We went along to Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery to check out ‘The Shape of Things’ exhibition that explores the distinctive contribution artists make to influence or reflect national identity, the intercultural nature of British society and its connection with global cultures.

 

Alinah Azadeh’s exhibits started with her wrapping her mother’s rice cookers and other objects that belonged to her mother who died in the Asian Tsunami of 2004. There is a poem on the wrapping called, ‘Come, Come my Beloved’ by Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi. This poem was turned into a song by Iranian singer Bijan Bijani and the cassette recording was a gift to Alinah from her mother when she was a teenager. The poem is written in Farsi, in Romanised Farsi, and English – the three languages – tongues – spoken by Alinah, her Iranian mother and her British-born daughter.

Last Year we popped into the Igupop Gallery in Barcelona. We loved Pepa's work and thought we would find out more about her and her work.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name its Pepa Prieto I was born in Granada, a beautiful city in the south of Spain surrounded by mountains. I will be moving to England soon though.

Q: What are you major influences?
Many small things but probably the most obvious are music, memories, travels, nature, people and books.

Q: Your style is very distinctive, how did it evolve?
Well I have being doing creative things all my life and I really don’t know how I got to this point! What I hope is to continue evolving. Curiosity is one of my motivations for sure.

Q: What is the Spanish arts scene like?
There are many interesting street artist doing things at the moment like Nuria Mora el Tono, Nano. Its great as we are friends and its enchanting to see them!

Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get it from my dreams, any time day or night. It might bother me in some ways.



Q: Your color palette is crazy, how did it evolve?
According to my mother, my color was already crazy when I began to paint at an early age, but it was too strong and messed up. I think it was refined thanks to the study at an art university.



Q: Do your characters have personalities?
I think they have. However, they are harder for you to interpret than me. Some people might search for evil in my monsters, but it doesn’t exist.



Q: How long does it take to create one of your paintings?
It normally takes about seven days for a size F8, 14.9 inches long and 17.9 inches wide, if there are no complications.



Q: What made you change direction from illustration to fine art?
I had done illustration as well as taught art as a job, but one day I was filled up with my monsters power, and I could no longer hold them to come out.



Q: Can you tell us a little about your background?
I was born in between the china town and the U.S. base in Yokohama, a port town that had first opened its port to the Western world to trade in the late Edo Era, and grew learning paintings from an American artist and his wife. I had imaginary pets and friends like other children, but they didn't disappear even when I became an adult.



Q: Future direction?
I want to join in a lot of shows in America or Europe the same as before. I have always been in Japan. So for once I want to actually see the shows in situ.



Q: Things you love?
They are marine life, white wine, birds, and static electricity.

Q: Things you loathe?
They are winter, snow, and cold rain. I break down(when I meet with them).



Q: Have you ever done any sculpture?
I love sculpture. I have not sculpted for a while but I want to do once more soon, any minute if I have a chance. I have original forms another modeler made.



Q: Where do you live and work?
I live in Yokohama, and work in Tokyo.

Q: How do you spend your time when you are not painting?
I teach as an art teacher. I often go to the beach with my family in my holidays.



Q: Is there a message in your work?
I want to synchronize with the fantasy kingdom that exists in everyone.



Q: What upcoming plans do you have for showing you work?
For now three group shows are scheduled this year, and I will renew my homepage next month that has not been touched for ages to let people know.



Q: What is the largest painting you have done?
I painted large pictures about size 25 when I was an art student, but nowadays size 12 is the largest one I painted.

Q: Do you still do commercial work as an illustrator?
No, but I sometimes teach illustration as a teacher.



Q: Favorite living artist?
Patrick Woodroffe and Jim Woodring.



Q: What is the most exciting place you have ever visited?
The bottom of the sea, I did a night dive once. I think it was around Izu in Japan. I was looking for squids’ eggs like a jewel, where noctilucae and shining fish were flying about in total darkness. It was a fantastic experience as if I were in outer space.



Q: If you didn't paint what career would you have?
I don’t know. Perhaps I wouldn’t have one or maybe working in a zoo.



Q: If you could change one thing in the world what would that be?
I would make the world more colorful, limit cars’ colors to pink and yellowish green, and limit buildings’ patterns to polka dots and stripes, and if this is impossible, I would bring peace to the world.

Thanks for taking time to talk to us Yoko, Richard and Chippy

 

 

Q: Where are you from?
Bristol

 

Q: Can you talk briefly about the process of creating one of your pieces?
I use various photographs to work from; some I take myself, and others I find in books, newspapers or on postcards.  I want to create an off-balance psychological portrait, as simply as possible. I use models I know well, and we dress up and play, try out scenarios until something starts to happen; stories unfold, tensions brew, and I use the images to patchwork scenes for the drawings and paintings.