Interview with Fratelli Marvellini

q)Introduce yourself, name,age, location.

Fratelli Marvellini, vecchi e anche un po’ malandati, eredi unici dell’antico archivio Foto Marvellini - Milano

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

I Fratelli Marvellini a 15 anni facevano carri allegorici e gruppi mascherati di ispirazione futurista inserendosi abusivamente in qualche Carnevale italiano. I decenni successivi non hanno ridotto o modificato gli irrefrenabili impulsi creativi.

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

Passione, assurdo, dissonanze, umorismi, profondità,… Affetto reale per gli oggetti inventati. Disordine interiore ma ordine nell’immagine.

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

Noi ascoltiamo di tutto. I poveri nostri soggetti, invece, sono quasi tutti vecchietti ormai sordi.

q) How would you describe your work to someone?

Cornici vintage a chiudere ricordi fantastici, icone da celebrare, immagini cui affezionarsi, portafortuna a protezione della casa. Piani concentrici. Universi paralleli. Pop-up...

q) Influences?

Una trentina tra pittori illustratori e fumettisti, un ventina di fotografi, quattro stilisti, tre scrittori, due psicologi, un antiquario e gli stessi Fratelli Marvellini che si influenzano molto tra loro.

q) Describe your process for creating new work.

A volte partiamo da un’antica cornice che va salvata e restituita al mondo. Oppure da un vecchio foto-ritratto che ci implora di essere “marVellinato”. Capita di passare giorni con gli occhi, le mani e il cervello che roteano in un caleidoscopio. Più spesso i piccoli Marvellini arrivano da soli e sempre da soli vanno via per il mondo in cerca di una casa e di muro.

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

E mostratelo! A casa di amici, dal balcone, per strada, sull’auto, addosso… Certo è che se il lavoro resta nel cassetto non lo vede nessuno. A meno che il fine non sia proprio quello e a tale proposito consigliamo vivamente di non sottovalutare i posteri. Fate come noi in questi casi: differenziateli.

q) What are you really excited about right now?

Dall’ultimo Marvelini creato.

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

Di Milano? Ah! Ah!… Tutto. Come elencava uno sconsolatissimo Alberto Sordi: “El sciùr culéga, el barbùn, la Galeria, el Motta, el panatùn, el Martinìtt, el Dom,.. el magùn!”

q) Best way to spend a day off?

Andare nei pressi di Como da Simone, il primo fan dei Marvellini. Sdraiarsi davanti al lago e alle montagne, guardare il paesaggio, sentire musica, bere vino rosso.

q) Upcoming shows/ projects?

“Marvellinare” un paio di saloni tra Milano e Torino, un portico a Cremona, una chiesa a Pavia, una sala turbine nel trentino, confidiamo anche in un carcere in autunno. Gli altri blitz sono pensati ma non ancora ben organizzati.

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

Nella rete c’è di tutto, si trovano anche i Marvellini. L’indirizzo a cui hai bussato tu è foto.marvellini@yahoo.it

Interview with Felice Zhukov

q) Introduce yourself, name,age, location.

a)My name is Felice Zhukov, I'm 25 and live in Bethnal Green, London.

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

a)I've been drawing since I can remember so there was never a point where I decided to become an artist.

It was this or nothing.

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

a)My ideals build my work, I basically create scene's that satirise everything I think is wrong with the world or that scares me. So if you read them and reverse the message then you'll find my ideals….

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

a)I tend to go through stages of listening to music on my headphones, sometimes I relish silence as its extremely rare in my part of the world.

When I do listen to music it tends to be quite a varied selection and I go through different stages, at the moment I'm really getting into electronica like Prefuse 73 and The Flashbulb, but I'm also loving Brigitte Fontaine, Aesop Rock, Kimya Dawson and Ol' Dirty Bastard.

q) How would you describe your work to someone?

a)A rich tapestry of chaos and detail, done in different mediums in various hues of outlandish colour. Usually based around landscapes and filled with intricate details.

q) Influences?

a)I have so many influences! Chris Ofili and Hieronymus Bosch are probably the artists that have inspired me the most over the years but I also love MS Hove, The Clayton Brothers and SKWAK, among many many others....

q) Describe your process for creating new work.

a)I've been thinking about this recently as quite a large part of my process is intuitive, especially in the early stages of the idea, flashes of an image come to me slowly as I think about a certain subject but its takes a while for that to translate to paper, I can walk around with an idea for months before I feel the need to use it. Then I'll read a little about it and begin drawing, often from the imagination but increasingly from resources. Then I build.

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

a)Find a gallery and show it! I've done various piece's for shows but this year for the first time I've decided to do everything myself and put on my own show, its scary but its also really exciting. I feel like I can truly create my own vision.

q) What are you really excited about right now?

a)Everything

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

a)The variation, in nearly every way imaginable. My area is a melting pot of cultures and idea's and it inspires me every day. It also informs my work massively.

qBest way to spend a day off?

a)Outside, just looking around and being immersed in your environment rather than on a screen or in an idea.

q)Upcoming shows/ projects?

a)'The Urban Jungle' at East Gallery , Brick Lane, London Friday 21st-Wednesday 26th September 2012. (Private View: Thursday 20th Sep 6-9). My husband and house mate (the dustup producers FJH and CTEK will be creating a unique and contemporary soundscape to go along with my work, so it should be an interesting show!

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

a)FELICEZHUKOV.COM

Interview with Greg Farndon

Q. Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

A. My name is Greg Farndon. I'm from the UK & i currently live in London.

Q. What is it that you do? What media do you use?

A. I have always been interested in using a variety of mediums, not necessarily being loyal to one over an other.

Its important to let the idea govern the material & be open to the possibility of change. I'm currently making assemblages that use mixed media.

Q. What do you think sets your work apart?

A. What sets everyones work apart is the individual making it. I am unaware if my stands out any more or less than the next persons.

The trick is to be happy with what you're making at the time. Writers are often told to write

about what they know, as the work will flow and be more believable for the reader. I think that sentiment extends throughout the arts.

Q. How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

A. 'Big Breaks' as you put it are rare. I haven't shown for a long time but i hope, with the new direction my work is taking, i will exhibit

again next year.

Q. What are some things that have inspired you?

A. In an era where we walk around with the world in our pockets, surely everything has the potential to inspire.

Q. What have you been working on recently?

A. I think its always best hearing someone explain about the work rather than read about it. So much can be lost in written translation.

Like when an album is reviewed for a magazine. Whats written is never descriptive enough to do justice to the actual sound.

I would encourage anyone who may read this to visit my website and take a look.

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

A. Music is a very important part of my life and work. Its an added dimension that assists with the process.

An invisible factor that can change the look, feel and structure of an idea. From the initial concept, to the title of a work.

As for examples.... Radiohead are alway a staple sound whilst i work. They create sounds that really fit my way of thinking and assist with my process.

I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks as well as individual artists. Jazz, blues, classical.... The list is endless, i'm just not great remembering names!

Some recommendations would be the soundtrack to the movie 'Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer'.

"Through Low Light And Trees' a beautiful album by an English Duo called 'Smoke Fairies'.

'The Boy And The Tree' By Susumu Yokota. His work is stunning! This list could go on. I would encourage people

to discover their own soundtracks. Thats the fun part, discovering something by chance that can enhance your process.

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

A. I would like to work more in sound. It will happen as i like to traverse mediums and see what i'm capable of. Like i said before, i don't

have a particular loyalty to particular materials, so we'll see what happens. I do have two experimental sound ideas on the website 'Soundcloud'.

Q. What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

A. I'm probably not the best person to ask but find a way of showing that suits you and just keep at it.

If you have no funds but you have the internet, you can show your work that way. Simply find what works for you.

Q. Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

A. For the moment i'm concentrating upon making and then will focus on exhibiting. If someone shows an interest in my work, i'll happily show

but for now i'm continually making.

Q. Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

A. If you have a moment you can find me at www.gregfarndon.com

Interview with Julia Selin

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

a)Julia Selin, lives and works in Umeå, northern Sweden.

q) Why do you make art?

a)Because its fun.

q) How do you work ?

a)With drawing, painting and installation.

q) What´s your background?

a)I studied at the Nordic art school for two years, now I'm studying at Umeå Art Academy, taking my MFA in Fine Art.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)Don't know!

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)When I dug a deep hole in the ground.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)I guess its changing all the time.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)I guess a lot, but in different ways. Recently I've been looking a lot at the weird dead horse-sculptures of Berlinde de Bruyckere.

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

a)Maybe once when I got stuck in the mud, trying to cross a field during a very rainy fall.

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)A sort of relationship between human and nature, and the nature and its soil as some kind of flesh and blood-creature. And about places where the ground seems to be a passage to the underground, like swamps and meres and marshes.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)Walking in the mountains of Lapland in Sweden.

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

a)Ive been a graveyard janitor, a stable worker and an art teacher.

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)I guess mostly positive.

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)Male artists.

q) What research do you do ?

a)Field trips, and the library.

q) What is your dream project?

a)Spending a year in a small hut at a place with a good view, with a lake and mountains and not too many trees and no people. There I would paint and make installations outside.

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

a)To do what is fun and interesting and not to do only what you think is expected from you.

q) What couldn’t you do without?

a)My baby and his father.

q) What makes you angry?

a)Rapists and war and violence and injustice.

q) What is your worst quality?

a)No patience.

q) Dogs or Cats ?

a)Both.

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

a)Maybe, but I havnt tried lsd so I dont know.

q) What does “ copy” mean to you ?

a)I think copying is good. I think its impossible to copy someone perfectly. If I see something I like I often try to copy it, but then it ends up being completely different anyways.

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)Satan.