martedì 28 aprile 2009

Interview with Benjamin Phillips





q)Please introduce yourself.


a)Hello, I’m Benjamin Phillips.


q) Where do you live and work?


a) Brighton and also Brighton.


q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?


a) I’d say it’s humorous and kinda sweet but with some sadistic undertones. Drawing, etching, painting, different methods with a similar aesthetic. Somewhere between talented and remedial.


q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?


a) I remember telling my mum I was going to art school when I was about 5.

I think I considered myself an artist when I was in green class and Sophie Burn told me that I was the only one who could draw hands. The thumbs are the tricky bit.


q) What are your favorite art materials and why?


a) That’s tricky as I get pretty frustrated if I have to use the same material for too long.

I’d say at the moment watercolour-pencils: you can use them in many different ways and they’re really portable, perfect for train journeys.


q) What/who influences you most?


a) I put a lot of my own personal experience in my work, so the main things that influence me are other people: pretty girls, pretty annoying girls, my mum, mainly girls. I write a lot these days too, which is having a strong influence on my art.


q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.


a) A typical day… a productive one would involve me starting to work in the studio around 10:27 and I’ll work till 1:00 and then I have lunch, be back by 1:45, then work till 6 or 7.

I might not get that much done though, as I’m easily distracted by sounds and things that move.


q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?


a) I’ve been working on a book of short-writings and images, I’d love it if I could get it published. Though I think the most exciting thing is the possibility that I’ll be presented with a path that I haven’t thought of yet, I want to do a lot of things.


q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?


a) I recently went to Berlin and there are some awesome German and European contemporary printers at the moment. Antoine Bernhart is a favourite of mine, he’s work is ‘sick’ in both respects.


q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?


a)I usually like to finish a piece on the day I start it, though if it’s an etching I’m happy to spend a few days designing the plate. It depends what/who the work is for. Definitely no longer than a week, I don’t find it fun staring at the same stupid drawing for too long.


q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?


a) I do get attached to originals, but I have no problem selling one of a series.

I like giving my art as presents and I have several friends whose personal space is occupied by my remedial drawings of Batman.


q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?


a) I listen to a lot of folk music, right this very second I’m listening to Tom Brasseau. Though generally at the moment some bands I’m enjoying are Dodos, Andrew Bird, Grizzly Bear, Magnetic Fields. The compilation ‘Dark was the night’ is astounding. I also like writing and recording music and play with a band called alma mahler. We’ve only been together for about a year but we’re playing a few festivals this summer around England.


q) Books?


a) I like angsty fiction. Catcher in the rye, 1984, The Secret History, The Wasp Factory.


q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?


a) I don’t have any strong theories. Just do work when you feel like doing it and have

fun doing it.


q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?


a) I like going to the pub and going to see live music, squash is fun but I don’t play it much these days.


q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?


a) I’m currently in the last few weeks of my degree at Brighton University and we’ve got a show at the Rag Factory in London, just off Brick Lane, and that starts on the 2nd of July this year. I’m also part of a couple of other shows in London this summer, but dates have not been confirmed yet.


q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?


a) I don’t keep a firm eye on current trends though I look at a few blogs:

Fecal Face, Beautiful Decay, booooooom is pretty good too.


q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.


a)Ok;


q) What is the best present you’ve been given lately?


a)I was given half a keg of ale from my sister’s boyfriend’s dad (mick).

He’s a swell guy, as are all the Well’s. I like them all a lot. I’m glad my sister has a good boyfriend as it’s a pain in the arse when you have to pretend to like someone who has to associate with your family. Dave is not that big a tosser.


q) Any advice for aspiring artists?


a) Work out what you are good at and what makes you slightly different from everyone else that dresses the same as you, and exploit it. Be passionate about making your art, but try to forget about it sometimes too.


q) Where can we see more of your work online?


a)BENJAMINPHILLIPS.CO.UK

sabato 18 aprile 2009

Interview with HANDIEDAN





q)Please introduce yourself.


a)In 1981 I was born in

the south part of the Netherlands. I studied photographic design at

the Academy of Arts and Design St. Joost in the Netherlands. Along the

way, I developed my skills and since 2002 I work

under the name HANDIEDAN as a Amsterdam based self-employed artist, (web)designer,

illustrator, flash

animator and

photographer.


q)Where do you live and work?


a)Amsterdam


q)How would you

describe your work

to someone who has

never seen it?


a)My art work is a cut

and paste mixture

of patiently composed collages on paper and

photo montages all

washed together with

the computer in an aesthetically pleasant

and intuitive playful way.

I use classic pin-ups

and other elements like

old yellowed sheet

music, old fashioned

playing cards,

Chinese papers and

stamps, old money,

elegant curls, old

wood, rusty metal

and other old stuff I

gather on the street,

flea markets or find in

old boxes on the attic.

To combine the old

images with my

hand-dawn little

girly doodles, scratches

like happenings by

purpose I try to

distort the carefully

placed elements and

makes the design lively

and create a

newfangled

amalgamation of

imagery.


q)How did you start

in the arts? How/when

did you realize you

were an artist?


a)Creativity skipped

my parents generation.

My grandfather, my

cousin and me were

the only ones in the

family who shared

their passion for

drawing. My

grandfather worked

as a shoe designer

in The Netherlands

and Paris and my

cousin now is a

graphic designer.

At the age of five

till eight I was

always drawing and

I loved to join my

grandfather in his

pension hobby

workshop at home.

We worked together

in the workshop in

silence for hours:

He behind his desk,

making handmade

wooden model

ships and me sitting

on the ground painting

and wondering

about the finest

details and the

patience my grandpa

works with. I liked

this so much and

felt I wanted to do

that too.

In the mean time

my 9 year older cousin

went to art school.

So he was also a

big inspiration for

me and I alway asked

him to show his

portfolio or wanted

to draw together

with him when we

visited the families

on Sundays.

At the age of 17 I

went to the Academy

of Art and Design

myself and developed

my skills

and passion

for drawing,

photography and

creating with the

computer. After

Art school I start

working as a designer

for a company for 3

days a week, but after

a year working over

there I felt like

working for myself.

I start creating free

work in the after

hours and after a

couple of years it

developed this in

the way that I can

make a living of it.


q)What are your

favorite art materials

and why?


a)My black ink pen

and normal blue

ballpoint. When

you work with

these materials

you wont be able

to retouch any line,

so it has a very

impulsive, direct

or sketchy look.


q)What/who influences

you most?


a) -Old artists like

Pablo Picasso,

Salvador Dali and Michaelangelo.

Also the French

artists are a very

important inspiration

for me. The French

artists just have a

different kind of stile

which I like very

much!

- Collected design, illustration and all

sorts of creative

books and

magazines.

- Furthermore I get

a lot of new inspiration

and energy by

traveling. The big

city with its own live,

each with different

energy, people and

culture. For example;

Berlin, Paris and

Shanghai have a

big influence on

my work. But also

the big open like

New Zealand where

you find time for

yourself and nature.


q)Describe a typical

day of art making

for you.


a)Working at my

atelier at home in Amsterdam, creating

and designing with

the computer.

Combine this with

drawing doodles

and ink sketches

on white paper and

yellowed sheet music

sitting on the ground

of my atelier. Wash

old paper and going

out on the street

collect interesting

old stuff for my mixed

media works and to

scan for using it

on the computer.


q)Do you have goals, specific things you

want to achieve with

your art or in your

career as an artist?


a)My dream is to

live from my art

and being able to

travel through my

art. So I can do the

two things I love

most.


q)What contemporary

artists or developments

in art interest you?


a)The diversity

you find in today’s

art. Different media

all mixed together.

Very inspirational.


q)How long does it

typically take you

to finish a piece?


a)Hard to say.

Sometimes it takes

a couple of days

even to develop

a new design with

the computer,

sometimes only

one day. After I

finished designing

in the computer I

have the basis part

of my artwork and I

can start creating

mixed media works

on paper, wood and

zinc. Mostly one or

two days working

on this phase.

q)Do you enjoy

selling your pieces,

or are you

emotionally attached

to them?


a)I enjoy selling my

works. This means

that people like it

and appreciate what

I create. But it is also

hard to say goodbye

to my piece, because

I indeed get

emotionally attached

to it. But the idea that

the new owner is

very happy with it

and will able to

enjoy the work at

his private space

makes me feel good.

And it also is great

to have all the artworks spread over the

world instead of

having them all over

here in my atelier!


q)Is music important

to you? If so, what

are some things

you're listening

to now?


a)I can’t work without

music and listen to

all kind of different

music. One day I

listen to classic,

the other day electro,

and another day I

like to listen to

new never heard experimental music.


q)Books?


a)Collected design, illustration and all

sorts of creative

books and magazines.

And I love science

books about molecules

and stuff!


q)What theories or

beliefs do you have regarding creativity

or the creative process?


a)It is a continuously experiment with

the interaction of

different materials

and techniques,

grow and

development,

through fascination

and curiosity and

interest.


q)What do you do

(or what do you

enjoy doing) when

you're not creating?


a)Traveling, Hanging /

going out with friends, family. Going into

town or nature.

Reading


q)Do you have any

projects or shows

coming up that you

are particularly

excited about?


a)Online solo show

at Phone Booth

Gallery in December

2009 - www.phoneboothgallery.com

Solo show at

Museum of Porn in

Art in Zürich 18.09.-15.10.2009 - www.porninart.ch


q)Do you follow contemporary art

scenes? If so, how?

What websites,

magazines, galleries do

you prefer?


a) www.juxtapoz.com,


www.hifructose.com,


www.idnproshop.com,


http://netdiver.net


q)Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.


a)-


q)Any advice for aspiring artists?


a)Love what you do and do what you love.


q)Where can we see

more of your work

online?


a)www.handiedan.com


www.myspace.com/handiedan


www.flickr.com/photos/handiedan


www.issuu.com/handiedan


www.hanneketreffers.nl