MAKING
WIGGED OUT
WIGGED OUT
Let’s chat about hair. Particularly the hair that grows out of the top of most folks head. This crown and glory is often a hot topic in the Black community, often representing politics status, and culture. Basically we don’t play when it comes to hair. This hair thing has a long history and has often been a battle and struggle for many women when it comes to acceptability politics, natural vs processed. We love that our hair represents something ‘unique’ for some audiences but at the same time in the past we have had trouble with the amount of time that this consumes with Black folks, ‘is this hair appropriate?’ thinking, hours spent in salons, decision making such as not swimming to ensure not ruining the hair. Time is a valuable asset, careful how it is spent, but grooming and self-love practice is never wasted time. Is it a practice of self-love to create or desire something that you don’t have, or is the costuming fun and games? It’s just a matter of finding balance. Basically we just have trouble with things that hold folks back and often wonder if hair falls into that. Years ago (and to this day) we occasionally take on the topic of hair, as both a celebration and a weight.
Enjoy our latest studio visit which explores Hair.
All of these pieces are available hit us up if interested mz@mzicar.com
TYPE PLAY
TYPE PLAY
We spend a lot of time playing and working on studies. Many of our projects require experimentation as they are quite tactile. We love the digital world…but real life in where it’s at, touch something fuzzy, taste something sweet, hug a tree small some plants and gaze upon something shiny in real-life, that kind of thing. These are some recent manifestations of that play. They do not have a purpose, application or home per se but one of our members has been musing about a clothing line. it’ all TBD, but in the meantime here’s some manifestations of that play.
WE STILL LOVING: TYPE EDITION
WE LOVE: TYPE EDITION
We have been pretty enamored by the powerful work of Tré Seals over at Vocal Type Co. Often in design, the biases of the author are ever-present in the final outcome. This is a very blind sided design flaw that can result in (intentional and unintentional exclusion) underrepresentation. The industry of design and specifically typography is maaaad white manish. This is resulting in a momo perspective in letter organization and presentation. Vocal type is filling the Gap and giving is life This foundry has released retail typefaces and created custom type inspired by historical icons of color.
We love all of this and it resonates with some of the latest projects we have been working on. We just wrapped up some custom lettering for Machel Montano’s Machel Monday. Which happens to be today and also happens to be a celebration of his nuptials. yo! It is seriously a love fest over here. Our work is used in the flyers promotional video as well as the tickets. We loved having the opportunity to work on this. Ya’ll over at Hasely stadium, buss a wine for us.
YOU MAY SHOP NOW
We are constantly evaluating and exploring our relationship with commerce and capitalism and looking for alternative opportunities of exchange. some of this exploration has been why it’s been so long coming to getting an online store up.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what we as a society are looking for on the internet, and what we can’t we purchase or have a hard time obtaining and what we should be trying to obtain. That thot process leads me to the creation of these new cans. For me, the internet is another platform, another medium, and it’s a context in which to explore the relationship of people, their interactions and the way that we interact with the world.
We love solutions, we love the absurdity of old ads (and full disclosure can’t wait until our current ads become old these pharmaceutical commercials are out of control). we are very much so American (most apparent when we are out of the country but that’s a different post) and so inherently, we are obsessed with the notion of a very quick fix. We also love painting and have a ton of empty cans in the studio. It’s bad enough that were spraying all this aerosol into the world might as well make sure that we are upcycling.
Thus I present to you my latest collection intended for the internet.
This series wouldn’t be complete without having some type of real life experience and so we have made a quarter of each edition available on the streets. They will be done in the form of a scavenger hunt and/or We’ll be posting where these items are and they will be free and up for grabs.
Keep your eyes peeled and your ear to the streets.
If you aren’t all about running around these streets (which I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be) you can also purchase editions on HERE
NOVEMBER 15TH
NOVEMBER 15TH HOLD THE DATE
What you up to on Friday, November 15th?
Well, you will be hanging with me at the ‘Dope Ever Since’ event in NYC.
I am super duper excited to announce my newest latest pop-up exhibition. It is taking place at a SECRET Chintatown location on November 15th between 7 p.m. 12a.m. One of the main agendas of Mz.Icar is to create and participate in engaging ‘real life’ experiences. Thanks to the movers and shakers at Lost Art BK, we have been able to team up with some musicians and creatives to do just that.
This night promises to be a fun exhibition, with live music performances. Space is extremely limited if you plan on coming please RSVP there is a tight capacity…you have been warned. The event is free with RSVP and if space permits, there may be a fee at the door.
In other news of growth and expansion, I have started to figure out my relationship with commerce and I and will have art for sale at this exhibition. and wait there’s more, I will launch the long-awaited Mz. Icar webstore on Nov. 15th. If you have any specific pieces in mind please get at me to make arrangements for purchase. Hope to see you soon.
PRESS RELEASE:
For one special night in NYC, LABK brings you “Dope Ever Since,” the live music/art installation event for all tastemakers & connoisseurs of everything dope, fly & fresh.
D.E.S brings together a tribe of artists, aligned on the same vibration of creating original artistic works for the mass appeal. In collaboration with the uber talented visual artist, Mz. Icar (@mz.icar), the space will be set for embracing the night & inhaling the moment. It’s going to be a jam packed night with DJ Tough Dumplin behind the wheels steering the ship. D.E.S will feature live music performances from two of illest hip hop acts out of Brooklyn right now: Bedstuy’s favorite brothers – DJ Jahmedicine & O-Boogie will set the tone for the night. And the following set will elevate the moment featuring the emcee: Rashid Amir, guest starring legendary producer- Ski Beatz as the conductor.
SPARK
SPARK...THEN SHOOT
My latest endeavor has been on love, joy, beauty, elation and inner peace. Its thrown a wrench in my process of using old imagery to collage and reconstruct ideologies. That being said, this new theme has forced me to create new works from the ground up. I realize that in this day and time there just aren’t many fabulous images of black people being joyous and peaceful. Now my mission is to create that.
As a collective, We take image making very seriously. Our talents range the professional art fields of photography videography, advertising, marketing, street and fine art.
One of the things that continue to emerge is the changing industry, how creators such as producers and art directors are either getting laid off or lost in the shuffle. Companies are looking to do things more efficiently to save money. We know that cutting the organizers doesn’t necessarily save money. We see how shoots run over time, how the industry wants more complicated content, and the day is only so long. Basically, the shoots are too cumbersome for the lack of direction.
We sat down, we bitched about how shoots used to be more fun, smoother and just had a better direction. Although it seems we can technologically do more, and the capabilities are endless we’re getting really confuzzled about how to go about it. We feel as though things are in flux to meet the demands of social media, the demand for more. It’s stressing us out. Luckily, we’re not the types to sit, complain, fart and scratch our butts all day. We decided to plan a shoot and basically remind ourselves what we’re working with. How super we are. That we have the answers to trifle with a demanding industry that wants more.
We had a creative direction in mind and got our main Mz. behind the camera. The goal was to optimize logistics for the shoot to be seamless, timely and fun. And we did it! Their is minimal retouching because Ediomi and Kat are fly to begin with.
Hope you enjoy. We did this completely in house all in a day, cuz we had to flex on them.
"farewell to meat" CARIBANA 2019
"FAREWELL TO MEAT" (UPDATED)
Hiya peeps!!
Catch me this Sunday working on a live large canvas piece in celebration of Toronto’s Caribana 2019.
Did you know that the Latin derived name of the holiday ‘carnaval’ means “farewell to meat” I will be exploring this theme in terms of the objectification of black bodies and farewell to that notion.
Catch me this Sunday, Aug 4th, 2019 at
Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON M5J 2G8
Many thanks to @harbourfrontcentre
And @supafrik fo inviting me out.
See ya soon t-dot peeps
And @toughdumplin will def be around.
Update. Here’s the final piece
DEAR MAMA
Studio thots:
We have been sitting on this one for a minute! I am so excited to announce our recent work with Essence magazine. One of our Mz’, had the opportunity to paint a three-story mural for the background set celebrating Tonya Louis Lee and Satchel Lee for the may issue. This is currently on the shelves right now it is so fun when you’re commercial and you’re fine art have a chance to mix and match and make babies together.
Roll call, cuz it takes a village to create this type of magic…and the Essence fam has been killing it when it comes to bringing together dope ass black talented women.
Fashion Director @mariellebobo 👗 interview by @missjulee 📝 Shoutout to the creative team: Photographer @ericagenece 📸 Art Director @mochamommy_nyc 🎬 Photo Editor @traceysees 🎞 CCCO @moanaluu 🔌 Set Designer @mz.icar🔮 Makeup Artist @jessicasmalls 💄 Hairstylist @monaeartistry 👸🏽 Manicurist @ginaedwards_ 💅🏾 Video Producer @seanandnotheard
This was painted on a continuous 3 story long 12ft canvas. This was done so that we could rotate the canvas on set resulting in various background settings and layered volume….it is very heavy!
Since we are in a sharing (aka bragging mood) and This essence issue has given us our whole lives and then some in the form of super fun work, great teams and visual candy, let me cleanse your timeline palette with dots. For this one our Mz’ made a series of custom dot backgrounds and a gazillion large dots. A period could never really be enough, a dot is much better suited.
Roll call
Photographer: @itayshaphoto
Wardrobe: @mariellebobo
MUA: @jaleesajaikaran
Haír: @naeemahlafond
Manicurist: @pipbuzzz
Set Design : @mz.icar
Model : @alyseeeuh
LISTS
List are the greatest way to organize things.
List create checkpoints for getting things done.
Sometimes I put very simple things on the list like take a deep breath. Just so that I can check it off.
The feeling of accomplishment is amazing. you should try it. Just put read this post on your list and check it off when complete.
Other times I put things that remain on this for a very long time. Every task isn’t a quickly.
I like looking back at list they remind me of what I saw how I spent my time.
And then make a list about the love of lists.
ART? MONIES? WORTH?
One of our Mz’ was a participant in the early stages of the Contemporary DIY movement including being the first person that Etsy did a video portrait on. Her process is extremely tactile as a move through materials including yarn up-cycled found objects as well as painting and collage techniques. She shared her thoughts on that experience and thoughts on consumption, exchange and art:
The combination of running an online store and having a creative process led me to explore various contracts of exchange economics and resource acquisition these themes are prevalent in the work as I often deconstruct context and value in various manifestations.
My conclusion is that it is harder to be an artist than to make money. Money is simple and binary buy low sell high. It’s a metrics of time and productivity. The hard part about money is we are not metric and binary in human composition. That’s the skill of robots.
Creation part of being an artist is a conversation with the gods, it’s a show up the party butt as naked thing. Its being all up in your feelings. My practice is skill based but themes are intuitive. Unless it’s used as a material or for logistics such as buying supplies, money isn’t useful in the creation stage. In the form of excess or scarcity money is generally more of a hindrance in the creation process.
Here comes the business part of being an artist. That part is a true shit show. Between buyers, curators, gallerist, commissions, day jobs, side hustles, patrons and institutions it has the potential to be the most complicated financial structure that exists.
I never subscribed to the doctrine of being a starving artist. But that’s just me. It’s not fun to be starving, it’s not fun to be able to have to decide whether or not you’re going to put gas in your car feed yourself, I have no false illusions about that. Artist contributes so much to society that it seems ridiculous to have a grumbling belly while you create vision for folks and challenge people to widen perspective. That means that I don’t find any nobility in being a starving artist. I feel like if you can have a conversation with the gods you can also have a conversation with a financial person. Money ain’t everything but options are good and struggle life is struggly. that being said,I’ve been known to be extremely frugal. I go through these periods of time where I decide that I’m not buying anything new or I’m only supporting handmade or locally made goods. Because too much stuff just feels like too much stuff and I can’t quantify the value of my purchases.