‘The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.‘ With these profound words from Albert Camus we want to take you on a journey into three different artistic universes to meet Jason Decaires Taylor, Artsi Ifrach and Jeff Hong.
I just can’t help thinking that we’ve been so destructive and we’ve done so much damage and
Jason Decaires Taylor
you know what will the next generation have to explore, what will fire their imaginations?
Jason Decaires Taylor
Sculptor, environmentalist and professional underwater photographer.
Jason deCaires Taylor creates dynamic sculptural installations on the ocean floor to promote ocean conservation and address the perils of climate change.
Recycling is very important and I think our future for now, is to fix what we’ve already destroyed. I’ve decided I will recycle everything because I think we are already at a stage in life that we have to somehow start to fix things
ART/C
ART/C
Designer
ARTSI IFRACH is a creator, artist and designer of the label Art- C. He is self- described Israeli Jewish Moroccan designer living in the heart of Marrakech, revealing a deep and sensitive soul with a touching reverence for life, people, history, creation, artistic freedom and preserving culture and legacy.
A lifelong fan of Disney characters, and having worked for the company, Jeff observed the emotional connection people, including himself, had to these fictional, well- known, well loved characters. Moved by the experiences of people around him in fast paced cities like LA and New York and the seeming disconnectedness of life here, Jeff was inspired to create art to highlight what he saw, and use his talents and platforms to subvert familiar Disney characters by placing then into modern day contexts of what their lives would be like in today´s modern culture.
Tarzan on the subway, Pocohontas inside a glittering but tawdry casino, an sludge- covered Arial, the little mermaid crawling out of a polluted ocean and Alice escaping into a rabbit hole of drugs and chemical dependency, are just some of the poignant, powerful and sometimes painful images Jeff gives life and voice. As a Disney animator, moved by the disconnection many people experienced living in fast-paced cities, Jeff Hong observed the emotional connection people had to these familiar fictional characters and decided to highlight what he saw, by subverting these characters and placing them into modern day contexts. Tarzan in the concrete jungle, Ariel crawling out of a polluted ocean and Alice lost down a rabbit hole of drugs and addiction, are just some of the powerful images which come to life on Jeff’s canvas. This film looks at these disconnections and connections through the eyes of the artist, Jeff Hong.
An animation storyboard artist, Jeff first fell I love with conceptual art, ´art with a voice´ as he describes it, while studying illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. What surprises him is the fact that these images reflect the experiences of real human beings yet it takes our emotional connection with fictional characters to elicit a response from our otherwise desensitized psyches. Journey with Jeff Hong as he goes beyond the looking glass in the ironically titled: ´Unhappily ever after ´
