| Animal Anatomy and Celebrity Physiology with Aiyana Udesen |
Aiyana Udesen is awesome. She draws extremely realistic colored-pencil sketches of bygone teen idols forsaken by the cruel sands of a proverbial pop culture hourglass, and small woodland creatures, with a special focus on rodents and Britney Spears. She also makes zine-like “How to Draw” instruction manual satires, each one pairing a pop culture staple with an adorable animal. So far she’s crafted guides that pair the science of drawing rat snakes with Pamela Anderson, house mice with Mariah Carey, and emperor penguins with Nelly.
Rudy gave me Udesen’s latest manual for Christmas, a guide to drawing wolves and Worf. What else would you really want to draw, anyway? Worf’s forehead actually frightens me a lot, and I don’t think I could ever get far enough beyond that fear to draw his likeness. Does that make me an intergalactic racist?  I love Udesen’s work, because while there is a clear sense of humor in everything she does, there’s also a sense of wonderment and if not respect, than at least a sense of shared humanity with the capricious pop culture punchlines she portrays. For example, the above-pictured illustration of Britney Spears has to be one of the most endearing takes on the infamous starlet I’ve ever come across. It presents the carefree, reckless party behavior she’s been so criticized for enjoying in her post-natal life as the organic impulses of a girl her age– a natural drive to experience the ethereal pleasures of being a single young woman.  Star Trek, too, seems to be more than just a kitschy reference-point for Udesen, who genuinely enjoys parading around at weird L.A. costume parties dressed as a sexy Starfleet Commander, as seen in these photos from a road trip with her boyfriend, Matt Furie. It’s not surprising that Matt Furie and Aiyana Udesen have found solace in each other’s arms, as their work is clearly married in its radness. And now, to celebrate the beauty of wolves: check out this song by my friend Patrick, which samples Byron Lee, a monologue by Robert Redford, and the music of wolves. |
thanks:)
Rad is right. I really like your analysis of her work too. You, sir, have a way with words. And, I completely agree that the picture of Britney (featured above) is both heartbreaking and breath taking. Time, being what it is, I devote very little of it to Brits. I mean, I rarely pay attention to her and/or her exploits. And yet, this picture moves me. It dares to romanticize rather than criminalize her rugged (and sometimes crass) individualism. Without cynicism, Udesen imagines her as not only a product but also an archetype of American culture. I think Marlboro Man- sans macho bullshit. And with something bigger and better to sell, something intangible : a manifest destiny of youth and spirit.