magnus. accidental artist

cover_i’d rather be happy baron, i’d rather be happy than dignified (2017); 24 ct gold leaf, silk screen & giclÉe on 308 gsm cotton rag archival paper.

Magnus Gjoen is a new kind of artist, a liquid artist (he calls himself accidental and after he explains why). Liquid, because today there is no need for attributions anymore. He Born in London to Norwegian parents, and grew up in Switzerland, Denmark, Italy as well as in the UK. He mix street and pop aesthetic into a fine art approach. Gjoen studied fine art and fashion design , he had work for brands such as Vivienne Westwood. Thought provoking and often emotional art, he offers a modern vision on classical masterpieces, or manipulates powerful and strong objects into something brittle, but always beautiful.

How did you become interested in the History of Art, which highly affects your production? My passion for art and history comes from my childhood. I grew up in different places around the world and travelled a lot, and with that came countless visits to museums as well as my family being avid collectors of art. I studied fine art before I went onto studying fashion design and have come full circle back to art. I would say the thirst for discovery and beauty and the stories behind them is what has always driven me.

How would you explain the definition “accidental artist”? It all came about as an accident when I wanted artwork to put on the walls of my new flat in London. I had no intention of going into art, but looking around at art I thought to myself ‘I can do that’, and so I did.

What should call forth in the public the view of your works? An emotion. When creating a piece of art you always want to evoke a memory or emotion which the viewer is able to associate with. It can be anything but if it doesn't do this you have failed in my post of view.

Are your creations more provocative or irreverent? I think both. It sometimes surprises me what offends people in this day and age. I don’t set out to create a work that provokes, but rather that re-evaluates the norm and beauty associated with something. It’s about commenting on things which people don’t want to see.

How would you define beauty nowadays? I would define beauty as one always has; something pleasing to the eye. Different people have different perspectives which makes some people see beauty where others don’t. Beauty is everywhere, one just has to look hard enough and choose to want to see it.

Which project are you working on at the moment? Currently I’m working on a solo show in Bergen at the end of the year and also an art piece for Fleming Publications in relation to a new James Bond novel coming out next year.

How do you see the future of Art applied to Fashion? Art and fashion have always had cross-overs. I would think that it is visible when big brands cross over to art promotion, as in the case of the acclaimed Fondazione Prada. If we look at the fashion brands that are also stretching out to cinema art, as per Bar Luce, designed by the film director, Wes Anderson, at Prada’s Fondazione- and the Louis Vuitton Fondation; a great example of ownership of arts. The correlation has always been there, as the fashion world has a strong love affair with the art world, and vice versa, which is ever evolving into a more distinctive direction. Every season we see designers pay homage and/or challenge their own visions through art, which Is a natural course. Subsequently, both fashion and arts need to communicate their visions to the intellects of their publics, with the support of their mixed mediums. I believe mixed arts and mixed mediums will create a clear vision of art and fashion’s joint future.

Which role does social media play in your daily life? How do you use them? I think social media is very important in getting your art and brand out there. It also gives a glimpse of my inspirations and the thought behind my artworks.

Where do you work regularly? I usually work in my studio in East London.

How is your creative path? How is it created and how is it developed? It usually starts with a trip to Italy. Now that I live full time back in London, I go to Italy for a few months in the summer, exploring and visiting every nook and cranny and churches on hill-tops for inspiration. Not only Italy of course, but I accumulate a wealth of inspiration from exhibitions and museums I go to and when I get back to London, they’re all printed out into a huge mood-board. From there starts the creation and inspiration to make new pieces. From subject matter to finish. I spend quite a lot of time doing digital mock-ups, even if the final piece is a 3D object or painting, I need to see it work on screen before it is made. In the case of the older paintings I use, they are often in need of digital restoration where you want to keep something as original as possible, however still remove water damage and scratches. It can take anything from 3 weeks to 3 years to finish a piece. Sometimes the best thing is to let something lay until you find the correct inspiration on how to finish it and execute that.

®All Rights Reserved