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Kaiser Irfan
Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist?
A: At the tender age of 7
Q: What kind of environment did you grow up in, and how did it shape your artistic sensibilities?
A:
I grew up in a large family home in Lahore. My life revolved around my family, I had a solitary childhood and no friends of my age until I reached later childhood.I often played make believe and enjoyed role playing as a fireman, a carpenter, a soldier, a fishmonger, a ninja and even a crocodile wrangler. I was a very active and playful child, I enjoyed playing outdoors and spent most of my time in the garden digging holes. At the age of 4 I moved to Dublin shortly after my younger brother was born and my psyche began to be occupied with ideas of identity, belonging, migration etc. I was very lucky in that I found wonderful people who welcomed me to Ireland and as such I never felt as an outsider. With moving to Ireland came newfound exposure to a new language (Irish and English), a new geography, new Music, new subcultures and new Art.
The first painting I saw that captivated me was Tiger in a Tropical Storm by the French artist HenrI Rouseau, we were shown this painting in class alongside works by Odilon Redon, Monet and Van Gogh, I was around 6 or 7 years old at the time and seeing this painting changed my life forever. I remember drawing my first masterpiece at this time. My younger brother and I sat down and drew these amazing imaginative insect-like critters. Shortly after this I went on to draw animals and landscapes and portraits and buildings and cars, bikes and planes. In my early teens I started drawing “seriously” I was really into academic painting and drawing and drew all the plates in the Charles Bargue drawing course, all of these neoclassical statues and so on, I was enamoured by works of the High renaissance at this time and later the works of Caravaggio, Franz Hals, William Orpen, Titian, John Singer Sragent and JMW Turner.
I was studying in the heart of Dublin and I frequented the National Gallery, bunking classes to see Caravaggio’s “ The Taking of Christ” in all its glory I was very very certain about the revival of Neoclassical art and ideals, going so far as to discredit what was happening in the contemporary art world at the time in Ireland, all of this changed when I saw the watercolour works of JMW Turner and also my exposure to the fast paced, urban, gritty and sometimes dangerous world of Graffiti. Now my life revolved around street culture, names, monikers, letters and writing. My artistic sensibilities were tuned in their head and I started to appreciate more abstract means of art making. In 2011 at the age of 17 I conducted my first experiment with aerosol paint on canvas. The influence of this work and the world of graffiti still influences and empowers my practice to this day.
Q: What’s art for you, how do you define it?
A: Art for me is a means of expression. Its a way in which I can communicate a message, an idea, a feeling or vision to the world.
Q: What role does emotion play in your creative process and finished pieces?
A: My emotions do influence my work, perhaps not in active practice or as a direct topic or theme but underlying sentiments definitely inspire works and certain emotions can trigger ideas that lead to bodies of work, a notable example of this would be the Library of Babel series, a series of sealed books that were recently displayed as part of my Master’s thesis graduation show. This series is about collective history as well as personal history.
Q: Can you walk us through your creative process?
A: My work is highly experimental and relies upon an initial stage of highly chaotic and random mark making. I make layered palimpsests and marks using tools and media often used in writing such as pen and ink, graphite, charcoal, spray paint, I also utilize industrial materials such as emulsion paint, carbon waste (ash, sand, combustion particles) and even the elements such as the sun and water to age the surface of my works. Usually during this period I will read and write a lot, I will fill pages with handwritten notes and I will brainstorm on my laptop words and images that inspire me. These images then inform the rest of my work. From here I analyze the chaotic surface and add the final marks, letters or writings on the painting. After this stage there is a long analysis phase and if i’m happy with the image that’s produced I call it finished.
Q: What mediums do you use in your practice and why?
A: I often use materials that are associated with drawing and writing, for me the earliest memory I have around mark making comes from these implements. This association is so strong, my hand is so well trained to writing and drawing that it feels very natural to use these tools. I also use spray paint which is a vestige from my graffiti art days.
Q: What inspires you most in life outside of art?
A: Music inspires me so much, I have a very wide listening vocabulary. It bounces back and forth from classical South Asian music to Norwegian Black metal. Other inspirations are the written works of Jorge Luis Borges and James Joyce, the wonders of nature, a good cup of coffee, and night walks around the city.
Q: If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
A: There’s a list I have but one of the top 3 is definitely Anselm Kiefer A man with monstrous vision and a relentless work ethic. He seems so caught up in learning everything about history and philosophy. It would be amazing to sit down and have a chat with him about different topics things like ancient Irish mythology, the Kabbalah, life in post war Germany, Tibetan Buddhism etc
Q: What message do you hope your art conveys about you and your journey?
A: While at times my work can have a surface level message or concept, I like my work to have a certain open endedness and a mystery about it. For me when mysteries are solved the curiosity and the magic of the work somehow dies and the work becomes boring. I want an inquisitiveness to remain about my work and for me if my work ignites the imagination of the viewer and sparks a sequence of ideas within the viewer to me that’s a huge achievement.
Q: If you had to describe your relationship with your art in one sentence, what would it be?
A: My relationship with art is one of vitality. I rely on art making as a means of expression. Art enriches my life, it helps me appreciate the world that is around me and the world that exists within me.
Q: If your art had a soundtrack, what kind of music would it include?
A: Black Metal, Hardcore Punk, Dark Ambient music, Industrial, Noise, Feedback
Q: How does the art market influence your practice?
A: I don’t tend to follow trends or fads dictated by the art market. Artistic integrity for me is more important than financial outcome. This is the same reason I no longer create commissioned works. Once I start to put the money first instead of the vision my work suffers tremendously, I feel like I’m lying to myself if I put money first.
Q: How has the internet and virtual presence impacted your practice?
A: Social Media and digital platforms have made me think about curated and tailored works exclusively for digital spaces. I’m an avid user of photoshop and I often create digital collages from scanned images, photographs and screenshots. While social media is a great way to reach an audienceI I still lean in favour of physical spaces to showcase my work. Seeing my work in person versus through a screen are two different experiences entirely, particularly in terms of visual impact. Important aspects like texture and scale do not translate correctly via screen. I also have my own tailored PR protocol and I encourage many members of the public to come to my shows in person.