Tention Free : Tell us a little bit about yourself. Background, education…etc
I’m natural from Barcelona, I have a background in film and art education and most recently got invested in psychological studies. I’ve lived in Beijing, China for over a decade, that’s where I have my studio and do most of my works. And this coming December I’m gonna be releasing ‘Syzygy’, my fifth book and photo-series, which pieces have already been featured in multiple exhibitions across the US.
Tention Free : We been hearing a lot about you, so we notice your starting to gain a lot of attention how does it feel?
I’m an extremely shy person, so I’m not sure how I feel about any form of attention on me, but I can say that I love for my works to be seen and arrive to people. Seeing any of my photos in the front page of a newspaper or in a magazine is such a thrill, all that hard work paying off. I’m sure many artists will agree with me that most of us don’t really do this for notoriety or money (although we do need it and want it). This is a work of love, and anything that supports it or helps it grow is more than welcome.
Tention Free : How would you describe your new photo-book ” Syzygy ” ?
‘Syzygy’ is a collection of black and white portraits on the subject of Bipolar Disorder and Depression, it’s done in collaboration with Chinese NGO CandleX.cn, and also is the natural evolution after my last series ‘I.See.Dark’ although much more subtle and self-contained.
The way I see this new series, is almost as if all of the images belong in the realm of dreams, from my personal experience while battling depression, it is almost as if a war is open, on my good days I feel like I have the situation under control. But at night while in bed my guard is off and dreams fill the room, bringing up memories, or situations from which I will find terribly hard to wake up the morning after.
So the analogy of Syzygy, (the moon aligning with the sun) seemed to be ideal to represent this battle between euphoria and melancholia, and that’s represented throughout the collection, with multiple references to both the moon and the sun.
Tention Free : What motivates you to do your best work as a artist ?
I’m very emotional, so the strongest I feel something, the more material I would have to play with during the creative process. In real life I believe I tend to magnify the way I feel things, and that ultimately translates into my photos or writing, creating surrealistic scenes that try to match the level of intensity or the mood that I truly felt inside. Art is a very cathartic experience, so I channel most of my negative experiences through it, most recently feelings of melancholia, nostalgia and despair.
Tention Free : Do you have any hidden talents ?
I’m not sure I should be the one calling it a talent, but is barely mentioned that my books are not only photo compilations, but they also include creative writing and poetry. This writings are an integral part of the work, complementing the imagery and expanding beyond it. I’m particularly proud of the ones written for this new book, in which I opened about very personal experiences narrating them in the same surrealistic manner that I would have done with a photograph.
Tention Free : Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a professional artist ?
Well, every artist is a different case. But I guess a few do’s and don’ts would be: Do what you love and don’t try to please the crowd. Trust your instincts and don’t compare yourself to others, there’s a market for everybody, you only need to find your niche. Finally, don’t obsess over sales, success and popularity, I think art should be about enjoying the ride, living the moment and doing something that makes you feel complete.
Tention Free : What are your future plans ? Your vision for the coming years.
Artistically I’m gonna take a short pause now that I just finished ‘Syzygy’ and read lots of books, give myself some time to reflect. But quite probably around springtime/summer I’ll start getting ready for my next collection, i’m already gathering ideas.
If we are talking about life plans that’s a harder question, since I feel like I’m somehow in a crossroad, after a decade living in China, I’m thinking where to go next. That uncertainty is exciting, and extremely stressful as well.
Tention Free : Everybody needs time out. What do you do in your free time?
I’m somehow a workaholic, so I often think about taking a few days off, and then I end up working on my photos, taking some course related or unrelated to arts, fixing up the house or finding whatever new project to keep my mind busy. But I do get to relax at night when I finally sit down to watch old films with my projector or read a book, those are probably my two favourite hobbies, apart painting and travelling.
Tention Free : How do you see the evolution from the beginning of your career until now?
Different periods of time will bring different artworks or ways to express. Taking a photo out of ‘EneME’ (my first photo collection) and putting it next to any of ‘Syzygy’ makes obvious that now there’s some subtlety and sensitivity that wasn’t so developed at the beginning. But at the same time as different as this pieces are from each other, I can still see that deep down they share the same DNA, they somehow belong in the same universe. My first works were more irreverent, violent, they had certain raw feeling and energy that now is much more self-contained and focused. But you can never say what you’re gonna do next, so who knows, I might go back there at some point in the future. I love everything I’ve released to date, in fact that’s the whole point of doing this.
Tention Free : How can people find you online and get updates about your artwork ?
Despite living in China where social medias such as Facebook or Twitter are banned, I do try to find ways around to post updates on my exhibitions or releases. And during periods when restrictions are more strict and I’m incapable of being online I have someone in place who would post on my name, so Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are regularly updated. And of course there’s my website which is a pretty reliable source as well.
Website: www.pereibanez.com
Twitter: @pereibanez
Instagram: @pereibanez
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pereibanezphotography/
