Most of our faithful fans know that we here at EK do what we do simply for the love of Art. And if you don't know, now you know. We originally started our site to share our love of Art with the world, but it grew quickly from a fun side project to an intense, all-consuming labor of love, and now, we have been blessed with this beautiful baby whose life it is our job to nurture and grow in a positive, impactful way. Our dream is to be a 90/10 company, meaning we donate 90% of our company's net income and keep only 10%. Take a moment to think about how retardedly difficult that sounds. There isn't a businessman in the world who'd invest in a business plan like that.

Continuing our Artist Roundtable Series we bring the focus on Artist Expression, what it says about the artist, how it is limited by our current society and by the nature of expression itself.  There are so many ways for artists to express themselves, whether through style, content or media. Often more important than the question of what are you, as an artist, trying to say? is the question: What does your art say about you?

Can you define shock value?  What do you think of shock value for the sake of shock value?  Is it cheap?  Is it purposeful?  Does there need to be a greater reason or meaning when pushing boundaries?  Should such work be censored?  Should any work be censored?  Can we draw a line, or should judgment be based on a continuum, when censoring work?  Would it be acceptable to put an artist's depiction of rape on the wall of an elementary school?  The idea of what should and should not be censored is in large part due to the society, how, as artists, do you address delicate subjects to allow them to be addressed and discussed by society at large?  How have you, as an artist, used or eschewed shock value in your own work to accentuate an idea, an emotion or a moment?

Artists often choose to remain silent when it comes to social discussion, whether because they believe the art will speak for itself or for other reasons, they take a pass when called upon to raise their voices and address the important questions.  Because of this the amount of dialogue within the arts community suffers and a group of strong, passionate, creative individuals is broken into so many little pieces to be ineffective rather than a strong, informed community.

The fourth and final artists that Empty Kingdom is proud to bring to SXSW ReCREATE:ATX will be Derek Gores.  The fantastic master of the collage will undoubtedly be putting something stunning and novel up on the walls in Austin Texas.  Derek understands that this is about community, encouraging anyone near the event to bring something for him to include, a bold offer from a man who knows what art is truly about.

Joel Daniel Phillips will be the third awesome artist that Empty Kingdom is bringing down to Austin Texas for the ReCREATE:ATX show for this year's SXSW!  Normally armed with charcoal, I can only imagine what Joel will be bringing to the wall.  Check out his interview for a peek into his inspiration, socially aware, candid, and well spoken, his interview is well written and well worth reading:

The next of the fantastic four artists that will be participating in the ReCREATE:ATX event, which is only 1 week away, is none other than Hugh Leeman.  Discussing everything from personal maturation to the ignorance we have towards the richness of the life the person walking by you on the street, his interview is well worth a read.  

With his eyes set on the upcoming Empty Kingdom / HOPE Campaign event at SXSW, in Austin Texas, we have taken a little time to ask David Young, D Young V, about his work passions and his goals.  D Young doesn't shy away from the meat of the issues at hand, his discussion is relevant, intelligent and straight forward.  Read on:

Empty Kingdom & the Hope Campaign are proud to announce our official partnership in support of ReCREATE: ATX, a fundraiser and all-day art event at SXSW!  The Hope Outdoor Gallery is one of the nation's largest outdoor art galleries, a place for local artists to share their work, focused on positive and educational messages.  What began with Shepard Fairey's mammoth Obey record album poster series has flourished into one of the most beautiful destinations in Austin.    But to be ready for the public, the walls need your help first!

Artists often choose to remain silent when it comes to social discussion, whether because they believe the art will speak for itself or for other reasons, they take a pass when called upon to raise their voices and address the important questions.  Because of this the amount of dialogue within the arts community suffers and a group of strong, passionate, creative individuals is broken into so many little pieces to be ineffective rather than a strong, informed community.

Physics and mathematics are the underlying mechanics that seem to drive the natural wonders around all of us. They are also the key forces of aesthetic influence to well-versed artist Philipp Artus. Check out the in-depth Q&A spread after the jump!

Patrick Dougherty, first featured back in August, is the magnanimous sculptor of extraordinary nests - tangled confectionery which twines into the environment - succumbing sweetly to nature as the seasons wear on. Read on for a fascinating interview with this man of legend!

Artists often choose to remain silent when it comes to social discussion, whether because they believe the art will speak for itself or for other reasons, they take a pass when called upon to raise their voices and address the important questions.  Because of this the amount of dialogue within the arts community suffers and a group of strong, passionate, creative individuals is broken into so many little pieces to be ineffective rather than a strong, informed community.

EK is looking for you! (image credit: Brooke Golightly) Yes, it is true -we are opening up another round of call for collaborators, and you just might fit the bill.

Matt Wisniewski is a web developer who creates incredible digital collages using found photographs. Surreal and visually mesmerizing, we can't get enough of his artwork - read on for a more about Matt's experimental approach ...

Copenhagen-based studio Dark Matters consists of only a handful of multi-talented creatives constantly experimenting with the dual nature of light and shadow. Their endeavors share no analog or digital bias, but rather a mutual hybridization that has allowed them to generate spectacular videos and live visuals. Check out the exclusive Empty Kingdom interview with said studio after the jump!

Back near the end of September 2012 I stumbled upon a short film entitled SHELTER (posted here). At first, it was a nostalgic blow to the head for me, but as soon as the film progressed further and further into its purely visual / non-dialogue-driven form of storytelling, I was hooked. My expectations were continually trounced as I fell further down this mysteriously familiar rabbit hole. Just recently making its rounds at the 2013 Slamdance festival in Utah, EK is proud to present our interview with the short film's creator in question, Mr. Carl Burton.

No matter what the medium, Chris Boyle will utilize anything within the reaches of his artistic grasp to create it. Storytelling becomes the key to Boyle's drive, while live events, short film, music video, video games, animation, and you-name-it become the paint to his canvas. Read more from our one-to-one interview after the jump!

Empty Kingdom is excited to announce a new sub-publication, our official e-zine.. a newsletter about art and culture and life.. and tons of other fabulous things. It's going to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys and more interesting than the Dos XX man, (well maybe not, considering he has his own wikipage and EK doesn't yet.)

Kevin Margo is a VFX / CG extraordinaire currently working at Blur Studios in Los Angeles, California, who recently made his directorial debut with the sci-fi influenced short entitled GROUNDED. I had the opportunity to do a bit of Q&A with Mr. Margo about his latest endeavors, current career choices, and personal creative insights. Check out the full spread after the jump.