the only addiction i have... anything from kool and the gang to de la soul, eric b. & rakim, the roots, a tribe called quest, public enemy, guru, j dilla, waajeed, platinum pied pipers, pete rock & c.l. smooth, fugees, mos def, blackstar, nas, bahamadia, outcast, kon & amir, ALMA NYC, king britt, MAW, dimitri from paris, gotan project, cinematic orchestra, sena, sigur ros, dj spinna, stevie wonder, roy ayers, bill withers, james brown, leroy hutson (he is the man!), marvin gaye, curtis mayfield, gill scott-heron, tavares, earth wind & fire, the coltranes, earth, wind & fire, erykah badu, jill scott, nina simone, sade, portishead, massive attack, joy division, the herbaliser, ge-ology, mark de clive-lowe, cheb-i sabbah, crazy gypsy music (even though that stuff almost gave me nervous breakdown once), afghan, persian, tajik, turkish, indian, tibetan, african folk music, chopin, pergolesi, monteverdi, and bach!oh there is so much more....aside from this, a lot of underground hiphop, soulful house, nujazz, electro & olschool elektro funk (thanks to the source, Greg Wilson) and 70s soul and disco (Kon, thank you for educating me..disco put honey into my life!)......these day i mostly listen to my incredibly talented friends' unreleased tracks! inspiration i draw on every day: sarah white, raye6, rucyl, nikki ntu, eagle nebula, waajeed, & PPP, dhundee, theophilus london, jesse boykins iii, melo-x, kira, shea, kon&amir, papastomp, dolphin, ge-ology, nappy G!! .
Movies
alambrista!, basquiat, frida, kurasowa's dreams, spike lee joints (especially crooklyn and jungle fever), sweet sweetback's baaadassss song, coffy and a lot of blaxpoitation flicks, beat street, wild styles, cooley high, secretary, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, born into brothels, in this world, secretary, 12 monkeys, fight club, crash, requiem for a dream, monster's ball, city of god, hotel rwanda, amores perros, my fav animes: my neighbor totoro (by Hayao Miyazaki), the grave of the fireflies (by Isao Takahata),night on the galactic railroad (by Gisaburo Sugii) and the haunting and/or absurdist movies of luis bunuel, andrei tarkovsky and gabor body, feherlofia, and so many more i can't remember.
Television
i don't really watch tv anymore... i prefer art & photography. some of my favorite photographers: Sebastião Salgado, James Nachtwey, Eikoh Hosoe, Hermosdef, Jamel Shabazz & Mike Schreiber, Jack Dante, Graciela Iturbide; artists: Durer, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte,(and other Surrealists),Gustave Dore, Warhol & Basquiat, Frida Kahlo, Klimt. Some of my favorites from today: designers of the Scrawlcollective (UK) and Tank Theory (US), Sylvia Ji, Audrey Kawasaki, Doze Green, Barry McGee, Yoskay Yamamoto, WK Interact, Heavyweight and my artist friends' works
Books
another hard one..kafka borges, toni morrison, bell hooks, antoine de saint-exupery poems of rilke, sandor weores, bela hamvas, lao tse, milarepa,najm-addin kubra, kabir, the tabula smaragdina, robert fludd, paracelsus, hermetica, khalil gibran's the prophet, hafez, rumi (these last three saved my life) and other less known sufis, tantric buddhist texts, and many more rebel mystics' writings. i love ethnic cookbooks (i am a DJ in my kitchen) and collect photography books on nomadic tribes and urban street life and art.
Heroes
all victims of trauma and the underdogs out there who manage to save their dignity and to nurture their love of other human beings in the face of discrimination or oppression. people who are willing to be outcasts, to be on the margin for a higher goal and to be able to live a more authentic life...who are not afraid of loving, and believe that human suffering can be healed by action born out of love, and feel the urge to alleviate it. most of these people remain unknown.
Quan Luv & Lichiban collab"I'll Meet You In The Light" thank you for the amazing work.
Livingroom Johnston x Lichiban collabo "MANIFESTING GOLD"
LOTUSHEART (ALTEREGO) ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a spiritual animal with a human imagination. A embodied light-being journeying to the original source by way of creating realities through colors and images. Reality and time are mental concepts we are ready to experience-art is a way of becoming the master of one's universe. My creativity is a divine gift given to every single child, and my life as an artist is the gradual unfolding of that gift. My works are intended to be spirit-transformers or gateways to a vibration field I am here to manifest. My felines represent different evolutionary stages on the way to the ever-flowing nectar of immortality. My art is a way of riding the inner tiger. Freedom is in the heart of the beholder.
BIO
Lichiban is a Brooklyn-based self-taught visual artist, illustrator, curator, and full time creative hustler. She was born in a border town in Hungary and from early on she acquired a fascination with borders, limits and ambiguous dividing lines; her experiences on the margins of cities, countries and subcultures eventually formed into a semi-consistent life philosophy, which continues to inspire her creative development.Her images draw inspirations from a wide range of extraordinary life experiences and impressions, such as her childhood memories of Eastern-European folktales and animations, her studies in Sufism and her travels to war-torn countries (Bosnia, Kashmir, Eastern Turkey), her volunteer work with refugees and trauma victims and from meeting exceptional people. Her experiences led her to a deep appreciation for people and their stories, which expresses itself best in her love for faces.
Her work draws on elements of tribal & religious art, comics & animations, symbolism, surrealism, erotic and fantasy illustration. Her passion for music, erotica and the mystical sciences reflects vividly in her work. Most recently, she has been working on developing a number of feline superheroes to visually narrate her mystical mythology. Their first representations were revealed at her recent art show, THE SECRET LIVES OF SAMURAIS FROM THE LAND OF ETERNAL LOVE, which was about the heart chakra symbolically represented by my feline samurai, Lotusheart.
She has exhibited her work in New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and in Wilmington and has been leaving her trace around at various live art events in New York City. She has been featured in CLAM Magazine, TRACE Magazine blog, Limite Magazine, PEP! Magazine blog, Leisure LAB, Never Leave Brooklyn, Boys & Clothes Magazine, Limite Magazine, Dope Swan, Creative Criss Cross, among others.
photo by Sarah White
"When I first came across Lichiban’s creations, my eyes were glued to the page, and for some unknown reason I felt pulled from my core to browse through her work. Living the way of the Gypsy, this urban flower born in Hungary has spread her wings and left her mark across the world. [...] Her work speaks for itself, and stands out of a wall not only because of its multi-dimensional aesthetic, but also with its texture and color experimentations. This “All we need is love” concept, paired with a unique technique and fascination for the human face makes Licsi the real deal.[...] "My biggest hope is that I can reach a point where the beauty I was trying to capture in my portraits can in fact heal.” This woman is deep."
SARAH WHITE, TRACE Magazine///Songstress
"Some people find inspiration from the narrow confines of what is comfortable and familiar. Licsi seems to glow from the color and hue of strangers and resonate in the presences of the unfamiliar. The provenance for her work were the fetid back-roads of Roma villages-in her native Hungary. A despised minority who instill fear and loathing in many were for her a source of inspiration. She found the magic that flowed from their music, anger and trust. Likewise among people in the U.S.-- whom she was asked to avoid when she arrived to these shores-- she has found much to comment on, emulate, criticize and illustrate. People of color, musicians, down on their luck women, innocent children, cocky academicians and struggling journalists (like the writer of this blurb) have all served to give face to her drawings. And we are served in-turn by seeing ourselves reflected in them."
PHILLIP MARTIN
/, Independent Journalist, The World (BBC) and Executive Producer, Lifted Veils Productions, Inc.
"You turn art into real life....I love you....."RAYE 6
thxumaam//and your profile is very pleasing to the eye/i appreciate the things you do with art//makes me think about if we didnt have ppl like u around, how open us music makers would be
Hi how's everything going? I am excited to show you my latest painting. I would love any feedback if you have a few seconds. If you want to add a comment you can just click on the picture & it will take you straight there. Hope you enjoy! xo Ellen
Hey whats the good word Licsi? I believe your bday was this weekend wasnt it? If it was, I wanna wish you a happy belated. Hope you're doing well, stay up and enjoy the rest of this summer type setting. :)
hey girl! so in october can we feature you and ur art work.... check out the magazine on the page it will connect u to the full zine.... hope all is well havent heard from u in a long time A
HOW MANY LIPS?
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