Remed

Since Remed opened the exhibition calendar with his buddy 3ttman he’s been restlessly travelling around the globe and proving an amazing evolution as an artist and indeniable coherence of his work. In this interview with him he shows an attitude and view of himself as an artist free of prejudices that for some reason is not too common and that we love as much as his work.

First of all when, where, how and why you started to consider yourself an artist?

Well, I think I’ve dreamed about being an artist since I was quite young but I never thought it was possible until I met the father of one of my friends who was an artist in Roubaix. When I discovered his atelier and the treasures that it contained, I began to feel it was possible to be the artist I am nowadays. I really want to thank my man Boulaone and his father Madjoub Ben Bella for having opened my eyes, and made my dream possible. After my studies I started to work in a design agency and then I quit two years later to work on my own. As I was drawing and painting more and more, I felt artist more and more, and became really proud of it, while many people around me had the will of being an artist but were afraid saying they were. I love being an artist and i’m proud of the decission I made.

And when, where, how and why did you start to do art in the streets?

The first time I worked in the street was in 1999 wih my broooother 3ttman (wesh a gueule!!). He came back from work with a big roll of virgin stickers. We started filling those white spaces. I started making eyes, nearly closed, with a kind of “malice” inside. I first pasted them wherever it was possible and once I put one on the beautifull seducing face of a woman on a advertising poster. I was really surprised by the impact of it, and how it changed the soft expression of the woman face into a vicious looking one, the one behind the mask of her “selling” function.

In your work there’s a predominance of characters and text. In the case of characters do you have a collection of them with their own personality that you use here and there or you come up with new ones for every new piece?

I don’t really have a collection of characters. At the beginning I developed a face. That was more or less my self-representation. As a witness of life or maybe just a revendication of existence… his expression wasn’t thought of before I did it. It’s just a reflection of how i felt while doing it or at that moment of my life: sometimes happy, sometimes sad, or angry. But most times I tried to lie when I saw it was too sad. Because it’s too easy to keep on being lifeless, and it don’t like spreading that vibe. Even on my canvases… if I talk about sadness, or bad feelings, I’m always trying to find an alternative, hope… In the meantime, I realized a face was not enough to express what I wanted to, and started to work on hands, patterns, and then body. That’s how shadowblackman came out and allowed me to put myself in situation, in movement, interacting with the environment.

And about the text and the word games, most artists don’t want to be too precise about the meaning (if any) of their pieces but you even give tips!! Why is that? Do you have a clear idea and concept for each new piece and like everyone to understand fully?

Of course I would like people to understand the deep part of my work. It’s not only about aesthetics. I spend quite a lot of time in front of the white page, wall or canvas, before writing something. There’s a story I’d like people to enter in. It’s really important for me creating something true and coherent. Most times, the concept of the piece is clear to me, and it gives an essential extra value to my art. My art is me. But in a way it could be you. It helps me, and I hope it could help you. It’s like the walk of a thought to the next one. I really love to explain the way an artpiece has been created, little by little, the first word, or icon, already has the seed of the one that will follow. It’s just waiting for me to find the next one. I’ve thought many times about recording my voice explaining this or that canvas. Because I want people to get it fully. And sometimes, people add an extra sense to one of the word I use. And most of all I like their interpretation. I believe in the “hasard qui n’existe pas”.

Also, it’s really good the way you make the letters part of the art. What’s up with you and letters? Big fan of typography or maybe just hand made type?

I don’t think I’ve ever been fan of typography. Text has always been present in my art since the beginning. I realized that I needed a collection of fonts wide enough to fit with the iconography I developed. All the type I drew was inspired by some existent types, but I usually look at one, forget it, and then make mine.

There’s a generation of artists worldwide that I think that share at least a somehow similar attitude and sometimes some aesthetics coordinates and you seem to be very active collaborating with artists from other countries. Do you feel part of a scene-generation… and what do you think you share with other artists from that same “scene”?

In all the travels I’ve made, for love of art, when I meet other artists, I always feel a strong energy, a strong will of living the life we choose, and make it possible in a system that is not really made for us. I feel that we represent the alternative. And it fills myself. I love to know that artists I met share the same life. We are really lucky and conscious of what we accomplishing. Something is happening!

You live a little bit all over the place: São Paulo, Madrid, Lille… I’m sure that helps you be in touch with many different artists. How’s that affecting your artistic activity and attitude as an artist?

Like I said, travelling and meeting other artists makes me stronger, because it gives me the feeling of being part of something important, whether I will be remembered or forgotten, I love to believe in us. UNITY brodaaaas! special biiiig up to the great artists who are: my everfriend 3ttman aka brad beckam, my love Fefe (cochillo bolinda!), and to my brothers, artists I respect such as Jiem, Nano, El tono, Pelucas, Zosen, Debens, Sixe, Kafre, Soviet, Momo, Maya Hayuk, Ekta, A.purdy, Andy Rementer, Dem, Orion, Kaboko, Ramon Martins, Raquel Shambri, Ciro, Speto, Carlinhos, Espak, Mikos, Isham, Mercurochrom, Buenos Aires stencil, Blu, Mark Jenkins , Tatone, Farmprod and many more I never met and hope to meet once…

Your work, for someone that sees a pic online, could be easily think is all computer-made becase of the clean lines and in fact you seem to be a very traditional artist in the way you work. Never thought of working with Illustrator, Freehand…?

I used to draw with illustrator when I was 22 til 24. I learned and understood many things. It showed me the beauty of mathematics. It gave me a graphic point of view that is still one at the foundations of my work today. But afterwards, I rediscovered the beauty of spontaneity and the “alèatoire” dimension in handdrawing. I am “mathematic” in the way I compose the image, but I keep something “human”, more about the “heart”, in the way I use the line. I like when it’s close to perfection globally, but still imperfect in the detail.

Also your work seems to be perfect for taking commercial comissions from brand and doing work as an illustrator but you don’t like it very much. Is that right? Why?

That’s right, I used to be a graphic designer before I made the choice to be an artist.

In your work there’s a predominance of characters and it also it makes me think of animation and comics and about how much of your chilldhood might reflect on your work. Can you tell us about those influences and how much of your art speaks for the child inside of you?

The influence is not really conscious. I can’t say…maybe a mix of everything I’ve seen until today.I cultivate the child in me. I prefer the word “utopia” than “cynism”.

It seems like apart from commercial work and personal work that can be sold at galleries and so on, many artists find another ways to portray their work in the form of assorted merchandising such as t-shirts, toys, etc… more accesible to most people because they are cheaper. What’s your experience and “policy” in that field?

First, I want my art to be “original” and “non-functional”. So I’m trying to keep far away from industry buisness. I don’t want my work to be seen as “decoration” but as “art”. From my point of view, silkscreening on paper is a good alternative because, it produces an affordable piece of art, it’s not a functional object as a t-shirt, and it’s still rare, original and handmade.

Not being an artist, every time I find an artist whose work I enjoy, I’m always intrigued on the creative process, tell me a little bit about it.

Nearly every canvas I do, is sketched before. Sometimes I do one sketch, which is a part of a canvas, I reproduce it on the canvas, then do another sketch, or many until I find the one that will work besides the other one on the canvas. And sometimes I do a global sketch. But everytime there’s an evolution between the sketch and the final result.

What have you been working on recently?

On a series of colourful large canvases representing a couple making love. I’ve already made two, and still have one to do. You can see one in the galery Geraldine Zberro, in Paris. 8°. 3ttman and myself have just painted the entrance of the famous ;) atelier “LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES”, in Madrid, calle Noviciado.

And any interesting project coming up that you can tell us about?

I’m now sketching for a huge wall project in Curitiba, Brazil. The theme is “Everything you see”. It’s for the festival of theatre of Curitiba.

Some project you would love to do but didn’t have the chance or nobody has asked you to do yet?

Sculpture.

Can you turn us into some artists or something interesting that we should know about?

I really enjoy outsider art, and especially Carlo Zinelli. I also recently discovered the art of Henry Moore and really love his sculptures. And, of course , you should discover the art of people I mentioned in a previous question.

2 comments March 2nd, 2008 02:01pm Administrador