Raphaël Vicenzi
“When the inspiration is lacking, I really feel there is something missing, even though I know that it’s a necessary process — the rise and fall of the tide of creative juices is a real drag. It can lead to very depressing thoughts. It always comes back at one point or another. I grind my teeth and bear it.
The only way I can make it through these days is to keep working a bit, trying out different compositions, paint a bit, create new textures. I really dislike wasting a day without creating something new.”
“I always knew I wanted to be an artist, someone who creates something. I did not know in what field and I terribly lacked the confidence to find a way to become one. I am self-taught with no background in art. I am a late bloomer. Kids have no idea what it was before the internet.
When I discovered Photoshop, it all made sense to me. I can’t say it came naturally, though I still had to understand how to be creative with a computer. I really took a DIY approach, looking at other peoples work and built my own sense of style and aesthetics. I had a certain idea of the art I wanted to do but not the skills, so I kept working until my works started to get better and thus recognized. I am still a work in progress though.”
“I tend to see my works as an ongoing series, which constantly evolves through time. As my life is going through different phases, it goes right back into my works. It is a personal journal of my internal landscape that I keep writing, under a visual form, as I go.
I am often wondering about how we transition from being alive, bound by the flesh to a spirit, a ghost, a distant memory fading away. I don’t see this as a morbid interest but more out of a respect for all those who have passed away. As sure as we were born, we will all go through this final transition and it helps me to appreciate life and all the precious moments that I share with my loved ones.”
“My works sometimes represent an inner struggle between the symbolic need to be asleep versus the raw emotions of life. I explore tensions within myself that are represented visually through different textures, paint strokes, body parts merging or colliding with each other. I am willingly bringing chaos into my works through happy accidents and random shapes.”
“I haven’t got enough time or brain power to assimilate all the things I am interested in, which in turn are influencing me on an artistic level. I have a soft spot for sub-cultures in general. I am inspired by punk, fanzines, hardcore, fashion photography, collages, graffitis, metal music, witchcraft, mangas, the esoteric, the mysterious, sci-fi movies, black metal and so on. A good mix of lighter things with deeper, dark moods.
Somehow I always bring that up in my works but it’s not necessarily obvious. It’s the spirit of those things that transpires into my works. I think it’s important to stay curious and hungry to discover new sources of inspiration. You cannot have seen it or heard it all, there is always something or someone somewhere that will make you discover a new perspective.”
“I am usually collecting a lot of magazines and scans. I make my own textures with acrylic paints or graffiti markers. I do take my own pictures also. All my works are done via photoshop because I have a fast, almost instinctive, way of working. Cutting up, re-arranging shapes until I start to find interesting connections between them. I don’t have a specific routine to start working on a piece, sometimes I stumble upon an idea while experimenting, at other times, I already have an idea and I try to complete it before it goes away.”
Thanks for reading this interview with Detroit-based photographer Tony Katai.
To see more of Raphaël’s work visit his Instagram or Website.
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Originally published on Art Narratives
