Interview with Kazuya Tsuji

q) Introduce yourself, name, age, location.

a)Kazuya Tsuji, Japanese, live and work in London, the UK

q) Can you describe your path to being an artist? When did you really get into it?

a)Most of my family was involved with art. My grandfather was a painter; my dad is an art fabricator and my mother - art teacher. These were extremely influential elements for me so I am not sure exactly when I got into art.

q) Describe your ideals and how they manifest in your work.

a)Through my practise I try to reclaim attraction towards disposable imagery that surrounds us: fashion magazines, second-hand books or old photographs; even if we are daily bombarded with such visuals, we hardly pay attention to them for their repetitive, mundane and anonymous character. This negligence is the niche for my practice, as I believe that true beauty breathes through the gaps in mundane knowledge and it can show the miraculous, the hilarious, the grotesque and the wonderful every step of the way. Moreover, the disposableness of reproducible images gives me chance for fantasizing or fabricating narrative.

q) Is music a part of your studio time? What do you listen to?

a)I don’t really listen to music in my studio any more. I used to choose a playlist for a specific kind of activity related to art making, but I think that sound doesn’t influence me too much nowadays – I can almost ignore it altogether when I focus on my practice.

q) How would you describe your work to someone?

a)I would say my works are something to do with discovery in everyday. So everyone can make it. I believe this is one of main concept on my practice.

q) Influences?

a)A lot of artists are very important for my practice and even for my personal life, but at the moment I am looking into works of John Stezaker, Méret Oppenheim, Marcel Broodthaers and Magritte.

q) Describe your process for creating new work.

a)It has something to with patience and discovery. In most cases my works appear out of a coincidence or mistake in the routine; when a page of a magazine is lit from behind it forms a juxtaposition that catches the eye; when an image is shattered by a prism, it multiplies into a new form. I employ familiar materials and try to create a fresh viewpoint.

q) What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)I really don’t know. I would even like to be advised.

q) What are you really excited about right now?

a)I can never draw a line between artistic things that excite me and ‘hobbies’ I might have; strangely enough, sometimes they seem to mash together and even give me ideas for new work. I’m lately into fixing and building a bike. It is not really a brand new or shiny bike, it’s quite rusty and old but I am really attached to it.

q) What do you love most about where you live?

a)I enjoy seeing new exhibitions & events. Also, most big museums have free admission in the UK and I like to see classic art pieces.

q) Best way to spend a day off?

a)Going out to flea market or being lazy with my girl friend.

q) Upcoming shows/ projects?

a)I will take part in a group exhibition at Studio 54 Architecture (London) between April 12^th-20^th 2012 (Title tbc).

q) Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)http://kazuyatsuji.blogspot.com/

Interview with Ricardo Cavolo

q)Introduce yourself, name,age, location.

a)I'm Ricardo Cavolo, I'm 30 and I live in Madrid (Spain).

q) Can you describe your path to being an artist? When did you really get into it?

a)I was born in a painting studio, so I started my career from the very first day. And I've been working on it always... But this activity became my way of life three years ago, I left my job in an advertising company and I formed my own art studio.

q) Describe your ideals and how they manifest in your work.

a)I always have on mind to talk about weird things, but with a respectful point of view. I try to show the beauty of the weird and strange things of life.

q) Is music a part of your studio time? What do you listen to?

a)Of course, I need music for working. I usually listen american roots music (early blues, bluegrass, country folk, hillbilly...). And the singer is always present in my music list is Johnny Cash. He really inspires me.

q) How would you describe your work to someone?

a)I try to create a special mix creating complex and weird stories using a naif and direct style.

q) Influences?

a)My main influences are the outsider art and folk art. But I use music, literature, films, fashion, history, etc., too for creating my work.

q) Describe your process for creating new work.

a)First of all I need to decide what exactly I want to talk about. I have to think about the particular story I want to develope. After this, I spend some time investigating and trying to know more about the details of the story, the context... When I have on my mind what I'm going to talk about, I prepare a fast sketch for deciding the style, the composition and some more formal details. And finally, when all of this is done, I'm ready for working on the final piece.

q) What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)I think that the main message we need to have on mind is "to work, to work and more to work". Today is easy to show our work to the rest of the worl in internet, but it is si hard to get soe attention, and I'm sure that we can get something just working a lot for getting a personal style and being able to offer something personal and special.

q) What are you really excited about right now?

a)Till now the main art of my work it's been illustration, but the last months I've come back to paint (acrylics on wood), and I have mi head full of painting projects.

q) What do you love most about where you live?

a)Madrid is a big city, but from the very first time ii is really open and friendly for people that we arrive to Madrid. So you have the nice things of a big city, but being so warm and friendly like a small town or village.

q) Best way to spend a day off?

a)Reading and watching series.

q) Upcoming shows/ projects?

a)I'm preparing my first big painting exhibition, called Vida. It will be opened in Madrid the 19th of Appril. And I feel really happy (and a little bit nervous) offering to the people my first big paintings.

q) Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)My portfolio is http://ricardocavolo.com and you can find there a selection of my different kind of main works.

And there is a blog too, http://ricardocavolo.blogspot.com , it is like my work diary, where I show the most of my works I do daily.

Interview with Carolina Cleere

q)Please tell us your name and where you practice.

a)My name is Carolina Cleere and I am a visual artist living and working in an old cigar factory on the Gulf coast of Florida.

q) Why do you make art?

a)I find it cathartic because it allows me to process ideas out of my head.

q) How do you work ?

a)I usually work 12 hours a day. Sometimes longer when I'm in the zone or preparing for an upcoming show. There are many step to my process so some days I'm out gathering source material with my camera.Other days, I'm painting in the studio or working on the computer.

q) What´s your background?

a)I attended University of Minnesota and Minneapolis College of Art and Design but my process is self taught after years of discovery in the studio.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)Ultimately, I hope to connect with people long enough for them to pause and reflect.

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)Growing up in Florida. I have moved away many times but I always return for the water, the palm trees, and warm weather.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)My work has become more complex and detail oriented. I'm also more confident with my drawing skills.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)Frida Kahlo and Northern Renaissance.

q) What´s your strongest memory of your childhood ?

a)Sneaking in the back door of a movie theater to see the horror film Frogs where nature takes out revenge on man for abusing the environment. I was much too young to see a horror film plus the whole time I was terrified of getting caught. I was especially frightened by the content of the film because it looked so much like the bayou where I played every day. Years later I found out it was filmed less than 100 miles from our home.

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)Lost innocence, environmental, anti-war and religious issues.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)I created the piece 'Fish Out of Water' because the bayou where I learned to swim as a child is now too polluted for swimming. I was questioning if this can happen in my life time what else could happen to my beloved Florida. Shortly after making this piece for the Navel Gazing exhibit at the Brevard Museum of Art, the Deep Water Horizon oil spill hit the coast of Pensacola. It's not conclusive as to why but now oyster beds in Pensacola Bay are dead. Also, red snapper are being found with mysterious lesions and a record number of dead dolphin are being discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.

q) What´s your most embarrassing moment ?

a)There are so many moments but it would have to be falling off a sailboat while approaching the dock after a race. I fell into the water and my boat crashed into the sea wall in front of dozens of spectators.

q) What jobs have you done other than being an artist ?

a)Photojournalist

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)Last summer at a show there was someone crying, another person laughing and a third person telling me I was sick, all at the same time.

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)Too much emphasis on networking and not enough on ideas.

q) What research do you do ?

a)I just finished a piece about Napoleon which required research.

q) What is your dream project?

a)I would like to curate a political exhibition of different artists to coincide with the Republican National Convention here this fall.

q) What´s the best piece of advice you have been given ?

a)Stick to a visual format like all square and three quarter length portraits. I didn't listen though.

q) What couldn’t you do without?

a)Water

q) What makes you angry?

a)Greed

q) What is your worst quality?

a)Guilt, If I say or even think anything bad I wake up in the middle of night feeling terrible.

q) Dogs or Cats ?

a)Dogs

q) Making art is a lot like being on lsd. Know what I mean ?

a)No but I frequently hear, "I wonder what kind of drugs she does?"

q) What does “ copy” mean to you ?

a)If it's a copy it's not art, it's only decoration.

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)Wanker

Interview with Rael Brian

q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

a)my name is Rael Brian, i'm 23, i live in Brusque, Brazil. im not part of anything.

q)How would you describe your work?

a)in my work i try to work on the theme "portrait" using collage as foundation
i think intensity and sincerity are the keywords to my work

q) Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?

a)no, nobody. was a choice i made on my own

q) Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?

a)dont know, my head is too confused, i suffer from anxiety and bipolar disorder
i have a lot of hate and love for things at the same time
my art carries a bucket of emotions that i live

q) How long does it take to complete a piece?

a)im a bit relaxed
sometimes i take 3 days to finish a piece
sometimes i take few hours
its relative
and sometimes i spend weeks without doing anything
doing stuff that i enjoy like skatebording, surfing, reading and playing electric guitar
besides sleeping, which is a very good thing

q) Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently looking/listening to?

a)basquiat, was a huge influence at first, jason adams, tim kerr, francis bacon, mikey welsh, tide hellmeister, dash snow.

are artists with sincere and inspiring art
and there are some friends and people i know that are doing art with content and inspiring me as well, such as alex vieira, sesper, carlos dias­ ­
kaue garcia, carol brandi, filipe guimaraes­ ­
cabu valente, geo, flavio grao, fabio aka desde69, etc­ ­

i have a lot of inspiration from music, i keep listening and researching all the time
literature is another thing that influences me, like george orwell, nietzsche, and i really enjoy reading biographies, like nirvana and kurt cobain, which i must've read like 100 times

q) Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

a)i'm having an exhibition on february in sao paulo along two friends of mine
i'm not represented by any gallery but i want to someday work with some serious gallery

q) Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

a)maybe, i like to listen to miles davis' bitches brew to create, fugazi's intrument, Lungfish Articial Horizon

don't have many rituals, only put up some records, take a look on magazines that are spreaded on the floor, messing up the ambient and i start to work

q) What is your favorite a) taste, b) sound, c) sight, d) smell, and e) tactile sensation?

a)crooked punk rock, i like the sight of the sunset on the beach, the smell of the salty water and the texture of old magazines

q) Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?

a)my goal is to evolve my art without losing my identity and being known for a quality work and who knows someday make some money to live with no worries

q) When have you started using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?

a)the internet is very important for my work, i've met a lot of interesting people seriously involved with art and it also helps the disclosure of my work in a very large scale

q) What do you obsess over?

a)stay away from an ordinary job that wastes my mind

q) Do you have prefered working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?

a)i like to work in the afternoon until the night, in the morning i like to sleep
and in the afternoon the light seems to have a softer shade that pleases me

q) Do you do commissioned works?

a)yes, it depends on what the client wants and if there's anyone interested in ordering or buying any work my email is raelbrian@hotmail.com

q) Any tips for emerging artists?

a)do what you think is right without worrying about what others say

q)…Your contacts

a)raelbrian@hotmail.com
www.raelbrian.blogspot.com
www.flickr.com/photos/30469764@N03/
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