{"id":8347,"date":"2023-06-14T15:13:40","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T15:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nft.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/curated-conversations-ayla-el-moussa-superrare-magazine\/"},"modified":"2023-06-14T15:13:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T15:13:40","slug":"curated-conversations-ayla-el-moussa-superrare-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nft.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/curated-conversations-ayla-el-moussa-superrare-magazine\/","title":{"rendered":"Curated Conversations: Ayla El Moussa – SuperRare Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Above: “Allegorical Figure of Day & Night<\/a>” by Ayla El Moussa, 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

Curated Conversations: Ayla El Moussa<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
Linda Dounia Rebeiz<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
3 hours ago<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

Ayla El Moussa is a surreal artist whose visual vernacular juxtaposes traditional compositional elements of nude portraiture with nature. Her self-portraits draw her audience into a contemplation of the worlds within. Ayla traces her love of mythology and the fantastical to her magical upbringing on a farm on the western coast of Canada, explaining why her work often feels like a snapshot of a much longer and grander tale. She is both the artist and the muse, thus challenging the power dynamic of nude portraiture by reclaiming agency over her own body and inviting her audience to experience intimacy as she defines it. Ayla’s work has been featured at Christie’s. She is one of the 6529 Meme artists, has collaborated with Playboy and with SuperRare Labs on numerous occasions<\/p>\n

Linda Dounia Rebeiz:<\/strong> Scene 3 of the Painted Muse Series has a painterly texture that hasn\u2019t been seen in your work to this extent. Elements like this texture, the choice of garment, and the model\u2019s pose seem like a nod to the Renaissance.<\/p>\n

Ayla El-Moussa:<\/strong> My research of the Renaissance started with the Century Series and further expanded with the Painted Muse Series. The bear market was the perfect time for me to dig into some of my influences from the Renaissance and explore them in my practice more formally. The relationship that painters from the Renaissance had with light has always been very interesting to me as a photographer. While starting the Painted Muse Series, I wanted to give myself room to explore some of these curiosities and really take the time to experiment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

\n
\n

“Scene 1<\/a>” by Ayla El Moussa, 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

LDR:<\/strong> What are some stylistic references from the Renaissance or otherwise that we can expect to see in Scene 3?<\/p>\n

AEM:<\/strong> Caravaggio\u2019s approach to chiaroscuro, balancing rich dark tones with beautiful moments of light to guide the eye through a painting, is something that I was very intentional about in Scene 3. And because I was working on portraits, I kept coming back to John Singer Sergeant’s bravura brushwork and his use of white paint to create stunning portraits without too many fine details. I actually did a lot of painting on Procreate in this series. I took my time to experiment and get the techniques right.<\/p>\n

LDR:<\/strong> Your audience was introduced to your painting a little bit with the Nude Abstracts. Is the Painted Muse Series a continuation of that journey?<\/p>\n

AEM:<\/strong> Nude Abstracts was my first opportunity to paint in Procreate. The Painted Muse Series is more figurative, but I think people will see the stylistic links between the series. Introducing painting to my practice has been a way for me to expand it and explore ways to play with materials I am known for, like silk, water, and rock.<\/p>\n

LDR:<\/strong> What was the idea behind the composition of the Painted Muse Series\u2019 artworks?<\/p>\n

AEM:<\/strong> Scene 1 was an experimental piece. I was playing around with studio photography in Procreate and didn\u2019t really have an end goal in mind. I was so happy with the result that I decided to expand the scope with the next piece, Scene 2, and work on a bigger scene. In it, there is a figure reclining with her back to the audience, very similar to a lot of my work in that it\u2019s an anonymous woman. I don\u2019t like to create an identity so to speak for my characters. I prefer the audience to leave their preconceived ideas and project themselves into the character. Scene 3 was interesting because I have rarely done a frontal pose. The only one I have done in the past was The Allegorical Figure of Day and Night, which also uses silk as a material. In Scene 3, I am wrapped in silk but the treatment of the material in Procreate makes it look like marble. I would almost say that Scene 3 is the most erotic piece I have worked on. There is a mystery about what I could be doing. Am I posing for someone? Is there someone watching me? The way the light penetrates the silk and is reflected by it is incredible but also intriguing. Have I just finished doing something with a lover? To me, it was perfect to end the series on intrigue because there are so many questions about what I could be doing. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

\n
\n

“Scene 2<\/a>” by Ayla El Moussa, 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

LDR:<\/strong> You didn\u2019t necessarily start with a story in mind, but ultimately each piece in the series leads to the other. That in itself is a wonderful testament to experimentation \u2013 one idea building on another until something larger emerges.<\/p>\n

AEM:<\/strong> The process of experimentation to make this series was very enjoyable for me. It\u2019s incredible to step back and realize that a beautiful story has written itself through the process of trying new things and, also, see how far I can stretch my practice to explore new grounds while keeping the feeling of my work.<\/p>\n

LDR:<\/strong> Elements like water, sand, or rock are very present in your earlier work, but in the Painted Muse Series, they are stripped back and your character is an empty space. What was the thinking behind this new direction?<\/p>\n

AEM:<\/strong> Most of my work is either shot outdoors or includes elements of nature. I wanted to challenge myself and strip away as much as I could but still keep recognizable references to previous work. For the Painted Muse Series, I shot everything in the studio for example. The idea was to then use painting techniques to give the character the illusion of being a marble statue. I have always been drawn to stone, sculptures, and the idea of cementing something, like a legacy. It\u2019s a big word but in a way, I feel that artists on the blockchain are cementing their contributions to art by minting it, in the same way sculptors immortalize their work in marble. The treatment of the silk on the character\u2019s body was instrumental in getting that marble effect. The silk also fluidly wraps around her, water-like. So in a way, nature is still present in this stripped-back version of my work. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n\t\t\t\t