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“Most everyday people in today’s society don’t like complex artwork.” A talk with Eugenia Loli

“Most everyday people in today’s society don’t like complex artwork. They usually encounter these pieces of artwork for about 1 second each time, while they flick through their Tumblr or Instagram or Facebook, among hundreds other similar pictures. As such, the images that are most striking in terms of color, form, and non-abstraction, are the ones that are going to get most successful. The “right in your face” ones, that is. Unfortunately, these are also the least artistic ones.”

 

In a time where we are constantly flooded with images and information it is indeed hard to dwell a little longer than just a moment on anything really. But the collages of Greek but US based artist Eugenia Loli have stopped time for us for a bit and if you want it or not you get lot within them forgetting about this constant need of immediately scrolling further. It´s this mix of old vintage images she uses and her ability to create a completely new and different world out of it. Surreal and mesmerizing. It is spiritual and political issues that she mostly uses but every collage leaves so much space to find your own interpretation about it.  

I could stare at your images forever. Little fantasy worlds visually magnificently converted. There is just so much to discover, and not just visually. Are you a curious person and a dreamer?

I’m very curious about the universe (and what’s… out of it), and a serious dreamer too. I imagine of utopia, and how such a system could work. I imagine of other civilizations out there, and how lonely I feel in this planet, having only humans around me. I’ve always considered myself ready for the big, intergalactic step.

Tell us about the creative process of your creations. Do you have a complete picture in your mind at the beginning already of what the collage should look like at the end?

I usually find a base picture that I like first. It sorts of screams to me “I want to be collaged”. Then, I build on top of it, I try a lot of different things on it until I’m satisfied with the result.

You said “But often, my collages are primarily about spiritual or political matters rather than social issues. I find most social issues to be the result of cultural programming, so I find them to be just petty issues that the human race will eventually overcome. I plan to study social issues with illustration, and leave the more abstract and surreal matters to collage.” The latest political or spiritual issue you were working on through a collage?

For spiritual issues, I just finished the first ever (to my knowledge) collage-based Tarot (Major Arcana)! I hope it gets published soon so everyone can see it. Also, a lot of my collages are inspired from knowledge I gather during lucid dreaming. I’ve been an atheist “materialist” for years, but 2 years ago, I started having some… funky experiences, so I’ve re-adjusted my world view quite a bit since then. For political matters, the latest situation in Greece has influenced me (I’m Greek).

 

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I read that your source are Vintage magazines and you own over 700 of them. What is the most appealing thing for you from those “old times”?

For practical reasons, they’re less likely to cause legal problems. Collage artists are using vintage imagery mostly for that reason.

For aesthetic reasons, the film-look on the faded old magazines looks like a painting. The printing process was so bad back then, that the images look like they’re smeared on the paper. Just like a lot of paintings feel. And this is big asset for collage art. Modern, digital images make the collages look cheap, and unconvincing.

“People seem to react most positively on these specific collages” is what you told us about some of your work. Why do you think those specific ones stand out for others?

They’re simple. Most everyday people in today’s society don’t like complex artwork. They usually encounter these pieces of artwork for about 1 second each time, while they flick through their Tumblr or Instagram or Facebook, among hundreds other similar pictures. As such, the images that are most striking in terms of color, form, and non-abstraction, are the ones that are going to get most successful. The “right in your face” ones, that is.

Unfortunately, these are also the least artistic ones. Artists hate these types of most of these “commercial”-looking images (that includes myself too). I do some of them because often, I like doing them (when I feel simple, I create simple — I have such moments). But I’m also feeling unhappy when my most serious work is completely ignored because it’s not “pop”. On my web site,  the category “Objective Obscurity” contains my more experimental work.

First collage you did and what was it?

The first ever collage I made was for musician and philosopher John Maus, PhD in April 2012. I’m a big fan, so I did a few collages to share with his fanbase:

 

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This was the first time I did something like this, and it came kinda ok for a first time, so I thought that maybe I should continue doing these… Within 3 months I was already published. Now I feel that this is what I was meant to be all my life, an artist (I started off as a computer programmer and a tech blogger).

You said about your series “Oh Lámour” “My version of the relationship series comes with twists. They’re more sarcastic rather than romantic.” Does that reflect your personal view on relationship topics as well?

Yes and no. I’m very happily married, so the romantic part has worked well. But on my past relationships, and on relationships I witness on some other people, things aren’t as rosy. They often lie to themselves just so they can stay in a (bad) relationship. Well, this fuels me to remix them.

You already mentioned that you are Greek. So you grew up in Greece. Your fondest memory from there?

Cuddling my pet chicken when I was 8 years old. I grew up in the mountains, but I’ve also lived in various Greek cities and towns. My original village in the mountains, living off the land and the animals, I will never forget.

 

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Do you still go there often? And what do you love most about this country?

I go to Greece once every two years or so. In the US I love the fact that there is more opportunity in general. The American Dream has taken a beating in the last 30 years, but it still works better than in many other countries.

Best thing about living in Bay Area, CA?

The people. Many different kinds of (super-smart) people from all over the world, so the atmosphere here is very progressive. I’m moving away from the Bay Area soon though, about 1 hour away of it. I’m moving to a home with enough space to start a garden, while it already has several fruit trees (and 2 fig trees, my favorites!). I want to go back to a simpler life. I never liked big cities and crowds anyway. Eventually, I want to have chickens too.

What do you currently love most about your life?

My husband, JBQ. I owe my life and my sanity to him.

eugenialoli.tictail.com
www.flickr.com/photos/eugenia_loli
instagram.com/eugenia_loli

 

 

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Hello from Berlin! I love freedom, travelling, long train rides, Stefan Zweig books, cats, colours, writing postcards, music, and movies à la Woody Allen and Wes Anderson. What makes me really happy is the seaside, sunrises and sunsets and having lots of time!

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