JEIKO

JEIKO, multimedia artist from Wellington, New Zealand. I want to present here his drawings and a little interview.

Try it!

© JEIKO

BR: I've seen some of muscisian you like, between this Nick Cave and Massive Attack, are you charmed by undergroung scene? Like the Berlin one or the Bristol one?

JEIKO: I'm definitely influenced by all things underground, and music is an integral part of my creative process. Nick's music resonates with me something crazy, I listen to his stuff while I'm getting concepts together and looking for inspiration. I haven't spend much time in Bristol or Berlin but would love to some day.

© JEIKO

BR: What do you think about Schiele?

J: I love his work. I can relate to his sometimes chaotic linework and am a huge fan of figurative work in general. A painting workshop with himself and Gustav Klimt would be a dream come true!

BR: What is your favourite comics?
J: Anything by Simon Bisley & Martin F Emond

© JEIKO

BR: Picasso has any importance for you?
J: In general I really admire Picasso's approach and relationship to his art. In my early days of starting out as an visual artist I was really drawn to his self-portraits. His eyes carry an intensity that seems to focus way beyond the subject matter. This, together with his unconventional approach at rendering shape and form really drew me to his work.

© JEIKO

BR: What do you think about market of art?
J: I think it's a case of (and possibly always has been) either producing work that is 'commercially viable' i.e. playing it safe and enabling one to pay his bills, or taking a path less travelled and having a go at something daring & original. The latter comes at a risk of not finding an audience, and/or joining the starving artist demographic. It ultimately comes down to your ability to market your art, or have a support network in place to help get your stuff outhere.

© JEIKO

BR: Who is Tom?
J: Tom is a wonderfully nerdy millionaire who built this social networking site and enabled us to beam our egos out to the world. He also thinks that myspace/world is a safer place without nipples. Most newborns tend to disagree.

BR: You make digital graphic or you use also other technique?

J: I've been confined to things digital most of my career, and have only recently started to go back to a more organic approach. I'm currently working on a series of oil paintings and loving the hands-on nature of working with paint. I'm a firm believer that the best things in life are still made by hand.
BR: You are multimedial artis, which kind of expression form you're more into?
J: I'm into all and any forms of expression that connect with the audience and make them think and feel beyond the 'default' state of being. Art is essentially storytelling and as such I prefer not to limit myself to one media in order to get a story across. I've recently started getting into audio production in a big way - I find that it enables me to tap into the same place of inspiration as with visual arts, and that the two coexist in parallel.

© JEIKO

BR: In your works, do you refer to any kind of iconography (pop, comic etc.)?
J: I'm influenced and inspired by everything I experience during a normal course of the day. I prefer not to follow trends and take a rather wide approach in choosing my subject matter. As a person (and artist) I'm constantly evolving and so does my work. If I can create work that people can identify with and instantly recognise as my own I've achieved my nirvana as an artist ")

© JEIKO

BR