Justin Storms
Encyclopedia
Justin Storms is an American
artist and musician who performs under the pseudonym "Wailin' Storms."
which he refers to as "Whaletopia." Stylistically his work is airy and serene with gritty themes dealing with: overpopulation
, global warming
, extinction
, war
, death
, whaling
, mysticism
, sex
, and maritime history
. His work has been compared to Hieronymus Bosch and Géricault.
Justin Storms has exhibited in museums, art fairs, and galleries in several parts of the world. A few being The Drawing Center, Preview Berlin, Arthouse at the Jones Center
for The New American Talent 23 exhibition in Austin, Walters Art Museum
, Loop Gallery in Berlin, Stolenspace Gallery in London, and Parker's Box in Brooklyn.
In 2008 Justin Storms graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art
and attended the Triangle Artist Workshop in Brooklyn, NY. During the winter of 2008 he was invited to attend the University of Berlin's "Karl Hofer Gesellschaft," where he exhibited work for the emerging art fair: "Preview Berlin" which was held at the historic Berlin Tempelhof Airport. In 2009, he was awarded Switzerland's "AKKU" residency, located just outside of Zurich and was a one year residency that lasted from 2009-2010. By the end of the AKKU residency he created and pressed 50 copies of the "Whaletopian Coloring Book." In 2010 he was invited to attend the Triangle International Residency in Brooklyn, NY.
and the Everly Brothers
as well as Nick Cave
and Glenn Danzig
are obvious, Justin's morose wail is a fresh one in an age of cut-and-paste digitized rock."
Wailin' Storms has performed in museums, art galleries, tattoo parlors, and bars all over the U.S. and parts of Europe. Wailin' Storms is expected to play the 2011 Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference, also known as the Macrock
festival, in Harrisonburg, VA.
, Cabinet Magazine, Baltimore City Paper, Glasstire, Art Fag City, Locus Art Magazine, and Zurich's: Tages Anzeiger Oberland.
at the Maryland Institute College of Art
's Hoffberger School of Painting
in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist and musician who performs under the pseudonym "Wailin' Storms."
Art
Storms' work primarily revolves around a post-apocalyptic whaling DystopiaDystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
which he refers to as "Whaletopia." Stylistically his work is airy and serene with gritty themes dealing with: overpopulation
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
, war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
, mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
, sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, and maritime history
Maritime history
Maritime history is the study of human activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant...
. His work has been compared to Hieronymus Bosch and Géricault.
Justin Storms has exhibited in museums, art fairs, and galleries in several parts of the world. A few being The Drawing Center, Preview Berlin, Arthouse at the Jones Center
Arthouse at the Jones Center
Arthouse at the Jones Center is a 5013 conforming non-profit visual arts organization based in Austin, Texas. It is the oldest statewide visual arts organization in Texas, and the only statewide visual arts organization dedicated entirely to contemporary art....
for The New American Talent 23 exhibition in Austin, Walters Art Museum
Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum, located in Baltimore, Maryland's Mount Vernon neighborhood, is a public art museum founded in 1934. The museum's collection was amassed substantially by two men, William Thompson Walters , who began serious collecting when he moved to Paris at the outbreak of the American...
, Loop Gallery in Berlin, Stolenspace Gallery in London, and Parker's Box in Brooklyn.
In 2008 Justin Storms graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art is an art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the first and oldest art colleges in the United States. In 2008, MICA was ranked #2 in the nation...
and attended the Triangle Artist Workshop in Brooklyn, NY. During the winter of 2008 he was invited to attend the University of Berlin's "Karl Hofer Gesellschaft," where he exhibited work for the emerging art fair: "Preview Berlin" which was held at the historic Berlin Tempelhof Airport. In 2009, he was awarded Switzerland's "AKKU" residency, located just outside of Zurich and was a one year residency that lasted from 2009-2010. By the end of the AKKU residency he created and pressed 50 copies of the "Whaletopian Coloring Book." In 2010 he was invited to attend the Triangle International Residency in Brooklyn, NY.
Music
In 2005 Storms began to perform songs as a solo artist initially as Justin Storms but later changed his stage name to "Wailin' Storms." After playing live on a South Texas outlaw country Radio station in 2006, the DJ dubbed Storms' music as "Texas Doom Country Blues." Richard Guerrero of the Corpus Christi Caller Times once wrote, "while classic influences such as Roy OrbisonRoy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
as well as Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
and Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
are obvious, Justin's morose wail is a fresh one in an age of cut-and-paste digitized rock."
Wailin' Storms has performed in museums, art galleries, tattoo parlors, and bars all over the U.S. and parts of Europe. Wailin' Storms is expected to play the 2011 Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference, also known as the Macrock
MACRoCk
The Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference is an annual music conference held in the downtown area of Harrisonburg, Virginia every April since 1997. It features local, regional, and national musical acts as well as a music label exposition and panels addressing issues of the media, music, DIY...
festival, in Harrisonburg, VA.
Press
Storms' work has appeared in The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Cabinet Magazine, Baltimore City Paper, Glasstire, Art Fag City, Locus Art Magazine, and Zurich's: Tages Anzeiger Oberland.
Education
Storms received his MFAMaster of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
at the Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art is an art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the first and oldest art colleges in the United States. In 2008, MICA was ranked #2 in the nation...
's Hoffberger School of Painting
Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art is an art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the first and oldest art colleges in the United States. In 2008, MICA was ranked #2 in the nation...
in 2008.