Inside The Artist's Studio: Christa Holka - Art21 Blog

Inside the Artists Studio: Christa Holka | Art21 Blog
1/13/13 7:30 PM
HOME
GUEST BLOG
EDUCATION
VIDEO
Inside the Artists Studio: Christa Holka

February 26th, 2010 by Georgia Kotretsos
new artists, new films

Like 84
search
subscribe
Art21 Blog feed Video feed Education feed Guest Blog feed
New films in New York Close Up premiering throughout 2012
flash points
communicate
recent comments
How are stories and art
Christa Holka out and about!
intertwined?
Agnieszka in Dissecting the Social Self: A [Wo]Man, an Animal, and an Ambiguous I. : Interesting... dennis in When Works of Literature Make The Leap: Joe, looking at Glenn Ligon this summer inspired me to give my ap... Kyle in Videogame Appropriation in Contemporary Art: Grand Theft Auto (GTA): I love the amount of work Rockstar puts... Docsson in The Art + Brain Files: These sound, to me at least, the same comments that were (and for some continue to... Birgitte Lamb in More Moments, More Dialogue: Hi Joe. This sounds very interesting and is clearly a subject of...
Christa Holka is an American photographer based in London. She holds an MA in Fine Arts from the Central St. Martins College of Art & Design in London, a BFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago, and a BA in Literature from The State University of New York. There are many reasons I went through the trouble to meet her at the cozy FIRST OUT CAFEBAR in central London to discuss her work. At a first glance, Christa struck me to be a stylish, hip, cool, creative, on-the-scene individual with a mission specifically a queer mission, which she rushed to define for me in Judith Butlers words:
featured video
David Altmejd: "Assistants"
teaching with contemporary art
In and out of the classroom
pages
About Art21 About the Art21 Blog Writers and Contributors
blogger-in-residence
newsletter
Sign up
art21 online
Michael Neault, Content and
Christa Holka, "Harley Frosted Beard"
on Art21.org on Blip.tv on Del.icio.us on Facebook on Flickr on iTunes on PBS on Twitter on YouTube
Media Producer, Portland, OR
My understanding of queer is a term that desires that you dont have to present an identity card before entering a meeting. Heterosexuals can join the queer movement. Bisexuals can join the queer movement. Queer is not being lesbian. Queer is not being gay. It is an argument against lesbian specificity: that if I am a lesbian I have to desire in a certain way. Or if I am a gay I have to desire in a certain way. Queer is an argument against certain normativity, what a proper lesbian or gay identity is.
categories
> Columns (1284) > 5 Questions for Contemporary Practice (21) > Alchemy of Inspiration (5) > Art 2.1: Creating on the Social Web (16) > Bedfellows: Art and Visual Culture (15) > BOMB in the Building (19) > Bound: The Printed Object in
blogroll
16 Miles of String 2 Buildings 1 Blog Art Fag City
http://blog.art21.org/2010/02/26/inside-the-artists-studio-christa-holka/
Page 1 of 8

Context (6) > Cairo in Context: Art and Change in the Middle East (4) > Calling from Canada (15) > Center Field | Art in the Middle with Bad at Sports. (58) > Future Metaphors (3) > Gastro-Vision (37) > GIF(t) Basket (8) > Gimme Shelter: Performance Now (18) > Ink: Notes on the Contemporary Print (29) > Inside the Artist's Studio (40)
Christa Holka, "Jillian & Nancy NYC"
1/13/13 7:30 PM
Art Whirled Artlog ArtsBeat Bad at Sports BAM 150 BOMBlog C-Monster Creative Capital The Lab Culture Monster Ed Winkleman Eyeteeth Henry Art Gallery: Hankblog Hrag Vartanian Hyperallergic IMA Blog LACMA: Unframed Look Into My Owl Mattress Factory Modern Art Notes MoMA: Inside/Out New Curator OC Art Blog PBS NewsHour: Art Beat SFMOMA: Open Space The Artblog The Ben Street The Daily Beast The Gray Area (Grey Art Gallery, NYU) The Huffington Post Two Coats of Paint updownacross VernissageTV Walker Art Center
> Inspired Reading (12) > Letter from London (92) > Lives and Works in Berlin (28) > Looking at Los Angeles (81) > New Kids on the Block (4) > No Preservatives: Conversations about Conservation (37) > On Location: Inside Art Documentary Production (9) > On View Now (32) > Open Enrollment (145) > Praxis Makes Perfect (35) > Problematic: Answering Questions with Questions (2) > Revolution 2.1 (3) > Teaching with Contemporary Art (268) > The Weekly Roundup (198) > Transmission (5) > Turkish and Other Delights (11) > What's Cookin': The Art21ndex (34) > Word is a Virus (7) Week in Review (1) > Flash Points: (421) Compassion: Do artists have a social responsibility? (29) Fantasy: Does art expand our ability to imagine? (26) How are stories and art intertwined? (12) How can art effect political change? (74) How do we experience art? (73) How does art respond to and redefine the natural world? (40) How is art influenced? (35) Must art be ethical? (40) Systems: Can art transcend paradigms? (32) The New Culture Wars: What's at Stake? (9) Transformation: How does art adapt and change over time? (26)
Christa turned out to be down-to-earth conversationalist, whose vision and agenda is not coincidental but rather rooted in the very core of who she is. Back in Chicago, she was a member of the infamous The Chicago Kings, a drag performance troupe that played a key role in the development of her work. In an Artxxmagazine interview, Christa sums up that experience: After my first time on stage with the Chicago Kings, I was totally hooked. I mean how could I not be? At our first show there were over 300 people in this tiny back room of a sports bar in a weird neighborhood in Chicagos West Loop and that night the bar was having some kind of flooding problem, but that didnt stop anyone. The night was electric. The crowd was hungry and we were feeding them. It was like everyone had been waiting for this moment and finally it was there. What was so attractive about us? Jeez! Im not sure! Maybe thats a better question for people who were in the audience? For me, what I liked about it was being on stage, performing and getting so much attention for it. Girls were screaming, always wanting more! I seriously felt like a rock star sometimes. In the beginning I didnt really think about the provocative statements we were making, it was just happening. It was a lot of collaborating and many of us were artists so it was this big performative collaboration that happened to be drag king performances.
archives
January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010
Christa Holka, "Swim-suit boys," London, 2008
A highly social artist, Holka has made it her business to capture moments of queer manifestations with her Canon 5D or the Canon Ixus 960IS (digital point and shoot), Mamiya 645 Pro, or even her Diana Holga. She has long earned the trust of her subjects and nearly 50,000 images prove just that. They can be found on Flickr, Facebook, and her own website. Befriend Christa to get a sense of why she is also knows as the Queer Paparazzi and if you happen to be a socialite in London, be aware of the lady behind the flashes.
Page 2 of 8
1/13/13 7:30 PM
What influences art? (47) What is the value of art? (83) What's so shocking about contemporary art? (40) > Video: (528) Classroom (15) Conversation (8) Excerpt (35) Exclusive (186) New York Close Up (62) Reblog (198) Spoof (6) Uncut (4) Access '12 (1)
Christa Holka, "Liz"
May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007
Art21 Access '09 (25) Art21 Artists: (1390) Ai Weiwei (19) Alejandro Almanza Pereda (1) Alfredo Jaar (59) Allan McCollum (40) Allora & Calzadilla (68) An-My L (30) Andrea Zittel (49) Ann Hamilton (47) Arturo Herrera (39) assume vivid astro focus (5) Barbara Kruger (65) Barry McGee (75) Beryl Korot (10) Bruce Nauman (82) Cai Guo-Qiang (68) Cao Fei (47) Carrie Mae Weems (79) Catherine Opie (7) Catherine Sullivan (26) Charles Atlas (28) Cindy Sherman (61) Collier Schorr (35) David Altmejd (4) David Brooks (3) Diana Al-Hadid (2) Do-Ho Suh (43) Doris Salcedo (30) El Anatsui (17) Eleanor Antin (40) Elizabeth Murray (17) Ellen Gallagher (26) Erin Shirreff (1) Florian Maier-Aichen (19) Fred Wilson (35) Gabriel Orozco (55) Glenn Ligon (15) Hiroshi Sugimoto (54) Hubbard & Birchler (8) Iigo Manglano-Ovalle (25) Ida Applebroog (27) James Turrell (48) Janine Antoni (43) Jeff Koons (89) Jenny Holzer (99) Jessica Stockholder (37) John Baldessari (79) John Feodorov (4) Josephine Halvorson (2)
The predecessors responsible for Christas career path are: Nan Goldin Claude Cahun, Philip Lorca di Corcia, Tina Barney, Larry Clarke, Brian Finke, Wolfgang Tillmans, Dash Snow, Martin Parr, Guy Bourdin, Nikki S. Lee, Larry Sultan and others. Read on, simply because what the naked eye sees as a plaid-shirt community, the camera lens re-articulates as a culturally and politically queer archive. Georgia Kotretsos: Lets take this from the beginning tell me about the community that fills your memory cards. What does it mean to you? What are you looking at and for through your camera lens? Christa Holka: Well, my community is made up of my very close friends, acquaintances and people in general who are engaged with non-normative temporalities, people on a different timeline than heteronormative culture. Like, we go out and play in the park at midnight and ride bikes through the streets and play games at times when people in normative communities are doing the whole reproductive schedule thing: get married, buy a house, have kids, etc. I mean, of course queers are also doing that in various ways, and Im not against that, its just not the schedule Im on at the moment. My community is also a time and a place where I feel a sense of belonging. My friends mean the world to me; they are a part of me. I think of them like family. Im looking at my community through my camera, trying to write a part of a queer history capturing glimpses of the time and space I occupy. Like historians, Im looking for a way to make sense of whats happening now, looking at the past, to look forward to whats next.
support art21
Your tax-deductible donation provides crucial support for Art21 projects.
admin
Admin access
Christa Holka, 2005
GK: What are your thoughts on vanity and queer culture? Our generation has grown up with Vanity Smurf and his blue friendsa character that has been re-produced again and again on the big and small screen. How does your work deal with this kind of stereotype?
Christa Holka, London, 2010
Page 3 of 8

CH: Wow this is quite a question! I hadnt thought about Smurfs in a while so I just did a refresher on YOUTUBE. I mean, dont you think all the Smurfs were gay? There were something like 100 shirtless little blue men and like one or two female characters. And Smurfette, what a fag hag! Of course, Im aware of vanity and how it is manifested in gay culture, but Im not so sure its something I think about in terms of my work. Thats not a question I intend to address in what Im doing. But to put it back to you, do you think, as a viewer of my work, that my photographs are saying something about this? Im curious because I have been, on occasion, accused of only photographing the beautiful people, which again, is not something I do intentionally (I just happen to surround myself with beautiful people).
1/13/13 7:30 PM
Josiah McElheny (44) Judy Pfaff (40) Julie Mehretu (60) Kalup Linzy (20) Kara Walker (86) Keltie Ferris (10) Kerry James Marshall (47) Kiki Smith (85) Kimsooja (20) Krzysztof Wodiczko (37) Lari Pittman (21) LaToya Ruby Frazier (12) Laurie Anderson (57) Laurie Simmons (42) Laylah Ali (36) Liz Magic Laser (2) Louise Bourgeois (93) Lucas Blalock (8) Lynda Benglis (5) Margaret Kilgallen (17)
Christa Holka, "Anna," London, 2010
Mariah Robertson (5) Marina Abramovi (16) Mark Bradford (100) Mark Dion (88) Martha Colburn (8) Martin Puryear (35) Mary Heilmann (33) Mary Reid Kelley (8) Matthew Barney (52) Matthew Ritchie (30) Maya Lin (56) Mel Chin (32) Michael Ray Charles (6) Mika Tajima (7) Mike Kelley (84) Nancy Spero (51) Oliver Herring (54) Paul McCarthy (46) Paul Pfeiffer (22) Pepn Osorio (16) Pierre Huyghe (35) Rackstraw Downes (5) Rashid Johnson (17) Raymond Pettibon (52) Richard Serra (69) Richard Tuttle (37) Robert Adams (37) Robert Mangold (4) Robert Ryman (31) Roni Horn (34) Sally Mann (30) Sarah Sze (11) Shahzia Sikander (32) Shana Moulton (11) Susan Rothenberg (19) Tabaimo (4) Tim Hawkinson (22) Tommy Hartung (4) Trenton Doyle Hancock (38) Ursula von Rydingsvard (35) Vija Celmins (29) Walton Ford (21) William Kentridge (91) William Wegman (35)
When I think about vanity and queer culture in terms of how its manifested in popular culture and in the media, I think that yes, queer culture is often framed like this. Vanity Smurfs character is an extreme of that and works in the way stereotypes work. And yes, Vanity Smurf is just one example of many iterations of this character. So in this context, I suppose my work could be working against these stereotypes in the way that an historical archive (my photographs of my friends) works versus fictional television or film (Vanity Smurf). GK: Cyberspace plays a key role in the way in which you choose to show/exhibit/distribute/share/circulate your work. You are stretching the meaning of exhibition space while creating your own network of viewers. When did you decide to turn the web into your white cube and how important is viewers daily feedback to your work? CH: I think about my practice as situated in a very queer space and time. My work exists in mostly digital formats, on digital memory cards, hard drives, and, most importantly, on the Internet. The Internet is often my studio space and gallery space. I find myself less and less interested with the four white walls, the physical space of a studio or a gallery, and more interested in the amazing, far reaching possibilities of non-traditional spaces especially the Internet, social networks, online galleries, etc. Like so many, Im quite disenchanted with the whole art world machine and feel less and less connected to it every day. I cannot really pinpoint the exact moment this transition from gallery to Internet happened; I think it was a more organic, gradual thing something I didnt do intentionally, but rather it happened the same way that the Internet has become more and more involved in our daily lives. Ive always been interested in alternative art spaces versus the traditional, but yes, the Internet has been this prime space to show work and have this work seen by much wider audiences than, say, a gallery. It feels more connected and available to me and in this way I feel more connected and available to my audience. I am very interested in this, actually, this idea of my viewers looking for themselves in my photographs. Its definitely one way I can see that my photographs are DOING something. There is an action to them in this space, a back and forth in a way that maybe doesnt really exist in a gallery. I like this back and forth and its definitely something I try to do in my work. While I definitely think about the Internet a lot, its not the only venue for my work. I think its but one solution to curating the massive amount of images I have created over the years (the number at this stage somewhere around 40,000 images). Curating a library of this number is incredibly daunting. Its also very exciting to think about the possibilities! Another solution Ive used is making experimental video and at some point soon, I plan to try to publish a book (or two or three!). GK: Its time to specifically address your haven. From talking to you, it became apparent very quickly that youre an artist on the go. What comes to mind when I say the words artists studio to you? What constitutes your creative haven right now and what would your ideal setting be? CH: I think about my practice and my life as non-traditional and while I think a physical studio is nice, I dont think its a necessity for me and my work. Its not to say I dont think studios are important to other artists and their work (or even to me), just that I can and will always make things with or without a studio. I suppose the biggest obstacle for me having a studio is a financial one. But honestly, if I felt like I couldnt do what I do without a studio, I would certainly figure out a way to make it happen. I totally value the artists studio as a space removed from life, a space to focus and think and make, yes definitely. I would love to have a studio and in an ideal world, Id have one, but for now, my laptop, my cameras, hard drives, and the Internet serve as that space.
Page 4 of 8
1/13/13 7:30 PM
Yinka Shonibare MBE (61) Art21 News (300) Biennials (61) Education (432) Exhibitions (735) Festivals (49) Guest Blog (710) Interviews (305) Locations: (1669) Africa (15) Argentina (5) Asia (15) Australia (12) Brazil (2) Canada (48)
Christa Holka, "Hannes & Olga," Oxford, 2008
Caribbean (2) China (24) Colombia (5) Cuba (4) Denmark (11) Egypt (2) Finland (10) France (26) Germany (83) Greece (23) Guatemala (1) Iceland (2) India (7) Iraq (2) Ireland (7) Israel (1) Italy (31) Japan (6) Korea (2) Mexico (11) Middle East (14) Netherlands (13) Peru (3) Poland (3) Russia (2) Scotland (3) South Africa (13) Spain (29) Sweden (10) Switzerland (18) Taiwan (1) Thailand (1) Turkey (22) Ukraine (1) United Kingdom (154) USA (1271) Boston (27) Chicago (165) Connecticut (3) Houston (9) Indianapolis (28) Los Angeles (185) Miami (18) Minneapolis (3) Nebraska (3) New Orleans (23) New York City (569) North Carolina (4) Ohio (10)
GK: You have traveled and seen places. Is London the place you call home, your final destination? CH: Yes, I call London home for now. I think at this point in my life I can safely say that Im not a person with a final destination. Ive lived in many places. I was born in Niagara Falls, New York. At age four, my parents moved us to Huntington Beach, California, where we stayed until I was about age 10. At 10, I moved back to upstate New York to Grand Island, New York, where I stayed until I was age 20. At 20, I moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where I spent the next three years until I moved to Beijing, China, where I lived for one year teaching English. After China, I moved to Chicago, Illinois, where I lived for eight and a half years.
I used to think that it wasnt ok that I should settle down, and maybe I will, but I cant say I know that right now. I came to London at the end of 2007 to do my MA in Fine Art at Central St. Martins. I didnt know anyone here, except for my first flatmate who Id met through an old friend in Chicago. London was exactly what I needed at that time because Id been living in Chicago for over eight years. I felt very comfortable there, very connected. I knew lots of people. It was easy for me to make work, live, everything. This isnt bad, all that comfort, but I needed some kind of challenge that I wasnt getting there. In my MA course at Central St. Martins I became connected to many other artists and from those artists I met other artists and so on. Ive now found myself in a wonderful network of working artists and creative people, who are all so inspiring. Ive found a queer community that grows bigger and bigger every day. Not only am I constantly photographing, but I am also always connected to a creative process, no matter what I am doing. I love London for this. Its not to say that didnt exist in the other places Ive lived, but its what Ive concentrated on making my life in London. People often ask me why London? Why not, say, New York? I love New York, dont get me wrong; I think I will end up there at some point, but for now Im really in this place, I feel like I have so much momentum, so much is happening in the direction Ive always wanted to be going that I cant think of anywhere else I should be. Theres also a very sort of tough energy about London that I really love, its always pushing me forward, pushing me to do more, do better. Its this motivational current I hadnt experienced in the other places Ive lived. And, for me, right now, it feels so right, like something I couldnt live without.
Page 5 of 8
1/13/13 7:30 PM
Philadelphia (21) Pittsburgh (6) Portland (3) San Francisco (89) Seattle (12) Texas (30) Washington (4) Washington D.C. (28) Media: (1629) Architecture (60) Design (82) Drawing & Collage (285)
Fashion (27) Film & Video (421) Food (42) Installation (590) New Media (261) Painting (377) Performance (346) Photography (329) Printmaking (95) Public Art (224) Sculpture (455) Social (208) Sound (41) Sound & Music (100) Photos (23) Podcasts (14) Prizes (46) Programs-Events (297) Publications (103) Season 5 (113) Season 6 (32) Support Art21 (19) Uncategorized (75) William Kentridge: Anything is Possible (20)
GK: Artists are not particularly known for their lucrative career choices they are people of many hats. What is the occupation behind the artist? CH: Well, lucrative or not, everything I do to support myself since living in London is somehow related to art or some kind of creative process. And yes, I definitely do wear many hats in this respect! Before I moved to London, I spent over eight years as a legal secretary in a huge law firm. I still cant believe I did that for so long! It was a job I felt like I needed to have for health insurance purposes, because as you know in the U.S., we dont have health care for all. That situation kept me in that job I just had no interest in, just so that I could have health insurance. Of course I would do my art stuff after work (or actually, quite often Id be doing my own thing while on the job), but I had to leave that office life. I came to London to change it all and I have. I do several things in order to pay my rent. First, I do a lot of freelance photography. Most of my freelance work is documenting live art/artists in London, stills photography on film sets and television, and occasionally I photograph events (most often art events). I am also a photographers assistant to a fashion photographer. I also work quite often in set design and art direction for fashion and film. Finally, I keep a part time job at an artspace in Shoreditch. Working freelance has been so amazing. I love all of the things I do. They all engage me in different ways, keep me thinking and inspired and inform my practice in some way. At the same time, I suppose I havent chosen the full time artist lifestyle, but to be honest, I dont know that it would actually suit me. And maybe this is yet another way I can think about a queer life/lifestyle?
Christa Holka in action
And, thats a wrap!

3 Tweet 0 Like 84 0
Posted in: > Inside the Artist's Studio, Chicago, Interviews, Photography, United Kingdom Similar posts: New guest blogger: Damien James , Inside the Artists Studio: Lisa Bradley , Pictures of Chicago , Moving In , Fiber Art: The Queer Kid on the Bus Comments (3)
3 Responses to Inside the Artists Studio: Christa Holka kristen cox on February 27, 2010 12:56 pm Oh XTA!!! How I love you, you Queer Paparazzi ! Miss those Chicago Kings days with you. xo, cox Reply
Alison Turner on March 1, 2010 1:22 pm
Page 6 of 8
1/13/13 7:30 PM
Great Stuff! LOVE it! Reply
Whats Cookin at the Art21 Blog: A Weekly Index | Art21 Blog on March 6, 2010 11:47 am [...] INSIDE THE ARTISTs STUDIO : CHRISTA HOLKA. Vanity, queerness, friends and family. Sometimes the seemingly superficial is actually quite intimate. Holka talks about her life: photography, past travels, lifestyles, and hopes for the future. [...]
Trackback URI | Comments RSS Name (required) Email (required) Website Leave a Reply
Submit Comment
Art21, Inc. 20012013. All rights reserved. Art21 is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization; all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
contact us posts(RSS) comments (RSS) top
Page 7 of 8
1/13/13 7:30 PM
Page 8 of 8

Inside The Artist's Studio: Christa Holka - Art21 Blog

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Inside The Artist's Studio: Christa Holka - Art21 Blog

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Inside the Artists Studio: Christa Holka | Art21 Blog