“Jeg var ikke den du forventede!” (I wasn’t the man you expected!)                 Mixed media on canvas by Haervaerk, 2011.

Where in Denmark were you born, and where do you live now?

I was born in a small town called Hjørring in the Northern part of Jutland, Denmark. My parents (Danish mum and Polish / Russian dad) moved there from another part of the country just before I was born. Being a small fat kid, I was kind of a loner and didn’t like sports, so there really wasn’t much to do besides drawing. I guess I found a refuge in drawing, reading and listening to music. We moved around quite a lot when I was a kid, and drawing was pretty much the only reliable thing I had going, and I haven’t stopped yet. In 1997 I moved to Aalborg (Denmark’s third largest city), and I’m still here. I’ve found the most amazing girlfriend in Copenhagen, so I’m moving there this summer.

Tell me about the art scene in Denmark.

It used to be a pretty elitist scene: you had to have an Academy of Arts education in order to be taken seriously, but all that seems to have changed within the last decade or so. Denmark’s been hit by the whole lowbrow / street art wave. There are a lot of young people out there, who are just enjoying themselves. I really not qualified to judge the stuff they are putting on the walls, but who cares about that? They’re having a blast while expressing themselves, and that’s what it’s all about.

Where is the best district to find cool galleries / art spaces?

The part of the country I live in is pretty traditional in it’s views of art, but the galleries here are now becoming more open-minded towards emerging young artists. Copenhagen has more of an “art-scene”, where you can hang out with other artists, but since Denmark is such a small country, it doesn’t really matter where you live. I do occasionally miss a scene like that, although the solitude in Aalborg has it advantages too. Nevertheless, I’d say Copenhagen is more exiting as far as exhibitions are concerned.

Can you recommend some other Danish artists?

My best friend Morten Andersen has to be on top of that list, he does these awesome abstract graffiti-pieces. He has been a key character for me: I owe him so much. Husk Mit Navn is great too!

If I understand correctly, Haervaerk translates to “Vandal” ?

Actually, it translates to “Vandalism”, which is the title of a novel by Danish author Tom Kristensen. There’s a poem in the book that means a lot to me – roughly translated to English it goes something like: “My anxiety must be redeemed in longing, and visions of horror and distress /  I’ve been longing for shipping disasters, vandalism and sudden death”.

That sounds very melancholic!

I grew up watching tv shows like Tove Johanson’s “The Mumins”, which to me is the essense of Scandinavian melancholy, and I’ve always been fascinated by that aspect of life. The good times are just that – good, and as such not very interesting to work with. I find it much more exciting working with melancholic subjects; finding and exploring the beauty in the things that hurt, and in this sense, I am always longing for shipping disasters, vandalism and sudden death.

Tell me about your artistic process.

The process changes from painting to painting, because I tend to get bored pretty quickly. Sometimes I do a quick sketch beforehand, and sometimes I just do it off the fly. However, I almost always do an underpainting in black and white using charcoal and chalk: I think I read that’s how some of the old painters did it? It saves me a lot of time, because the shadows and highlights are pretty much defined when I do the overpainting in thin layers of acrylic paint afterwards. Then I use spraycan, more acrylic, more charcoal and more chalk, and to finish up I apply a couple of layers of acrylic glaze, which really intensifies the colors and adds a nice even surface. I used to use a lot of acrylic markers, but I changed to charcoal and chalk, because it makes the lines and details more messy, which I kinda like!

Some of your characters carry wooden boxes, for example in these 2 pieces: Jeg var ikke den du forventede!” and “Du vil altid være hos mig!” .  Do the wooden boxes have a special significance? What is it you like about this object?

Again, it has to do with melancholy. I like the duality in the box – how you can use it to carry stuff with you; your past, the people, experiences and the emotional patterns, which have been formed you during your life; but also how these things and the box itself can trap you, and keep you from breaking free, which also has a very beautiful aspect to it.

Tell me about your sculpture work. When did you start making sculptures and what materials do you use?

I started when I got a carrier cycle a couple of years ago, which allowed me to go dumpster-diving. I use whatever I can find: scarpwood, metal, gals, windows – just about anything I can get my hands on. It meant that I had to invest in a bunch of powertools, and I really like powertools!

Finally, do you listen to music when you paint, and if so, what music do you listen to?

I always listen to music when I paint – usually something melancholic like Chet Bakers “Let’s get lost”; an amazing album!

Haervaerk was talking to Paddy Walsh

In early December we’re moving into Kingly Court, a little shopping arcade that leads off Carnaby Street. We’ll be selling originals and prints from our international network of artists. We’ll also be using the gallery as a base from which to to co-ordinate a series of pop up shows in vacant shops throughout the Soho area.

We’re moving next door to Material, the bookshop / gallery where Ashes 57 had her show a few weeks ago. We’re looking forward to being their neighbour, they’ve got some lovely books and with links to Le Gun they have some cool art of their own.

We’re really excited to have a full-time gallery space of our own. (I use the term ‘full-time’ advisedly; the terms of the lease require us to be there bright and early 7 days a week!) It allows us to showcase our artists on an ongoing basis, as opposed to the flash-in-the-pan nature of pop up events. We love doing pop ups and we will continue to do them, but having a permanent base is a big development for us.

If all goes well, we’ll open our doors for the first time on Saturday 4th December. We’ll be starting off with a LAVA group show, featuring exclusive artwork from Ashes 57, Bruno 9li, Jo Peel and Stik. We’ll be throwing an official opening party later in December – keep an eye out for that.

LAVA Gallery, 1.11 Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London, W1B 5PW Open Daily, 10am-6pm. Sunday: 12pm-6pm

Loefah gets The Message. Photo: Ashes 57

We’re excited to announce that we’re heading back to The Rag Factory on 22nd July. This time we’re showcasing the photography of Ashes 57 – see the events page for details. It is going to be a cool show; so many beautiful photos in there. My personal favourites would have to be the portraits of Madlib and Benga, which are both stunning.  As her thousands of Flikr followers will testify, Ashes is a prolific and talented photographer with a massive back catalogue to choose from.

The Rag Factory is one of our favourite exhibition spaces and in many ways it suits us down to the ground. Situated just off Brick Lane, the location is good, and Silas and his merry band of brothers are really accommodating and friendly. The smoker-friendly courtyard is a valuable asset and it is a great place for a party!

This show is on for one night only; we’ll be open from 6-11pm. We’ve invited Standard Place resident Jon Rust to DJ at the event, with support from LAVA DJs .The dubstep fraternity will be out in force for this one, so don’t be surprised if some very special guests pop up behind the decks at some point. We’ll be serving up drinks in the courtyard – have a free one on us but if you’re planning on getting drunk, we’ll be taking donations at the bar.

Bikers congregate in front of an Obey street piece

Big in the game: Russell Simmons attends the opening

Shepard Fairey at The Deitch Projects

LAVA artist Ashes 57 recently returned from NYC. She was there with the Obey crew, who were helping Shepard Fairey set up his May Day show at the Deitch Projects. Ashes was there primarily to document the event, and true to form, she took some fantastic photos. You can see the full set here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashes_57/

New York turned out in force to attend this event; the opening reception witnessed crowd swells more akin to a rock concert than an art show. Meanwhile, it seems that Fairey has gone on the counter-offensive, with a major court case looming large on the horizon:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/arts/design/10fair.html

Photo courtesy of Graff à Dénoyez: (http://graffadenoyez.blogspot.com/)

Roa is so prolific on the streets of London that you would be forgiven for thinking he lives here. In fact he lives in Ghent, which is in the Flemish region of Belgium. His work really speaks for itself, so I will spare you a lengthly eulogy. His show at Pure Evil last month was great, but to really experience the full force of Roa’s work, you need to see it in the street. My favourite at the moment is the one on Hanbury Street, on the way to the Atlantis art supplies shop. The scale and intensity of his work is amazing.

The Rag Factory show was over in the blink of an eye, but fortunately we have found the perfect place to exhibit Bruno 9li and Talita Hoffmann’s work on a longer-term basis. This fantastic location, a closely guarded secret, is just a hop skip and a jump from LAVA headquarters in Dalston, East London.

If you’re into the discreet Dalston scene, you might be able to guess where it is; a lavish, bohemian hideaway not a million miles from Gillett Square. Dining clubs, sexy parties, you get the general idea. It will be a great place to display 9li and Hoffmann’s work, the show will run until 7th June.

Viewings are by appointment only, but don’t be shy; whether or not you are interested in buying one of the remaining canvases we would be more than happy to show you round.  To arrange a viewing, get in touch with us at: info@lavacollective.com

Photos: Helen Lenarduzzi & Gordon Gibbens

Thanks to everyone who made it to The Rag Factory over the bank holiday weekend.  I’m sure you’ll agree that it was a memorable show- Bruno 9li  and Talita Hoffmann lit up the East End with their extraordinary imagination and skill.

The opening reception on Thursday was pretty wild – props to Sagatiba and Vitamin Water for providing the drinks. It was a really buzzy event and the enthusiasm was evident, not just for  Bruno and Talita but also for our very own Ashes 57 and Vitriol, who showcased their work in Room 2.

Special thanks to Silas and the crew at The Rag Factory for their assistance setting up the show, it is a great environment in which to work and we hope to do another exhibition there before too long.

We still have some original art and prints left over from the show, email us if you want a copy of the catalogue: info@lavacollective.com.

STAR OF BETHNAL GREEN

Bruno 9li at The Rag Factory opens on Thursday at 7pm – check the events page for details. Sagatiba are sponsoring the opening reception, so we’ll be handing out free caipirinhas to our guests. But the fun doesn’t stop there…

After the opening reception, we’re heading to The Star of Bethnal Green for the afterparty. We have invited DJs Skipple and Crises to represent our sound, and we’ll be projecting 9li’s Video art as a visual accompaniment.

The Star is a lovely pub with a high grade soundsystem – We’re going to touch down with a dubstep / garage / funky session from 2 highly-rated pirate radio DJs. Skipple plays on Sub FM, while Crises has a weekly slot on Rinse FM, and both are getting well-known for rocking dancefloors in London and beyond.

The afterparty is from 10pm-2am, entrance is free.

LAVA Collective presents: Bruno 9li Afterparty
Thursday, 29th April, 10pm-2am, free entry
The Star of Bethnal Green
359 Bethnal Green Road E2 6LG

You have a solo show coming up in Sao Paulo, plus our show in London. Are you really busy right now?

I’ve been very busy, visioning, researching and stretching time in my observatory. I just keep it going forward, always aiming to see more.

Please tell me if you plan your compisitions carefully before you start, or do they develop organically as you create them?

Yes, it comes like our thoughts, organically. But there is a structure before, the foundation of the visual idea, so I make a sketch before starting a drawing or a canvas. People say that my work is chaotic so they maybe think that it’s been done in a chaotic way… but it’s the opposite, I see my creations as balanced systems, I’m always searching for the balance in intense systems.

Many of your pieces are large and highly detailed. How long do you spend on a single canvas?

It can take months… it depends of how complex and the entropy of each composition, of each quantum entanglement I aim to represent.

Tell me about the materials you like to use. What is the benefit of using acrylic and ink together?

I use ink only if it’s on paper, that’s the beginning, ink on paper. I started to develop lines and compositions using only ink on paper at the beginning. Over time I’ve introduced acrylic paint for the evolution of my scenes.

I interpret the central characters in your paintings as Shaman figures, bridging the gap between man and nature. Is this a fair comment?

My entities are the gap between man and nature, man as manifestation of nature, man-expanding consciousness to the 4^th dimension. They are entities, warriors from civilizations that can see what is invisible for our eyes and indecipherable for our minds. In a society where rituals are not so much effective they are a manifestation of the transcendental.

I love the paintings from last year – Na Força, Leão Escuro and A Trindade Renova na Terra. This series has a rainforest backdrop – is the rainforest a source of your creativity?

If you visit Brazil you’ll see that the power of nature here seems to be different from everywhere in the earth. And those who aim vision, those who work for evolution step to the center of a virgin jungle when they start to create…

For those who don’t know Sao Paulo, please tell us a little about the art scene there. Who are your favourite artists from SP?

Sincerely, those who aim evolution, meta-vision. They are hidden…

Is there one district where the artist community lives / hangs out?

Everywhere, this is a giant city.

Is there a big street art scene in SP?

Art here seems to blow everywhere, including the highest point of a building’s façade. Yes, there is a lot of art on the street here.

Who are the best graffiti artists in SP?

Considering what is really visionary instead of pure graffiti mannerism there are very few good people, in my point of view. I like the hermetic vibe of Pixação, sometimes aggressive, sometimes just visionary and inventive letters.

Finally, please tell me what music you enjoy.

I like good music… Elomar, Hermeto Pascoal, Chico Buarque, Klaus Nomi, Vivaldi…

………………………………………..

Thanks to Bruno for taking the time to talk to me. I look forward to meeting him in person, and watching him at work.

Image courtesy of  www.flickr.com/photos/litsy/

Image courtesy of  www.flickr.com/photos/litsy/

We are excited to announce that Talita Hoffmann will be joining Bruno 9li at the Rag Factory. Hoffmann will be travelling to London with 9li to preside over her first appearance in a London art show.  At a precocious age, Hoffmann is creating work of astonishing subtlety and depth. She is a fantastic inclusion to the forthcoming show and we’re looking forward to meeting her.

LAVA Collective at the Rag Factory. 30th April – 3rd May 2010.             Preview party 29th April, 7pm. RSVP for invite: rsvp@lavacollective.com