Interview with Felix and Dexter, Two Hot Up-And-Coming Artists From Brooklyn, New York (SHOW BEGINS NOVEMBER 21!)
Calling all art fans! From November 21-November 30, 2011, Felix and Dexter Ciprián , an artistic brother duo, will debut their new exhibition at the Orensanz Foundation for the Arts . The exhibition, relevantly named Felix and Dexter Present: Felix & Dexter, will feature both their collaborative pieces and their individual work in photography and collage. Jessie on a Journey got the chance to ask the artists a few questions before the opening to get a better sense of what inspires them and what they love about Brooklyn, New York .
How did you (Felix and Dexter Ciprián) get started?
We began our joint venture in 2007 at the annual Deitch Art Parade in SoHo with a piece that was part performance, part sculpture, part event. The piece was entitled “The Lost Gondolier” and featured Felix as the Lost Gondolier searching the waters of the SoHo streets and Dexter personifying the wind pulling the sail of the gondola. The impulse to collaborate began very naturally and organically – it felt as an extension of our childhood games.
Tell me about your upcoming show at the Angel Orensanz Foundation?
The upcoming show at the Angel Orensanz Foundation will feature collaborative pieces we’ve worked on in the past, but the main focus will be on our respective individual work. Dexter shoots urban landscapes, zooming in on details until they become abstracted from their natural association. Felix rummages through garbage cans looking for vintage photographs , from which he snips out the people to place in new, mythological settings. Our hope is to bring the viewers into two completely distinct worlds.
Where do you find your inspiration for your pieces?
Dexter finds inspiration in aspects of the urban landscape that are overlooked -the periphery of our everyday surroundings while Felix finds inspiration in the lost narratives of discarded objects from which he weaves new stories and possibilities.
Is there any piece of work that you have done that you feel particularly strongly about?
We recently collaborated on a performance piece entitled “Se Acerca Un Ciclon / A Cyclone is Approaching”. In this piece we incorporated our Father as narrator and performer where he recounted tales of his childhood. The piece culminated as a beautiful cross-generational collage of what it means to have a hybrid and fragmented Dominican-American identity.
How has using Kickstarter helped you bring your work to the public?
Kickstarter was a great platform to streamline the fundraising process. It allowed us to the get the word out very efficiently, and it allowed any and everybody interested to get involved in as small or as big a way as they wanted. It encouraged a grass-root form of fundraising welcoming the smallest donation just as much at the largest donations.
What does the money you raise get put towards?
From the very beginning it was very important to us to get involved with the right kind of people and to compensate all the collaborators that have helped us along the way – this includes the curator, Javier Moreno, filmmaker Alexandra Nikolchev, DJ Jo Q and music producer Mike Swoop. A big portion of the funds was also used to self publish a book – a catalogue of sorts featuring the work on display on our upcoming exhibition, and of course of cost of making the work itself – film, photo-paper, frames, old textbooks and vintage photographs etc.
Where is your work on display?
Our work will be on display at the Angel Orensanz Foundation at 172 Norfolk St from November 21st through November 30th. Our opening reception will be held on Nov 21st at 7:00pm. For upcoming shows we welcome everyone to take a look at our websites which we constantly update: www.felixanddexter.com, www.felixciprian.tumblr.com, www.dexterciprian.com.
What are your favorite spots in Brooklyn?
The Brooklyn Bridge, Greenwood Cemetery, Sunset Park, Coney Island, The Brooklyn Navy Yards, Prospect Park, Fort Greene Park, the Gowanus Canal.
Do you feel that there is a thriving arts scene in Brooklyn?
Absolutely. We are constantly impressed and inspired by all the energy and amazing talent
creating work in Brooklyn. At times we find ourselves so busy just keeping up with going to openings and shows of our fellow artists and collaborators.
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