My name is Rui Tenreiro, I’m a Mozambican author, illustrator and art director living in Stockholm, Sweden. I create narrative experiences through storytelling, be it a book, film or piece of writing.
DSP: Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Rui Tenreiro, I’m a Mozambican author, illustrator and art director living in Stockholm, Sweden. I create narrative experiences through storytelling, be it a book, film or piece of writing. I’ve worked as a commercial artist for a long time but have increasingly been working more as an author and artist.
What is the role of Art in society?
I’m not sure it has a specific role. But it may definitely have advantages and disadvantages.
What lies at the heart of your inspiration?
Something that can’t be explained. A mystery perhaps. So I think the work probably feeds on that throughout a project. Whenever something becomes too easily deciphered, its lifespan shortens and its reason to exist may cease. Many things are inspiring but there must be a mood, an enigma, a rhythm, there must be something that calls for you and your curiosity.
What drives your creative process?
When I create stories for instance, it becomes an exercise in possibilities and story structure. In those moments, the desire to win over story drives me to come back to it again and again. Work time with a personal project is a very intimate moment in which there’s an exchange between the story and my imagination, my dreams, my whole world.
Describe the last piece of art that truly moved you.
This doesn’t happen often. I’m very moved by film. So the last time I was moved by an artwork was when I saw Shirin Neshat’s films in a gallery. Right away I was interested in how film was being treated in a gallery context. There were few or no chairs, so the gallery floor had to work as an informal cinema seat. It made the experience informal, and it must have made me feel that same joy of childhood we have, sitting on the floor and not having to be responsible about our clean clothes. The darkness of the room is also an interesting element because it brought me closer to the story unfolding on the screen. Cinema does this, but cinemas are very often full and it’s very hard to feel alone in a cinema, and I enjoy that feeling very much. In her films there was often an invisible threat, suggested through the film mood. Of course we understand what the threat is, but we don’t need to see it to know it’s there. The context in which the films were shown was very important. I dislike packed cinema rooms with dozens of cramped people, chewing away and not allowing anyone else to forget reality for a second. You have to be immersed in the work, it has to work as a reality of its own.
Do you own/posses a work of art?
I possess artwork that I bought from others, if that’s what you’re asking.
How have you been able to use your creativity to make a living? Is creativity an asset in the economic world?
Creativity is definitely an asset, but creativity alone doesn’t seem to be enough in the economic world. There’s something else needed. A hunger. A stubbornness. Besides, there are many businesses who’ve understood that creative people or artists may be willing to work for next to nothing. This prevents creativity from gaining relevance. I stopped working with some Ad agencies, such as Net#work in Joburg, because I didn’t think they respected the artists very much. There was always a feeling that I should be grateful for having had the opportunity to work for them, thus accepting any conditions imposed on me. But if we’re professionals and we’re being contacted for our expertise, then there has to be an exchange in expertise, in which I contribute with what I do best and feel respected for that. Since I couldn’t contribute with that, and didn’t get much “economic gratification” from it, I decided to sever ties and I don’t look back for a second. Selecting or breaking your collaborations is definitely an asset in the economic world, as is negotiating prices, keeping a client base, promoting your business and spotting opportunities. Creativity, or what we do with it, works just like any other business. All businesses may demand ingenuity, not only the art and design fields. The creative part is our product, but just having the product alone isn’t enough, there are many decisions to be made and much administration to be done every day, and sometimes this is as important — if not more — than the actual product.
Are artists special or different from other people?
What do you hope to ultimately accomplish as an artist?
Personal satisfaction. I’d like to be accountable to no one else.
How would you like your legacy to be remembered?
I haven’t thought of my legacy very much. I’d like my work to be timeless. I’d like people to return to the work again and again, as I return to certain films when something intrigues me or fascinates me.
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