Core
Original work of the series online dopamine compulsion. The text has the collaboration on the translation of Valerie Connel.
Selected as the Editor’s Choice at Celeste Prize 2015, “Online Dopamine Compulsion” is a series of portraits and self-portraits produced between 2014 and 2015 while experiencing a compulsion crisis related to my schizophrenia. These digital collages were created with vibrant and supersaturated colours, using digital photos sourced from Google, Google Maps, Facebook and Instagram that were received via Skype, WhatsApp and Instagram chats. Other pictures I took myself and used glitches mainly in the background. I attended the Architecture and Urbanism University of São Paulo (FAU USP) for 13 years; my passion for technology led me to become a AutoLisp programmer at the age of 17 and I participated in the PIXEL 8 sea sound project in Norway. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, I’ve been in treatment since I was 23. My condition makes me a compulsive person and I need to practice impulse control. This project is reflexive and autobiographical in nature. An excessive desire for pleasure can lead to behavioral problems, such as compulsiveness, and we can pursue a passion for work or technology to our detriment. In extreme cases, the compulsion can lead to disorders such as schizophrenia; the significant increase of dopamine in the frontal lobe may cause hallucinations in disordered individuals. Although we derive great benefits from technology and the internet, we can’t ignore the problems caused by excessive dopamine rushes generated in the reward center of the brain by digital media or how this phenomenon is concentrated in urban centers. Dependence on cellphones is making relationships disposable. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to the loss of impulse control related to a high-tech lifestyle. The compulsion is a desire to do something that will bring immediate pleasure or emotional release or relief from boredom. But because the desire can never be satisfied, the compulsion doesn’t stop. People don’t even realize it’s happening; they lose their parameters and don’t notice that they have. This project aims to make people conscious of how they use technology and reflect on the effect it has on their life, in such a way that they may question their habits.
Portrait of kiki jaguaribe by Nancy Ekman
This is a picture that my mum took of me on the day I went out to work for the birthday of Gui Slaviero. He has not only hired me to do the artwork but invited me to the party aswell. It was such a delicious moment of celebration. There was no alcohol. There was good music and food and we where all happy together. He has asked me act with discretion and atempt to capture people on natural expressions and poses, without them noticing it. It wasn't easy but the final work went more beautiful then I expected. I'm happy when my clients get satisfied. I'm living a very special moment on my life. Looking for a more healthy life and more stable one. Atemoting to meet up people in real life more often and making new friends. Controlling my impulses not to work so hard. I'm going to parties more often aswell, with responsabilty. I take care of my nephews and on Sundays there is family lunch. My daughter has finished high school now and she wants to be a doctor. I'm very proud of her. Soon I'm going to the beach.
Nancy Ekman and Tung When Er watching the World Cup
Thos are my mum and my grandmother Tung When Er. My mum is a an architect that has studied at FAU Maranhão and my grandma taught English literature at China and then at the age of 37 she came to Brasil. She was sister of the famous painter Tung Xi Weñ ( Dong Xi Wen). She lived until the age of 96 and moved to my home after my grandpa Yang Chia Chi has passed away.
Kika canto and her family
This is the portrait of Kika Canto and her family. Gladys, Decio, and her sister Paula. On the background there are details of kika''s home and some of the precious thing that Gladys has collected on her life. We use to gather at her home on the end of the year at Guaruja, a beach city nearby São Paulo. When I've showed this portrait to Gui Slaviero he has hired me to register his birthday party.
Kiki the cartoon by Adão Iturrusgaray
This is the cartoon kiki by Adão Iturrusgaray. When I left my home for the first time I went to share a house with him and he has been so nice at me! He told me there was a rule at the house and it was to never let the sugar jar opened kkkkk . He is a very known cartoonosy today and he introduced me to Laerte and Angeli and others not so known as Otto. And to his friend Zed and Stevan. Our neighbor Kika Bastos was aways together with us and I care about her as if she was my sister. I used to be am Autolisp programmer st that time and I don't laugh so easily so he used to test his cartoons by showing it to me. We used to live at Vila Madalena, full of little nice bars and hang out every night. People used to visit us. At the weekend we used to go to my mum's and have lunch. He used to wake up and buy orange juice every morning and have his breakfast and I used to wash the dishes. We had a very good life together. Kika went to work to Angeli. I used to wear funny clothes and my hair with red laces that he used to knot for me.I was 23 at that time. I rented a room at his house and he let me feel at home and not only use the room but the whole house ad if we where sharing everything. My mum used to send me groceries aswell. It was my first experience out of my family home. The three of us where very united. We where all very liberal at that time. We had a lot of fun. I guss Adão knows me very well but halph of the things he brings with those messages on his kikis cartoon s are his own messages to teenagers. This características has been published at the newspaper Filha de São Paulo and at the magazine Capricho. I have a book called " kiki, the first time", that seems to be inspired on a blog I used to have called "furious angels" with poems and pictures, dedicated to my boyfriends, that I've deleted. This book has been published by Capricho magazine, that was aimed for teen girls. He has authorized me to publish this image on my project and to write about the caracter. One day, after we where not living together anymore, cause the house we used to rent has been sold, he has me and said : may I name a cartoon your name? And I've said off course. But I never imagined what he would do with this caracter. She is curious about everything and wants to experience everything. She is exaggerated. Maybe he criticises myself in the past.I'm more then stable now and perhaps he would not be so interested to create a cartoon if he only knew me nowadays. I don't know. But he sent me this cartoon and I'm glad he has introduced the theme of the technology abuse. About the bag on the wrist, I disagree with him, nowadays to go out every girl should use one.and the other is a coincidence, recently I decided to stop to die my hair. But those two are aimed for his public are disconnected with my life unless he has remembered some fact I do not. I used to die my hair a lot in the past. I had it purple, lilac, red, pink. In therms of fashion Adão is very cool. Besides now he is painting wonderfully and I've invited him to join us here at celesteprize.com
Other works
Secret friend
At the group therapy today we made a secret frIend game and it was such a coincidence that 10 years ago my friend has been taken the paper in which was wrotten my name, past year again, and this year we had to do it twice cause the first one gone wrong cause one of us was not going to participate anymore, and he took me on all ocasions! This secret friend of mine is also someone I admire very much, walter Casagrande that used to play for corinthians and now works for ré de globo and other things. He I'd one of the idols in brasil and I had the chance on my life to know him very well, we try to help each other and he's one of the persons I most trust. Id like to thank all my friends and proffessionals from the clinic aswell.
The nut cracker
This is a picture of teatro são pedro ( Saint Peters theater) downtown at São Paulo where tonight has been presented the ballet piece the nut cracker directed by Andre Malosa, husband of my cousin Caio Ekman. I am also bisexual. The other members of our family are heterosexual but they all accepted our style of life. The spectacle of ballet was so beautiful and I'm very proud to have people engaged in culture in my life.
Glitch of my beautiful cousins
This is a glitch I've made of my cousins Camila, Gabriela and Carlotta Pauline. They are daughter of Maria Flora Jaguaribe Ekman who is an artist and has aways inspired me. Carlotta Pauline is my youngest cousin and she became a photographer. I admire her talent and I've invited her to join celeste comunitity.
Ale Galasso glitch
This is my friend Alessandro Galasso portrait who has been my collaborator at sea.sound project. I participated wi5h this project on pixel 8 at Norway together with vj beterum and as consulter the phd ahmet aorhon from Turkey. You may find more info about sea.sound project at Internet.
Self portrait of Eduardo Oliveira
This is the self portrait of Eduardo Oliveira. He is a tarot reader. He has been very kind at me and read all my project and has shown me that I've done sevreal huge English mistakes. He has proposed to correct them.all for me, but yesterday the system wasn't working and due to my life be full of commitments whole day every day, I've arrived just too late for this today maybe just in time for him to help me to cgoose the core images, cause I was very confused and needed an outside look. I want to thank him for this.
My friend dj
This is my friend dj Glaucia mais mais (glaucia plus plus ) at cAsa 92. Id like to thank all the staff off the club for inviting me as v..I. p. Specifically to isadora who is one of the famous twins sister's that are very known at the scene at sp. To the female security responsable that has taken care of me when I bruised my leg and to the manager. To amanda who is responsible for the guest list. But I'd like to thank here not only the past night or this club specifically. It would be impossible to make a list of all night clubs I've been invited as v.I.p. that's because I'm friend of djs producers vjs cjs musicians ballet dancers singers actors directors stylists artists etc club owners hostess and if I'm forgetting someone please forgive me... I'd like to thank all those friends for this life full of beauty music and dance. I've passed through all the phases of night life in sp since 1985 punk dark rockabilly new wave etc I used to go to the madame sata club as a teenager and to the first electronic scene that was the hells club and there was other in between. Armagedon Columbia, I don't remember anymore. Until today that I go to dance more music like house and black music. I used to be part of the avonts family that started the raves in brasil. I used to think as myselfas the queen of raves because here we have an expression that says the queen of the something when you go every time. When I was pregnant I wentto all of them. I evendors took my daughter to one rave when she was a baby but there was a house with a nanny for her to stay away from the loud sounds. But after this experience I've decided that was the time to stop going to raves that at this time had became super raves. My daughter dad is a British producer and director called James Loyd and we split when she was 3 years old but we have a good relationship today and he was a wonderful partner for 5 years, a gentleman, used to bring me flowers aways, cook dinners at candelight every weekend, and take care of me and sophie avalon, and take me to dance. We used to dance twice a week sometimes. He also worked very hard. He gave me the privilege of being able to take care of my daughter and my home and do not need to work in need of obtaining money to pay for my bills. He also was aways a tempting to male me happy and we has been a great couple. After I split with him I've lived together with another guy for one and a half year, his name is Piterman Volnes. It was another beautiful relationship and he used to love me very much. But I had a long distance relationship with a German photographer through email for 11 years that somehow made me single and prevent myself to get attach to someone in brasil cause I loved him very much. We've know each other in brasil and he had to go away to work, once he came back and we've met and that's was our irl relationship. But it was so real to me that I couldn't get involved with anone else. His name is Malte Braun. Now I got over him. I has a relationship aswell with my ex bf Daniel and other bfs. I like them very much and we are friends. My best friend is one exbf. His name is Marcelo Minghini and he is a photographer. We dated for 8 years. I'm living a new life now, working a lot. I'm interested on my work and I feel good being single. I used to call Malte on every email angel. So I've made a poem for him that is on a poster of the music movie of the german directorPeter Sempel with my find Nick Cave, nina hagen and Blixa bagel at the moment museum. The poem says: " angels goes out at night to work and get lost"
Motivation
This is a picture of a message that my youngest sister has left me. She has diseased a few years ago. She had a heart attack, she was down síndrom. She had a very strong personality and I think that she has been a very happy person. Everyone leves her very much. She was employedat a gym academy as a receptionist. She has even had a fiancee but they broke up. She didn't wanted to get old. She was beautiful and talkative and aways knew what to say. I look at this message almost every day as a motovation. It's written : Cristina life is difficult but faith is aways surprising. .. York dream will be shining. You need it. Mel. ( me lins was her name and Mel means honey in Portuguese ) I miss her and I love her very much
Me and my daughter by my mum Nancy Ekman
This is me and my daughter Sophie Avalon Jaguaribe Ekman Lloyd. This picture was taken by my mum at her last year of school presentation on the graduation ceremony. It was also her birthday. She is now 18 years old. She wants to become a doctor. We are going to send her to Australia to study engish for a couple of months and she has chosen Gold Coast because she wants to experience the beach style of life. She is goergous but usually doesn't alouds me to take pictures of her. She is very intelligent and participated of the theater group at school. Yesterday was the first time that she sang in public. I'm very proud of her. I love her more than everything.
Picture of pictures related to Carlos Ekman
This is a detail of a panel at my home that shows pictures of Vila Penteado (FAU Maranhão) where was in the past the university of architecture and urbanism of São Paulo and where my parents have known each other. Today this place is the post gradating building of the university. It has been planned by my great grandfather Carlos Ekman, a Swedish architect that has relocated to Brasil and it's one of the first art nouveau buildings here. He is very known in Brasil. My father was named in honour of him as Carlos Cesar Jaguaribe Ekman. His other name Jaguaribe comes from Domingos Jaguaribe that was a doctor very innovative and that wrote and researched about several themes and has founded the city Campos do Jordão. My dad was himself a very talented professional and was a pioneer at the computers area. He had the first company that used AutoCad for architeure aplicativos and used to project cpds for banks. He has invited me to work with him at the age of 17 and teached me how to be an autodidact and I've learned to program on books. Unfortunately he has left us years ago, but he had the happiness to have known my daughter. His nickname was Barão. (Baron)
Me happy with my metacrilato piece
This picture has been taken by my brother Olavo Ekman that is also an artist. He is art director at a collective called Bijari. This was at Christmas at my home and I was very happy with my portrait on a metacrilato piece. My other brother is also an artist and belonged to a collective called embolex. Now he is part of another collectI've called condomínio. They are both very talented and studied architecture. Our relatinship influence on my work.
Portrait of Gui Slaviero
This is my friend Gui Slaviero he is my Co worker on this projet and I've asked him to wrote abut what his feelings and thought's about this moment that I registered. This work is a result of a collage that he hired me to do for his birthday party and the final work is not going to be published. It has been printed on metacrilato in dimension 40x60cm. This portrait is a sequence of my work online dopamine compulsion but I introduce here a suggestion for a solution to the problem that I've been trying to alert people that is the compulsion for technology and the consequences that this may bring.
Cellebration
I think he is the best person to say about the moment, because he was the one living it, celebrating his birthday with his best friends on a very special moment of his life, when he hired me to make this artwork. This work is called cellebration because it's more than a simple celebration. It's something more important than this, as he wrote here:
"What can i say about Cellebration?
The first thing you see in Kiki’s work is that she really captured my happynes. You can see that when you see my big smile in each and every Picture!
That specific date was a very special one. After a very dificult year strugling with a substance addiction, i finnaly overcame what was killing me. And with that i could get my friends and Family back.
That specific day, the one that Kiki with a very sensitive eye got to imortalize in a frame, was the first time that i could get everyone back together with me and celebrate my birthday.
It was a special day and a special Project." (Guilherme Slaviero Kaesemodel)
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