Interview, Seattle Erotic Art Festival Invited Artist Ryan Molenkamp

So the dust has settled and we're on our way. I found I wanted to continue an interesting conversation I seemed to be having with everyone separately, so I sat down and wrote up a few interview questions for the artists I've invited to participate in this year's Seattle Erotic Art Festival.

I've decided to start with Ryan Molenkamp, because his process for this piece is fascinating. Here's our conversation together:

Whether or not it's conscious, people seem to expect a certain thing when they think of "erotic art". What was the greatest challenge or stereotype for you to overcome in making an erotic piece in your own voice?

I do not normally work in the realm of "erotic art".

People have preconceived notions when they hear the term "erotic art". I have them myself, and they are not all positive, in fact, I'm pretty critical of any work that would purposefully define itself as erotic art. It brings to mind art as acts of narcissistic sexual showboating. Masturbating in art. Much art is quite self-loving, and often quite sexual, and you'll find it in galleries, museums and all over. However, what I have seen of works that define themselves as "erotic art" seem to take it to a further level. They can often be in danger of looking like porn done with technical artistic prowess. Therefore, to get back to your question, the greatest challenge for me was overcoming my own quite strong, critical judgments of erotic art and figuring out way that I could incorporate a sense of the erotic into my own work without making a criticism of the genre.

How did you arrive at the work you'll be showing in the Festival? Where is it you're taking us/what story are you telling (the viewer)?

As I hinted at in my previous answer, I did not want to do a work that was at all attacking the idea of "erotic art", not something that was too tongue-in-cheek either, both which were immediate, natural responses for me when approaches with this project. Instead, I struggled to find something I could do within my own style and process that would be an honest answer. I toyed with several ideas, work having to do with past erotic relationships, work that incorporated sensual imagery into my current style, and a few other things...but nothing seemed interesting enough to pursue.

I decided to focus on the idea of process. How can I do a piece, within my current series of work, that ads some idea eroticism? I decided to treat it as a problem. As an obstacle. An Erotic Obstacle. I needed an object, a person, a person I was attracted to. Not necessarily someone I planed on being intimate with, but someone that I was attracted to, someone who seemed at least somewhat attracted to me as well. A certain level of flirtation. This person would be the Erotic Obstacle. We would make a painting together. A painting within the current series I am working on. With every mark made on the panel, she would hold her hand on mine. She would have a voice in my ear, giving input as we worked. We would sit against and on each other as we worked. No mark can be made without her hand involved.

How would this change my process, with this very tactical, sensual obstacle at my side? Will it have an affect on the look of the piece, or will it simply effect my mental state as the work is being created?

I wanted to follow up with some questions and your answers are so thoughtful I don't think I can! Is there anything you want to elaborate on? I remember in the beginning we had a very interesting mini-conversation about landscape and the body; topography and shape.

Ah, I see.

We did talk about landscape and the landscape of the body, especially. It is no unique idea at all to think of the body as a landscape, so often do I seem to come across allusions to peaks and valleys in the form. And there are so many examples of form in landscape that reminds people of human shape...it's that same kind of thinking that I encounter when someone points out faces in what appears to otherwise be a very abstract composition. Often the artist does not intend for a face to be there, bu the viewer will still see it. We look for ourselves in these things. How many mountains are named sleeping lady, sleeping giant, sleeping man, etc....how many cliff faces have been described as profile of so-and-so....

Why we so often choose to see ourselves in landscape, or in abstraction I have no idea.

For this particular piece, I have not chosen to explore these ideas, however, I will not be surprised if viewers of the work pick out a human form, or a face, in the imagery of the piece. In fact I quite expect it. Especially since they will be saturated with human form image, bombarded even, at SEAF.

People will look at this little landscape, with it's abstract structure, and they will assume a great deal about the work. Once they read the title of the piece, they will have a different understanding and reaction altogether.

What do you most look forward to in this year's Seattle Erotic Art Festival?

I'm looking forward to seeing how other artists who do not normally work in this genre have come up with solutions and new work that fits eroticism. Additionally I am looking forward to seeing just how far off my preconceived notions were. And also, the spectacle. There will be great spectacle at an event this large and charged.

Give us one thing you think is unexpectedly sexy:

Intelligent ambition. And the corners of a beautiful mouth-the way a little smile can happen just in that centimeter right at the end.

Thanks Ryan for such a fantastic and meaty discussion! Further details on the event may be found here.

Ryan Molenkamp, Every Mark Was Made With Her Hand On Mine And Her Suggestion In My Ear
2009 oil on panel 8 "x 16"
image courtesy of the artist

Ryan Molenkamp, Island Life, 2006 Oil on masonite, 30" x 23"
image courtesy of the artist