September 2021: Martha Gorzycki

by THE ARTISTS FORUM

Artist of the Month     >    2021 Artists


ARTIST PROFILE

NAME: Martha Gorzycki
LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
ORIGIN: Minneapolis, MN
ART: Animated & Digital Filmmaking, Media Installation
MAIN GENRE: Documentary and Experimental Animation
TRAINING: San Francisco State University & Yale University
ARTS AFFILIATIONS: ASIFA, Society for Animation Studies, University Film & Video Association

BIO: Martha Gorzycki is an award winning animator, filmmaker and media artist, experimenting in traditional and digital animation and new media. Her work screens globally in festivals, galleries, LED billboards and online and is in library collections in the US and Europe. Working with independent filmmakers, she has produced and photographed animation for more than three decades. She teaches digital cinema and animation at San Francisco State University in California.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei, 2015 (DV 10:45 min) is an experimental animated documentary about the Karen people who survived Burmese military acts of genocide and violence. Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei won over 20 awards and screened in over 50 international festivals, including Best Documentary Short at The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image: 2016. Unfurling, 2006 (silent DV installation 2:20 min) is an award winning installation screened in media arts festivals and LED billboards around the world. Peace Dreams, 2005 (16mm 7:20 min) is an award winning short film, animating many years of personal dream experiences.

LATEST WORKS: Currently working on an animated documentary exploring the independent daily life of Peter who is quadriplegic.


WORK SAMPLES: Two short films: Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei and Unfurling


INTERVIEW

Please describe your artistic themes
Experimenting with traditional and digital animation techniques, my films and installations explore intersections of dreams, cultural mythologies and social issues.

Please describe your creative process
Animation is all about imagination. Fantastical and invented images used in animation can draw us into stories in ways our eyes do not normally perceive the world. My creative process is largely reflexive; I like to visually codify myths and stories so the artistic style and animated materials themselves add meaning to the work.

What are your artistic goals? What do you need to achieve them?
I am interested in producing media that is reflexive and addresses social issues in creative ways. Grants and residencies enable more focused time for developing and finishing creative work.

What are your views on the industry?
Some industry folks are slowly recognizing they need to support and include more diverse stories, storytellers and artists. Still, much more inclusion and access for all is needed.

What advice would you give to emerging artists?
Honor your inner truth and persist with your vision.

WEBSITE: marthagorzycki on vimeo

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