Mosaiko

Douglas Fishbone’s Land of Promise

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Interview with the renowned American artist in the framework of RemapKM2

Mosaiko.gr met with American artist Douglas Fishbone who is presenting his work at the “Land of Promise” exhibition, in Athens, from June 16 to October 4, as part of the of the not-for-profit event RemapKM2 of the 2nd Biennale of Athens. The artists are invited to use their work to comment on the influence American culture and products have in countries that are not economic centers and do not use an Anglo-Saxon language. The exhibition’s main goal is to show through this pivot the way American culture and identity have infiltrated the consciousness of the people of these countries as the ideal identity, and many times as an ideal pattern.

How did you get started in art?

I started a bit unusually, as I came to being an artist pretty late. I was working in the opera business in New York and decided to take a weekend class in stop-motion animation, which had always interested me. I had never taken any art classes before this and it was a real moment of discovery. I became completely obsessed with building the models and figures we animated, and gradually started experimenting more and more with sculpture. I eventually decided to quit my job in order to study more formally and I moved to London to study fine art at Goldsmiths College, where I received my MA in 2003. While in school, my interest shifted from sculpture to working with video and performance. I have been living and working in London ever since.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I take my inspiration from all kinds of sources, and am particularly influenced by things that I see every day. I like to take things that we see around us all the time and use them in an unexpected way, to cast a new light on the familiar. For instance, one of my best-known projects, the sculpture 30,000 Bananas – in which I build huge piles of bananas in public spaces around the world – was inspired by something I saw in a market place in Ecuador, where people pile up bananas to sell them by the roadside. So, it is an everyday sight in that part of Ecuador. Moving a pile like that to a totally unexpected place like Trafalgar Square, for instance, like I did in 2004, creates an unusual moment that makes something familiar, a banana, into something mysterious.

In my video and performance work I use imagery downloaded from the internet to create elaborate slide-shows that satirize contemporary society. Using the day to day visual language of the internet – photos that are circulating freely around us all the time – allows me to draw attention to some of the more problematic aspects of our present way of living, things that we may simply take for granted. It’s a technique of creating distance from the familiar while using it as an artistic material, of seeing it from a different angle.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

I have been very influenced by the French film maker Chris Marker, and the American performer Spalding Gray. I am also very much influenced by stand-up comedy. My work tries to be funny (and hopefully succeeds every now and then,) even when addressing serious topics. Comedians like George Carlin and Steven Wright, who present strong political commentary and real philosophical insights with a fantastic sense of humor, are great influences on my work.
The Land of Promise: Could you tell us a few words about this upcoming project in Athens?

The Land of Promise is going to be a really interesting show, and it offers a very intriguing perspective on globalization though examining the idea of the American Dream, and American cultural influence more broadly. How do people around the world see themselves in relation to America, and how do artists interact with the influences of American culture as it filters around the globe? I think it is an especially intriguing area to look at now, given all the chaos in global financial markets which are based largely on the American model. Many assumptions about America have come to seem more and more questionable, and we are at a moment when the American model is starting to show some pretty large cracks. The artists in the exhibition look at these themes from a wide range or perspectives, and they open up a lot of interesting questions.

What’s next for you?

I am developing a project that I would like to film in Nigeria. It’s early days in the planning, so I don’t want to give away any secrets. It is going to be great fun.

Some advice for the young and aspiring artists?

I would say be patient and try to have fun with what you do. It is wonderful to be able to spend time investigating things that interest you, and seeing where that lead, which is basically what an artist does. There are a lot worse things you can do for a living.

This exhibition is supported by the U.S. Embassy Athens.

Links:

http://www.remapkm.com