ART: KIM MARRA

 

 

Never underestimate the visual element of music. From Elvis to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins to Alice Cooper to the horned altar thing Dragged Into Sunlight drags lugs show to show, rock’n’roll has always held the power of intense imagery close. This is one of the reasons I like to feature visual artists on this site. The other: Sense of artistic community. The artists covered may not be metal fans, or even considered “extreme,” but their serious talent can convey the entire spectrum of emotion, from rage and loneliness to jubilation. There’s metal for every mood, and that’s a massive part of why I feel there should be more artistic awareness about the diversity of heavy metal music. So while my main goal is to cover a sprawling genre that I adore, there’s a larger mission here, and that’s both introducing curious people to the wonders of metal as well as introducing metal fans to new talent as well.

Today I’m proud to present work from Kim Marra, a painter, pickleback enthusiast, and prolific pencil-collector based in New York state. Here’s Kim’s artist statement concerning her newest series of paintings:

 

“Through my paintings, I construct environments. I build seemingly possible, yet impossible spaces using elements of architecture and furniture. My environments speak to both dreamlike worlds and industrial landscapes. I use an ordered structure to create the illusion of stability, and skewed perspectives to provoke instability. I use this tension to simultaneously surround and close off, welcome and turn away. My paintings are inspired by architectural spaces that feel inhabitable, yet uneasy. For me these spaces mimic the impossible realities that I work toward. I use bright unnatural colors to further alter the viewers experience within this other world. Through these methods, I agitate a personal and collective sense of safety.”

 

Check out these paintings and tell me you can’t see a sludgy hardcore band using these as an album cover, or some grind band with furious signature changes. You can find more information on her work and contact information on her website here: http://kimberlymarra.wordpress.com/

 

Many thanks to Kim for allowing us to share her work!