Tell us about your first exposure to the arts
I am pretty sure that the distinct aroma of paint and process was hovering around my cradle. My father is a painter, and his studio took up half of our loft. When I was a few weeks old, my parents were invited by Salvador Dali to a round table discussion on the “hard focus realism” movement in painting. Apparently Dali held me in his arms, looked at my father, looked at me, looked at my father again, and said “Ah….Soft Focus Realism”. Not my very first exposure to the arts, but likely a indelible imprint of the surreal and absurd.
How would you describe your work?
I collaborate with the properties of physical materials (wax, silk, alabaster, etc.), and work like a mask maker, seeking to bring a blush of life to the inanimate, there by invoking an engagement with invisible, and a poetic empathy.
Who has influenced you the most?
I draw inspiration from powerful women who were and are bold and original in their creative per suits: Gertrude Stein, Louise Bourgeois, Agnes Martin, Hannah Hoch, Sylvia Plath, Joan Jonas, Lygia Clark, Eva Hesse, Pina Bausch, Carson McCullers and more. I am also deeply informed by the pursuits and philosophies of poets such as Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, and Yeats.
How did working alongside in your brother (Zac Posen) in the fashion industry inspire your work today?
Working in the fashion industry certainly gave me expertise and access to a new language and substance: fabric. It also was a continued meditation on the transformative power of objects. I loved how the construction and movement of a dress could imbue someone with a particular spirit, character or attitude. Also, my brother and I share a common passion for the artistic process, and so it was reinforcing to be in a collaborative situation with him.
What captures your imagination?
Everything captures my imagination.
Project your most proud of?
Hmmm, hopefully this is still in process. I am very proud of my ongoing series of encaustic works, “FIELDS”, in which I create beeswax drawings on paper, and then associate the drawing with a notable creative spirit. FIELDS is a playful portrait series that celebrates the singularity of presence, and also prompts a dialogue between language, abstraction and the poetic imagination.
How do we follow you? www.alexandraposen.com, @alexoposen
