Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Torri.
Chloe, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I can’t remember a day of my life where I wasn’t creating something. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs where there is a strong fine art presence in the community and schools, and I come from a family of creatives. My brother, Jordan, was always drawing or building elaborate Leggo worlds when we were younger, my mother, Mary, is an abstract expressionist painter, and my father, Rick, is a software engineer/ my first artist assistant. Many members of my extended family heavily influenced my creative interests as well, both directly and indirectly. When I was very young, I inherited a box of from my Great-Uncle Bob’s studio when he passed. He was an actor, artist, teacher, costume designer, director, and a producer of stage plays and so the contents of that box were overwhelmingly magical. Acquiring unique recycled art supplies from him and numerous other family members fueled my young artistic practice and have been a point of reference to this day.
I loved the art and music classes I took throughout school, but something I remember most fondly was teaching my friends how to create things after school. Funny enough, teaching was a top result of compatible careers for me in high school. For many years I focused on learning as much as I could about teaching from observing a number of wonderful educators. I went to the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign for Art Education and during the middle of my junior year I realized that I could still be the educator that I had always naturally been without putting my personal art on the back burner. I saw that all of my professors and graduate instructors at U of I were doing just that: teaching while creating, which meant I should get my Master’s degree. One year later, I took a shot at applying to graduate school and I ended up coming out here to attend Arizona State University for an MFA in Studio Art.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My work is derived from visual culture of the Internet and Digital Age, informed by film, theater, television, music, and other art forms. My process in creating work is fairly elaborate and tedious, involving everything from life analysis to social research. I identify as an interdisciplinary painter, which simply means I enjoy working in everything from oil paint to sequins. With my art, I dissect life revolving around and influenced by the artifice and honesty of the screen and digital occurrences. All of my work is a reflection of my individual observations on life and my work asks, or demands, those who view it to slow down and reflect on moments this fast-paced life throws at us.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Conditions for artists have always been so complex. Nowadays, there are so many online and offline resources for community building, education, and public self-expression that nurtures and enhances the livelihood of so many artists; but, with this growing wave of resources there is the harmful undertow. So many artists still struggle with “getting their work out there” due to the unique, competitive environments that continue to manifest. Too often do I see authenticity being overthrown by the desire to gain likes or followers as profitable recognition. In order to help overcome these current struggles artists face, we need support from each other and from patrons of the arts.
Genuine, selfless support of creative minds — that is how communities can encourage and help artists thrives. Supporting art programs in the schools, shopping for local artwork, and attending art shows and performances alike are such great places to start. For example, reject the trendy décor at big-box stores being passes off as art and seek out original artwork, which is similarly priced and far more ethical. Support authenticity.
I am currently working out of Grant Street Studios in Downtown Phoenix, which is open to the public Thursdays- Saturdays during the daytime. I will be wrapping up a group show at Fine Art Complex 1101 in January, and I have some upcoming shows across the Valley this year.
I am very active on Instagram, @chloetorriart. Here, you can find updates on future shows and artwork in the making. All of my work is for sale, displayed in my studio, throughout Instagram, and on my website chloetorri.com. Email me at chloetorriart@gmail.com or message me on Instagram for questions, inquiries, or to chat!
Contact Info:
- Address: Grant Street Studios
605 E Grant St, Phoenix, AZ 85004 - Website: www.chloetorri.com
- Email: chloetorriart@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chloetorriart
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloetorri
Image Credit:
Sam Staas
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