q) Introduce yourself, name,age, location.
a)My name is Vaka Valo. I don't
celebrate my birthday. I mostly live
between East Asia , California ,
and Northern Europe . Like a Comanche, not a Cowboy. The world is my home.
q) Can you describe your path to being an artist? When did you really
get into it?
a)I suppose it occurred sometime early in my childhood. My parents could not afford a piano or
lessons, so naturally I turned to creating visually with the standard tools of
expression and household items.
q) Describe your ideals and how they manifest in your work./Is music a
part of your studio time?/What do you listen to?/How would you describe your
work to someone?/Influences?/Describe your process for creating new work.
a)I have many vast and varied influences. Too many to list in this interview. If one is specifically talking about
particular art movements or periods of history, it constantly shuffles and is
dependent upon the project I am working on.
I certainly hold the Dadaists and Surrealists in high regard, but also
everything that happened before these movements and everything after. The music and processes of John Cage and
Brian Eno are a constant inspiration to my approach in creating. My projects begin with curiosity, then a
series of ongoing intensive experiments follow.
If I like the results, a system is introduced and a project organically
arises from that. I just stay very
curious. Ideas are too limiting. All of my projects involve chance elements
for raw material that I have no control over, then I create something original
from that.
It is from this the context change that the raw material transforms into
something else entirely. I like having
that type of self-imposed limitation upon my work. It makes for very interesting and unexpected
results. Both the elements of chance and
contextual transformation are very exciting to me. In any art form. My goal is to tangibly realise chance
occurrences into an ordered artistic arrangement so other people can enjoy the
images in my mind, whatever form they may take.
q) What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?
a)It seems the creation of a personal website to display work would be
primary. The Internet has made this
easier than any previous time period. One's
audience is no longer limited by current geographic coordinates or
timelines. That being said, nothing
compares to experiencing a work of art in person. It also seems there are no rules to this type
of thing, which is both daunting and encouraging.
q) What are you really excited about right now?
a)This current season, Autumn.
q) What do you love most about where you live?
a)Being just a few steps away from the ocean.
q) Best way to spend a day off?
a)Getting lost in nature with close friends.
q) Upcoming shows/
projects?
a)I have recently created and launched a website to display my ongoing
projects. My goal is to obtain
funding/gallery representation so I can print/frame/exhibit/create editions/books
of my projects. I cannot afford to
print/frame/etc. on my own, so I hope my website will help me to obtain funding
somehow. All of my projects are
ongoing. Things will appear and
disappear as they are created.
