Blog – Art in Odd Places

By Minji Lee

Many of us have vivid recollections of our far-fetched childhood dreams. They are bizarre yet brilliant, but never seem to manifest themselves in reality. However, performance artist Anya Liftig’s childhood dreams of engaging in conversations with animals and dressing up as quirky characters have, indeed, become her reality.

She has danced with raw fish and concocted a chocolate baby (and proceeded to eat it in a cannibalistic fashion). On July 7^th, she will attempt to cross a barricade made of reclaimed materials—blindfolded and with one hand behind her back—to make a powerful statement about the dangers of preventative barriers. Her performance entitled “I’m a Groucho Marxist” will present a challenge for her audience to overcome the barricades that restrict individuals and societies from pursuing their dreams, as radical as they may be.

How It All Began

Anya Liftig was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1977. Before being introduced to performance art, Liftig pursued dance and photography. She says, “When I was in graduate school at Georgia State University, I had a professor, Nancy Floyd, who said that my photography was really performance art.” It was only a matter of time before Liftig realized that she had a passion for this unique profession.

Liftig is a graduate from Yale University and Georgia State University. Her thesis entitled “Self-Evidence” was the first performance-based thesis to be created at GSU. Her work has been featured at the TATE Modern, MoMA, and Chez Bushwick, among many other prestigious venues. It has also been published in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Vogue Italia, among many other widespread magazines and newspapers. Anya Liftig’s distinct style of combining unexpected items, such as a fish, a cactus, or a chocolate baby, with deeper questions that probe into a viewer’s psyche, makes a powerful impact on her audience by challenging us to rethink the conventions of a given society.

I’m a Groucho Marxist

Anya Liftig’s creative approach to performance art has made an impact on Atlanta’s increasingly vibrant art scene. Liftig’s next performance, “I’m a Groucho Marxist,” which will be her most physically challenging performance to date, will debut on July 7^th and will run from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. This performance will be presented by Flux Projects and will be located on Airline Street (below the Edgewood Avenue overpass) in Atlanta to trace the city’s racial segregation.

The title of Liftig’s work is inspired from a slogan painted on the walls of the Sorbonne by members of the Situationist International during the May 1968 student uprisings in Paris. The Situationist International believed that individuals’ lives were enhanced by the enriching of knowledge toward events that existed prior to them.

By building a barricade out of used bedframes, pieces of steel, and other forms of “trash” and proceeding to cover this barricade in peanut butter, Liftig will single-handedly (literally!) attempt to mount and climb this barricade over a period of three hours while blindfolded.

Her rationale for incorporating peanut butter into her performance is as follows: “Peanut butter represents strong symbolic ties to the history of Georgia and the South.” Atlanta is a place here Africans Americans and Whites did not live in harmony, so peanut butter symbolizes the sticky, oftentimes messy situations that have existed and continue to exist in Atlanta today.

In offering a more personal interpretation of this performance, Liftig states, “[I’m a Groucho Marxist] also references the barricades that people have within themselves. There are things that keep you from doing what you want to do and be what you want to be.” She expands, “I want my audience to experience the barricade by seeing me go through it.” With this said, Liftig hopes that her audience not only sees her performance, but also smells it in order to understand the variety of angles toward deep tensions that lie within not only Atlanta, but also within ourselves.

When we asked her why she chooses to undergo a physical struggle in her performance, Anya Liftig responded, “I want to emphasize that this task is self-imposed and ridiculous…these barricades that we make, as well as the barricades that separate people from other races, are ridiculous.” The things that keep us divided, externally and internally, are oftentimes very foolish yet difficult to overcome.

The Artist is Present and The Anxiety of Influence

Liftig emphasized that the “durational nature” of her performance, a phrase inspired from Marina Abramović’s “The Artist is Present,” is something she desires to emphasize to her audience.

“There is something transformational for both the viewer and the artist in putting forth durational work,” Liftig says.

“I’m a Groucho Marxist” will be a durational performance that challenges the audience to rethink their perceptions of barricades and barriers, which is largely inspired by Abramović’s work.

Anya Liftig would like to thank her wonderful technical team for their hard work and amazing support in preparation for “I’m a Groucho Marxist.” She enthusiastically says, “We’ve been working on this project for two years now. The idea of barricades and barriers has come to the forefront of current events, so it’s been amazing to see this project evolve in many ways. The symbol of this original idea has become even more significant with the times.”

As Liftig reflects, “I get to think about something I’d like to do and I get to figure out a way to make it happen,” we can all gain inspiration from her simple yet powerful method to fulfill her childhood dreams. As performance art becomes more prominent among institutions today, Anya Liftig paves an inspiring path for many aspiring artists with “I’m a Groucho Marxist.” Its challenging message that encourages individuals to pursue their most idealistic wishes is made a possibility with Liftig’s progressive performance art. As arduous as her performance may be, it is sure to turn mountains of garbage, globs of peanut butter, and perceptions of social justice and racial equality in Atlanta around on their heads—for good.

By Minji Lee

Although the act of doodling is often an underestimated art form, Barbara Russell, who goes by the name of Ms. B The Doodle Queen, challenges this notion with her artwork. By asserting that doodling is an outlet for creative healing, visual artist Barbara Russell has transformed the often-underemphasized experience of doodling into a therapeutic meditation of tranquility and peace for individuals all over the world.

Barbara Russell began her profession as a humble artist attempting to sell her work on the streets of Harlem. She states, “I began to show my art on the streets, moved to the galleries, and then to international exhibitions—in a matter of four years!” As she reflected on her artistic journey and her gradual immersion into the art scene, the Doodle Queen goes on to say, “I evolved as an artist in the sense that I learned about myself, and I gained confidence in being able to share my work with others.”Upon realizing that her unique art form offered a variety of mental and emotional benefits to all who experienced it, the Doodle Queen joined a community of artists through the Harlem Arts Alliance in order to expand her social network and extend her doodling passion unto others. She enthusiastically states:

“Many people are filled with tension and stress. The ability to be a part of a community in which art therapy is possible is huge.”

While completing her Bermuda arts residency at Prince Charles Masterwork Museum in 2010, Barbara Russell transformed her private doodling into a therapeutic art workshop that she called “Doodle to Dabeat.” These workshops were personally tailored to every individual based on his or her age and artistic ability. The Doodle Queen also adapted each workshop to different types of music and relaxing beats.

“There is a therapeutic aspect to house music and tribal beats while doodling,” she says.

This year, Ms. B The Doodle Queen started another workshop named “Doodle to Refresh Your Noodle.” This is a health and wellness campaign and seeks to alleviate stress and tension by the simple act of doodling. She notes, “By doodling, you have the ability to release any negative ideas that hold us back.” The Doodle Queen will conduct a workshop during Harlem Week in which she will facilitate a live drawing and painting activity for students.

Individuals will draw and paint their own doodles on recycled DVD covers, and they will be used as art frames. She hopes that every participant will have a chance to display his or her personal art style and gain the knowledge that doodling is a powerful therapy technique.

The Doodle Queen’s virtues translate into her community activism on both a local and global scale. She volunteers at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx on a weekly basis with the hope that her therapeutic art will show a little sunshine in the lives of the patients there.

“Bringing joy into a hospital setting through art is great. While the kids who are able to leave their rooms come into my area, sometimes I go directly into their rooms if they are unable to come out of their rooms.”

Her first priority is not for her students to create a perfect piece of art, but rather for them to have fun and gain relaxation from their doodling experience. She states, “I want them to feel free in what people create. I don’t want them to feel tight or rigid.” Ms. B has also traveled to places such as Barbados and Bermuda to spread her joy of doodling to individuals and communities across countries and continents as well. At the end of our enjoyable conversation, Ms. B The Doodle Queen sang:

“Freestyle, freestyle, freestyle all the way.”

Her perspective on doodling as more than an art form—as a unique outlet for therapeutic understanding—is inspiring. By submitting ourselves to the “mindless ritualistic process of abstract shapes and unusual things,” we may be able to learn something special from doodling. So the next time you find yourself doodling stick figures or abstract hearts on a notebook, napkin, or iPhone, don’t underestimate the power of doodling to your own beautiful beat.

Anya Liftig Presents: "I’m a Groucho Marxist"

I’m a Groucho Marxist

A Conversation with Barbara Russell: The Doodle Queen Creates a Positive Impact on Local and Global Communities

“Many people are filled with tension and stress. The ability to be a part of a community in which art therapy is possible is huge.”

“There is a therapeutic aspect to house music and tribal beats while doodling,” she says.

“Bringing joy into a hospital setting through art is great. While the kids who are able to leave their rooms come into my area, sometimes I go directly into their rooms if they are unable to come out of their rooms.”

“Freestyle, freestyle, freestyle all the way.”