the talk - page 124

art & design - Artist Focus

a young artist based in Kuwait, the creator of the “Purely Social Demons” (aka. Ps.demons) Collaborating with other artists and always experimenting with alternative approaches to making art. The Demon stickers became a signature and tag for him that can be found in Kuwait, and around the world.

Faisal Baba jan

How would you explain the process of creating your art?Understanding colors not just as in pigments but the emotions and meanings of the actual color. Finding the perfect compliments for every shade but not shying away from experimenting with colors that don’t make sense together. That turned into a collection of routine color studies that I make every once in a while.

How do the color studies work? And why do you make them?It started out when I was sketching in my sketchbook and I felt like the drawing was lacking a bit of color and I added a hint of maroon pigment on the drawing and it came to life. And I felt like I want to experiment more, so I brought my watercolor paper pad and started cutting 3cm circles and then painting on each one with a unique pattern or design with a different technique. And it went on from there, color after another.

How did the Demons start?A few years ago I was doodling in my sketchbook and I wanted to create a character for myself to include in my sketches and doodles. And almost none of the characters I created got attached until I did my first “demon”. a simple character that anyone could relate to. At first, I would just sketch it here and there not knowing it would have such impact on my life. The reason why I chose the name “demon” even though I knew that the name would repel a lot of people is because the word “demon” also translate in “an unmanageable person”, which is what my demons do, they are the little voices that encourage you to do something you think you are not brave enough to do. After a while, I started drawing them everywhere, even in public places. And after my first year of university, I started wondering what I could do with the demons, and I couldn’t start without making what I am personally obsessed with; stickers.

text & photo by Nasser Ashour

the talk - page 125

the talk - page 126

art & design - interview

Caroline Denervaud is a 38-year-old artist that lives in Paris. She studied dance in Lausanne and London, and fine arts and fashion in Paris. Caroline works as a Pluridisciplinary artist, leading by the intrinsic shapes and movements. She doesn’t close herself in a way but feels free to express what wants to come out at the moment and interpret it in movements through drawings, sounds, and collages. On the side, Caroline also does work for orders and collaborations with photographs, designers, and artisans.

text by Ziena Al Ayoub

Caroline DenervaudThe literal movement of art

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When did you start painting? At first, I started dancing and then painting followed as a natural way to fix the movement on paper.

What do you call the method of the art you are practicing? Living? Feeling? Movement drawing for the moving part of my artwork and shapes exploration for the still part.

How did you first approach this method of art? The first time I experimented with movement drawing is when I was in a shoot for the Heidies, a duet I formed with my friend who is a photographer named Pascaline Dargant. It resulted in a series called trace where you can check it out on www.theheidies.com.

What are the tools you use when creating an art piece? On the floor I use charcoal, ink or acrylic. For collages I use pastel, pigment, acrylic, and ink, but I let this way open too.

Tell us about the color pallets used in your artwork. I love to choose a piece of clothing to define the color I will be using. I’m actually into red and blue, but colors can sometimes trouble a project I’m working on, so if that would be the case, I would turn my art into white and black.

What are a few projects that you’ve worked/currently working on?I have an exhibition in Paris in two weeks I’m also currently working on collages for a hotel in the south of France and I have a few collaborations with artists for videos and paintings.

art & design - interview