Vestal Magazine

All Photos are courtesy of Vadis Turner

For the surreal issue we sought an artist whose work is impactful, colorful, and draws the viewer in a magical dreamy world. We found these characteristics in the work of artist Vadis Turner. Vadis is from Nashville, TN and she graduated from the Boston University, School of Arts in 2000. After graduation she moved to NYC and has been living and working in Brooklyn ever since. Her work is well known for the exquisite and fragile balance between mixed media, color theory, abstract expressionism, and feminism. These themes are very dear to Vadis, whose main focus interest is women's work and gender roles. Her art is very sophisticated, complex, and brave with a thought process that is driven by research, analysis and introspection. When asked what inspires her work Vadis told Vestal “I keep my eyes and mind open to everything because all types of design and art are in constant conversation with each other. Deciding which ideas will best manifest visually is a constant challenge. Every step is an exercise in visual problem solving. It is demanding, exhilarating and isolating all at once. I keep lists of ideas and try to identify materials that would best function as vehicles for them. I work out my projects while I swim or walk. It's not easy to sketch in those moments but it's great to wrap your head around your intentions and process”

In her work is visible influence of abstract expressionist painters like Joan Mitchell and mixed-media sculptor Petah Coyne. Vadis takes simple and common feminine materials such as satin ribbons, clothe fabric, laces, and fabric flowers and elevates them to contemporary work of art. This transition concrete-surreal is sublimely achieved with a well thought equilibrium between grace and murk. Vadis states “In my compositions, I like for there to be a tension between beauty and darkness. The works balance between decadent and disgusting.” Her work has been critically acclaimed with features in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Women's Wear Daily, Vanity Fair, and recently in The Daily and several exhibitions in the US, Europe, and Asia. Her work was recently acquired by the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in Manhattan as part of their permanent collection.
The most recent focus of Vadis is periods of transition and the ceremonial and conceptual substance of the rites of passage that accompany them. The contrast between beauty and darkness is apparent from the ceremonial and loud adornments as opposed to the concept of mortality and decay. This is how Vadis describes her work “I am interested in different rites of passage and how we celebrate and decorate the subject during their transition from one identity to the next. In my recent work, I am addressing death by synthesizing types of ceremonial adornments (ribbon and flowers) and with destructive processes (fire and mold). Ribbons are used to decorate women and convey a sense of purity, youth and innocence. Flowers are used in all rites of passage to make a space and ultimately a memory sacred.

The destructive process that inspires each composition enables me to show these decorative materials in various states of decay. Like the subject of a rite of passage, they are in physical transition. Something about their identity is forever lost and something new is gained. The compositions are simultaneously loosing their surface structure and creating a new source of energy and beauty. I call these ‘ribbon paintings’. After studying painting in school, it has been wonderful to use my mixed media materials as ‘brush strokes’ on canvas. They are all sewn together onto canvas but the creative process is more similar to painting than to crafting.”

Vadis Turner upcoming shows are:
Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn, NY until June 24
Lyons Wier Gallery from June 16 to July 16
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY from October 23 to January 19
Brooklyn Museum of Arts permanent exhibition

Vadis Turner work can be viewed and purchased at www.lyonswiergallery.com and www.vadisturner.com

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