10 Questions with Aristo Vopĕnka

Aristo Vopĕnka is an artist and film director, born in the Netherlands and working from Brussels, Belgium. Vopĕnka uses various art forms, including photography, film, video art, sculptures, and installations. Through his work, he is developing the genre Experiential Expressionism.‍

It is impossible to say when Vopĕnka became an artist, as the need for self-expression has always been there. Influenced by different styles and cultures, Vopĕnka experimented with different mediums and art forms in his quest to find new ways of expressing himself. He graduated from LUCA | school of arts in 2019, where he obtained his master of art. Following his entrepreneurial drive in 2018, Vopĕnka co-founded DURVYN, a tech company working on the living experience of the future, innovating and merging art, architecture, and lifestyle.

In his recent work, Vopĕnka explores the boundaries between photography, illustration, painting, and print. Using an experimental attitude towards these different media, new forms of expression take place. They are the beginning of a contemporary reinterpretation of expressionism which he has started to call experiential expressionism.

With his art, Vopĕnka wants to touch the spectator through a total experience, in which the experience is part of the artwork. Designing that experience and the interaction with the viewer forms the core of his current research and main motivation to create new works. The fascination to work with space, light, sound, and visuals constantly evolves what we know, questioning the possibilities of today’s art.

In addition to freelance audiovisual work commissioned by musicians, Vopĕnka regularly collaborates with other artists to broaden his horizon and find inspiration for new works. The portfolio website offers galleries, collectors, and visitors an attractive platform to browse the oeuvre, allowing for direct interaction and exclusive views on the expanding body of work.

www.aristovopenka.com | @artistvopenka

ARTIST STATEMENT

“Experiential Expressionism: A modern evolution, my artistic development to find new ways of expressing myself, bending the rules, ideas, and concepts to create something that is truly mine.

My art is about finding that equilibrium, in which I capture a moment, a sensation that was in our now and vanished shortly after. Even when life sometimes seems to be an endless hurdle, my work tries to extract the colorful moments that keep us going. The current practice focuses on the unknown, the mystery of something that we haven’t seen yet, and finding stories that haven’t been told. It is about extending the experience of art beyond the initial medium, finding new ways of expressing myself, and questioning the power of art.

From a young age (born in the Netherlands) the human behavior mesmerized me. One of the key elements I want to investigate is transforming the experience of observing art into an almost tangible sensation. Not only learning to master the technical skills but creating new and better experiences.

One of the main focuses is blending cinema (film) with the physical world and creating installation art that intertwines different forms into an experience. It is about integrating the way you see/feel/react into the work and use those parameters to push boundaries forward.

Our experience of life is among the most interesting questions an artist can ask. My endless curiosity for what we don’t know yet drives me to experiment and express my view of my reality. Art isn’t only in the power of the artist, but in finding the right tone, sensation and color is something that is created by timing, in enjoying the coincidental, to let go and to just try and try again.” - Aristo Vopĕnka

Axiom, Digital Photography Artwork (Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta), 180x120cm, 2020. Aristo Vopĕnka©

INTERVIEW

You were educated as a film director; when and how did you start getting involved with visual arts?

To me, the journey of visual arts started in a blip, its origin unknown but very vivid in its afterburn. I mean, it pushed me to where I'm standing today. I made my first artistic expression early on, so I wasn't set just on film, but somehow the moving image captured me. While I also was creating in other mediums, during my first bachelor's at the art academy, I knew that I wanted to learn as many technical skills as possible. This moved me towards film academy and a master in art - audiovisual, but I always approached it from an artistic perspective, using the tools to create worlds of my own.

Hope, Digital Photography Artwork (Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta), 180x120cm, 2020. Aristo Vopĕnka©

What is your personal aim as an artist?

Hard to pinpoint one exactly, I mean to me as an artist, the existential being of an artist is questioning and aiming to be one. Not only is the term (artist) widely used, but today's view of what an artist is is increasingly more opaque.

So to me, the goal is to redefine myself as an artist, as a person, and contribute to the world of art. I hope to create experiences, works and inspire many people with my actions. It has always been a battle to be seen, so I guess another aim is to be validated by others to be able to continue. Unfortunately, in today's society, art isn't seen often as a respectable "profession," nor does it come with the same financial securities some other domains have. I am working to lift any worldly limitations so I can create even bigger/better installations and works.

Let's talk about "Experiential Expressionism." Can you explain what your idea is and how you are working on it?

Experiential Expressionism is a leap forward in audiovisual installation art, bridging two extremes: high-tech art, usually elitist and/or purely technologically driven + low-tech art, interacting with the audience using classical methods, not yet utilizing the possibilities of advanced technology. I hope to enable new forms of interaction through research and experiment.

How we experience art is among the most interesting questions I currently research. Not only are we approaching a highly technological era, but we also have more freedom than ever before to experience it.

Today, interweaving art and technology seem evident by using technology to create immersive art experiences. Yet, it's still rarely really done in the holistic way I envision it. I think one of my artistic heroes (James Turrel) offers a glimpse into the future but chooses not to implement more technology. I admire his work and his push to make installation art more breathtaking in such a beautiful way. I hope to amaze the world with new sensations.

Currently, we (DURVYN Art Division) are in pre-production. Experiential Expressionism is about pushing the standard of how we experience art. I envision installation art to be able to produce experiences. I hope that others will try to raise the bar with me, seeing technology no longer as an added layer but elegantly integrated.

How much of your past experiences, both as a director and as an artist, come into play when imagining and designing Experiential Expressionism?

As a director, somehow, you're taught to produce more "product" like experiences, whereas as an artist, you're (Me at least) making your own thing, no rules. For the success of experiential expressionism, you need a bit of both. It lies right on that middle spot, being new but not too exotic. As with most adapted/accepted innovations, they take time and iterations to be widely accepted as the "standard." Still, I truly hope (installation) art can gain ground and be valued more.

About your series Absentia, what is the main idea behind the project? And what was the most challenging part about it?

After a field trip to the United States last year, I felt kind of lost in many ways. It made a big impression on me and came at a pivotal moment in my life. I guess giving that trip a place was a way of healing. The work showcases the places, the energies I felt, and the people I met.

The challenging part was developing my own style; I wanted to create these time fragments, composed out of snippets, brought together to harness a total period of change and come together. I created reminders of a period we all went through, with Absence being a personal favorite, with a slight hint of Edward Hopper's - Nighthawks, on the closing day of our national lockdown, you feel the human spirits have just left the artwork.

The series seems to have strong relations with two themes that we have long discussed over the past year, traveling and experiencing new things. Their absence in the real world has somehow characterized the past year's experience for many of us. How did you deal with the Absence of travels and experiences, and how much of an impact did it have on your work?

Very true. The artworks combined two continents, five cities and were made during the months prior to the pandemic, and Absence was created on the final day before our lockdown. The influence is primarily visible in a creative way; it forced me to invest more time developing new ways of expressing myself.

I think mostly in the beginning. I needed to create to have somewhat of a focus, where later in 2020, there was more space again for the experiment. The influence is perhaps more understandable in a few years when the trajectory will be visible, and the true impact is showing.

Theorem, Digital Photography Artwork (Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta), 200x150cm, 2020. Aristo Vopĕnka©

Where do you find inspiration for your work, and what is your creative process like?

I love to go for long walks, nowadays these walks are more crowded, but usually, I go at times people tend to stay at home. For me, these isolated walks liberate me in a way. They set the mind free and give space to see new and unknown things.

I create in a flow. That’s why I’m always a bit sad if I get knocked out of that; I guess part of becoming older is learning how to maintain that balance & focus. Inspiration comes from life, so I go out into the world and see what happens. I also make plans, of course, especially audiovisual work needs a lot of planning and preparation, so inspiration comes from books, art, music, interactions, and happy coincidences.

I also noticed that the process is sometimes the art. In a way, I’m trying to redefine rules and push mediums into new forms, that to me creates inspiration to dive deeper.

What do you hope that the public takes away from your work?

A joy, a sensation, and perhaps a thought process, It is art that questions the mind. It’s that colorful expression that makes you move, think and look again. I hope that the work offers you something new every time you look at it, like a beautiful poem that captures the words away from you and leaves you searching for words to express what you feel.

Absence, Digital Photography Artwork (Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta), 180x120cm, 2020. Aristo Vopĕnka©

Hinterland, Digital Photography Artwork (Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta), 180x120cm, 2020. Aristo Vopĕnka©

Do you have any upcoming shows or collaborations you are looking forward to?

Currently, I’m working on an online event on 4/20 ;) On 21/08/21, a follow-up is “live” events, where work will be shown, and viewers are invited on a Journey. The main goal is to give a glimpse of the digital artist studio of the future (21/08) and invite the audience into a temporary art experience. A modern take on how Yves Klein created works during his orchestrated live events, everything made sense in hindsight.

Finally, Share something you would like the world to know about you?

I hope to make people curious about what’s possible in today’s world, that we need more audacious artists, more room for experimentation, and unknown experiences. We shouldn’t be scared of what we don’t know. I hope that the world will see that too.

If something people should know about me is that I’ve come from afar and that I truly hope to keep going, learning, and sharing artworks with the world. Perhaps sooner than later, introduce experiential expressionism and be the paradigm shifter I so wholeheartedly hope to be.

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