Chicken (family portrait), 2014, archival pigment print, 12 x 18 inches /Courtesy of the UICA
Art by Artemis Antippas /Courtesy of the UICA
Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts invites you to learn more about West Michigan's creative workforce, neighboring cultural organizations, and about ways to engage with Grand Rapids' art-scene with interviews and guest features highlighting our local and regional community members. Visit uica.org/learn for monthly interviews.
Artemis Antippas was born in 1985 to Greek-American parents; an abstract painter mother and an art dealer father. From a very early age, Artemis became consumed with the wildness that is New Orleans, especially the French Quarter where she grew up. She graduated from American University in 2008, where she received her BA in Public Communications and Art History.
Since 2014, Artemis has exhibited her work throughout the country including Brooklyn, NY, Boulder, CO, Lake Charles, LA, and Washington, D.C., as well as several exhibitions in New Orleans including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Contemporary Arts Center and Prospect satellite exhibitions.
Artemis makes work that is a reflection of her intense connection to New Orleans and her various obsessions – obsession with color, glitter, fried chicken, with her grandmother, with soccer, dollar store foods, her cat, with New Orleanians' unrelenting tendencies of fête and food, with multiples, old lady things, party decorations, apparel & accessories, with carpeting, Mardi Gras, cotton candy, shopping, fur, and with all things Greek.
Artemis' practice revolves around these obsessions, personal interests and daily observations. For her, the adventure and experimentation of the working process are equally as exciting as the finished work itself. Artemis Antippas lives and works in New Orleans, LA.
Tell us a little about the work that’s on display at UICA. Have you participated in ArtPrize before? What drew you to participate this year?
This is my first time participating in ArtPrize and I am so thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful celebration of the arts! On display at UICA, I have a few separate works arranged as one installation. A big part of my art making process is exploring unusual materials – the work in this show involves chicken bones, silicone, motorized turntables, videos of me eating chicken and loads of glitter.
ArtPrize is a popular, city-wide event. What are you most excited about during this unique art-viewing experience?
I think what I’m most excited about is the opportunity to exhibit my work in Grand Rapids at UICA and to share my work with such an incredible art-loving community for the very first time.
UICA’s exhibition is centered around food. Does your work use food as a theme or lens traditionally or is this new territory for you?
Food is absolutely an influence in my work. I’m from New Orleans, so fried chicken is like a way of life down here. No matter the occasion, a fancy gala or a block party, there is always fried chicken. I’m sure it sounds strange, but I feel very connected to fried chicken and know that it will always play a major role in future works.
Who or what has been the biggest single influence on your way of thinking?
I was born and raised in the French Quarter, so I was exposed to absolutely everything as a child. I saw what it meant for people to be who they were, completely free of judgment or fear – it was a beautiful way to grow up. I am in complete of awe of this wild city and fall more and more in love with it every day. New Orleans will forever be a strong influence in everything I do.
Where else have you exhibited your work? Is there a project or exhibition that stands out in your mind as your greatest accomplishment?
I’ve shown my work around the country in various group shows (in Brooklyn, Boulder, Washington D.C., etc.) as well as several incredible galleries, museums and art centers in New Orleans. Each time I get to share my work with the public it truly feels like a great accomplishment. Showing at ArtPrize is definitely a very exciting moment for me!
What new projects do you have on the horizon?
I always have a bunch of projects in the works, it can be overwhelming at times but I think I live off of the excitement of working without boundaries. And having the opportunity to actually share them with other people is just a big bonus for me. I have some really wonderful larger collaborative projects that I’m focusing on right now, too – so stay tuned!
Looking for more?
Learn more about Artemis Antippas here.
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