Art Dept interview:

As the winner of your category in the 2004 International Art Contest, being selected by such a diverse group of artists from all around the world, how do you feel?

It of course feels very good that my work has been chosen. I saw many fine works in this competition and the result is a very pleasant surprise. I would like to thank all those who voted for me.

Please describe your current works and any plans for forthcoming exhibits.

I have for a long time been fascinated by similarities among mythological stories of different cultures. Mythological stories are essentially visual condensations of human feelings and thoughts. They are difficult to grasp in a purely intellectual way, and lend themselves to images. I am working on such a graphic series now. This is a reworking of various mythological stories according to my own interpretation. I would like to devote a sole exhibition to these, but I am also going to submit some works to other, international exhibitions. However, practical day-to-day matters leave rather less time for these plans than I would like. I am currently producing a video installation for a media festival I have been invited to.

If any, in what ways have you seen changes in attitudes towards "art"?

Oh yes, the world has changed a lot in the everyday experience and perception of art. For people in this “fortunate” part of the world, technical advances mean opportunities to live out and display their creativity and be part of the audience for art forms of all kinds. People are presented with lots of information and visual material day after day. Technical advances have fostered an enormous output of decorative material, very quickly. This is spectacular, certainly, but not much else. I would say that the means of both doing and appreciating art have been democratised. Now anybody is an “artist” if they know what button to press in the graphics program to achieve a particular effect. This mass production diminishes the value of works, and makes it difficult for viewers to orient themselves and tell which is decoration and which is art.

Extra leisure time, and the accompanying spread of media for mass audiences, have also contributed to this. Creative self-expression and art appreciation is now open, if not to everybody, then to many more than ever before. Elite tastes still exist, but are now much more remote from the ordinary lay public than before.
Uncertainty and misunderstanding of contemporary art may not be new, but I am sure that there is now much greater uncertainty and even suspicion now, among both the public and the critics. I think this is why the interested public is increasingly turning to the art of past ages.

Do you think that the fine artist will survive as technology replaces our skills?

I do not think that technology is a substitute for artistic abilities, but it does complement them and carry them forward. Artists can take the opportunities offered by computer technology to find new modes of depiction and produce original works in their own way. What matters is who is sitting in front of the computer. It is not, as widely believed, the machine that makes the pictures. It only displays the artist’s vision. Fine art has developed over thousands of years. If works produced by computer technology are not built on these foundations, then they cannot really be considered works of art in the usual sense.

We are said to be living the age of the information revolution, and I would say we are definitely living the revolution of visual information. Even text nowadays depends on its visual, formal presentation for much of its message, and a lot of information is conveyed in purely visual language. People are bombarded by impulses, and messages have to be delivered in an immediately understandable – and visual – form to get through. Visual stimuli are proliferating all over the place.

Large numbers of talented people are applying tremendous visual invention to produce emotionally-charged messages in all kinds of mass media. It is all appearance – everyone is trying to create effects via the eye. Things are therefore not so easy for people who make pictures as a means of self-expression. There is a big public, but served by a lot of output.

I think the question comes down – as it always has – to conveying an individual message – perhaps an unintentional one – to another individual. Anything else is just persuasion through visual effects. People are being persuaded of things that just leave them in the swirling mediocrity of everyday life, indeed plunge them deeper into it. Or they are being delivered a message they already know, in fact they already know more themselves, and so gain no benefit. All of us whose work stems from some inner drive would like viewers to appreciate the importance of our message whether we are using the latest technology or not.

So I would say that it is not skills that make artists. Skills only make it easier for artists to express themselves. The techniques artists choose, and the way they use them, are of course highly characteristic, but however spectacular, do not themselves make anybody an artist. It brings to mind my favourite tale: Andersen’s Nightingale. The emperor wanted to replace the rapturous song of the nightingale with a perfectly-made mechanical nightingale, which could sing beautifully, but did not bring tears to the emperor’s eye, stimulate his thoughts, comfort his soul, or banish his fear of death.

What advice could you give to those embarking upon a career as an artist?

If you believe in what you are doing with your heart, you must never give up, whatever setbacks you are faced with. Do not seek a reputation, but work consistently, seek new ways, and find ways of expression that are yours alone. Let your own personality rule your work, and not technique.
Why did you enter the Art Dept contest and what decided your selection for entry?

I have been watching the Art Dept contest for many years. As I have said, I liked most of what is exhibited here. So I thought I would send in a picture too and see whether it appealed to Art Dept visitors. I sent in my latest picture, which was also part of a series.

Is there anything about being an artist that you do not like?

I cannot answer that. I identify completely with what I am doing, and what I am living in.

Would you sell your most favourite artwork, or keep it?

My favourite work is always my latest. I strive to do new works, and of course to sell them, because I try to make my living from selling pictures.
How important was education and training to you?
The theory and the practice, I think, have to be learned. Just as in other areas of life, artists must base their careers on good and reliable foundations. I learned my trade from outstanding art teachers. Some teachers also had a profound effect on my outlook on life. This was, and still is, of enormous assistance in everything I do.

Is there anything in your art career that you would have changed?

Only little things of no great influence on the course my career has taken. This does not mean that I am completely satisfied with my past, but if I look at how much I have learned and benefited from my own mistakes, I feel no regret.
If you were invited overseas to exhibit your works, where would you like that to be?

I would happily go to any country I was invited to, but I have to say that I
much prefer galleries, because people go there specifically to look at pictures. It is now fashionable to exhibit in all kinds of places, like restaurants, discos, waiting rooms, offices, or on the street, but for the people that go there, looking at pictures is only a secondary consideration.

Are you looking forward to entering the contest for next year?

I am still thinking about that. I do not know whether it is proper to rejoin the fray immediately. It is not a sporting event, after all. On the other hand, I do not like to rest on my laurels, and it is a good feeling to appear in a group like this.

Do you recommend use of the Internet for an artist's publicity?

Yes. Internet presence is very important. About ten thousand people have looked at my work over the last year and a half or so, and I have received a lot of letters and criticism. I have also made a lot of friends and professional acquaintances, with whom I have kept personal contact ever since. We are organising live exhibitions in different countries and producing joint work, so I would say life on the web is very dynamic.

Would you change anything about how the contest is organised?

No. To be assessed by the viewers is a very democratic form of contest. And I also consider the five-month voting period to be highly satisfactory.

How can the Internet be made better for working artists?

In my experience, the Internet is of enormous help to artists in showing their work. I cannot think how this could be further improved.