The Virgin Dress: Studio Visit

 

I first stumbled upon The Virgin Dress during Bushwick Open Studios back in June. If you havent been, B.O.S. is a weekend where artists all over Bushwick, Brooklyn open up their studios to the public to view their work. We had seen a lot that day, some good, some not so good. But then suddenly, I passed by one studio and saw all of these cool drawings and illustrations. They had a point of view, a femininity to them and a retro feel that I connected to instantly. All things that check off well in my book. I wanted to meet the artist behind these illustrations but they must have stepped out at the time I visited the studio. So, instead I signed up for the newsletter on a sketch pad that was placed atop the artist’s desk.

I emailed the elusive artist under the moniker The Virgin Dress, sharing that I enjoyed the work I saw and I’d love the chance to sit down and chat. With her swift reply, I found out that the artist’s name was Chioma Ebinama and I’d be visiting her studio again (this time with much less of a bustling crowd), to ask her a few questions about her work.

We met outside the side entrance of her studio on Grattan Street, right up the block from Bushwick landmark Roberta’s. We walked up a flight of stairs and arrived at her studio with these gorgeous old, worn-in windows that poured in this generously, luscious sunlight. I sit down, Chioma begins sketching and we begin talking about her life, her work, her influences.

I learn that Chioma is a self taught illustrator with a degree in Sociology and studio art from Boston College. “Growing up in Maryland, I was a secret nerd and I was really into Manga and anime. And it was just something that I did alone. I’d watch an anime and then try to emulate the style.”, she shares with me. It’s clear to see in her more colourful work, that tinges of Japanese aesthetic has influenced her work. But as intelligible woman with interests spanning from feminist social theory to sustainability, her work is layered.

I mentioned to Chioma that the first thing I noticed about her work was the vintage feel to the women she drew. She confessed that she was a “vintage head” that was really big into sustainability. “The quality of clothes [today] is just not as good. It just makes sense to buy vintage when things were made to last,” she firmly proclaimed. I have nothing but love for a fellow vintage lover with social responsibility on her mind. But in our conversation, Chioma delved deeper into the relationship between vintage and femininity in her work – a discussion exciting to bring to light.

She went on to share that when she first began receiving commissions for her work, she “was really interested in doing these pin up girl style drawings and so they were women that were sexual – but not sexualized in the way that you would see in magazines. I always try to draw powerful women – that sort of draw you in but you don’t know why. And I think that’s just part of being lucky enough to know some really awesome everywhere I’ve been. They’re women, they’re feminine and they’re just people. They just want to be recognized for their achievements as people not as women and I think in the back of my mind I’m always thinking about that.”

“I think that’s why I use the Virgin Dress rather than putting all my work under my name. I think when we get caught up in labels and how to categorize people, things just get lost. We’re just unable to appreciate things as much.” It’s refreshing to hear this perspective from young artists in our digital age of the selfie and our me-me-me generation. Especially from artists like The Virgin Dress that really will have the opportunity to see their work grow in interesting directions.

When I ask what’s next for her work, she’s zealous to share that she’s collaborating with textile studio Acme Prints in Williamsburg to have her drawings turned into patterns and would like to work with industrial designers to get her work out in different mediums like furniture, for instance. “Illustration is in a weird place where as an illustrator you’ve been expected to do editorial work and print work. It’s hard because with the Internet and social media, the print world is shrinking. So right now, I’m like there’s gotta be a place for drawings – so I’m gonna find out.” And we’ll be looking forward to watching it all unfold. To keep up with the wonderful world of the Virgin Dress, please check out the links in the resource section below.

It’s so funny how we won’t ever know or understand the underlying meaning behind any object, idea, person or thing – if we don’t ask. There’s so much rich dialogue to be had, we just have to start the conversation. That’s why studio visits will be an on-going series here on this blog, if you are an artist or have an artist in mind that you would like to see featured – please tweet me @lalalopez or drop me a line and email me sometime at info [at] lalanyc.com. Kindly please New York-based artists only for now, as I love being able to have that IRL intimacy of the one on one.

I’d also really love to hear your thoughts on this first studio visit with the Virgin Dress. Share in the comment section how her work spoke to you. Thanks for reading!

Resources:
The Virgin Dress
The Virgin Dress | Tumblr
The Virgin Dress Prints
Acme Prints
Bushwick Open Studios
Roberta’s