Michael Xuereb is a conceptual artist, photographer and writer, based in London.
1 If you weren’t an artist, what else would you be?
Wanting to be an artist.
2 Name 3 of your least favourite artists.
Tracy Emin is over-rated, Anish Kapoor is shallow and I hate Chuck Close.
3. Anytime, any place – which artist’s body would you most like to inhabit?
Jeff Koons… “Made in Heaven”
4 What is your favourite ‘ism’?
vandalism
5 What was the most intelligent thing that someone said or wrote about your work?
A german art critic once wrote: “Michael Xuereb’s work is, above all, a reflection of his curiosity.” She pretty much summed it up right there.
6. And the dumbest?
Dumbest thing one can say about my work is say nothing.
7 Which artists would you most like to rip off, sorry, I mean appropriate as a critique of originality and authorship?
Marcel Duchamp. Marcel Duchamp is to conceptual art; what Charles Darwin is to science.
8 Do you care what your art costs? State your reasons!
No. Money has nothing to do with it. Buying art is only one type of appreciation, that not everyone can afford to give. Not affording to buy art doesn’t mean you don’t value it. And what I care for is my art’s value not price tag.
9 What are the three big ideas that you would like your work to express?
Some of my work express a statement, but most of my work ask questions and try to make the viewer ask questions, either to himself or to what’s around him/her.
10 Are you a political artist?
Sometimes. I think I’m a semi-political artist because to be a political artist you have to have clear statements and defined opinions. Some of my work is on the same subject, but without statements or opinions.
11 How do you start the process of making work?
I don’t start any process of making art. Things happen and all of a sudden I find myself thinking about how an artwork is going to be.
12 What next?
The next thing I need to do is dedicate some time on a book I’m working on. It’s titled: ‘Everything you need to know about Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and other major Religions’. The book is finished, but I need to find some independent bookshops for distribution. It’s actually more of an art piece than a book. I showed it to a very few people and it got exceptional reviews! In fact, about half of the people I showed it to ended up buying one, so I’m very excited about it. The book will be
printed in a limited edition of 1500.
13 If Moma and the Tate and the Pompidou wanted to acquire one of your works each, which would you want them to have?
They can each have an edition of ‘The land was drained and the boggy ground’. I call it my spiderman. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I have a huge print of it on my wall, in fact it’s right behind me as I write this, I look at it everyday and every night and always mange to find it captivating to look at.
14 Complete the following sentence “Blessed art the artists, for they
shall……”
BE artists.
15 Complete the following sentence “Blessed are the curators, for they
shall…”
never be artists.
16 Complete the following sentence “Blessed are the art critics, for they shall….”
never be curators or artists.
17. What is your favourite cheese?
Good old cheddar cheese! The type you get 3 for the price of 2 from Tescos. mmm!
18. What’s next for you?
Save this file, attach it to an e-mail, send it to Mark and go to sleep. ta ta!
You can read Michaels great interviews with Gallery owners here on
FAD :[FADwebsite]
