Edycja magazynu poświęcona lifestylowi i nowym trendom w sztuce, na odbywających się w Berlinie targach „Bright Trade Show”.
Czyżbym stworzył nowy trend? 😉
DIGITAL DASHES
Finally about to show his work in galleries – as we reached out to him, he was busy preparing his first-ever exhibition at Modern Art Gallery in Ostrow Wielkopolski – Janusz Jurek is a desig¬ner, illustrator, artist, and photographer from Poland whose ge¬nerative artworks, though merely a pastime at this point, have certainly been making the rounds online. We felt it’s high time to present them on paper – along with some black and white answers by the artist.
First of all, Janusz, how’s life in Ostrow Wielkopolski these days? What are you currently working on?
I’ve been busy lately, preparing my exhibition. The event will take place in Modern Art Gallery in Ostrow Wielkopolski. It is my very first own exhibition, so I’m very excited. I’m going to show about 20 pieces, which together create the „Borderline” series.
Sounds great! How did you get into illustration and design?
I graduated from the University of A. Mickiewicz in Poznan – Art and Educational Institute, and since 1996 I’ve been running Neo Graphic Design Studio. What I did and still do is mostly com¬mercial work. Photography was my escape. But then I started working on those 3D designs, which was very difficult but inte¬resting and consuming at the same time. I spent my whole free time learning new techniques, to make things look more and more real. When I accomplished my goal, I realized that I could also do something completely opposite, that I could use my 3D skills for simple, pure art purposes.
You said photography was your escape – from what?
Actually photography was my first passion. It helped me to esca¬pe from my daily working routine. Many years ago I rented a place in a very old building, a kind of loft where I spent my free time. You know, when you design some cheese packaging or a chicken farm logo it is not very arty. With photography, I could turn to different fields, use my imagination in different ways, plus I worked with people, and I enjoyed that part as well.
The human body plays a huge role in some of your amazing series: When did you first get the idea to recreate human form via generative art?
The human body has always been the most popular subject in drawing, so my choice was quite obvious. Generative art is about motion, the human body is about motion, even when mo¬tionless it has the complicated nervous system and the blood vessels, which work all the time. So one could say that the sub¬ject found me.
But how does this work anyway? Can you break it down for us?
It took me a long time to find a way to connect drawing and sculpting. I had this crazy idea in my mind. When you draw, the only thing you need is a sheet of paper and a good pencil. But what if paper was not enough… what if the pencil left traces in the air. So I created my virtual environment and continued the line into that third dimension. The technique is sophisticated, that is why I wanted the subject to be simple.
How much time do you spend on one of those 3D images?
Of course it depends on many factors, but once I know what I want to create, it takes about one or two weeks to make my visi¬on come true. But it also happens that I come back and improve or change my previous version, play with my works. Usually, I do a couple pieces at the same time that is why my series are so compact and compatible.
Some of these series – Papilarnie, Hairline, Borderline – are done in black and white; how do you decide when to leave out the rest of the color spectrum?
Again it is all about simplicity and classical forms of drawing.
So, was drawing your first choice, as a kid, in terms of crea-tive expression?
Yes, it was. As a kid I was very good at drawing, it calmed me down. 3D design probably has the same effect on me now. Anyway, during my studies I had drawing lessons for five years.I practiced all the classical rules that are so helpful for my works now.
You still call them „experiments” – do you have an ultimate goal in mind, something they should ideally lead you to?
I don’t have a precise goal… but maybe I will work on printing my pieces in 3D so they can be real sculpture, I don’t know yet. The truth is that the process of creation in generative arts is so wonderful that I hope there are still incredible possibilities ahead. I agree with those who say that generative arts openeda new chapter in the history of arts. And we are part of this chapter.
Renko Hauer.
