Let's go behind the scenes of Elephant Magazine!
I have been a long time fan of Elephant and recently got the amazing opportunity to interview editor Emily Steer. Emily shares her personal story and talks about how she took an untraditional route to journalism, overcame imposter syndrome and eventually established herself as the editor of this leading art magazine.
This episode includes bonus tips for artists and gives insight into how contemporary art editors discover new talent.
Emily’s Artist Picks
Maisie Cousins
Maisie’s work is repulsive and seductive at the same time, a squidgy conglomeration of weird food and lots of oily liquid, with beautiful colour palettes including pops of electric blue, pale pink and minty green. It’s fun and celebratory—a glorious mess. Maisie was the first artist to show at Elephant West, and she created a wonderful environment that made the space feel so playful. She is a classic Elephant artist.
https://elephant.art/event/maisie-cousins-dipping-sauce/
Ramona Zoladek
Ramona has just won the Elephant x Griffin Art Prize, and her work is a subtle balance of manmade and natural elements, with delicate pea shoots growing through the cracks. It is political work which draws its viewer in first and foremost through visual intrigue.
https://elephant.art/life-hangs-urgently-balance-ramona-zoladeks-sculptures/
I have a (perhaps childish) love of animals in art, and I especially enjoy Ben’s work. His animals are wild but oddly regimented, made sleek and elegant in his working of them.
Tristan’s practice is really developing at the moment—he’s currently studying sculpture at the RCA and his dream-like paintings are currently getting even more of a hallucinatory edge. There’s something really languid and peaceful about them, even in their weirdness.
Anna is the next solo artist to show at Elephant West, alongside the musician Four Tet, who she has known since childhood. Her paintings are lively and gutsy, and often sexual without being explicit. There’s a great energy to her work.
Hun Kyu Kim
More animal paintings. Bunnies wearing umbrellas for hats, woodland pig parties and eyeballs drinking martinis; Hun Kyu Kim’s work is like Beatrix Potter on acid.
Robin Francis Williams
Robin created one of my favourite paintings at Frieze, depicting a crazed-looking woman combing her hair with a fork. Her work is bold and frenzied, and her depiction of light is stunning.
Elephant Magazine’s Manifesto
