Which themes do you find yourself returning to over time?

As a child of the opera theater and a classical musician in profession, a lot of my works are reflections on musical compositions and stage designs of modernist, so-called ‘Euro Trash,’ opera productions. Another theme that’s very prominent in my works is the juxtapositions of atheism and religion - reflecting on my ardent disbelief in ‘supreme beings’ and a profound love of the 700 year musical history of the Catholic mass and other liturgical works. At times, however, I almost ‘force’ myself to be distinctly a-topical, which is in turn a reflection on my general discomfort with the way the human brain’s neocortex generates thought and handles the different facets of our biological existence. 

how has your art changed over time?

To state very generally, I believe my work has become significantly less ‘conscious’, or less ‘organized’. It also became more polarized in its approach toward minimalism vs maximalism and single medium vs mixed media. The result of both these shifts is that I started letting the materials guide me - not the other way around. 

How does music impact your art?

Music and art impact each other in my creative process. Visual art helped me develop as a musician probably more than all of my professional musical training combined. It forced me to seek within music the same wide spectrum of textures, colors and materials which I use in my visual art. In return, music often guides my brush strokes, paint drips, textural layering and selection of colors.

have you always been an artist? what inspired you to start creating art and when?

I think it’s safe to say ‘always’, since I can’t remember when it all started. My earliest concrete memories of creating art are from doodling in my elementary school notebooks (instead of taking notes), and even on the desks (for which I was once forced to clean all the desks in the classroom.) Eventually it came down to canvases, oils, acrylics etc when I was in my early teens. But it wasn’t until my mid 20’s that I started seeing myself as an actual artist and created art on a regular basis. If I had to choose two pivotal events which propelled me to become a full time artist, it would be an exhibition I attended in 2008 at the Salzburg Museum of works by Austrian artist Rebecca Horn (who remains a major source of inspiration to this day,) and a neurological surgery in 2009 which resulted in a 7% brain volume loss - a void which was fortunately occupied by art almost instantly.  

would you say your art fallS into one style?

I think not. In fact, at times I actually make an effort to make sure that there is no stylistic uniformity. However, certain elements do repeat, at times deliberately, but mostly not. I think it would be wise to leave the particularities of stylistic evaluation up to future art historians.  

DOES YOUR ART REPRESENT SOMETHING ABOUT YOU OR THE WORLD AROUND YOU?

Whether it happens through a conscious or a subconscious process, art is always a reflection of its creator’s life experiences. In my personal case, direct associations happen mostly in retrospect. For example, in ‘Letters to Nowhere,’ I didn’t realize that the cubes are reminiscent of pieces of paper that have illegible text on them until I put an actual piece of paper with random letters on it which was then attached to the canvas on top of a garbage bag. 

Also, in 1567, which is dedicated to Claudio Monteverdi and is named after the year of his birth, it was only after putting the finishing touches that I recognized that the rawness of the oil paint reminds me of Monteverdi’s raw, almost grotesque, approach toward musical rhetoric. I think this was the first time I actually saw the colors and textures speak for themselves instead of creating an “artistic unit.”  

In ‘Skyscraper Scraps’, the image on the burnt photograph (originally from ‘Project Silence’) is actually that of a dumpster next to a construction site on Manhattan which wasn’t anywhere near any of the city’s innumerable skyscrapers. But when I saw all those pipes and broken pieces of wood and glass, I somehow recognized in it the very essence of NYC and an entire skyscraper compartmentalized into one dumpster. Perhaps a subconscious reflection on the events of 9/11 as we approach the 20th anniversary of that tragic day.  

The earlier mentioned duality of minimalism and maximalism is another factor that affects my choice of subject. ‘Experimental Hematopoiesis’ loosely reflects the microscopic process through which mammalian organisms create blood, while ‘G2V Gamut’ is derived from cosmic proportions, paying homage to the G2V star at the center of our solar system (our sun) and the gamut of colors we are able to enjoy thanks to the light it emits.

DO YOU TAKE COMMISSIONS?

WOULD YOU ACCEPT SIZE REQUESTS?

I do, but I do not take instructions for commissions. I would gladly do a commission, but it would have to be my product from beginning to end.

Absolutely.

HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE A WORK?

Anywhere from a few hours to a few years. At times a work which I have deemed ‘completed’ inspires me to keep working on it days, weeks, months, or even years later.

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM ART PROJECT?

Which one?