Hell Is Hot

Interview with Emma Stern

In this interview, the artist explores the power of digital identity in art and the avatar as a form of extended self-portraiture. Her work unfolds as a near-divine act of creation, giving life to other beings made in her own image within richly immersive virtual worlds. Combining art, gaming and mythology, her practice reimagines authorship through increasingly complex and sensorial digital landscapes, envisioning video games as the canvases of the future.

Has your desire to depict avatars in alternative universes always been part of your imagination, even before the rise of virtual worlds and social media? Do you feel that today’s concept of digital identity has shaped your artistic path, or has this tendency always been present in your work, remaining unchanged?

I think anything anyone ever makes is a self-portrait — that goes for artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, etc. I have always referred to this body of work as a long-form self-portraiture project, because what is an avatar if not the ultimate self-portrait? To that end, I think I have always been interested in depicting myself, in a myriad of forms and iterations. Identity has always been a thread I’ve been pulling at, and I think the fact that I came of age when this virtual landscape was beginning to take form has given me the opportunity to connect the genre of self-portraiture in the context of art history to avatar creation in the context of virtual selfhood.

“I think I have always been interested in depicting myself, in a myriad of forms and iterations”

How do you perceive yourself as an artist? Do you see yourself as an external observer, documenting an imaginary universe, or is there a personal and autobiographical element in your work, perhaps akin to what happens in cosplay?

This is very related to the above question about identity and the answer I gave connecting it to self-portraiture. But it takes on this other dimension because I am creating these virtual environments and populating them with virtual characters of my own design. It becomes not just a self-portraiture project, but a Universe Creation project, and I am essentially playing God in this cyberscape. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I was raised pretty religiously and have always been a bit obsessed with Creation mythology. In the book of Genesis, it is written: “God created mankind in his own image,” so you could take that to mean even Gods are just making self-portraits.

“I am essentially playing God in this cyberscape.”

Your art gives you complete freedom in representing the female body. What draws you to this particular aesthetic ideal? Some might interpret it as an image shaped by male desire, but what does it reveal about femininity and body perception? Have you ever considered depicting male avatars as well?

There are actually a few male characters in my repertoire, including a new one in my most recent exhibition ‘Hell Is Hot’! I honestly just think the female body is so much more fun and interesting to paint. Also, since this is a self-portraiture project, and I would consider myself deeply feminine, I just naturally gravitate toward that form, although the fact that masculine figures do appear from time to time is telling, when they are the exception that proves the rule. As for this conversation about male desire or “the male gaze” as it is often referred to in the context of women as subjects, I find it to be a pretty tired conversation. I’m not really interested in what some hypothetical male audience wants or doesn’t want, and I am careful to not make art in reaction to or even in spite of that imaginary. Like, okay, we all know misogyny = bad, but the aesthetics of misogyny are often just beauty.

Gaming and fantasy are deeply rooted in escapism and the immersion into otherworldly dimensions through tools and sensory experiences. Have you ever thought about incorporating this aspect into the curatorial and exhibition design of your work? Or do you feel that it could distract from the art itself?

“Distracting from the art itself” is not something I’m too concerned with. After all, painting is the original virtual reality! As I expand my practice more and more into the mediums of sculpture, video, and installation, I am thinking more about ways to make the experience more immersive.

If you could push your art to the extreme without any technical or conceptual limits, what would your ultimate vision be? Would you like to bring your characters to life, direct a video game, or is there an upcoming project you can share?

Video game! Duh!

Hell is Hot / Lava Baby

Credits:

Artist: Emma Stern / @lava_baby
Exhibition Venue:  Almine Rech , Paris / @alminerech
Interview: Annalisa Fabbrucci / @annalisa_fabbrucci
Editor: Maria Abramenko  / @mariabramenko

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