Showing posts tagged artwork

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Republic X’s interview with Ernesto Artillo
interview by Viktorija Zilinskaite (read full interview here)

I remember browsing intensively through the galleries online and when I found these artworks two words popped into my head immediately: quality and originality. It’s the young and talented artist Ernesto Artillo, who takes one’s breath away with these beautifully composed collages, and me, as well as our team, couldn’t be happier sharing the subtleties of enchanting life of this Spanish- born talent.  

Hello Ernesto, first of all, thank you for agreeing to share your experiences with Republic X. Could you tell us how did you find yourself into this kind of art?

For me collage means to literally cut/break things to create a new order, even with my own images. I like to use pictures that I have made for something else, fashion editorials normally, take them out of that concept and give them a personal meaning. I suppose, collage makes me battle with my own conventions.

Collage aside, what kind of artist would you say you are? When and where did you start?

I wouldn’t say that I am an artist yet; I think you have to purify your feelings more, I am just trying. I’ve watched my father making collage since I was a child, but I didn’t start exploring the technique until three years ago. I started painting. I was really young and I used to go to the classes with a big group of old ladies. Then, I started to take pictures on my own and, in college, I focused on fashion and advertising. Now, I’m trying to mix all of those disciplines in my collages.

Where do you get inspiration from? Are there any particular artists or artworks which influenced your style in the first place?

I love ancient art like Renaissance portraits and Greek sculptures, but also modern artists like Matisse, Picasso or Soroya. I was brought up in a family where traditions matter, so Spanish culture, folklore, religion, flamenco… are always there too. Cinema and books are huge inspiration for me and I don’t understand life without music. Fashion has a lot to give too, but to be honest, people around me inspire me the most. What I feel for my familly, friends or loves are my best artistic tools.

That’s true, your work reminds a lot of ancient art and, I would even say, is a different, modern point of view to Renaissance. Is it something you try to express or just happens involuntary?

Both I think what we really want or need to express, happens involuntary. I want to create characters that are very strong but fragile at the same time, that’s why sometimes you can see the same person twice in one collage. 

Read full interview in our latest art magazine issue. 

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Interview with photo studio SM.AR/T
interview by Jolita Vaitkute (read full interview in our magazine)

Algina and Sandra are two souls in one body – SM.AR/T. Before the interview they asked - “when we talk, do not exclude us, the answers will be common; we are just SM.AR/T. Their name is comprised of the initials of both photographers and a “T” letter, hidden after the slash which means “Tave” (You). 

1. How did you two start to work together? 
We are familiar from a long time ago, first-class, but during the childhood we hadn’t interacted. However, in adolescence, when we started to look at everything a little differently, we found each other and the common interest - photography. We used to go into forests and just took photos there. And yet there were no serious thoughts about photography.

2. Who has led who to photography?
Sandra. Sandra knew for a long time she would become a photographer. I (Algina) studied interior design, then worked, but I did not like it. I was looking for myself elsewhere and then Sandra appeared a photographer, which I needed. Though before that our interaction was interrupted. Once we met unexpectedly at some event and joked that we could work together. Finally, with a more serious attitude, we have made our first series of works. We decided that we like it and need to go further and improve ourselves. We thought a lot on how and what to do, where to work. And after two weeks, we have received our studio premises.

3. Is it easy to find a common creative compromise while working together?
It is very easy. Probably our bio fields just coincide. We see things in a similar way. We are arguing about the colors, if we argue at all. Both of us understand our responsibilities - Sandra’s passion is taking pictures while mine (Algina) is retouch and making art out of it.

4. You agree on creation, but what about business affairs? 
We work together not for a long time, for almost a year. Most of our works are made out of idea. While it is our livelihood, but business in our life takes a very small place. 

We often choose our customers by voice. If the voice scares us, we feel that it would be difficult to communicate with someone, we reject the proposal. 

full interview is here.

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Landscape collages by Jan Dibbets 

Jan Dibbets was born in Weert, Holland in 1941. He trained as an art teacher at the Tillburg Academy, before studying painting in Eindhoven between 1960-63. In 1967, he studied at St Martin’s College, London where his contemporaries included Richard Long and Gilbert & George. He currently lives and works in Amsterdam.

In 1967 Dibbets was one of the first artists to recognise large-scale colour photography as a medium in its own right. He initially used the camera to create a dialogue between nature and cool geometrical design creating the seminal series of Perpsective Corrections before moving on to man-made structures such as in Colour Studies. Since then he has incorporated landscape, cupolas, windows and water into his highly individual body of work. via

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I’ll Worship You, You’ll Worship Me by Michael Bühler-Rose

Recently we already have posted one photo-post from Michael’s portfolio. This time we are presenting author’s another project, called ‘I’ll Worship You, You’ll Worship Me’, which reflects the background of his years of studying and teaching Hindu rituals as a Brahmin priest in India. Here is what artists says about this project by himself: “By creating parallels between the artist as priest, the art object as a deity, and viewing it in the gallery/museum as a pilgrimage I explores how conceptual art practice translates to thousands of years of intricate Hindu theory on dealing with imagery. In the two-way viewing theory of darsana, the pilgrim/viewer takes darsana of, or sees, the deity. Just as important though is that the deity is always looking back at the pilgrim/viewer, creating an acknowledgement of the viewer’s reverential presence.”

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Threaded vintage portraits by Happy Red Fish

“Happy red fish” is a creative studio operated by the artist and designer Hagar Vardimon-van Heummen based in Amsterdam ,The Netherlands. We particularly love this one collection of vintage portraits combined together with colorful threaded lines on faces. After several days we promise to publish more Happy Red Fish’s artworks here!

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Digital print artworks by Norbert Brunner

Author Norbert Brunner presented his digital print artworks in Claire Oliver gallery. To create even more catchy art he used LEDs, mirrors and Swarovski crystals. 

Austrian Norbert Brunner uses time and space as a sounding board for the viewer’s personal reflection; it is the Artist’s approach to self actualization. Brunner’s mirror objects reflect not only the viewer, but also superimpose messages across their visual path, insisting they become an interactive part of the installation. Brunner coaxes us to confront the possible by making his text visible only when we stand directly in front of it, forcing us into the center of the work itself and asking us to formulate our own interpretation of reality. This is a positive confrontation; he wants us to come away empowered and energized. By adding a philosophical sense of humor to the reflection, Brunner resists outside pressures and transcends the prevailing negative environment rather than simply “coping with it.”