The world by DALeast

Interview to the Chinese street artist DALeast, whose artworks are exhibited in "Fever of the worn land" until May 23rd in Carugate (info: http://www.urbanpainting.info/)  

Let’s begin from the title of the exhibition in Milan: “Fever of the worn land”: what does it

mean?

It's a sentence that helps to convey how I feel about the world I see around me today.

Three words to describe your work and your style?

3 words is not enough.

What are the subjects and themes of your artworks?

I like to use different subjects to present my themes, they come from the world.

Sometimes I like to display creatures which are the carrier for the soul, but other times I describe the carrier for the creatures.

Is there any of your works you particularly love? Why, what does it mean, how was it born..?

I love most of them as I feel they are like my children.

What would you like to express and convey through your work?

I like to share my experience and emotion to people through my artworks. That's why I really like to put my art in public space. I don't like to tell other people about right or wrong from my own point of view, but I try to be a mirror which stands in the middle.

Where do you find inspiration for your works and how do they born; do you have some particular artistic sources or artists that inspire you?

I think the inspiration of my artworks comes from the reality of the world around me, I also have dreams which give me inspiration while I am sleeping. I like to read ancient eastern philosophy, I can get a lot of energy and ideas from that, not only for my art. I think Nature is the best artist, I am inspired a lot from her.

Which technique do you use to paint?

Mostly I use spray paint for public space. I like to use tea and ink inside the studio.

You studied sculpture, how do this influence your painting? Is there a sort of 3d enquiry?

I got to know the 3 dimensional world better and what’s behind the surface when I was

creating sculptures, I think it has influenced my paintings, also it's changed the way I see

things around me.

Can you tell me something about your style: you use a very recognizable and essential style; how did you come to a similar stylistic choice? All that spirals, do they mean something particular?

I like to use monochrome color as black, white and grey. Because I prefer to focus on the sharp physique, it has less illusion without color surface. Monochrome color is strong enough for me. Skeletal is foundation framework, spirals are the growing trajectory for the material elements. They naturally work together create our body and the physical world that the body can feel. So I just learn from nature about that.

Often the subjects of your works are animals: why, what do they represent for you?

I like painting different subjects, not just animals, but I am painting a lot of them because

I love animals, they bring this world more vitality, also animals show the onlooker the

condition of the world. It is so hard to see them around us now. You may feel cold and sad if

you land on a planet which only has one kind of creatures with their machines, so painting

animals is a carrier to share my mind and memento.

Which is the best thing to be an artist and what does it mean to you to be a street artist?

I think “artist” is one group of human that are kind out of system, the vocation for them is too think unusually, so it is a gift for the person who is an artist. Street artist have so much fun when they are creating the work, because when you work in public space, everything can happen to you, so it is more like a challenge for artist. After the works finish, all the public can see it. How great is that. So being a street artist is never getting bored.

How do you choose the place where to paint and the subject in relation to that place?

It is good if I can paint some spots where many people are around, I like to paint on old wall

as well. I like to change my original plan when I am painting the wall if I have some new

inspiration come out. Place and walls are also like person for me, I need to meet them and

talk to them, then start to know what they want from me and what I can give to them.

Is there a particular place where you’d like to paint?

I love to paint in the old buildings or abandoned buildings where are full of stories and rest energy. I can crossover with time to make my works.

What are the reactions of people in front of your works?

I like to see people staying long in front of my works

Your future projects?

Me and my wife Faith47 are travelling a lot together, we travelled and painted around different countries almost every month this year, so we are always part of same projects. We just had a show in Australia together last month. Also few projects are coming up this year. Hopefully we will have good time in Israel this month.

Artist portrait

Name: DAL EAST

AKA: DAL

Nationality: Chinese, 1984

Studies: Institute of Fine Art in China

Active from: 2004

Technique: spray paint, ink, tea

Subjects: creatures, object, energy, emotion

Style: a “sketchy”, recognizable style; the shape of the subjects comes from spirals of black, white and silver lines

Places: Australia, France, Denmark, Germany, Italy, USA, South Africa, Greece, China.

www.daleast.com

Italian version and photos

Meeting C215

C215 is a French street artist, who spreads around the world his stencil portraits, realized with a unmistakable style and very strong expressive power.

In the last years he reached a huge importance in the International street art world and he exhibited in Italy too: I met him during the event “Meet the artist” organized by Urban Painting in Carugate.

What do your artworks express?

I always try  to express the deeper personality and identity of the subjects, in order to make their stories spring out: they are written and readable on our faces through the wrinkles, that I draw with marked lines.

My subjects are usually the “forgotten” or the homeless, that I began to portrait in a very strong interior crisis moment, when I felt lost and emotionally “home-less”.

Which is the best aspect to be an artist?

My artist job let me be free and completely independent, I can do whatever I want, whenever and wherever I’d like, I can travel a lot, know the world, the people and the different cultures.

What does it mean to be a street artist for you?

When street art born, it did mean rebellion, as you can see in the book “Art of Rebellion”, it was a movement that wanted to shock and go against the laws; today it is not like that, it is in my opinion a positive “revolution”, that enable to make forgotten or unseen places more beautiful through art and unite people.

What is your opinion about Italian street art?

I think today there is more attention to the movement by the public, compared to some years ago; the problem is that a lot of artists have lost their expressive power beginning to exhibit in the official galleries and they don’t longer work in the streets, where their art was born.

What aspects of the artistic context don’t you like?

Often I see artists that began working without a project or original ideas, but they only imitate other artists style: this imitation is really constricting, is a sort of fanaticism, that deprives of stylistic independence and it’s not good. Plus, I’m not interested in fashion or short-lived trends, I try to follow my inspiration, because I think that if an artist is good it will always be, in the present and in the future.

Today the Web is necessary in everyday life: how does it affect street art too?

Nowadays the Web is really basic: I define myself an Internet artist. When I was 15 and began to paint I didn’t think about taking photos because they were useless, on the contrary today the artworks live through the photos on the Web, and it can offer endless possibilities of international visibility, cultural exchange, interaction, participation, works permanence, that should be totally used for a global circulation and to reach everyone. In fact, to me now is more important Facebook than exhibiting my works in galleries, and I really care about being appreciated by “common people” rather than the insiders. 

Can you give any advice to artist that are beginning their career?

In my opinion it is necessary that everyone, artist or not, understand who he is, what he likes to do and what he is able to do and follow his purposes with a non-superficial approach. Artists should find their own style and language, that can come out their experience and their lives: it is useful to get inspired and fascinated by other artists, but avoiding the “copy-cut” effect, that brings to the complete lost of personal expression.

Thanks!!

Artist portrait

Name: : Christian Guémy                                 AKA: C215 

Nationality: French, born in Bondy, 1973

Studies: Art History, Université Paris-Sorbonne

Active from: 2005

Technique: stencil

Subjects: common people portraits, street kids, women, homeless, clochards: the “forgotten”

Style: two different stenciling styles: one multilayered and colorful, the other  single layered with one or two colours.

Stencil from photos or drawings combine urban culture with classical education: the portraits are really expressive, the faces are “scratched” by signs and wrinkles, symbols of difficult experiences. The artworks interacts highly with the context and the supports, often “forgotten” or useless too: rusty doors, poles, shoeboxes, cracked walls, bins, every street furniture to which he gives again visibility

Places: Prague, London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Milan, Oslo, Sao Paulo, Brooklyn, L.A, Moscow, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Athens, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Dakar, New Delhi, India, Israel, Brasil, Polland, USA, Senegal, Morocco, Italy..

Special projects:

-Stencil History X that includes : a volume (2007), an International collective exhibitions tour and a Website (http://www.stencilhistoryx.com/)

-association C215: promotes Street Art, through collective exhibitions and book publishing

- C215: book full of images of the C215’s artworks around the world, Design&Designer collection, Pyramid edition, 2012 

www.c215.com

Versione italiana e foto

Segnalazione @ Spazio Concept, Milano

Dal 13 al 16 ottobre si terrà presso Spazio Concept di Milano la mostra "URBAN QUEENS - street art al femminile", collettiva che riunisce alcune tra le più importanti protagoniste della scena street art internazionale. Tra queste Faith47, urban artist sudafricana, le italiane Pax Paloscia, Senso, Nais, Miss Eu, Alice Pasquini e Alita, metà femminile di Orticanoodles, l'argentina Cuore e le spagnole Emedemati e Btoy; le brasiliane Jana Joana e Ananda Nahu, l'inglese Fauna graphic, la canadese Indigo, Mymo, la statunitense Lydia Emily e le fotografie di Jessica Stewart.

Nella stessa location, Sabato 15 ottobre, dalle ore 18.00, si svolgerà la quarta edizione di MIX-UP,  una serata  in cui si mescolano street art, visual, performance e musica dal vivo: si potrà assistere alla proiezione di "Fenomeno della persistenza" dei SETTE SECONDI CIRCA, al videomapping (proiezione di immagini su superfici reali per ottenere effetti in 3d) dei MAIVIDEO, alla musica degli SHANGHAI EXPRESS e all' elettronic live perfomance di Missin Red.

Spazio Concept, Via Forcella 7/13, Milano

http://www.spazioconcept.it/