Hello Alexander and welcome to NotRandomArt. The current issue is revolving around the problem of communication and identity. Is there any particular way you would describe your identity as an artist but also as a human being in dynamically changing, unstable times? In particular, does your cultural substratum/identity form your aesthetics?
I’d say my identity as an artist can be unstable. I can’t see myself as an artist. As a kid I saw works from Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Raphael. I’ve been to the Uffizi Gallery, the Vatican, the Louvre, and countless cathedrals. That’s art to me. What I do doesn’t come close to that. Because I’ve traveled and seen these pieces, they heavily inspire my own artwork.
These pieces are about shedding who I once was and coping with my past. It’s a struggle to go through each day knowing the dreadful things I’ve done. I’ve turned to Christ, but I still feel demons all around me.
Would you like to tell us something about your artistic as well as life background? What inspired you to be in this artistic point in your life when you are now?
My father loved to travel and he dragged my family across the world. He was fascinated with history. All the magnificent pieces and architecture I saw throughout my childhood sparked my interest in art. I also loved cartoons. I would draw characters from Catscratch, Regular Show, and Samurai Jack. I wasn’t interested in creating my own fine art until I was 17.
Could you identify a specific artwork that has influenced your artistic practice or has impacted the way you think about your identity as a participant of the visual culture? Doni Tondo by Michelangelo. I remember seeing it in person. It has an incredibly elegant frame and it amazed me how beautiful it was. The ambiguous figures in the background of the painting were burned into brain. I was 11 when I saw the piece and I love the story it tells- with a young John the Baptist looking at Jesus. I want to make each of my works have a feeling like that, with emotion and meaning while still being mysterious and mystical.
Since you transform your experiences into your artwork, we are curious, what is the role of memory in your artistic productions? We are particularly interested if you try to achieve a faithful translation of your previous experiences or if you rather use memory as starting point to create.
Memory plays a big role it what starts each of pieces I just write what’s on my mind about that memory and just keep going with that and the image on top of the writing is conveying the emotion I felt and what I see during the process
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
I don’t have any rules really I just have a specific topic and think of 2 colors that convey the emotion going on in the topic and vigorously write and write with those 2 colors until there is nothing more to say.
How do you see the relationship between emotional and intellectual perception of your work? In particular, how much do you consider the immersive nature of the viewing experience?
I focus more on the emotional perception of my audience. I try to make others feel and understand sensations through the colors and images of my pieces. I want my audience to relate their own experiences to the pieces and create their own explanations and understanding. I want my artwork to be universal; understood by everyone. There is no wrong answer.
Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Alexander . Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving?
The pieces you’ve seen are apart of a collection I am still working on: Purgatory. On the side, I am running a website, GlazedGraphics.com, where I take commissions for album art, posters, illustrations, and more. I hope to create more fine art and begin delving further into the themes of my works.