MARINA KAPPOS’s intricately layered paintings seem to shimmer all along the walls of her Brooklyn studio. She tells me the canvases can elude photography, which flattens the subtle textures of the acrylic paint. More than the optical illusion that makes these faces, hands, and bodies vibrate in the viewer’s eyes, the paint itself is vibrant, clashing from layer to layer to create the compositions. Marina tells me she took years to arrive at this exact process and, looking at her paintings, one can always sense the artist at work — which makes for a very intimate experience.
WHAT IS SOMETHING I WOULD BE SURPRISED TO FIND IN YOUR SPACE?
I use this French curve quite a bit, but when I started making larger paintings, the curve was too small for me. So, I had someone make me a giant one. Kind of a fun innovation.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL WORKSPACE IN THREE WORDS.
Big walls, light.
WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN AND FROM WHOM?
There’s a fabulous quote, I think it might be Winston Churchill. He says “Success is moving from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” There are a lot of obstacles to overcome when choosing the path to be an artist, but you have to keep going and continue to find joy and excitement in creating.
WHAT GAVE YOU THE COURAGE TO FOLLOW YOUR OWN PATH?
I was always very driven. When I was sixteen years old, I decided that I wanted to be an artist. I switched high schools, went to the LA County High School for the Arts, and that put me on track to becoming an artist. I went to CalArts for college and then to Yale, where I studied painting, for graduate school. I’ve wanted to be an artist my whole life.
WHAT IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE PRACTICAL TIP YOU COULD IMPART TO A FELLOW CREATIVE?
Just work. I feel like if you have a daily practice — even if you don’t know what you’re going to do in the studio that day — if you just show up and work every day, eventually, something will click. You’ll end up making something or moving towards something.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM PROJECT
My dream would be to work with a museum or institution and really be able to make a significant installation. MASS MoCA is a great example of that: a museum that’s working with contemporary artists and gives you the freedom to create your vision. They have the work up for an extended period of time, so many people can see the art in it’s proper context.
WHAT CAN YOU SEE OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOWS?
I love my view, watching the city and the seasons changing, and the sunsets and light. The view of Manhattan here is pretty extraordinary.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
This neighborhood has changed significantly in the last eleven years. When I first moved here, it was industrial, and people would tell me not to walk around at night. Now, it’s one of the trendiest neighborhoods. They’re giving tours of the graffiti in the street; I walk by to find people standing, taking photos. It’s become gentrified, which is sad for me, because the rents are going up, pushing the artists out.
Where They’ is a visual documentation of the creative environments of artist & people, that meet during my travels, of homes and studios.
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