GO WITH THE FLOW:
Teleporting at random to different areas can
sometimes result in a surprise.
I recently discovered a small gallery in Nimue, the DEPOT art gallery (Nimue 170, 216, 71).
Although small, the gallery is well worth a visit due to the quality of the work contained within.
On my second visit, I was lucky enough to catch up with the owner, Violetta Le Shelle.
After our meeting, we arranged an interview with the artist she is presently showcasing, Martijn Gijsberti-Hodenpijl, aka Flow Soderstrom.
BD: How long have you known Flow and what inspired you to place his work in your SL gallery?
Violetta: I have known Flow for a few years. I think it must have been about four years now. I don’t really remember where and how we met so I could not tell you exactly, I think it was one of those summers we were outside having picnics in the park all the time so my best guess would be I bumped into him at one of those events.
The reason I wanted to show his work in my gallery is simple, I think he is a good artist. I have seen quite a few of his works and I am impressed with the way he works. Not only by his ‘end products’ but also by the way he develops himself as an artist and is always working on his development.
BD: There is a mixture of media within the gallery. Was this deliberate or is that just how things worked out?
Violetta: The latter. It is simple. I want to show works that I think are good and I value. And I am interested in more than one type of work. I must say that in real life I have a preference for work on paper and photography but that does not mean I don’t like installations or conceptual art for instance. I don’t feel like limiting myself in that way. The only limit would be, I guess, my taste, or judgement. And for now also the prim limit haha.
BD: Have you had a good response to the gallery?
Violetta: Yes, I did. In fact, I was a little overwhelmed by the success of my opening exhibition. I do however still think visitors numbers could go up a little further, but so far I hear positive reactions. I do realize though that the gallery has a somewhat classic touch to it and I would love to be able to do some more experimental projects but well, as I am also still learning in SL that has not happened yet. For instance, I really enjoyed the projects by Juria Yoshikawa for the Whitecube gallery and the other project ‘I am not here’ (I don’t remember where that was, sorry.) I am very interested in art made for SL especially and solely. But this was a good way of starting out for me since I am not schooled in 3d graphics, so I am learning everything from scratch and I still am on prim limited land. Building the gallery was first and foremost my next step in my SL experience and like Flow's work, it is an ongoing project.
BD:I know that you share my liking for one particular piece, why do you like Metro 7 ?
Violetta: Haha, well. Those are the hardest questions. Just today I heard someone explain that art that lets itself be explained to all details is not very good art. I’m not sure how I feel about that, I’m still chewing on it.
But, well…I think in this piece it is mainly the colour use and the way Flow was able to capture the reflection of the rain on the platform. But there is something else I value very much in Flow's work and that is his compositions. If you look at metro 12, which is the work to the left of number 7, I specifically like the composition in that one, the way the leading figure is placed and turns his head to us. And if you look at the blue ones on the right wall, I like the way the figures and the work as a whole were ‘cut’. I mean, they were not cut but you understand, no? This is one thing I just happen to value in Flow's work, his drawing talent and skills. But what you ‘fall’ for in work is a very personal thing I guess. One can speak a lot about art and you can train your eye and learn to look, I really believe that, but I guess in the end it always comes down to feeling, does something speak to you or not. And that is personal.",
BD: Have you any personal background in the arts or are you mainly an admirer?
Violetta: I work in one of the main museums for modern art in the Netherlands. But not as a curator. I have no desire to be one either. I work as a registrar for outgoing loans. Museums do lend a lot of their works to other museums for temporary exhibitions. And they have people who arrange all those movements, I am one of those and this type of work suits me perfectly. I get to work with lots of museums around the world (that sounds more glamorous then it is actually ), the big ones and the small ones and well, the collection of the museum where I work is top quality so yes, I consider myself lucky. But where it comes to the art…\n\u003cp\>I see a lot but in a way I am still just an admirer, a guest like any other. My RL work concerns more the handling of artworks than describing or judging it.
BD: In regards to Flow, what do admire most about his work?
Violetta: The way he develops himself. Just recently I saw an installation he made, and as I was already familiar with his paintings and drawings I was really surprised. And although I was not all that impressed with the work itself (sorry Flow) I was impressed with what he had done. Trying to get loose from everything he had done before and trying to find a new way to express himself . And then he showed me one of his artist books (or drawing diaries as he calls them) in which he documented his thoughts, feelings and associations when making this work. It showed me that he sees his work as an ongoing process and that he is always working on his development and is not trying to limit himself in that respect. And that is something I do value.
BD: Flow, can you tell me a bit about your background, art training, schooling etc?
Flow: I have studied Biology and work as a software engineer. I do not have an artist background. However, I have been drawing since I was very young. During school I made comics ( I love comics). During my study and work I did lots of courses in model drawing and painting and the last 2 years I did a course which prepared me for the academy of Arts. The last 3 years I had many exhibitions. Just recently I have been accepted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam (the Willem de Kooning Academy). This will start in September 2007."
.bmp)
BD: Who is your favourite living artist?
Teleporting at random to different areas can
sometimes result in a surprise.I recently discovered a small gallery in Nimue, the DEPOT art gallery (Nimue 170, 216, 71).
Although small, the gallery is well worth a visit due to the quality of the work contained within.
On my second visit, I was lucky enough to catch up with the owner, Violetta Le Shelle.
After our meeting, we arranged an interview with the artist she is presently showcasing, Martijn Gijsberti-Hodenpijl, aka Flow Soderstrom.
BD: How long have you known Flow and what inspired you to place his work in your SL gallery?
Violetta: I have known Flow for a few years. I think it must have been about four years now. I don’t really remember where and how we met so I could not tell you exactly, I think it was one of those summers we were outside having picnics in the park all the time so my best guess would be I bumped into him at one of those events.
The reason I wanted to show his work in my gallery is simple, I think he is a good artist. I have seen quite a few of his works and I am impressed with the way he works. Not only by his ‘end products’ but also by the way he develops himself as an artist and is always working on his development.
BD: There is a mixture of media within the gallery. Was this deliberate or is that just how things worked out?
Violetta: The latter. It is simple. I want to show works that I think are good and I value. And I am interested in more than one type of work. I must say that in real life I have a preference for work on paper and photography but that does not mean I don’t like installations or conceptual art for instance. I don’t feel like limiting myself in that way. The only limit would be, I guess, my taste, or judgement. And for now also the prim limit haha.
BD: Have you had a good response to the gallery?
Violetta: Yes, I did. In fact, I was a little overwhelmed by the success of my opening exhibition. I do however still think visitors numbers could go up a little further, but so far I hear positive reactions. I do realize though that the gallery has a somewhat classic touch to it and I would love to be able to do some more experimental projects but well, as I am also still learning in SL that has not happened yet. For instance, I really enjoyed the projects by Juria Yoshikawa for the Whitecube gallery and the other project ‘I am not here’ (I don’t remember where that was, sorry.) I am very interested in art made for SL especially and solely. But this was a good way of starting out for me since I am not schooled in 3d graphics, so I am learning everything from scratch and I still am on prim limited land. Building the gallery was first and foremost my next step in my SL experience and like Flow's work, it is an ongoing project.
BD:I know that you share my liking for one particular piece, why do you like Metro 7 ?
Violetta: Haha, well. Those are the hardest questions. Just today I heard someone explain that art that lets itself be explained to all details is not very good art. I’m not sure how I feel about that, I’m still chewing on it.
But, well…I think in this piece it is mainly the colour use and the way Flow was able to capture the reflection of the rain on the platform. But there is something else I value very much in Flow's work and that is his compositions. If you look at metro 12, which is the work to the left of number 7, I specifically like the composition in that one, the way the leading figure is placed and turns his head to us. And if you look at the blue ones on the right wall, I like the way the figures and the work as a whole were ‘cut’. I mean, they were not cut but you understand, no? This is one thing I just happen to value in Flow's work, his drawing talent and skills. But what you ‘fall’ for in work is a very personal thing I guess. One can speak a lot about art and you can train your eye and learn to look, I really believe that, but I guess in the end it always comes down to feeling, does something speak to you or not. And that is personal.",
BD: Have you any personal background in the arts or are you mainly an admirer?
Violetta: I work in one of the main museums for modern art in the Netherlands. But not as a curator. I have no desire to be one either. I work as a registrar for outgoing loans. Museums do lend a lot of their works to other museums for temporary exhibitions. And they have people who arrange all those movements, I am one of those and this type of work suits me perfectly. I get to work with lots of museums around the world (that sounds more glamorous then it is actually ), the big ones and the small ones and well, the collection of the museum where I work is top quality so yes, I consider myself lucky. But where it comes to the art…\n\u003cp\>I see a lot but in a way I am still just an admirer, a guest like any other. My RL work concerns more the handling of artworks than describing or judging it.
BD: In regards to Flow, what do admire most about his work?
Violetta: The way he develops himself. Just recently I saw an installation he made, and as I was already familiar with his paintings and drawings I was really surprised. And although I was not all that impressed with the work itself (sorry Flow) I was impressed with what he had done. Trying to get loose from everything he had done before and trying to find a new way to express himself . And then he showed me one of his artist books (or drawing diaries as he calls them) in which he documented his thoughts, feelings and associations when making this work. It showed me that he sees his work as an ongoing process and that he is always working on his development and is not trying to limit himself in that respect. And that is something I do value.
BD: Flow, can you tell me a bit about your background, art training, schooling etc?
Flow: I have studied Biology and work as a software engineer. I do not have an artist background. However, I have been drawing since I was very young. During school I made comics ( I love comics). During my study and work I did lots of courses in model drawing and painting and the last 2 years I did a course which prepared me for the academy of Arts. The last 3 years I had many exhibitions. Just recently I have been accepted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam (the Willem de Kooning Academy). This will start in September 2007."
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BD: Who is your favourite living artist?
Flow: I am impressed by Matthew Barney, because he invented a totally new art form, which is something in the middle between sculpture, film and performance. The cremaster cycle of his really knocked me out.
BD: Who is your favourite deceased artist?
Flow: I can never choose between Francis Bacon and Goya. I like artists who go to the limit and beyond. Both artists made images of the dark side of mankind in an astonishing way. Especially the Black Paintings of Goya are - well - there are no words for it.
BD: In the works Metro 1 & 12.. They seem to have a similar style to Hopper, the dark, slightly moody feel. Was this just coincidence or did you feel influenced by him?
Flow: This is no coincidence. As younger kid I already liked the paintings of Edward Hopper. As the metro series are based on photographs which are made in the evening or morning, the atmosphere was dark and gloomy. I also worked a lot with shadows and people which had a certain composition to each other. Edward Hopper did exactly the same, only far better than I did.
BD: That brings me nicely to my next question.. Who, if anyone, or what influences you as an artist?
Flow: Well, for the metro series I was influenced by Edward Hopper and the observations, drawings and photographs I made myself. But my more recent work (drawings, and diary books with text and drawings) have been influenced a lot by science, my personal life, art and especially other books. To mention two: I am influenced by an Russian artist - Ilya Kabakov, who made drawings books. But also by the book Godel, Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstadter.
BD: I know you spend a lot of time at stations whilst travelling, what is it that inspires you to draw your fellow passengers?
Flow: The people are together in a small space and yet lonely. For instance, I have been drawing in the metro for three years, and it only happened once that someone did ask me a question about it. I do not know why, but somehow it is really difficult for people to make contact with each other in public spaces. Only if a disaster occurs (bad weather, all trains are cancelled), do people start to talk with each other.",
BD: If you were told you could only keep one piece of your work that is showing in the gallery, which one would it be and why?
BD: If you were told you could only keep one piece of your work that is showing in the gallery, which one would it be and why?
Flow: Ooh, I find that a difficult question. But my personal favourite is the metro3, because of the colours and the fluid way it is painted. One thing about the titles. I am still struggling with the titles of the works. Originally the titles of the paintings were like “is there someone out there?” But I prefer now not too use titles, because titles distract your attention from the painting. Hence I called the paintings metro1, metro2 etc.
BD: If you were not an artist, what would you like to have been?
Flow: Maybe a doctor, saving people‘s lives.
BD: If you could own just one renowned ‘masterpiece’ regardless of cost , which one would it be and why?
Flow: One of the black paintings of Goya - it shows only the head of a dog waiting on something or somebody outside the canvas. It is a mysterious painting - no expert understands the work. It is totally different from all Goya's other work. Even more, it does not resemble anything made during the 18th century or before. With this painting Goya was about 150 years ahead of his time.
A little more about the Black Paintings. These paintings were discovered after the death of Goya on the walls of his house. Nobody had ever seen them, he had never shown them. You can see them in El Prado in Madrid. The paintings are horrible to watch - really like nightmares - and yet so beautiful that you cannot stop looking at them. It is a mixture of disgust and admiration you experience while watching them. Goya lived in the 18th century and witnessed the invasion of Napoleon and a horrible civil war in Spain. I think he understood the effects of Modernity very early and already foresaw the terrible events which were to happen during the First and Second World war. So - to me - these paintings are a sort of prophecies. And to me they are the first Modern paintings. "
BD: What event in life has affected you most and why?
BD: What event in life has affected you most and why?
Flow: I think that 11 September 2001 had a great impact on me. After that day the world was not the same for me anymore. I realised that there is no such thing as security in life and that we have to life our lives the best we can. And I started to paint after this event again after 7 years of doing nothing creative. Another event was the murder on Theo van Gogh in the neighbourhood were I live. After his murder, I made in anger a whole series of black charcoal drawings.
BD: Did this event have any effect on how you paint/draw?
Flow: Yes, they both did profoundly. You will not see it directly in my works. But the events motivated me to express my inner world in art. I believe that art shows that beauty exists everywhere- even at the most ugly places. We artists have to show it again and again.
BD: There are many aspiring artists in RL and SL, what would your advise be to someone wanting to show their work ?
Flow: Be critical and only do a show with someone who loves your work. Don’t do it for the money
BD: Last question, what that effect do you think SL is having on RL gallery owners/artists worldwide?
Violetta: Boy, hmmm. What I see around me is that RL gallery owners or museums are very reluctant towards SL. And museums for sure are (even museums for modern art) conservative institutions. If SL would mean something in the art world (which I think is possible) it would, obviously, need to come from the artists.
What it could mean…I am not sure about. Virtual life, virtual contact certainly means something in the world, in our lives but I am not sure what exactly. I am still puzzling on that myself. It is so obvious that everywhere you go, you take yourself so even if you go to a virtual world and cross dress, dress up as a tiny mushroom, or just as the regular SL Barbie and Ken (which I, socially and psychologically, consider a very interesting topic in itself) it is still you. What you bring into a virtual world, how you behave…it is you. I therefore found that virtual contact (in SL but also on other channels) can be really confronting for yourself. It tells you more about yourself then about anyone else. So back to the art, building my gallery was in the first place the next step for me in exploring SL and like I said, I built a very classic style gallery and for now I have been showing photography, oils and drawings (like I said, you bring yourself ). To me, there is not so much innovation in that so far. Yes, I can show work by RL artists in a way that was not possible before and to a different public, but yet, the works are virtual copies of real life work . When it comes to art I think the experience of it all and the effects that it has on us are way more important and that is something artists and gallery owners should be working on, I guess. I would recommend institutions that are thinking of joining SL or ‘doing something with it’ to not emphasize so much on it as a marketing tool but much more as a place for experimenting. "
Flow: At the moment I do not think it has an effect on gallery owners worldwide. You have to realize that the official art world is quite closed and it is difficult for outsiders to come in. A small group of people with loads of money determine who is hot and who is not. This is completely in conflict with the word wide web, where everything can be shown for free. However, for artists it is an opportunity to create in SL or other places on the web their own niche and show their work for the public. These places will co-exist with the official art world with commercial galleries.
Flow: At the moment I do not think it has an effect on gallery owners worldwide. You have to realize that the official art world is quite closed and it is difficult for outsiders to come in. A small group of people with loads of money determine who is hot and who is not. This is completely in conflict with the word wide web, where everything can be shown for free. However, for artists it is an opportunity to create in SL or other places on the web their own niche and show their work for the public. These places will co-exist with the official art world with commercial galleries.
Well thank you both for your time, and I hope that both the gallery and the works go from strength to strength.
If you have only a short time in SL, go see this wonderful little gallery and be enriched by what you find inside. If you are also lucky enough to meet Violetta, she will further enrich your visit by answering any questions you may have on the works shown. Make sure to visit the smaller second floor too, a few surprises.
From the pen of Baron DeSantis
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