THE FEEL FREE ARTZ GROUP
Sunday, February 27, 2022
ART: Maison Ookci's Warped Reality Comes To Life
Crisitan Posella was birthed in a small town, South of the Amalfi Coast in Italy, which he refers to as “Madonna Del Carmine.” Looking further into it, this commune is properly called Agropoli and it’s located in the Cilento area of the province of Salerno, Campania. The town’s history and geography is only important to note because around the 1600s, the town was attacked by a gang of pirates, leaving almost everything to ruins, with only a couple hundred members of the population surviving the attack. This dark past lingers still and informs their art, no more evident than the artist by name of Christian Posella, better known for his other half, “Maison Ookci.”
Posella was working as a car salesman back in the Fall of 2020 when I first came in contact with his distorted imagery that kept popping up across my Instagram feed, with almost too much regularity to overlook: First with Travis Scott, then Atlanta producer Wheezy, and finally slithering his way into the inner workings of Young Thug and co., with the artwork for “Take it to Trial.” These Frankensteinian bodies and faces, took on diabolical features and illuminated jewelry, making their presence meta-physical and transformative, thus creating his own visual language. “Ookci isn’t an actual style, I’m not good at drawing and I’m not a good artist. All of this art is simply an Ookci manifestation of the way he sees things and people,” says Posella over email. “I always wanted to give my vision of something. So I took the photos I liked the most and made them look my way, Ookci’s way.”
This way was one that was found rapport with the kinds of artists Posella worked with, painting the rebel artist in a raw reverence of their own natural inclination to push back against the environment surrounding and any laws that attempted to govern them. Shortly after the first single cover for Thug, Posella was commissioned once again by Young Stoner Life Records to do single artworks for the upcoming Slime Language 2 project, crafting the covers for “GFU” by Yak Gotti, Yung Kayo and Sheck Wes and “That Go!” by Young Thug, Meek Mill and T-Shyne. The Ookci manifestation would continue to spread like wildfire, creating pieces with Playboi Carti‘s Opium label signees Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely, working with Cash and Sal of XO, Tee Grizzley, Tyga, superproducer CardoGotWings and most recently, collaborating on Working on Dying merch. Now, Posella wants to take his vision even further into his warped and twisted reality, delivering limited-edition NFTs of existing and original prints he’s developed.
HYPEBEAST spoke to Posella, or rather Maison Ookci, about how he began crafting this unique visual language of his, working with the likes of huge artists such as Young Thug and Travis Scott, creating contemporary cover art, and why he’s going into the NFT world now.
Talk to me about how an Ookci piece comes to life? What are the steps to getting to a final piece of work for you?
I don’t really have to do much myself. Ookci makes thing a certain way. I don’t see myself as an artist in the traditional sense of, “Oh I like to draw or I like this specific shadow of grey.” I just have a vision about the people I work with, and it’s more often about the mood than the image or person themselves actually. I just try to manifest it as an expression. Oftentimes, the artists I work with, I find some sort of relation with and that begins the process. It’s like a ritual, [Maison] Ookci takes over.
Can you explain who or what “Maison Ookci” is? Is he different from you, as Christian Posella?
Ookci is a language, a character and a mood, all in one. In some ways, it is me, but in others, it’s not. Ookci’s first name is Maison because the French word for Maison means “House” and I think of it as a house for Ookci to operate under, in whatever creative fashion, whether— canvases, physical prints or digital art. Ookci simply expands and transforms the energy of the subject and translates that to a medium.
How did the Travis Scott piece come about?
Travis [Scott] wasn’t in my plans. Me and Sickamore (Creative Director of Interscope and Head of Music at Cactus Jack) had been thinking and discussing new projects for the label as a whole and that Travis one just happened to be a sketch that he really liked. I didn’t even know he [Travis] was going to post it! But he posted it, out of nowhere to his Instagram, and the next minute my phone was frozen. Fans ended up talking more about that Ookci photo than his PS5 collaboration.
Have you always been creating in isolation?
Yes, I’ve always needed to be isolated, sometimes minutes at a time and sometimes hours. At the end of the day, it’s more about the vision and vibe for me, but most times I do prefer being alone to finalize it.
Tell me about how the Young Thug cover came to be? And working with YSL in general?
YSL is like the best family on the planet right now, in the most experimental way. I’m really happy to be working with them because [Young] Thug is a true trendsetter. Every artist walking is influenced by him in one way or another. He deserves to be taught in school books.
We first got together after I had the pleasure of talking to his manager, Geoff Ogunlesi (A&R of YSL and 300 Ent.) and he immediately took well to my ideas for Thug, so it was an honor. From this came three single collabs on the cover arts for “Take it to Trial,” “GFU,” and “That Go!”
When it comes to doing cover art, is there a particularly different approach to that, than a normal image you’re reimagining?
The process is often the same to be honest because Ookci takes anything he wants and makes it different like himself. Its always about mood and vision. Then he can manifest the actual “single cover” for the album or for a Fall/Winter collection or whatever, it doesn’t really matter the medium. It’s all about the plan. I’m inspired by Virgil Abloh, and RIP the great, because he had such a 360 vision for what his work could be.
You had a physical installation in a gallery with your prints, what did you choose to present for that and why?
We decided to choose what we thought was the most iconic one, obviously the Travis Scott one and then a few other prints on the newer artists we’re working with now like Tee Grizzley and Tyga.
Why did you decide to drop NFT’s?
Digital art may be the future of art and people want to own a piece of Ookci for themselves. Why not?
Why do you think certain artists are more drawn to your work? What about your work complements their style or music?
I have a clear plan with each step and any move is part of the plan. I don’t get caught up on personal tastes. In fact, I really just manage the relationship and the business. Ookci pops up and does his art on his own. Any kind of creative fluid can be expressed under Ookci. Your life can change when you get in contact with him.
People just need to be real ultimately and if you’re real and solid, you can make a real project. For me personally, this is a dream come true. I love my family and I love money because I wasn’t born with it. In that, I think some artists can relate and it makes our work come together even more easily. Because we make real things.
You can stay tuned for more updates on the release of the limited-edition NFT collection on Maison Ookci’s website or Instagram, going live via OpenSea.
Artist Nick Cave Receives Retrospective Homecoming With New Art on theMART and MCA Exhibits
Chicago’s renowned Merchandise Mart building is set to display a comprehensive survey of multi-disciplinary artist Nick Cave’s work, coinciding with his upcoming Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago exhibition.
Titled “Art on theMART,” the site-specific showcase will digitally project Cave’s original work across the exterior of the Mart building – a commercial showroom space located in downtown Chicago – spanning 2.5 acres of riverside space. Cave’s 2011 film Drive-By will be the main focus of the projection and will be remixed to help bolster the off-site MCA career-spanning retrospective of his work.
MCA’s “Forothemore” retrospective will display never-before-seen works from Cave, including a continuation of his popular “Soundsuits” series, and an installation of his “Spinner Forest” creation. Sharing his excitement with fans on Instagram, Cave – a Chicago native – stated: “Keep an eye out” for the upcoming exhibit.
The “Art on theMART” projection will run from May 5 to September 7, and the MCA retrospective will be on display from May 14 to October 22. Further information and ticket sales can be found on the MART and MCA websites.
A LOOK BACK AT LIL' KIM'S MOST ICONIC OUTFITS, FROM RUNWAY TO RED CARPET Serving up sex appeal and high fashion.
Lil’ Kim‘s demeanor always lets people know she has the It factor. Even early on in her career, when she and stylist Misa Hylton weren’t yet respected in the fashion industry due to being women of color, Kim always showed up serving looks and sex appeal. She’s talked about sex so eloquently that she’s given the word “vulgar” a pretty face. And with her transition into fashion, she has later become an icon.
When the artist arrived at the 1999 VMAs in the lilac jumpsuit with one breast out, she gladly told an interviewer, “I just thought that I’d do something that could say, ‘Look at her.’” Decades later, the duo have surely secured their throne in fashion history. “We were always ready to push fashion boundaries,” Hylton told HYPEBAE in 2019.
Her Hard Core debut
Kim’s debut album was Hard Core, both literally and figuratively. The album cover art featured the artist in a cheetah print lingerie set, squatting in a pose that revealed much more than women would at the time. The album cover was selected by her mentor and lover, the Notorious B.I.G. In his eyes, the image was the perfect touch to Kim’s raunchy lyrics. It was at this point that Kim began to perfect her formula of sex appeal, from her lyrics to her looks.
Evolving into her signature aesthetic
After Biggie’s unfortunate death, Kim’s public image shifted from being the late rapper’s hot female artist to a raunchy icon who would soon be seen frolicking with designers like Giorgio Armani. Everything from loud pops of color to fur trims and animal print was Kim’s aesthetic. The girls just knew that no one could pull off what she wore even if they tried. With the close relationships she’s built, she would always pop out in something custom, loud and sexy.
In 1999, Kim attended the Source Awards. Her stylist Hilton reminisced the look with Essence in 2020: “You couldn’t help but be inspired by Nija Battle’s furs. I saw this freshly dyed tan-colored fur and envisioned a nude bodysuit on Kim. I embellished the bodysuit with Swarovski crystals to give this effect of being showered in diamonds. A platinum wig and tan and cream cuffs pulled the look together flawlessly.”
Later that year, Kim was the first female rapper to attend the Met Gala, and she attended the star-studded event as Donatella Versace’s muse. “Donatella is my girl. We’ve loved each other from the moment we first saw each other,” Kim shared with Vogue. “She loved the fact that I have fun in her clothes. Versace was one of my favorite designers. She knew that and would always create things tailor-made just for me.” Kim later attended the event as Marc Jacobs’ muse as well.
By the 2000s, the new queen of rap had found her footing in the world of high fashion, and not as a showpiece. Kim was establishing bonds with fashion houses as she simultaneously built her empire. She became “that girl” every young girl wanted to be. Not just every girl from the boroughs of NYC, but now, the world.
No longer could people ban Kim for her expressive lyrics or call her “distasteful.” She’s talented and now, even more visually appealing. Designer Marc Jacobs and Kim became so close that while in jail, Kim would send Jacobs drawings of Bratz dolls in his designs. He’d blow them up and post them around his home.
Although Kim has taken a back seat in the rap game to let future generations get some playtime, her influence continues to reign through artists like Beyoncé and Cardi B. Her presence has always been unexpected. And 20 years later, it’s clearly still holding its weight in headlines.
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