Henrik Uldalen who runs @Paintguide, the successful instagram feed which he has meticulously curated over the past year (which promotes the work of emerging international artists) has this month teamed up with London gallery UNIT London to bring 60 of these artists (predominately painters) to a gallery setting.
Over the next few weeks FAD will be interviewing 6 of the artists from the exhibition the forth artist in the series is Jeremy Mann
Jeremy Mann, NYC 15, 2015, oil on panel, 48 x 48 inches
1 How has Instagram & social media in general impacted on your art practice?
It has both its positives and negatives. It’s such a fantastic tool that allows us to expose our art to the world at large and encounter new and unique artists. However, with the volume of work available on Instagram there’s a lot (not always good) to sift through. It can also create a deeper internal struggle for many artists digging for inconsequential likes, which may adversely affect their personal opinions regarding the quality of their own work.
2 Can you tell us about your work and what are the main ideas you try and express.
My work is a visual expression of myself; of who I am and what I think about the world around me, and is where I channel my moods and emotions through the process of mark making.
Jeremy Mann, Krasavitsa, 2015, oil on panel, 48 x 24 inches
3 How do you decide what your next artwork/project will be and how do you know when it is finished?
For larger works, impetus usually stems from the moment when millions of niggling desires – ideas and visions born from something that I’m yet to fully understand – come together in my mind, and drive me to paint. Smaller works allow for experimentations, they are the quiet moments in between the exhausting ones, the nocturne between the symphonies. When is a painting finished? When everything lines up perfectly, when there’s nothing that frustrates me, or when I’m just tired of kicking a dead horse and need to trash it and move on to the next piece.
4 Does your art look best on Instagram or in a gallery?
In a gallery. Always in a gallery. Art is meant to be viewed in person, so that the viewer can stand where the artist stood, and appreciate the finer qualities, the brushstrokes, and the grand abstract ideas. Simply viewing art on a mobile phone screen is pointless, as you can’t appreciate the full effect of the painting. I find it hard to sympathise with those who appreciate art on a computer screen more than they do in person. Instagram offers a wonderful teaser though, and is an invaluable tool in this day and age; thankfully Henrik shares this idea and is bringing 60 international Instagram artists together for what will be a fantastic show.
5 How has it been working with Henrik Uldalen and @Paintguide?
Lovely, just lovely.
Jeremny Mann, Compostion 145, 2014, oil on panel, 36 x 60 inches
6 Which artists would you recommend us following on Instagram and why?
All the quiet inspiring ones; the ones who are unique and stay true to their own path, humble in their mistakes, never copying or ego hungry. If followers induce fame, then those not plying for followers should be famous.
PAINTGUIDE runs 27th November – 23rd December 2015 at UNIT LONDON | 147-149 Wardour Street, London W1F 8WD theunitldn.com
Jeremy Mann, La Bella Signora senza Pieta, 2015, oil on panel, 30 x 30 inches
Jeremy Mann, Winter, New York, 2014, oil on panel, 36 x 36 inches
