MZ & DORITOS
MZ & DORITOS
We are in full swing of mural season and have barely had a moment in the studio. All the wonderful projects are blooming including this one. In route to another project we had to pop by our studio to pick up this beautiful press release package of our partnership with Doritos. We couldn’t be more thrilled to help celebrate this year’s change-makers and elevate all of the cool work they’re doing and celebrate it with this beautiful packaging. The artwork’s theme is all about Thriving!
This limited edition bag is available nationwide at Walmart. While we were on the road, we noticed it hadn’t hit stores in Green Bay or Milwaukee, but we’re getting messages from across the nation of folks picking up this bag in local stores. Grab a few if you can.
Here’s a link to the project!
GEM OF THE LAKE
GEM OF THE LAKE
Did you know that? Erie, Pennsylvania is known as the gem of the lake. We had the honor of creating this mural in celebration of this legacy in Erie, PA.
Through this project we learned that young children are walking really long distances to get to school due to lack of busing and so the city decided to create a mural initiative to promote, limit the blight and have beauty throughout the city that all people could enjoy.
For this piece, we tapped into the energy of water, and the literal depictions of gems and wanted to reframe the narrative of Gem on the lake to be a celebration of the people being the gems of Erie.
And it’s augmented.
It’s located on the @1020_collective building in Erie Pennsylvania
Random:
- Gems take a long time to paint.
- there are bunnies everywhere in Erie, just bouncing all around. They kept us company the whole time
- Boom lifts are Tetris/math/puzzle equations and operating them should count as credits towards math…just staying
This project was supported by @erieartsculture and done in conjunction with #viewsfestival
HEAVY DISTORTION
HEAVY DISTORTION
We were the proud recipients of the black music city Grant and for this project we decided to do an augmented reality piece celebrating sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Heavy Distortion is an augmented reality project celebrating the influence of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She is most known for a technique called heavy distortion. This piece aims to immerse the experiencer in heavy distortion.
Huge thanks to
#BlackMusicCityGrant @wxpnfm @recphilly
#sisterrosettatharpe
AR USER EXPERIENCE INSTRUCTIONS
Heavy Distortion V1
The first one is image responsive. Meaning that if you download the @Artivive app on a mobile device and show it the image marker and it will activate the Augmented reality.
Heavy Distortion V2
This one is activated by a link or QR code.
MISED TOUR
MISED TOUR
In 2018-19 the Mz.Icar Collective was incredibly honored to collaborate with Ms. Lauryn Hill to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her iconic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Our team was commissioned to design a collection of limited edition scarves, tees, and merchandise for the 20th-anniversary tour, and we lent our creative skills in the form of visuals for the world tour.
A few of the pieces created for the tour were on exhibit as part of @nonamegalleryphilly ‘s Hip Hop exhibition.
If you are interested in this work contact sales@deveqolers.com
SOFT SPACES + THE FITLER
SOFT SPACES + THE FITLER
The crew and are so very excited to announce that we are Artists in Residency @fitlerclub.
As part of the residency, we are exhibiting an installation and a series of photo illustrations from our new Soft Space series. Each print is a combination of traditional photography and AI. All pieces have an AR component which allows the viewers to experience the prices come to life and talk.
These prints are a signed embossed series in an edition of 10. The certificates of authenticity will be issued as an NFT
The exhibition opened June 5th and was a private shendig. If you would like learn more about the latest collection pls email sales@deveqolers.com
Thank you so much @fitlerclub for the honor, much gratitude to @triciam001 and congratulations to the other participating creatives @saleemahmed @scottico12 @nicologentile @e.m.artt @kristasvalbonas @parisiendurag @idaliavasquez @elizabethbergeland @rcarterphoto @doahstudio @agathebouton @mz.icar @kriversphoto @paul_farber nazeersabree @lindseysca @johnjarbeard @crystalcuevas
ARTIST STATEMENT
This collection of work is an exploration of the power of softness, both
in a literal and figurative sense. Through a combination of photo illustrations and yarn and pom pom installation pieces, We aim to create an environment that celebrates the beauty and strength of softness, particularly as it is embodied by Black people.
In this work, We challenge conventional notions of what strength and power look like, and instead focus on the ways in which softness can be a powerful force for change. We use soft materials such as yarn and pom poms to create tactile and sensory installations that invite the viewer to engage with their surroundings and connect with their emotions.
Our photo illustrations capture stoically posed Black people in soft spaces, showing how softness and strength coexist. Through the use of natural lighting and strong poses, and soft florals we create a space that feels regal and nurturing, inviting the viewer to connect with their own emotional experiences.
Our yarn and pom pom TV installations are designed to be immersive, with soft textures and playful colors creating a whimsical and inviting atmosphere. Through these TV installations, We hope to create a space where viewers can let go of their guard and allow themselves to be vul- nerable, even if just for a moment.
Through this collection of work, We celebrate the power of softness, particularly as it is embodied by Black people. We challenge the notion of who embodies that strength and power and invite viewers to see the beauty and strength that can be found in vulnerability and emotional openness.
BACK TO THE SOURCE
BACK TO THE SOURCE
In honor of 20 years of indigenous hip hop in Uganda, @babaluku invited a group of extremely talented spoken word artists to commune with incredible local artists in Uganda. We had the chance to tag along with @toughdumplin and document the whole experience. Here’s a teaser from the documentary that we are currently editing of this incredible meeting of the minds featuring the following n. American artists.
@spokensoulto @randelladjei @northerngriots @nthdigri @eddy_daoriginalone @dwayne_morgan @wordsbeatsandlife @substantialmusic
I’m sure one day we will organize and exhibition of this experience, in the mean time we’ll edit, process and recenter. This trip was a whole paradigm shift and It’s being reflected in our work-particularly about being held, supported and in environments that are centered around what is best for its people.
SOFT STUDIES & YAB
SOFT STUDIES & YAB
We were in an incredible group show called Drip! Drop! Slice! At You are Beautiful in Chicago @yabsticker it was curated by Christopher Jobson of @Colossal and includes the works of Dan Lam @sopopomo Yuko Nishikawa @yuko_nishikawa Dave Towers @t_o_w_e_r_s Brian Giniewski & Holly Jean Studios @brianginiewski @hollyjean.studios Kassandra Guzman @kuupottery Ben Houtkamp @bens.website Lalese Stamps @lollylollyceramics Adrianne Hawthorne @ponnopozz
We have been working a lot with textiles and tufting projects under the them of ‘Soft Spaces’.This exhibition showcased a few of our studies.
MZ BK XBOX
MZ BK XBOX
Over the winter we were minding our business planting seeds and tending to our garden. This of our first spring projects.
We had the lovely opportunity to collaborate with @xbox and their celebration of the Brooklyn Nets’ 10 years in Brooklyn @seedbrklyn.
Time is so interesting. I feel like it was just yesterday when all of BK was up in arms about building that Barclay center, but at the same time had excitement about a basketball team returning to the borough. We’ve been so humbled to experience such a grand transformation.
We definitely have very, very bittersweet emotions around the Brooklyn that exists now and past Brooklyn but in the stew of life, I guess it’s all one big pot of gumbo. And the one thing that is a constant is change. We’ve changed. It’s changed. You’ve changed. No one is the same as who they were before.
For this project, we created a mural, limited edition jackets and a very limited edition run of custom prints for Xbox. It was a real pleasure to be in community and celebrate. They even got us to dust off our thread skills and we had a live embroidery set up doing patches. It was a lot of fun.
Some of you may remember that under a different iteration, we used to be on the streets of New York City almost every weekend vending, selling bizarre handmade upcycled goods and artwork before there was language and context behind what we were doing. This event took us back to the early/mid 2000s and had us thinking about our journey.
We channeled that journey into this work and the illustration created for the mural and we’re beyond thrilled to be able to mirror that back to BK.
Much gratitude to @palettegrp for including us in this celebration
POSSIBLY CONNECTED
POSSIBLY CONNECTED
In January we took a trip out to Cincinnati and chatted with folks around NFTs and web3
It was a really neat conversation and one that we see as an ongoing conversation, we were on a panel moderated by Jeni Barton @mega_ultra_10_thousand for @artswave with artist, NFT collector, educator and collector @annieaburke and Jordan Tate Jordan Tate
Associate Director, School of Art at University of Cincinnati.
This particular panel was unique as at the end the participants were able to successfully obtain a digital wallet and collect their very first NFT by yours truly
We, along with the rest of the planet are still very much so working our way through the possibilities of Web3.0. Here are some brief thoughts on things
The piece shown is called: Possibly Connected
This piece is part of our Computer Cousin Series. We used artificial intelligence to compose this portrait. It was created by inputting a series of complicated prompts to specify style content, light color, and composition. All of these prompts had to account for and work around biases that are evident in the algorithms for the AI generator. This piece is an example of using technology as an assist for creating work. It also brings up many ideas around authenticity, reality, perception possibility, and authorship.
NFTs
Well, let’s start with crypto. It’s not exactly a day-to-day use currency. The whole exchange requires way too much, The design is not simple/accessible enough for day-to-day exchanges. Perhaps it could be in the future, but it’s mostly techy people telling you how easy it is. Well, people who aren’t so techy feel quite alienated. Now let’s get into NFTs as those are backed by cryptocurrency, We have loved the idea of NFTs being a great way of exchange and storytelling. They appear to be way better platforms than social media as they just crowdsource content for very little or free 99. We currently use NFTs as certificates of authenticity for our artworks and plan on releasing a short episodic series of NFTs later this year.
AI
The collective is straight split on artificial intelligence. Some of the members love the possibilities and the ease that it provides, particularly for administrative things, and generating pieces for collage work. other members feel that it is taking over the place that artist occupies. Oftentimes artists, creatives, women, and people of color have not been on the beneficial side of copyright laws, accessibility, and usage and we see this perhaps as being a space that could potentially balance that a bit. We love that our team is split in the center of this and we look forward to seeing how this balances out.
AR
well, if you’re going to be on your phone while in real-life might as well integrate technology into real life. So yeah, we’ll keep playing in the augmented reality space, especially in our murals.
All of these thoughts are subject to change. They’re just reminders to use these things as tools and to mindfully approach all of them.
WHEN IN GERMANY
WHEN IN GERMANY
We were invited to Flöha, Saxony, Germany along with a bunch of other incredible artists to transform this closed paper factory into a playground of creativity for this year’s @ibug.art festival
The process:
When we asked about assigned spaces we were told by the organizers to let the wall speak to us. I’m not going to lie. It’s really stressful to create work on the spot. It’s a great exercise but it’s rough. Our installation piece ‘PRODUCTIVE HUMAN BEING’ was created on the spot and in response to what we learned about the paper, factory and materials that were found in the building.
The context:
There is a lot of intersectionality btwn the fall of industrialism in US cities and the story of this paper factory. Folks put a lot of value and identity in occupation and seem to start blaming anyone they think they can when stuff falls apart.
This area is seeing a rise in right wing support because just like a lot of the center states folks feel forgotten, work isn’t what it use to be and pivoting is harder than blaming marginalized people and honestly it’s hard to find grounding when bellies are grumbling.
The work:
So it got us thinking… If value is subtracted from productivity, perhaps most of this wouldn’t be so much of an issue. This installation piece tackles the concept of unhinging the correlation between what we make, who we are and where we sit in society. We painted a mantra of ‘value does not equal productivity’ and ‘productivity does not equal value’ on rolls of paper that we found in the factory. We then assembled these pieces on the wall to create a sculpture falling out of a hand coming out of the building. This was done as a reminder that there is more to life than work and what we make though it is important to make. It’s important to also understand what and who we’re making for.
The Protectors.
Of course we had to bring our people with us. This is an iteration of our piece called the ‘Protectors’. There are a couple figures in the collage that are images from the US archives of people who were sharecroppers and/or former enslaved people. We incorporate these figures into this collage because it’s important for them to be dignified and there’s something incredibly satisfying about bringing them all over the world to see what we see. I’m glad we brought them. As much as we enjoyed ourselves, being ‘othered’ is exhausting.
Speaking of dignity, taking responsibility…and all things that come with making amends, here is an observation. It’s seems way easier to be apologetic when you don’t have to live/deal with/see the folks you are apologizing too. It’s like apologizing to relics.
This is all intersectional.
The lesson: the people who have been the victims of the atrocities are the ones who determine if amends have been made/proper reconsolidation have been put into place. It is never determined by those that have inflicted the atrocities. They were never qualified to do that, thus the atrocious acts.