“I used to paint girls on my couch, now I paint finance bros”. 

Photography provided by Brief Shalimar.

The fourth edition of the Brief Shalimar Salon titled “The Thrill is Gone” debuted this past weekend, I had the chance to explore the exhibit and talk community with its creators. 

Founded by Zahra Mansoor, and currently run alongside Iman Salem & Terence Berchman – who trained at Parsons Paris and Paris College of Art – Shalimar was birthed while conversing within artist studios, in workshops, and late nights over drinks and acrylic during final years of art school. The concept of something so typical for art students… the post grad experience is filled with strict gallery rules and uncomfortable professionalism. This group decided to take those casual, yet integral late nights in intimate spaces to the real world and curate that vibe into the Shalimar Salon. 

The Thrill is Gone was a brief created as “an ode to the bittersweet realities of artists’ work and life landscapes.” The basepoint was drawn from B.B. King’s haunting melody on disillusioned romance. The main take from this night was a great sense of community building from a pre-structured collaboration between 12 artists from across the globe. 

The work ranged across several mediums including photography, organic matter and painting. The night’s highlights included Irene Goldrón’s Once again, I feel safe in a place that no one knows , Yizhi Wan’s Au-delà de la fenêtre , Gayatri Juvekar’s Scars & Jaga Jankowska Cappigny’s Sahara Sanatorium. We had the pleasure of speaking to Yizhi Wan to discuss Au-delà de la fenêtre – the piece was made of hairy tofu, wafer paper and bamboo matting. Yizhi explained to us that the tofu used comes from his home of Anqing City, China and that his work is based in memory, something we at LICK are deeply into at the moment. 

Across the board the artists we had the pleasure of speaking to spoke about the collaboration of work and getting into each other’s spaces. Artists’ studios are personal and they found that this was an experience worth doing again. The collaborations were helpful for getting out of their comfort zone and reflecting on their own personal ethos’. 

The first panel of the night HOW ARTISTS GET AWAY WITH THINGS with Carol Girod, Lenny Tendo, Zahra Mansoor, moderated by Ariane Tassin discussed capitalism in the art world, imposter syndrome and when one can say they are indeed an artist. The conversation was amazing – three artists, from different mediums, recognize that in today’s world it takes time to build a financial backing to allow oneself to embrace their work and how capitalism plays a part in the modern artist’s life. Carol Girod stated “Working in business distanced me as an artist… presenting myself as an entrepreneur… I assumed being an artist by taking photos, you cannot do without doing it.” The conversation was also geared toward what makes someone an artist and how imposter syndrome can take hold of a creative due to having to work to survive and fuel their artistic passions “being an artist isn’t having a job as an artist, it’s a way of living your life… you can be an artist in different ways,” stated Brief Shalimar co-creator, Zahra Mansoor. The further we go into the 21st century the artist has persevered, sustaining passion, creativity and progression in a late-stage capitalist world that is anything but uplifting to the creative. The term “imposter syndrome” haunts every artist like a premonition. This panel left me in good

conscience that artists refuse to fall, and that the modern age will not allow that passion to be stolen from them. Carol Girord’s statement “Being an artist today is between you and yourself… even if nobody will see it, you do it,” was a testament to this grit. The artists presented here are a testament to this, and that will continue to grow with the community Brief Shalimar has begun to foster. 

Brief Shalimar is definitely a space to watch.