface' or masking or things represents our world in the developed nations. Masked behind the surface of all things are other meanings. The outside veneer doesn't clearly represent the real product, structure or behind the scenes of how it was made.

Rockets are a source of crowd cheering excitement upon lift off. Rockets represent great power, money, science, strength and development. Rockets ability to be a symbol of freedom, exploration and an object of admiration. Rockets in these works are just that 'symbols' nothing more.

The inspiration for Rocket #9 came because of a song. During the Summer of 2015 after hearing the song "Venus" by singer/song writer Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta). The songs lyrics took me away:

[verse 1]

Rocket #9 take off to the planet (to the planet)

Venus

Aphrodite lady seashell bikini (garden panty)

Venus

Let's blast off to a new dimension (in your bedroom)

Venus

Aphrodite lady seashell bikini (get with me)

Venus

This song literally became the groundwork for the entire body of silkscreen artworks that a presented today. I started to look at what a rocket was. I questioned my ideal of "What was space?" I looked and researched over 20 years of space exploration from 1950 to 1970.

The begins of space exploration is one of: 1) Seriousness. This seriousness that is mixed with 2) mystery of the unexplored and unknown - That was best left up to astronomers and scientists who study this field. This era of the early 1950's was not the common man's land. And little was known about space itself.

The 1950s are a time that seemed so "brown paper wrapper"1 still existed in darkness, so simple, and low key.

By the early 1960s a restlessness begins to form, specially in the United States, and Russia about space exploration. With the resurgence of pop culture in art, by 1964, space too, started to looked at as a commercial draw to magazines, tv shows and logos yet it still remained left to scientists and astrophysicists.

By the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969 by Apollo 11. Rockets and space went mainstream pop culture. Rockets themselves now took on another value, another meaning, another venue. The words "rockets and space" now began to seep into main pop-culture.

By the 1970s, the lunar buzz was over. Man had conquered the moon.

About the retrospective of art colors and images in the series: They are a direct feeling of the time researched. From serious dark colors of the 1950s and then moving into the fun light hearted electro-pop feel of the 1960s.

Description of work

Neo-POP art is after Pop-art. Neo-POP started in the 1980s and continues today.

Often seen as "making fun of life" Neo-POP offers a space where Pop-art left off.

About the technique used in Maslon's work, silk screen on plastic is the main forte.

As the artist broke away from traditional paper as means of printing. He also now makes prints that are completely untraditional.

He abandoned silk screen squeegees and instead uses old credit cards as squeegees. He also gave up traditional silk screen paints for use of acrylics. It is his personal belief that "Plastic is now the new paper"2

Influence on my work came from what I see around me daily. I always looked at my environment of inspiration in my art. "Pop culture is all around us"3

Footnote:

1. Quote from Andy Warhol's Documentary "Superstar"; 1990. Quoted from Steven Bruce owner of the Serendipity 3 Bar, NY, NY.

2. Direct quote from Christopher Maslon.

3. Direct quote from Christopher Maslon.