The September Selection: 3 Artists We Love
MARCUS AITKEN
Marcus is a contemporary artist and based in South London who uses a combination of layering, distressing and blending to present a multifaceted surface to his work. His background in design has developed his artistic style creating cutting edge abstract works with vibrant and exciting sculptural elements. He has shown in exhibitions internationally and had his work featured by various publications.
“Aside to having to postpone many exhibitions and opportunities this year, it's actually been a really productive and successful year for me so far and it's building up to be an exciting year ahead with upcoming collaborations with Soft Punk Magazine and 9/10 Magazine, and a few yet to be announced exhibitions. I will also be working towards my solo show in August 2021 which I'm looking forward to creating some big pieces for. I think the world habitually looks to creatives in times of need, whether that’s for escapism, humour or a sense of hope, and I'm looking forward to delivering on the escapism element in particular whilst introducing my work to new audiences around the world. “
HARRIET RAAB
Harriet Raab is an abstract artist based in in Stockholm, Sweden.
“I was always creative growing up and my mother played an important part in encouraging my artistic abilities. However, after I graduated art school many years went by that I spent raising a family, basically not creating any art at all. I am kind of an introvert, but my goal is to be bold and courageous. I want to reveal my inner self, the good the bad and the ugly. I have always felt like didn’t fit in. I looked fine but I wasn’t. In my moments of creativity I allowed myself to enter a completely different world. I find it easier to evoke my own emotions through abstract art. Music has a great impact on me and my creativity, it brings me clarity and helps me get in touch with my artistic language. I tune the world out and only focus on my work. Often when I work I have one song on repeat for hours just to hear a certain phrase or tone. I took up painting again a few years ago after my brother suddenly passed away. I needed to get through the trauma somehow. It wasn’t about making art then, but I realized that for me to understand all the questions and thoughts that kept flooding my head, feelings of grief, regret and anger, I had to express them somehow, to see my emotion laid out on a canvas.
I use a large range of materials, and recently I have started to use spray paint as a way to not be so calculated. I was born in the suburbs and I love how graffiti is so uncontrollably uninhibited, and it suits my style of creating as spray paint dries quickly. I never want my work to just be considered pretty, the most important thing for me is to portray emotion. My work is layered over and over again, allowing the final result to grow from what is hiding underneath. I consider it a method where mistakes are allowed to open up for a new approach to be revealed. I do sometimes name my work but I often like to leave it open for interpretation. I like that my art can mean different things to different people. It encourages me to continue on this journey, where every day leads to a new road, and I am excited to continue on this way.”
CÉCILE FILIPE
Cécile Filipe is an abstract impressionist artist based in Paris.
Born in Lisbon and raised in Paris, Filipe trained as an interior designer in Paris and worked for twenty years as the head of a design office. Now she devotes herself exclusively to her art. As emotional reflections, her paintings combine abandonment, poetry, nature with detailed architectural composition. The result is an impression of strength and fragility.
“Nature inspires me a lot, I spend a lot of time observing it. I work mainly with acrylic on canvas but also with inks and watercolors on paper. Painting is for me a necessity. It allows me to expel my emotions, it’s also a constant inner and aesthetic search for light, depth and balance. I would like to exhibit all over the world in the coming years. I am currently leaving Paris to live in the South, towards a life closer to nature and more responsible towards our environment, I also need light and sun for my inspiration. I will set up my studio in Saint Remy de Provence, give art classes, welcome artists in residence, organise exhibitions and pursue my research and personal work.”
