Stacie Ant
Russian-Canadian new media artist and curator Stacie Ant explores gender identity and self by creating hauntingly beautiful yet dysfunctional avatars. From a laptop in Berlin images are being sculpted of an ironic digital world that satirises our dependence on the digital in a post-truth society. From the male gaze to psychological effects of technology on our perception of reality there is more to these alluring figures than meets the eye. Stacie Ant’s work may seem sexy but it is also political and countercultural.
Your first adventure into digital art was editing your own photos for your account Vampire Freaks. What is the significance of altered reality in your art?
I was always interested in exploring the notion of self-representation in an age in which we have such easy access to digital tools. I was about 13 when I used social media platforms like VF (lol) and I had access to my mum's computer, installed with Photoshop. That's where I started to play around with my gender identity and general appearance. People online will never really know who you are IRL if you don't want them to so why not create your own designed and temporary self? At the present moment most people can access much better digital tools than before, such as face filters etc. To some extent everyone does it [designs themselves] but it is considered more normal now. I like to draw inspiration from this opportunity to control your own image in ways that we never could before.
What led you to your current shiny, flawless aesthetic?
Artificiality, to me, looks like something that is packaged beautifully but doesn't quite function the way you want it to...For example, I like to create characters that are unnaturally fit and have glowing shiny skins but when it comes to their movements there is something uncanny and janky about them. I've never been drawn to realism and one of the best features of using 3D animation, as a medium, is that you can come very close to having a realistic appearance but also an uncanny, surreal element to your work.
Windows 95 feels like an important influence of yours. What is it that inspires you about this operating system?
Nostalgia I suppose, Windows 95 was the operating system of our first home computer. Now I make a living making digital art, but I like to always pay homage to my first experiences being in front of a screen.
Does nostalgia influence your artwork?
Absolutely. Aesthetically speaking, I am very drawn to elements of art and fashion from previous decades - in particular retro futurism. It's kind of ironic how grand previous decades thought the future would look like and now that we're sort of in the "future" it just looks like slightly altered versions of the past. Anything from 50's Sci-fi comics, 70s space disco to y2k futurism is a huge influence on my work. But at the end of the day aesthetics is only half of the work, I like to have a meaning behind my personal projects that transcends the visual composition. In this case, nostalgia may not necessarily be a theme.
Your 3D digital avatars move in a haunting, extra-terrestrial way. Do you intend to emphasize their constructed reality and the falsity of many edited digital images circulating that are less transparent?
Perhaps one day I will get better at rigging and can produce smoother, more realistic animations but honestly I think in my lifetime 3D art will always look extra terrestrial and haunting because, in a way, it is! You can add big Disney eyes or cartoonish disproportions to your characters in hopes that people won't be creeped out by them but when I look at the work of other 3D artists I am always disturbed by their imagery to some extent. Of course constructed reality is not the focal point or theme of most of my artworks. Before I ever touched 3D animation I did other video and performance projects that were put under the "uncanny" umbrella despite my best efforts, so perhaps that is a subconscious motivation behind my artwork and if it doesn't manifest through movements it will manifest itself through subject matter or atmosphere in a new way.
How do your sexy aliens subvert the male gaze?
My work almost always features empowered female protagonists, weather they are human, alien or AI. They are often the ones who objectify the male charterers around them while they are portrayed as the rulers of their own universe. It is not so much about objectifying someone, but rather about female characters who exist outside of the masculine narrative, who look back at you as they are engaged in their own lives- be it texting in their bedroom or trying to wave down an alien spaceship.
Sexuality and queer culture have a space in your account @whosthereplease –how do you relate to the community?
I consider myself to be a part of the queer community so of course this will come out in my work in different ways. In my artwork and also IRL, I like to celebrate female sexuality so this is something that my characters own and are proud of. Female empowerment is not necessarily the main theme of my work but it is something that is present as a basis of any scene I am working with - it is the norm in my world.
What do you think about avatar influencers like @lilmiquela?
It's an interesting concept, but it's important to keep in mind that "influencers" like @lilmiquela raised millions of dollars from Sillicon Valley investors so they operate on a next level budget and have an entire production team behind the project. Since the rise of @lilmiquela, I've been approached by a few people who wanted to collaborate on a new digital influencer project but I don't think that I am very interested in that. Personally, I am more interested in artists who have a strong net presence and who share their own avatar as part of their body of work - and this often means commissioned projects by fashion brands so in a way it is a similar concept.
Are corporate level projects like @lilmiquela taking power away form more independent 3D artists?
I don't know- I haven't formed a strong opinion on that matter yet. I don't know her.
Our society seems to be becoming increasingly image-driven. How does satire help you overcome the problematic side of social media?
Although my work might not be overtly political, I try to capture my discomfort with our image driven culture in whichever way I can - and I only hope that this uncanny feeling resonates with viewers. We are fed imagery everyday, whether we want to or not. Going online is an inherently overwhelming experience where you are bombarded with unwanted imagery. I am not only talking about over-sharing on social media, I am also referring to advertisements, sponsored imagery and unnecessary information that we are forced to absorb in the background of our "net surfing" experience. No ad block is strong enough to protect you from unwanted content. Using satire, although I don't rely on it as often as I used to, is my way of taking unwanted, forced content and making it my own. Before getting into 3D animation I created video collages made entirely of found footage. Doing so made me feel like I am taking my power back as a consumer. I took the unwanted imagery (I worked with TV commercials and celebrity gossip news in particular) and turned it into something that's my own. I still do this to some extent but in different ways. I like to create products that don't exist, fake brand campaigns, etc. I recently noticed many other 3D artists stamping brand logos onto their characters so I switched to re-creating supermodels in 3D and modelling my own clothes on them.
What would you do if the Internet ended?
I created and exhibited work way before I ever had an Instagram account so surely I would switch to a different medium that doesn't rely on social media as an advertising platform. 3D animation is just a tool in my broader art practice.
courtesy STACIE ANT
interview BELLA SPRATLEY
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