INFO++
THE
VISIONARY
WITH THE
BALLPOINT
PEN
SEVEN NOEM IS MORE THAN JUST AN ARTIST; SHE IS A CREATIVE MIND ROOTED IN THE DIVERSE DISCIPLINES OF ART, MUSIC, GRAPHICS, FASHION, AND DESIGN. HER WORLD IS ONE SHAPED BY PASSIONATE DEVOTION TO HUMANITY, THE STRIVING FOR AESTHETIC PERFECTION, AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE MATERIALS SHE WORKS WITH. HER ARTISTIC JOURNEY BEGAN NOT IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED STUDIO OR A CROWDED ART SCHOOL, BUT IN THE WARM SUMMER MONTHS OF THE CROATIAN HINTERLAND, WITH HER GRANDPARENTS. WITH THE GENTLE RHYTHM OF LIFE, SEVEN RECALLS HER CHILDHOOD IN CROATIA, WHERE SHE SPENT HER DAYS WITH HER GRANDFATHER VLADIMIR, A JAZZ DRUMMER AND UNCONVENTIONAL THINKER WHOSE CREATIVE FREEDOM SHAPED HER. THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS, FILLED WITH THE SOUND OF THE OLD MAN'S DEEP VOICE AND STORYTELLING, BECAME AN INDISPENSABLE SCHOOL OF ART FOR SEVEN. HER TOOLS WERE LITTLE MORE THAN A BALLPOINT PEN AND GRAPH PAPER. WITH THE WIND IN HER HAIR AND THE URGE TO CAPTURE THE WORLD'S BEAUTY, SHE SAT FOR HOURS IN THE GARDEN ON A FOLDING CHAIR NEXT TO HIM, DRAWING PORTRAITS FROM FASHION MAGAZINES AND THUS REFINING HER SENSE OF PROPORTION, LINE, AND SHAPE.
WHAT MAY APPEAR LIKE A SIMPLE LEISURE ACTIVITY FROM THE OUTSIDE WAS THE IGNITER FOR SEVEN THAT WOULD IGNITE HER CAREER AS AN ARTIST. IN HER PERFORMING ART, SHE CONCERNS NOT ONLY WITH WHAT IS SHOWN, BUT ALSO WITH THE UNSEEN. HER WORKS ARE A REFLECTION OF THE STATUS QUO, A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD, WHICH OFTEN SUFFOCATES IN AN ABUNDANCE OF INFORMATION AND VISUAL STIMULUS. DRIVEN BY A DEEP NEED TO SHINE LIGHT ON THE UNNOTICED, SHE BECOMES THE VOICE OF THE UNSEEN AND UNHEARD.
LIGHT AND SHADOW ARE NOT JUST THEMES IN HER WORKS; THEY ARE THE ESSENCE OF HER ARTISTIC PHILOSOPHY. SEVEN NOEM HAS CHOSEN TO WORK IN BLACK AND WHITE. THIS LIMITATION, HOWEVER, IS NOT A SIGN OF MODESTY, BUT RATHER A BOLD STEP TOWARD THE ESSENCE OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. SHE REDUCES HER PALETTE TO THE ESSENTIALS TO EMPHASIZE CONTRASTS. SHE USES INK, ACRYLIC, AND SOMETIMES 24K GOLD TO SUBTLY ENCOURAGE THE VIEWER TO REFLECT ON THE DUAL NATURE OF EXISTENCE. ANYONE WHO DELVES INTO HER WORK QUICKLY DISCOVERS THAT EVERY BRUSHSTROKE TELLS A STORY THAT BALANCES THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE.
AN UNUSUAL FEATURE OF HER ART IS THE USE OF UV INKS APPLIED IN AN INVISIBLE VARNISH. ONLY UNDER BLACKLIGHT DOES SHE REVEAL THE WORK, MAKING IT ALMOST MYSTICAL. THIS CONCEPT OF "SEEING UNSEEN" IS REFLECTED IN HER PASSION FOR THE HIDDEN, WHICH IS ANYTHING BUT TRIVIAL. SEVEN BELIEVES THAT THE DEEPEST TRUTH OFTEN LIES HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS, AND IT TAKES A CERTAIN AWARENESS TO SHED LIGHT ON THESE PLACES.
SHE DEFINES HERSELF THROUGH HER BLACK-AND-WHITE PAINTINGS, WHICH ARE OFTEN PRESENTED IN MAGNIFICENT, COLORFUL FRAMES. THIS COMBINATION OF MINIMALIST COLOR SCHEMES AND OPULENT FRAMING COULD BE INTERPRETED AS A REFLECTION OF HER OWN PERSONALITY. SEVEN IS PRACTICAL AND HAS A PARTICULAR PREFERENCE FOR HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS THAT PROMISE DURABILITY AND LONGEVITY. IN AN AGE WHERE FAST-PACED LIVING AND A THROWAWAY MENTALITY PREVAIL, SHE STRIVES TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT ONLY AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, BUT ALSO DURABLE AND ALMOST INDESTRUCTIBLE.
IN ADDITION TO HER CANVAS ART, HER CREATIVE STREAK IS ALSO EXPRESSED IN HER GRAPHIC WORK. SHE IS A PASSIONATE GRAPHIC ARTIST AND HAS A STRONG SENSE OF STYLE, EVIDENT IN BOTH HER CLOTHING DESIGNS AND HER PERSONAL STYLE. HER MAKEUP IS NOT ONLY AN EXPRESSION OF HER INDIVIDUALITY, BUT ALSO A PART OF HER CREATIVE PROCESS. SHE LOVES EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES OF DESIGN, WHETHER THROUGH TEXTILES OR THE CREATION OF SCULPTURES.
IN HER SCULPTURES, SEVEN NOEM COMBINES STRONG, SOLID MATERIALS SUCH AS CONCRETE AND MARBLE, FURTHER STRENGTHENING HER WORK CONCEPTUALLY. THIS CHOICE SPEAKS TO HER CONVICTION THAT ART SHOULD NOT ONLY BE VIEWED IN THE MOMENT, BUT CAN ALSO LEAVE A LASTING IMPRESSION. HER SCULPTURES ARE NOT MERE OBJECTS; THEY ARE MANIFESTATIONS OF HER IDEALS AND PHILOSOPHIES. HER WORKS PROVOKE, STIMULATE, AND CHALLENGE THE VIEWER TO VIEW THE WORLD THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS—THE LENS OF POSSIBILITY.
SEVEN NOEM IS AN ARTIST WHO WORKS IN THE TENSIONS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS, A WOMAN WHO EMBODIES HERSELF IN THE DIVERSITY OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE. SHE IS NOT JUST A WITNESS TO THE WORLD AROUND HER, BUT ACTIVELY ACTS IN IT, ILLUMINATING THE PEOPLE SHE ADORES WITH HER ART. IN AN ERA THAT OFTEN DROWNS THE QUIET VOICES, SHE IS AN UNFLAWLESS FAN OF HUMANITY. HER ART IS A CALL TO PAUSE AND REFLECT, A RECOGNIZABLE MESSAGE THAT THERE IS BEAUTY IN THE HIDDEN, AND THAT WE OFTEN ONLY SCRATCH THE SURFACE.
SEVEN NOEM NOT ONLY PROVIDES ARTWORKS, BUT ALSO SPACE FOR DIALOGUE, REFLECTION, AND CHANGE. SHE INVITES US TO LOOK AT THE WORLD WITH CURIOUSNESS AND TO HEAR THE STORIES OF THOSE WHO ARE OFTEN UNHEARD. THAT IS THE POWER OF HER ART—AND THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT MAKES HER AN INDISPENSABLE VOICE IN TODAY'S ART SCENE.
++CREDITS
MAKE UP & STYLING: LEE JULIE RUSCH
PHOTOGRAPHY: LARS WIESER
