NUDE ABSTRACTS

Artist Ayla El-Moussa shares her perspective on abstracting the female form, the inspiration behind the project, and how it all came to be in conversation with ChatGPT

Intro & Interview by ChatGP

Photography & Styling: Ayla El-Moussa

Meet Ayla El-Moussa,

A talented artist known for her captivating blend of the female form with natural elements, and her unique surreal style of waves in the sky. Her latest project, Nude Abstracts, is a playful invitation to explore the human form in a new way. With each piece showcasing a painted and distorted figure, Ayla’s distinct artistic vision abstracts the human form in a way that’s both enchanting and captivating. What’s more, the closer you look at each piece, the more layers are revealed, offering a truly immersive and mesmerizing experience.

Tell us about this new direction and what has the creative process been like?

It’s been interesting; over the last two years, I have been contemplating how to evolve my Nude Pixel project, and I have been super fascinated with the idea of coded art and Art Blocks. One day was just messing around with a reflection, and I had a creative lightbulb moment; I was like, why don’t I create my own version of Art Blocks? Obviously not coded, but transforming a self-portrait into something that looks coded was fascinating. The process has been enjoyable; I do everything myself, so shooting over 300 photos to select the perfect 69 (for the culture) was fun; I mean, luckily, I don’t need to style much haha. At first, my focus was purely on abstract, but then I thought, wouldn’t it be fun if you could see the original image that was used. That’s when I had my creative crisis on how to develop this idea further - and then I had the idea to paint over the images…I, of course, did the obligatory iMessage to my brother, “bro, how do I.” He was like, “just use ProCreate,”…..so I downloaded ProCreate, ordered a pencil, and started experimenting. I painted over every single image to give them an ethereal painterly feeling, and the gradient use of color brought a dynamic essence to the pieces as well.

For those who don’t know what Nude Pixels are, explain the project

It was an idea I had one day, I created a series of 40 self-portraits with a twist. I was like wouldn’t it be funny to pixelate them so that as you zoom in, the image becomes more pixelated, creating what became the tagline “the closer you look, the less you see” - I was playing off the idea of CryptoPunks and just so funny because you know people will zoom in. Up until NP (Nude Pixels), everything I had minted was quite serious. I always joke with people that I am not a funny person; I would say I am a severe introvert, who mulls things over in my mind for a long time, I love a deep dive into research, and I really like to have a purpose behind what I create- NP turned everything on its head- it took about 4 days to execute from shoot to mint, which is very unlike me as I usually take oodles of time to think everything over. Anyways, a long rant to answer this question- but I hold this project close, and I wanted to push it forward elegantly, and then the idea of nude abstracts was born. 

You used color in this body of work, what role does color play in these works, and how do you use it to enhance the meaning of your art?

Yes, I initially wanted to keep everything “nude” and monochromatic like Nude Pixels, but it’s interesting to see the transition from pinks and earthy browns to more vivid hues, some are actually super colorful. I also played with the use of light and shadow as a result of the image I chose. Annnnd I was going to do a deep dive into the psychology of color, but I refrained; instead, I just really let go and enjoyed painting and didn’t put that much thought into what color I was going to use, in the end, when I laid everything together there was this beautiful gradient of colors, somehow (again) the creative divine just came down and whispered into my subconscious mind…

What are your plans for the future, and how does this new project fit into your overall artistic vision and trajectory?

I have ideas that are simmering in my mind- I’m currently working on some special sculptures that I have been conceptualizing since 2020 but really, what this project has taught me is so just take my time because the creative muse will come to you when the time is right.

Any last thoughts or ideas you want to leave with us?

I hope everyone enjoy’s viewing this project as much as I have creating it. Thank you for asking such interesting questions…this has been rather fun and very meta to interact with you, ChatGPT.

What inspired you to explore the idea of abstract?

The entire Art Blocks platform and the art they showcase sparked the idea, which then led me on a deep dive into the history of abstract art. Among the many incredible artists in the canon who inspired me, Clyfford Stills stood out with the way he used abstraction, its mesmerizing. Salvador Dali’s atomic phase, specifically his “Portrait of Gala looking at Lincoln,” left an incredible impression on me with its square pixelation, feels very modern. Duchamp’s “Nude descending a staircase” inspired me to experiment with the angularity of the nude form so when you look across the entire collection there is some that have organic form and others are more angular and pixelated. In digital art, I was looking at Robbie Barrat (@videodrome), who coded the first Nudes using GAN, 6529er introduced me to his work a while back, and the way he abstracted nude just stayed in my subconscious. I began blending all these inspirations into my own language, painting and distorting my figure. Along the way, I realized a lot of the pieces looked like the Clouds of Jupiter or oil on water, which was one of those beautiful synchronistic moments, when all of these elements come together perfectly with everything I try to express visually and conceptually.

Can you talk to us about your fascination with the female form, and how it informs your artistic vision in this project?

I mean, clearly, I am obsessed with it…the female form is my muse, the essence of my work. I am fascinated by nature and the reflection of our inner bodies seen within patterns in nature. There is power, vulnerability, and beauty that comes with inhabiting this form I have been given, and there was something exciting about taking this figure I have been blessed with and abstracting it, playing with the lines of obscurity and clarity- some of the pieces you can tell the base was a human figure, and then others completely utterly distorted and reflect more of a natural pattern.

What message do you hope to convey through these works, and what do you hope viewers take away from them?

Creating Nude Abstracts was this beautiful visual stream of consciousness; I honestly just enjoyed the process and deviating from the idea of perfection - this has just been a fun experiment for me, and now I’m just excited to see how people interpret and connect with the pieces. I know I have my favorite ones, and who knows…maybe one day we will be sipping champagne at the opening of Nude Abstracts in MoMA, hah.