The project consist in the realization of a propitious exhibition for the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the most important Observance in ancient times, that was celebrate in very different ways all around the planet, but everywhere on 25th December.The collection of the art pieces to expose want to be very heterogeneous, creating so a right and proper homage to Sol Invictus and on the same time a commemoration of all the different celebrations for his “natalis”.EXHIBITING:Alberto Raiteri | Alessia Cocca | Andreco | Ango The Meek Dead | Claudio Parentela | Cristina Pancini | Elena Armellini | Exiff | Francesco Bancheri | Francesco D'Isa | Irina Novarese | Lys Lydia Selimalhigazi | Luiza LaPupazza | Martha Sklodowska | Silvio Streddi
a)My name is Martin Wollerstam and I’m a Swedish born Illustrator living in London. Drawing is a big part of my life and I’m struggling to one day be able to live on my creativity.
q)Tell us about your humble beginnings, When did you first realized that you wanted to be an artist?
a)My father is an artist and it’s kind of grew into me. But when I first felt that I could maybe someday live on what I’m doing was around 2004 when I got my first illustration job at a morning newspaper in Uppsala, Sweden.
q)What are your tools of the trade and why?
a)I usually work with a computer using a pen tablet in Photoshop. It’s a great way for me to work as I can draw in layers and manipulate my drawings a lot. But I also use markers and pens. I always have a sketchbook in my bag so I can draw whenever I want to draw.
q)Who or what gives you inspiration on your morbid art?
a)Mostly life itself. How we people act to each other. I also been using creativity a lot as therapy when I been depressed. I’m also a big fan of Rollplaying games and dark animated movies, so I guess some of the inspiration comes from that.
q)Is your artistic background self-taught or did you go to college to study?
a)I’m mostly self-taught, but I had a year at a basic art school to concentrate on my creativity and not be thinking of finding jobs and other depressing things, and it help me a lot to develop my style and myself.
q)How do you keep “fresh” within your industry?
a)I don’t know really, I try to always be doing stuff if I don’t have any assignments to keep myself constantly develop myself. And not being afraid to tell people of what I’m doing and showing my work.
q)What are some of your current projects?
a)At the moment I’ve been doing some illustrations for some new magazines and I’m always working on my fanzine called “Heart Heart”, I’m working on the third issue now. I’m also working on personal picture book and I’m drawing some pictures for my friend’s children book. Otherwise I’m working monthly for the club night “Wet yourself” which is based on the club Fabric in London.
q)Which of your works are you the most proud of? And why?
a)It’s hard to say I always get bored of the old things I do so I would say a lot of the new things I’m making. There are some artwork that I made for Wet yourself that I really like because I pushed myself to do great things. There are also some murals that I’m very proud over.
q)Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?
a)I’ve just been touching on the surface of animation, which I really would like to make more of. I also would like to make some longer comics and I also want to make more visuals for club nights. And I would really like to use more colours! I almost totally work in monochrome!
q)What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?
a)At the moment I don’t get enough work to get burned-out but I always try to create even though I feel like everything I do is bad eventually it something get right and that boost my confidentiality.
q)how do you spend most of your free time?
a)I play videogames(mostly RPG), watch movies, listen to music, hang out with my girlfriend and my friends and I go out on parties. I big part of my free time I draw just for fun too.
q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?
a)I like people who work on dark twisted drawings and people who have a good taste of humour in what they’re creating. I also get interested of people with a very special and creative mind and that do things out of the ordinary.
q)We really like some of your pictures, how can we get our hands on them? Do you sell them? How?
a)I’m (slowly) working on getting a section on my homepage where you can buy prints, but at the moment I print most of my stuff if someone wants to buy anything and send it to the buyer or hand it over personally if possible.
_____________________ MARTIN WOLLERSTAM _____________________ phone: +44(0)7927030804 email: martin@wollerstam.com
q)Tell us about your humble beginnings, When did you first realized that you wanted to be an artist?
a)I've always been interested in art from as far back as I can remember. My mother was, and still is, a solid foundation for creative expression. Growing up I was surrounded by my mothers' endless arts & crafts projects. I wouldn't say I partook in these projects, but there was an interest. However, in my early teenage years I was more interested in writing poetry; it seemed to come more naturally. Visual art has always been secondary to me in terms of importance.
I'm under the belief that less is actually more, and that using basic tools can also render an appearance akin to that of some high-tech method. It's not necessarily what photo program or camera you use, but how you use it.
q)Who or what gives you inspiration on your morbid art?
a)90% sexual frustration, 10% mental conflict.
q)Is your artistic background self-taught or did you go to college to study?
a)A little bit of both. I went to school for photography and creative writing, and found it made me more aware of what I liked and didn't like, but as far as building personal growth in the creative realm, it really didn't.
Personally, I prefer the self-taught method, as it tends to diminish preconceived notions of what art and poetry should be.
q)How do you keep “fresh” within your industry?
a)One good way to keep "fresh" is to not pay attention to what defines popular culture, or even underground culture for that matter. I observe, merely observe, and do not try to replicate or recreate what has already been done.
q)What are some of your current projects?
a)Lately I've been experimenting with images of mannequins. They are so human-like, so engrained in culture, so present yet mysteriously non-present. I find them kind of scary in the sense they are a crude representation of humans--they're so vacant and soulless.
One of my current projects is designed to take them out of this realm of vacancy. One image in particular, Dreams of Corrosion (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11068262@N00/3625604395/), was created to be a commentary on societal decay.
I continue to experiment with this thought, and how to make this a series without being too redundant.
q)Which of your works are you the most proud of? And why?
a)It would have to be the Graffiti Papyri series I did a while back. mIEKal aND was gracious enough to publish an issue of Xerolage dedicated to these papyric/graffiti images, which, in my mind, took the series to a whole new, exciting level.
In the beginning, I had been toying around with the idea of layering old papyri texts with something modern-day and bold. That's where the graffiti came into play. I believe the melding of two completely different stages in time was most complimentary in an almost eerie way.
q)Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?
a)There are so many things I've yet to try; it's almost overwhelming! In the future I would like to try my hand at fashion design--something like haut couture for compulsive masturbators. How it relates to my field I am not sure, but there’s always a way to make it relate, or not relate. My art is never truly conscious, so I wouldn’t actually try to force it into a certain mold.
q)What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?
a)I tend to burn-out a lot, actually. What I do is to not stress out over it. I give myself some time away from the computer, away from books, away from any outlet of creativity, then I go back when I feel the urge to create. Sometimes it takes a little push, sometimes it comes naturally. The best thing to do is to just let it be. Having said that, if things aren’t working the way I want them to work, I scrap the idea and start fresh. I’m really very impatient, so this scrapping of work happens quite a lot.
q)how do you spend most of your free time?
a)I do what one may call “normal” things like play mother, play lover, play underpaid worker, play law-abiding citizen. I play so many things it’s like I’m playing reality.
q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?
a)The works of Theoni Tambaki, Thierry Tillier, and John Moore Williams really interest me. There are others, of course, but each artist is a representation of a completely different artistic style.
Theoni’s work, which graces the cover of my newest chapbook, Metempsychose (Ypolita Press, 2009), will always find a place in my heart. Her drawings are like no other, and I find our works go together nicely without trying--they just be. That’s when you know you have a good pairing, when things just go together without much effort from both parties.
As for Thierry’s work, I think he offers something extraordinary in the way he approaches collage. The out of place eroticism of his work appeals to me on many levels.
John Moore Williams is an amazing vispo illusionist. What he does with words brings vispo to a whole other level. I’ve enjoyed watching his work progress into something quite unique over the years.
q)We really like some of your pictures, how can we get our hands on them? Do you sell them? How?
a)To be honest, I don’t really relish the idea of selling my work. I do have a book, Sensoria, which is a collection of colored digital art I’ve done over the years. The only reason I made this book is because I wanted to see if my art looked as good in print as it does on the screen; it was merely a test of sorts. As far as selling my work, I am at a point in my life where I do not feel it necessary to sell what should be free to access for anyone who is interested. If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy of any of my works, just send me an e-mail with your mailing address, and I’ll send you some work.
