Bushwick is one of the most artist-populated areas in Brooklyn, and it definitely lives up to this characteristic. Every year, the local artists host the “Bushwick Open Studios” event at Active Space Studios, NY, where they let everybody walk around their studios and examine the art they’ve prepared. I attended the “Bushwick Open Studios” event this year; however, my experience began well before I got to the building. The instant I walked out of the train station, I could sense the artistic vibe. The diversity of the buildings in Bushwick is extremely apparent: the usual Brooklyn brown brick apartment buildings are replaced with light blue and white-walled studios and storage complexes covered in street art. On the way to the exhibition I passed murals portraying world peace, ridiculing Donald Trump, and promoting interracial unity. The buildings were not the only things that struck me as radiating artistry, the people I encountered on the street also displayed their personalities through bright and colorful clothing. For instance, I passed a block party of neon people performing progressive dance to Jamaican music and several groups of hipsters on my way. After observing such scenery, I was prepared to observe the art at the event.

As I approached the exhibit, the building style transitioned from bright colored walls to brown and beige bricks. As the moon rose, the neighborhood developed an eerie but intriguing atmosphere. In front of my destination I saw a group of questionable-looking individuals smoking cigarettes in a circle. However, as I approached they warmly greeted me and welcomed me into their studio complex. It turned out that the woman in the group was Zhenya Plechkina, a close friend of my parents whom I have known since childhood. Zhenya introduced me to Tom and  Sebastian, who excitedly interrogated me about my knowledge and involvement in the art world. After that, they proceeded to give me a tour around the Active Space Studios and showed me their studios and the various forms of art they were displaying.

The art I saw throughout the evening covered a wide array of styles. Most of the artists employed modern and personal techniques, and the art they created was in no way traditional either. Zhenya Plechkina is part of a group called Vydavy Sindikat together with her husband Misha Sklyar, whom I have also known since childhood. Vydavy Sindikat is a Brooklyn-based group experiment that employs socio-architectural concepts and creates various installations from weaved art, printmaking, photography, and other textile arts. Overall, in their exhibit I found the printmaking and weaving pieces the most interesting. The printwork pieces intrigued me with their contrast between black and white through lines that reminded me of TV static when Comcast fails at doing its job yet again. The various prints looked to me as if one was observing a frame of an old black-and-white recording of things like a camping tent, a big stormy ocean wave, and a bullring with static lines covering the bottom half of the frame. The other printwork also engaged lines to create contrast but was more abstract with its use of square figures that interrupt the lines spanning the bottom half of the piece. As somebody who enjoys and follows fashion, the weaved artwork caught my attention with its unconventional style. The weaved material is bound around what appears to be picture frame like sleeves. The various designs on the material attract the eye, while the material adds texture and depth to the patterns themselves. The material is marked with various colors like yellow, blue, black, and pink, and they give a visual effect resembling camouflage, corrosiveness, and 3-dimensionality. The effects are distinct and thus require the observer to spend some time fully digesting the work in front of them from several perspectives and distances. The Vydavy Sindikat studio had a grungy- dystopian atmosphere due to its black and white color schemes and the degraded technology aesthetic. The two other artists whom I visited were not part of a specific group, but operated on their own as independent artists following their own visions.

The next studio I visited was Sebastian’s. Sebastian’s artwork consisted entirely of paintings he created by finger painting over patterns on canvases. Sebastian used dull colored background designs and painted over it in numerous bright colors that contradicted the pattern underneath. His work made me think of a pigeon whose wings got splattered with bright paint. Near his piece lay a pile of the gloves he used to finger paint in. The large pile of gloves gave me the impression of shedded feathers from the pigeon represented by the work of art on the wall. The jumbled pile of color gave me the impression of a story about a colorful pigeon (the hung artwork) that acquired its coloration through various experiences life has put it through (glove pile). Conclusively, Sebastian’s artwork is very pleasing to the eye due to the soft, brightly-colored shapes he paints with his fingers and the flowing, smudged design he decorates the canvas with.

Last, but not least, I visited Tom’s studio. Tom, like Zhenya and Misha, had a diverse display consisting of a sculpture, a three-dimensional painting, and a two-dimensional painting. The desired effect was a transition from 3D art to 2D art. The three-dimensional sculpture looks like a half completed attempt at mining a huge vein of gold out of a slab of salt. The 3D painting looks like a used dish sponge with the abrasive side facing the viewer. Tom textured this abrasivity by making the sponge seem as if it has a miniature body of water on it with little waves, and he attached some small random objects to it. As a result, the art piece looks both like a dish sponge and a pool for little people. The 2D painting is on a piece of thick paper with splotches and lines of black surrounding a jumble of colors in the middle. The main two colors standing out are red and black, which establishes a sinister and gothic feeling. The contrast created between the works of art is most clearly noticeable in the atmosphere created by them. The sculpture evoked a feeling of glamour and novelty, the 3D painting called a feeling of fun and relaxation on a bright day, and the 2D painting elicited a eerie and chaotic feeling.

By the time I finished observing Tom’s studio, the night was already running late and it was time for me to return home. I bid Zhenya, Sebastian, and Tom farewell and trudged to the train station. The vibrant expression of art in the Bushwick community did not die down at all, but actually became even more vibrant by this time. On my walk to the station I saw even more people wandering the streets in atypical attire and more miniature parties with bizarre music and people dancing in even stranger clothing. I also passed a couple of artists spraying graffiti of Charlie Chaplin onto a previously white wall while listening to Biggie Smalls. I took my time passing by all of these scenes and stared unashamedly at all the captivating people and festivities. By the time I arrived back to my Kings Highway community, my surroundings seemed extremely monotonous and dull. I now frequently visit Bushwick with my friends when we hang out, and I am excitedly waiting for next year’s “Bushwick Open Studios” event.