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martedì 28 giugno 2011

Interview with Berni Stephanus






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

a)Berni Stephanus, I work in 2 places : Geneva and Southern Burgundy where we have a residence.

q) Why do you make art?

a)It became clear to me when I started painting when I was 15: It was my destiny.

q) How do you work ?

a)I make collages every day, if I can’t, I just play with bits of paper that I leave on my desk.

q) What´s your background?

a)I learned painting with private teachers, later I went to art school and still later I made a degree in history of art.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)Mostly to entertain. Rarely to awaken.

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)That I was able to copy a Manet without any training. This was my first painting.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)Yes a lot. From abstraction I often came back to realism in order to be understood.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)Baroque.

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

a)The brutality and the mockeries of the women in a Christian home in Bavaria, where I stayed for 6 months without any visit from my parents. I didn’t know that my mother was Jewish.

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)Suffering, human madness, strange situations. Irony.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)My recent kidney operation. I made some collages in hospital with many skulls.

q) What´s your most embarrassing moment ?

a)In art? None. In my life: when I understand that I was completely wrong.

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

a)Teacher: art, history of art, German, French, speed reading etc. Translator.

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)That I had to concentrate on what is my strength: collage. I therefore decided to leave painting.

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)Dislike is too strong. It’s the commedia dell’arte. I never did want to play a part in it. I won’t bow before power or money. My main word is: (total) freedom.

q) What research do you do ?

a)I write on my collages. It started with morning papers.

q) What is your dream project?

a)To be able to work as long as possible.

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

a)My father used to tell me that one has to concentrate on one thing.

q) What couldn’t you do without?

a)Collage

q) What makes you angry?

a)Stupidity.

q) What is your worst quality?

a)Being full of myself.

q) Dogs or Cats ?

a)Dogs.

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

a)Not quite, because lsd leads to self-disintegration whereas art leads to self-construction.

q) What does “ copy” mean to you ?

a)Nothing. I never copy, even not myself. But I hijack parts of paintings, sculpture and photos.

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)merde

mercoledì 1 giugno 2011

Interview with Peter Adamyan






q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)My name is Peter Adamyan, I?m currently 23 years old, grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and am currently living in the San Francisco Bay area.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I consider myself an oil painter above all else. I usually work with oil and sometimes acrylic on cut out and layered pieces of wood.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)To find the best answer for that you?d have to ask someone who is a fan of my work, but if I?d have to answer I guess it would be the three dimensional relief effect I create with the layers of wood. As for content it would be my willingness to use what some may consider offensive content. I also expect the viewer to think a little when looking at my work, and that sets me apart from anyone that creates anything in this society if they expect to achieve a wide audience.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a ?big break??

a)For about four years now. Haven?t had a big break yet.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Everything from the cartoons I grew up with to the authors I read now as an adult. I?m hugely inspired by music, film and anything that comes from our popular culture. I tend to use those to promote my beliefs in science, reason and my beliefs against superstitions like religion. As for artists I?m highly inspired by the great masters and the traditional low brow artists such as Robert Williams, R. Crumb, S. Clay Wilson and the like.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)I’m working on various pieces for some upcoming group shows. I?ve generally just been trying to get back into the groove of things after my recent solo show at Lopo Gallery.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I listen to music, or watch movies or TV shows. I listen to a lot of old American folk and blues music, gospel music, shoegaze, a lot of stuff really, from Leonard Cohen and Karen Dalton to Daniel Johnston and Jandek, I?d rather not get too into it or this question would take up the whole interview.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)Not currently, don?t have the time, I?ve been experimenting with block printing and will hopefully have some block prints out sooner rather then later.

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

a)Push yourself.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I’m always showing in a group show somewhere best to follow me on line to keep up to date.

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

a)Either at my website www.peteradamyan.com or if you want to keep up to date on everything, add me on facebook.