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Spraygraphic Interview with Ali Cabbar
By Spraygraphic | October 22, 2007
Spraygraphic Interview with Ali Cabbar
SG: Please tell us a little about yourself?
AC: I was born in Istanbul and grow up there. I graduated from the art school as a graphic designer, worked for different newspapers and magazines while practicing art in my free time. In 1980 there was a military “coup d’etat” in Turkey which ended up with the arrest of thousands of young people, students, intellectuals, etc. like in Chile. I was unfortunately one of them and spent three years in a military jail for publishing an underground newspaper. Seeing no future in Turkey I left for Australia 19 years ago, ended up in Brussels six years later. I worked for The Wall Street Journal’s European edition as an art director for sometime, until I decided to quit my job to fully concentrate on art six years ago.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
AC: I live and work in Brussels, Belgium.
SG: What mediums do you work with?
AC: I used to be a traditional print maker and I still am one, but I practice it now using the digital technology, sometimes combining old techniques with the new. I usually create my drawings on the computer and print them on canvas. I also use acrylic paint on canvas and vinyl to do installations on the walls. I enjoy trying different medium, especially using cutting edge technology for doing humble things that does not look like high tech at all.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
AC: When I have an idea I start working by doing a “private performance” in front of my camera as a model. This is the most important part for me. I take lots of pictures, select the best shots, start drawing from them on my computer. I use vectoral programs.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
AC: I read. Take long walks… And get frustrated…
SG: Can you tell us a little about Gallery One on your website?
AC: These are some samples of the works I created in the last three years. It all started after a “blocked” period as you mentioned above and turned into a very fruitful experience.
SG: In what ways has your subject changed from exilic existence to latest works?
AC: Exilic existence drawings were illustration-like, auto biographical narratives, a bit like frames from a comic book. They came with a setting and with some symbols helping to tell a story. My latest works are more expressive, disturbing, iconic figures. They are not cute or easy to look at but they reflect a thought depending on the viewer’s position.
SG: Can you tell us a little about Strawberry Fields? How did the idea originate?
AC: Before I started doing the Exilic existence series I was working on still lifes. As a genre still life has been practiced by thousands of artist during the history of art. But in our age of genetic technology all the fruit we are consuming now are genetically modified at certain levels, and fruit compositions that artist are painting today have (or must have) a different story to tell. So I created a series of works on GM fruit, pretending to be a designer, working for a biotech company, creating the best looking products for the consumers. Strawberry Fields installation came as a result of this project. I always wanted to do an installation of 3D fruit and their packaging such as in a market place or a super market. Since I have the project ready now I want to repeat the installation in different cities if an opportunity arrives.
SG: How was it received by the public?
AC: It put a smile on the face of passerbys. I hope it made them think about it too because it is a serious matter. Lots of fruit species are disappearing, GM crops are becoming the main source of human diet, farmers get more and more depended on biotech companies that are producing the seeds, animal and insect life is effected, etc.
SG: According to your resume (on website), you have only shown once in the USA (Connecticut); what was that experience like and do you plan any more showings to the United States?
AC: I did not have a solo exhibition in US yet and would love to one day. The show you mention was a group print show where I had mailed a few works but was never actually there. It does not count as a real experience!
SG: What’s your studio like?
AC: My studio is a room in my apartment which is getting smaller everyday. I am trying to fit in by being very organized. When preparing for an exhibition I extend my territory to all the rooms.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
AC: Brussels, Melbourne, Istanbul and a few European cities.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
AC: I will join two curated group shows in Istanbul in December and March if things go as planned.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
AC: I would like to create a pavilion for “The Republic of Exilia” in the next Venice Biennial!
SG: What is your favorite color?
AC: Black and white.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
AC: Magritte. He was a graphic artist like me.
SG: What book/magazine are reading this week?
AC: I’ve just finished Paul Auster’s “The Brooklyn Follies“.
SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?
AC: All the work I did for Exilic existence series are self portraits. I still have some of them because people wouldn’t buy portraits that look like me!
SG: So let’s end with your favorite place to hang out?
AC: Ortaköy, a seaside neighborhood in Istanbul, on the Bosphorus with a great view and nice restaurants. In Brussels, Café Ultimatom in Ixelles is my favorite hangout with a list of 100 Belgium beers to choose.
Topics: Artist Interviews, Graphic Design, International-Art, Paintings |
