The Slice of Life Gallery is a cultural hub in our city. Since phase two of the COVID restrictions, the gallery has safely been putting out some of the best gallery shows our city has seen in years. One upcoming show is from local Lauren Elm, who goes by Rat Queen (follow her on Instagram at @queenofvermin).
To attend you should try book ahead of time right here. Please wear a mask and be courteous of other peoples space. And if you want to buy something online you can do that right here.
We had a chance to ask the Rat Queen herself about some of her inspiration for the show, working through COVID and why local art spaces matter.
“We really do not know what we are. The only way we can be in accord with life is to be in disaccord with ourselves. The absurd is the divine.”
- Pessoa, Fernando. The Book of Disquiet. [1914?]
***
Thanks for taking the time to chat! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Lauren Elms and I’m a Vancouver based illustrator and artist who goes under the alias Rat Queen when referring to my work. I work out of Slice of Life studios just off commercial drive, where I am also the gallery manager.
You have a show coming up at Slice of Life on August 6th called "Enigmatic Emblems" what inspired the name? Can you speak about any particular works that will be at the show?
I’ve always been told my work is weird, or dark, or my alias and subject matter aren’t happy enough. But I think the creation of work is just an extension of the artist. So I took an almost literal translation to a body of work - they’re weird, mysterious, dark, and symbols of myself: Enigmatic Emblems. I’ve simplified my work for this show, and I think it’s helped me understand my process. I used to create messily, splashing colour around until shapes began to form. But for Enigmatic Emblems I took a cleaner, more patient approach and I’ve really fallen in love with it.
The description of the work and each piece has an association with Fernando Pessoa’s ‘The Book of Disquiet’. He was a Portuguese poet, writer, and philosopher. I didn’t associate my work with verses from his writings until after they were completed, but as I read his words I felt a connection to my own feelings and sense of unrest. I wanted to pull more from my imagery then what people just saw, have viewers feel maybe what I felt as I worked on them.
Maybe I’m getting a bit carried away; I guess I’m just a bit of an existentialist…
How did COVID19 and the last few months of social distancing and staying home impact your art?
It hit me hard in the beginning: I was just stepping into my role as manager at Slice of Life, getting comfortable with a routine of getting to the studio every day to work on my art, and feeling as though I’d finally moved out of my comfort zone in the best way. So to have that all taken away so suddenly I reverted back to feeling isolated, unmotivated, and had a lot of self-doubts. There were a lot of things I enjoyed about being made to stay home, and isolate myself, I have a really strong support system and am lucky in that respect, but I know the darker side of it as well. I moved all my supplies back home and actually ended up doing my best to work from there. It took me a long time to really get back into creating - once I did, however, I think I found my stride again and a new style that really kicked off the basis for my show.
You have a super cool stylized approach that draws out a really mythical/demonic quality from animals, what draws you to animals, and how did that style evolve?
I’ve always been a lore nerd. I was, and still am, a big gamer. So growing up I drew inspiration from all the books, movies, and games that I was absorbing - Lord of the rings, Dark Souls, mythology texts. I also had a fascination with animals, originally wanting to be a biologist later in life. I guess those worlds blended together and my newer, more Americana style evolved from their amalgamation. I’m a bit of a punk on the inside too (or I wish I was, I’m a big softie), so it’s hard for me not to add a few grinning demons, or skulls into my work - but they’re almost always balanced with a pastel palette.
How important are spaces like Slice of Life to the local art scene?
So important. It took me a really long time to find my niche, I went from studio to working from home and back to work from a studio; it wasn’t until I settled with Slice of Life that I found a place I was comfortable enough in to really thrive. Places like Slice of Life and other studios such as Space to Space are so important not only for the studios they host but their openness towards the community. They have so many resources available for people, and artists within them that are always willing to reach out and help if you may need it.
And they suit Vancouver so much more than the larger, less accessible galleries. I’m intimidated, and a bit bored, when I walk through venues hosting work so far away from my own style of creation. Places like Slice want to see artists evolve and grow, not stunt them for being less known.
The first time I ever saw your art was on a newspaper box at the Vancouver Mural Festival way back in 2017 and then again at the UBC campus. Any plans for a mural, or any other public, street art?
I love that that’s where you first saw my work, I remember painting that box and being so nervous. My friends still send me pictures of it when they’re around UBC. I’m actually working with Slice of Life right now to get the entire building painted. Many resident artists are going to be creating a mural on different sides of the buildings Slice owns. I’m really excited, I love murals, and I’ve only done a handful of them myself.
What artists are you following right now?
So many! It’s hard not to be obsessed with some of my immediate friends: Paige Bowman, Kira Buro, and John Pachkowsky. They each create such unique and beautiful multi-media pieces that sit right at home in my heart. Outside of Vancouver based art, I’d have to say my biggest art crushes are the Israeli art collective Broken Fingaz, their colorwork and large scale murals are so juicy; Robert Ryan, a New Jersey tattoo artist who uses Western occult symbolism and his knowledge of other philosophies to blend his work into strange aesthetic experiences; and Egle Zvirblyte who’s a Lithuanian artist based in London who creates punchy and irreverent work. It’s hard to pick only a few, I could go on and on…
***
You can catch the “Enigmatic Emblems” show from Lauren Elms at Slice of Life on Thursday August 6 at 6PM.
Comments