Gustavs Filipsons — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Apr 29

Apr 29 Gustavs Filipsons

Biography

2021
Had been published in "The World of Interiors", Conde Nast.
Had been published in"Conde Nast Traveller", Conde Nast.
Had been published in "Observica" Special Edition 2020, Canada.
Artist in "Contemporary Art Curator Magazine", London.
Taking part in online exhibition" Infinite Dreams'', Contemporary Art
Curator Magazine.
Artist in Gallery "PAKS",Wiena,Austria.
Taking part in international exhibition"Artist and Vision'',"Paks" gallery

2020
Had been exhibited at Big Screen Plaza, NYC,
arranged by ARTHOUSE.NYC.
Taking part in the exhibition"What’s in your Hindsight"
arranged by Arthouse.NYC.,NY, USA
''The 6th Annual Autumn exhibition'',NY,USA,
arranged by ARTHOUSE.NYC
Exhibition in Shibuya Metro Station, edition 3,
arranged by Contemporaryartstation.com
Represented my artwork on the back cover of
"Hoxton House" magazine, august, 2020

2019
"Luxembourg Art Fair 2019", Luxembourg
"Art Riga Fair 2019", Riga, Latvia
Artist in "Art Productions NYC", USA
Represented Latvia in an international exhibition in
gallery"Rossocinabro" called "Fusing
Complimentary Opposites" in Italy, Rome
Artist in the Contemporaryartcuratormagazine.com
Artist in the art book"Art Collectors Choice/Japan"
Have been selected by Circle Foundation for finalist
award in annual contest"Artist of the Year"
Featured Artist in "Circle Foundation"
Artist in the art gallery" PARCUS"in Berlin, Germany

Artist Statement

My statement as an artist is: "When painting communicates the inner realm of self, cross the boundaries of the human mind, touch the Soul and find revelation through artwork." Abstract Art is the means for me to let the spectator widen his or her perception of one’s self and the spiritual Universe it inhabits. The sole intention and purpose of my work are to communicate the unknown in my subconscious mind, to find the connection with our, as humans, true self, which I believe is something in common, we all possess. I am inspired by great artists such as K.Malevic, W.Kandinsky, F.Kline, Willem de Kooning, M.Chagall. My painting technique is to paint unintentionally, covering layer by layer until the actual artwork arises.I am interested in "the pure logic" of the interconnection of the certain images that have aroused in the process, most of it being spontaneous.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

When I was a child I used to read a lot. I was inspired by fairy tales of different nations. Especially of these living in far north.I felt there is something very true in those "Fantasies".The way they looked at Nature and saw the spirits behind it truly captured me. I walked through the woods also capturing images in fallen trunks or listened to the birds as if they were one of us or delivered some meaningful message. Everything was alive and spoke to me.I was so filled with energy,I did not know where to put it was also deeply inspiredby the cities(Riga),I am born in, old architecture and its different moods in different seasons.At that time everything seemed to live its own life and had its special spirit. Dark Jugend style houses in Autumn evenings became alive in feeble lamplight,which was swinging in the wind above the street.Those mythical siluets and symbols at that time had much greater influence on me than the bypassing Soviet Era.

After years when I had to ask myself who I am going to be,I knew that nobody else,but an artist.I wished to carry the way I look on things and feel them further and already then I was confronted with a way of thinking the "real"world possess.That made my conviction even stronger to become a story teller myself only in visual Art.I felt I was born for it. The very idea of becoming an artist and study Arts was clear for me at the age of 15.

Understanding that I think differently came to me at a very early age.I was attending kindergarten when I realized my concepts of who I am and how I see the world differ from others.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

As an artist I have always carried a sense of mission inside me.To communicate the world and people through my artwork and speak the "language of Spirit",which is free and Unuversal,full of true feeling and emotion,denying no one,and accepting everyone.At the same time I wish to communicate a Vision, I have sensed.To warn and to show the direction,to encourage those in lost of self and help them to get through the "desert of uncertanity". Show the reality beyond conventional standards of perception.I see myself as a visionary.I believe every artist is.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your artwork?

The sole intention and purpose of my work is to communicate with the unknown in our subconscious mind.To find the connection with our true selves , I believe is something common, we all possess.Other goal is to create artwork that would be some kind of new,if not new,then original kind of work, expressing oneself in terms of artistical form inside abstractionism. The main concept of my art is to reveal and at the same time come "in contact"with the "inner realm"of ones "true self",which I believe is hidden due to complecities of everyday life.An ordinary man hardly ever comes into contact with it,because the strategy to hide from his or her" true self" seems much more appealing.All my life I have been craving to search for it, And Art has been the means to discover myself,find revelations on vastness of human soul,find liberation and finally peace with myself.I believe this is something we all counsciously or subcounsciously try to manage.Many things come under this concept"true self".It can be deep fears or emotions regarding love oh higher origin.It can be spiritual experiences caught during his or her life.It can be" highlights" or visions of a "higher mind"inside an individual.In psychology there is a concept of"collective subconsciousness", where all the experience of mankind dwells.If you have an insight you can contact it and transcend the images and feelings or energies in order to highlight the path of a man to further spiritual growth or even mankinds as the whole.There is a special form of imagery the subcounscious mind uses when it constitutes itself in a human being.Mostly we come in touch eith it in our dreams, but if we are more close to it, it can be seen all over the plaace,as life itself can be asummed as a dream in a dream.There is other thesis as"a spirit world".In fact we all live in one interconected spiritual universe where many dimensions meet and interreact simultaniously,everything is connected and our mind and heart and soul,all of it helps us navigate through it in order to achieve spiritual growth and closen the being to Higher essens-God itself.Our experiences are needed to discover our True Essens.Many manifestations in a dream state constitute the state in real world-even more-the images and conversations in a dream serve as a guidlines to solve the problems that lie ahead.Mostly"a sign"is a guidline or a benchmark that marks the turning point of mans spiritual path or life path, what is one for it serves one another.In order to capture all this a special form of thinking is demanded-the imagenitive one.To read a sign and to deliver it one must have a constant contact with the subcounsceous mind or whatewer you wish it to be,I believe there is a higher mind embedied in us to guide us in all life processes through every situation both in individuals or mankids as such.The thesis "All is one and one is all"is absolutely right.If there is a higher creator then it would have been totally logically to assume that this higher being is never seperated from himself.That actually He is everything that is.So everything that happens is Him, and everything that happens-happens with a higher reason,and the reason is evolution-the growth.The growth can be directed-and we have a choice which direction to take.Artist is a medium to deliver much of it. The themes in my art are whatever this inner mind chooses to be useful for purpose of evolution-where there is an energy to interrreact,to awaken persons mind,let it think and analyze.Let it look deeper and not to hide from fears to go forth. Abstract is the way the sign constitutes itself.Abstract is the way of thinking through which to reach reveal and communicate.It is the most perfect language to express Universl ideas-mind itsef is Abstract,because it encompasses so much simultaniously and works simultaniously in different levels, even dimensions, but one sign can unite all those processes in one-in order to mark the direction which is one in the end, and it is Him. The core themes:birth of life ehere there is death.The hope for eternal life what bears both - Life and Deathbut is Life alone after we have gone trough the Circles.Love towards everything that exists, because God is everything Light that dwells in the darkness as a feeble hope, but what has the potential to bring us forth like a thousand suns.The light of Spirit of God,where we belong to.The suffering that makes us stronger.All the callamities and obstacles that had been in our way towards the light also contribute,whereas without them we would be uncapable to asess the meaning of true lifs force in us. The forgivness and compassion all of it is embedied in my artwork.Laconism is the bases of the sign.In order to reach the spectators inner realm one must be precise and sharp in its approach.There are so many things in this flow of energy in our life that distract us from our core goals and purpose.That keeps us unaware who we are and where are we going to.There I come in with my artwork. All this is what I would like to communicate to the spectator of my artwork.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

When painting I do everything to match the flow of energy to be delivered in artwork.First place You have to be open to creative impulses to guide you.My mind in my life is constantly set in a state that allows me to capture symbols and the logic of events that happen in relations.All that actually matters is mind flow that is set right.This striving to achieve this has been with me since I remember myself.For all my life I have sensed that all is alive even stones, and all is speaking to me.Later I understood,that I must deliver some message of what I feel.Since then i am serving this goal.Much has of course changed in my way of perception.I have understood that the "core" is found in human mind itself, and its capacities are enourmous.The thing is, a man doesn have to fill it with garbage,but keep like an "open window".Painting is also the goal in it self.That helps to keep this window of mind open.Much of my inspirations are driven from dreams, I used to practice counscious dreaming also.Dreams tell much,and open much,but they can also lure you in a pit.Not everything is good inside this realm.To trust your intuition,while painting is essential.I love painting layer by layer,until the actual artwork" arises". Sometimes many already finished motivs transform to totally different picture,untill it "finds" the "right" "position".Sometimes I use sc etching.I scetch a lot from my head ,then i use what captures my interest as a bases for an artwork,that later also is subjected to change.But composition more or less remains previously set.Images in my artwork can vary from abstract to semi abstract,the main goal is the manifestation of secret and energy iside an artwork.Artwork as such is a conversation that reveals and opens something.Tells something.Subcounscious mind tells something that captures.Here the work is finished.You are filled with satisfaction and exitement.Painting process is quick,and i use different kinds of spackel knives,brushes,varneshes,gloss,paints.Spray paint mix with acrylic,oil.Use markers.I splash,scratch lets say bite the canvas, to achieve the unpredictable in predictable. And vice versa.But i can say,all of it comes in freedom, I nstinctly know what to do further.Colour scheme usually is dark,but in timei incoorporate more colour.Texture plays pretty significant part in paintings logic.I love compositions in scratches and textures itself.That constitutes,much in hidden energy within. Usually I paint on canvas.The technique is developed to let unintentional to become intentional,thats why it first hand appears a kind of brutal, because this process is like a volcano that sculpts.I am interested in the pure logic of interconnection of the certain images which had arroused unintentionally in the process of such painting, actually they have acquired certain logic.The same is about spaces and there relations in painting that seems flat for the untrained eye, but has deepness within.Images can cover images,even ten finished paintings sometimes can cover each oyher, until the actual artwork arises. I use rollers to apply the paint also.In future I plan to broaden material stuff i use.I also believe that in order to create a good Art, one doesnt have to use plenty of materials.You just need the materials to create what has to be created. When starting to paint, an artist candevelop the idea for a project before he finds the canvas,and vice a versa. My approach to creation is both of those two mentioned methods.That depends on the state of mind I am in at the moment I prepare myself for the painting process. On canvas I am trying to realize just the most vivid images or "realities".But exactly on canvas the painting actually is born.I do sketching,make photos of different kind,then fragment them and find what captures me in it. After putting on canvas the actual image I still transfer it tremendously to suit it my inner eye and feeling.The moment an excitement appears in me I know I am on the right path and soon the piece is ready. There are times I start to paint without any preparation at all.Just paint and look where "the path" leads.Images and planes appear,and I am after it, looking for inner logic of pictorial space.That is like venturing into the unknown. Most of the cases there is some originally found scetch on the bases of which i develop my workt.Its always found by some uncunscious way, unintentionally, but I still go further and develop it letting intuition lead me.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

When painting,there is a moment I crave for- that the moment I feel the piece fills with energy, the image becomes alive and speaks to me.That is not what happens from the very beginning.Only then I can be sure,the piece is worth something.Sometimes it takes some time to reach that goal.There are times the connection is weaker,there are times it is stronger.

The best advice regarding art i was given is "In order to create and complete an artwork"decently"one must be able to sacrifice the places and spots you love the most,but which hinder from achieving unity and allowing bigger ,more impressive sense to appear.The goal is some "supertask".One has to feel its found.More important is the logic and interconnection of images and directions of textures or lines, than one beautiful spot."

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

My next goals in art would be to do what already I do.Continue to venture in a realm that speaks to me.I would love to discover something in my art that would bring it to some new level, that suprised me even more. I would wish to develop my artistic style even more conviencing and powerful in expression.Find new materials and entangle new visual languages in already what I do.To bring my art on new levels,so it could speak and communicate the spectator even more.

Website gustavsfilipsons.berta.me