Features Warpaint Interpret Their New Album With ‘Warpaintings’

The wonderful Warpaint currently grace the cover of DIY’s February magazine, where they discuss their second album and why they’d be ‘counting sheep’ if they didn’t lead the band lifestyle.

After the interview, we decided to try a little experiment. Because they’re called Warpaint, obviously the most imaginative thing we could think of was to give each member of the band a canvas and some crafty tools. They were asked to interpret their new album in the form of ‘Warpaintings’. Some of these paintings were better than others. We also invited in gallery curator Anastasia Tasou to critique these paintings and see if any of the band had a genuine knack for art. Below, you’ll find each member’s final print, plus the official objective verdict from our in-house judge.

Emily Kokal

Anastasia says: ‘Great use of sweet sugary colours – there’s a stark juxtaposition between the abstract Twombly-esque scribbles of magenta and the strong, decisive mountain forms reminiscent of Muromachi period Japanese painting. A surrealist dreamscape that mixes many artistic influences.’

Stella Mozgawa

Anastasia says: ‘This aesthetic reeks of Russian avant-garde, particularly the imposing square forms favoured by Kazimir Malevich. The rainbow crayon lines offset the prominence of geometrical decisions, and the black abyss is presented as a threatening background of engulfing nothingness.’

Jenny Lee Lindberg

Anastasia says: ‘An outstanding example of Abstract Expressionism, featuring naïve mark-making and a central use of textural scratching and Sgraffto. Excellent use of colour as the primary compositional element, and the piece emanates a seductive violence that makes it highly compelling.’

Theresa Wayman

Anastasia says: ‘An interesting portrait to say the least. The blank stare emitted from the subject is one of bewilderment, which is reflected back in the viewers futile attempts at engagement. Nonetheless the usage of vibrant green and pink tones in an action painting technique provides a sensorial provocation.’

Taken from the February 2014 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.