Silver Chameleon: April 2010

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Visceral Visionaries: Ugly Shyla

Surreal. Unorthodox. Harrowing. These are some of the words which are certainly applicable to the work of Ugly Shyla, a young woman from the bayou country of Louisiana who has fused religious iconography and truly disturbing imagery to produce a line of unique sculpture, epitomized by the Ugly Art Dolls. Her work has previously been seen in such publications as Bizarre Magazine and SPIN.

Viewing herself as something of a channeler or medium as much as a creator, Shyla is on an artistic journey that even she is sometimes at a loss to fully understand or explain. In addition to, and in support of her sculpture, she also works as an alternative model, further exploring the southern gothic themes that resonate so strongly in her work...

How did the idea for the Ugly Art Dolls come to be?
I never planned it. I never in a million years thought I'd grow up to make dolls.

You talk about being inspired by dreams and subconscious visions. Can you tell me more about that?
Like most surreal artists, my work comes from the unconscious, the subconscious, dreams, flashes of vision and things I see between waking and sleep.

I find it interesting how frank you are about being kind of in the dark when it comes to why it is that you create the dolls. Talk a little about being at a loss to explain your art or put it into words, and why that is.
I think it's because the art isn't totally "mine". Like I said, it comes from somewhere else, from another side of the veil. So I end up being in the dark about it.

I understand you're self-taught. What was that process like, did it come naturally or was it difficult?
It came very natural, like I was guided to do it. I won't lie, some of it was a bitch to learn, but it still was a natural process.

What kind of materials do you typically use to create the dolls?
Porcelain, oil-based clay, plaster, resin, ceramic glaze, china paint and anything else I can get my hands on.

What are some of the ones you are the most proud of and why?
My Mary Mother Of Sorrows doll is the one I'm most proud of right now. Which I think is because I consider religious art one of the highest art forms. You are making the divine into something tangible.

How has the reaction been to your work--are there particular types of dolls, or specific ones that people have reacted to the strongest?
The dolls of dead children seems to be very upsetting to people, which is the point. They should have to look death in the eye. The Female Circumcision piece is also very jarring for people which again is the point, and sometimes people are upset with the Menstrual Art I do with my own blood.

I get the feeling you get people occasionally misunderstanding and somehow thinking these can be used as children's toys. Is that true?
It's because people aren't familiar with dolls as art objects, they just associate them with being a child's plaything. As long as dolls have existed, there have been dolls for play and dolls for art, so I don't know why people don't get that.

Your work has been photographed in magazines and shown in galleries. How was it first discovered?
I started out doing more mainstream art doll events. I cut my teeth there, and I guess they got discovered by me traveling with them, and through the internet. I'm actually not sure, being as I was just a young girl from way down south, where it's hard to get anything out there. There isn't an art scene down here at all, so I guess traveling played a big part in it. Also, my father's side of the family has all owned their own businesses at one time or another. So being a good PR and business woman is in my blood.

You also work as an alternative model. How did you get into this, and is it mainly to promote your art, or an end in itself?
I got into it because people wanted to take pics of me, because I was the weird girl that made the weird dolls. Then I realized it was a great vehicle to get my work out there. Then it became a side art form in itself, and because of it I have gotten to work with a lot of artists I admire.

What future projects do you have on the horizon that people can look forward to?
I'm working on some monochromatic dolls, more female anatomy artwork and more jewelry.

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Find out more about Shyla's art at UglyArt.net, and her modeling at UglyShyla.com. Connect with her on: MySpace Facebook Twitter * Special thanks to Vault contributor and previous Visceral Visionary Nos for introducing me to Shyla's work!

New Drool-Worthy Jonah Hex Trailer and One-Sheet...

By Paige MacGregor

Revenge may get ugly, but apparently it also gets sexy. A new Jonah Hex one-sheet that features Michael Fassbender, John Malkovich, Josh Brolin and Megan Fox (left to right, above) was released this week, and I must admit that this is the first time I’ve been more than a little bit excited about the film (based on the classic horror/western DC comic of the '70s and early '80s.) Although Malkovitch is a little old for me, there’s no denying that he’s a very entertaining actor, and the fact that he joins seductive leading lady Fox, delectable indie actor Fassbender, and the (usually) ruggedly handsome Josh Brolin (all scarred up to play Hex) is enough to make my head explode.

Granted, I’m not expecting a great deal from Jonah Hex; it’s received very little press as compared to many of the other horror/thrillers coming out this year (A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.) and chances are it will be a disappointment at the box office (its June 18 release date pits it against the highly anticipated Toy Story 3). But any opportunity to ogle both Fox and Fassbender during the same film is a-okay by me.

The trailer for Jonah Hex was also released on Yahoo yesterday, and I just have to point out that within just the first twenty seconds, we get more than an eyeful of Fassbender’s character, Burke. The 2:30 trailer promises guns, girls (well, a girl, but Megan Fox is worth more than one girl, in my opinion) and explosions—just what every action audience could ask for. While the one-sheet re-energized my excitement in the film, the Jonah Hex trailer has me on the edge of my seat with anticipation over Michael Fassbender’s performance. Aside from John Malkovitch (maybe), Fassbender can act circles around the film’s other leads.

My guess as to who will enjoy Jonah Hex? People like me, who will go to the theater just to watch a gun-wielding Megan Fox prance around in a bustier on the big screen. Also, Michael Fassbender fans who are excited to see the actor--generally consigned to indie films--in his second recent mainstream movie (the last being Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds). While we can’t predict whether Jonah Hex will be a “good” movie, it’s sure to be at least be entertaining--and probably a bit titillating.