Dear Women,
We are living in some dark and uncertain times, as some may say, and for that very reason I decided to be vague about the theme of our first issues. I simply solicited “moody” work, creative pieces with substance that evoke memory, feeling, thought, so that we could unearth what is going on in people’s minds and hearts right now, uncensored.
The tension was clearly visible all across our many submissions. We received work that dealt with subjects like social justice, social anxiety, grief, alienation, memory, nuclear disaster, modern love, anger, sexism, just to name a few.
OyeDrum was conceived from my total admiration for women as humans, artists, and thinkers, to share what’s in their hearts and minds in a safe space. OyeDrum was created for women to heal, find themselves and each other, in a safe space. My mission is to support, encourage, nurture, reflect, connect and display female energy, intellect, and creativity.
Yours,
Amarantha
Editor-in-Chief/Founder
Featuring
Alex Graffeo – Amy Meng – Anjana Kothamachu – Anna Markham – Arizona Smith – Chelsea Criger – Ella Laviolette – Hailey Schlenker – H.E. Fisher – Heike Auer – Hilary Davies – Joi Cole – Julia Forrest – Kristine Esser Slentz – Lana London – Maho Donowaki – Marina Carreira – Melanie Lee – Natalie Wadlington – Natasha Herring – Sarah Walko – Shamecca Harris – Susan Carr – Suzanne Unrein – Taekyung Seo
Subliminal by Ella Laviolette – art/poetry
Artwork and poetry “Subliminal” by Ella Laviolette. Artwork series title: Transcendence.
Another Day by Suzanne Unrein – art
Art series “Another Day” by Suzanne Unrein. These images represent our connect with the animal self. They depict intimate encounters, ritualistic movement, and connections between human, animal, and our curiosity about one another.
Chernobyl by Anna Markham – art
Visual art by Anna Markham. Images are inspired by Chernobyl. The series highlights mutations to create an interaction between subject and viewer. She highlights the eerie and unearthly to represent anxiety of the unknown or misunderstood.
Illusion by Julia Forrest- photography
Photography by Julia Forrest. Mirrors and black and white imagery create illusions and goddess imagery. The women depicted in the images are soft and gentle, yet hold power over the landscape through manipulation via the mirrors.
Daddy Issues by Shamecca Harris – experimental nonfiction
Daddy Issues by Shamecca Harris is a creative nonfiction essay about first times, past traumas, and what it really means to love.
A Relatable Poem by Hilary Davies / Art by Arizona Smith
Poems by Hilary Davies and Artwork by Arizona Smith. A trilogy of contemporary poems that speak to the universal experience of missed connections, lost love, and nostalgia. “Lover I”, “Ogmore”, and “a relatable poem”
An Oddly Serene Moment by Maho Donowaki – art
An Oddly Serene Moment by Maho Donowaki is visual art installation that explores the experience of being a part of two different cultures, while feeling disconnected from them both. Donowaki uses food, more specifically Asian sauce, to highlight how the disconnect manifests in her experience.
Blue by Heike Auer- experimental poetry
Blue by Heike Auer. Experimental visual poetry, a nonfiction piece using ocean imagery to describe the loneliness of anxiety and depression.
Dirt by by Natasha Herring – nonfiction
A deeply personal essay by Natasha Herring that takes the reader through her journey of recovery, beginning with the end of her ten-year marriage and ending with the acknowledgment that sometimes in order to grow, we have to endure unimaginable pain.
Boudicca by Alex Graffeo – poetry
Photography by Julia Forrest, Poem by Alex Graffeo. “Boudicca” is a biographical interpretation of Iron Age Queen Boudicca, combining her story with the modern woman to comment on patriarchal suppression over history.
Untitled by Hailey Schlenker
Artwork by Chelsea Criger. Poems by Hailey Schlenker: “Untitled I”” and Untitled II”.
When the Body Doesn’t – poetry
Poem By Marina Carreira, Art by Melanie Lee. “When the Body Doesn’t”, “When the Body Doesn’t, Redux”, and “#YourPussy” are full of beautiful imagery and vivid depictions of queer love, both emotional and physical.
The Sea Poem by Susan Carr
Poem by Susan Carr. Full of ocean related imagery, The Sea Poem is based on a dream about global warming that Carr had many years ago.
Dinner – art
Artwork by Natalie Wadlington, all oil on canvas. Images depict surreal versions of every day life, based in memory and storytelling, and particularly highlighting our relations with animals, both metaphoric and literal.
Fake Organ Show by Tae Kyung Seo – performance art
Performance art by Tae Kyung Seo. The performances are part of an evolving series of her artwork, which is concerned with her meditations on an inside/outside dichotomy (her “ecosystem”) and the line that separates them.
Erotic Femininity by Melanie Lee
Erotic Femininity by Melanie Lee, a New York based illustrator whose inspiration is drawn from her experiences as a woman, and is expressed through bright colors and mystic imagery.
Close the Door
Artwork by Lana London. “Divergent”, “Conversations”, “Close the Door”.
One Past 5:14 by Amy Meng – art
One past 5:14 by Amy Meng is a series influenced by anime and manga that investigates infantilisation, fetish, domesticity, and their impact on the individual. Using hobby craft and household materials, Meng creates an uncanny vision of household bliss.
Finding Divinity in Art
Artwork by Sarah Walko. Walko creates talismans using objects from the natural and mystical world, reminding viewers of their divinity through art and encouraging them to use their feminine voice.
Conjuring
Conjuringby Arizona Smith
somewhere elsewhere by Anjana Kothamachu
“somehwere elsewhere” is a hybrid experimental multimedia animation art piece by Anjana Kothamachu. Kothamachu is a visual artist, expressive arts therapist and psychologist in training based in Bangalore and Mumbai.
go – circa ’85
by H.E. Fisher