Polish new media artist Ksawery Komputery offers an insightful look into his artistic process, revealing both the aspects of art-making he relishes and those he finds less appealing, and his favourite artwork. We’ve prepared 7 questions with our supoorters, Paradox Hotel Vancouver, to learn more about the artist as he prepared for his first solo exhibition, RRGGBB, at CICA Vancouver. The exhibition runs until April 20, 2024.
When you’re in the creation zone, what aspect gives you the most joy: the thrill of generating ideas, the flow of the creative process, or the satisfaction of seeing the finished product?
It’s hard to pick, I actually enjoy all of them! Most often the project starts with creating a tool by code, making up the rules, and then playing with it. The tool has to have a potential to generate various attractive results, but consistent, and simple at the same time. It’s a challenge, but also very satisfying, like cracking a riddle. The last stage is also a great joy, when it becomes a real thing, alive, either by the sound if it’s a music video, or by the people when it’s interactive. I love watching other people playing with the system we’ve built. It’s often very surprising and interesting to see others being creative in front of it.
If you could showcase your works anywhere in the world, where would your imagination take them for an unforgettable exhibition?
I can imagine a great adventure by taking the exhibition on a longer tour with my team. Maybe the US, or Japan, there are plenty of great venues. I recently also thought more about open spaces, I feel that technology could look awesome brought to nature.
Can you paint us a picture of a typical day in the whimsical world of Ksawery?
My typical day usually means spending it in the studio with the team. We work a lot! Sometimes it’s chasing the time with a project to its deadline, sometimes we do experiments looking for ideas. If I need a break, I go for boxing training, or take a short trip to the sea on a motorbike.
As an artist, what hurdles do you often face during the creative process?
The whole process is usually long and complex, so the challenges are quite common. But I can’t complain much about it. It’s a part of the whole thing, and I do enjoy solving them. What I don’t enjoy is the paperwork and bookkeeping, haha.
Here’s a tricky question: among all your brilliant works, do you have one that holds a special place in your heart? What makes it stand out?
I actually very often come back to the work “Traffic Data”, where we’ve built a big display out of car lamps. It was our first bigger project and it started all that we do right now. We’ve been struggling with some basics, we’ve learnt a lot, and at the end I still really like what we did. Maybe we will remaster it some day!
When you think of “pixel,” which colour springs to mind first and why?
I would pick somewhere between red and orange. A color brought by paint or print can’t compete with the one from light. Especially from a single LED, which is so strong and saturated. I also like the infrared part of light. We often use cameras from that spectrum, and they unveil what our eyes can’t see. That alternative version of sight is a bit disturbing, but also intriguing.
Let’s indulge in some minibar musings: what’s your guilty pleasure from Paradox Hotel Vancouver’s minibar?
I loved those little sour gummy french fries that welcomed me every day on my bed, super funny and refreshing!
The exhibition continues until April 20, 2024. Read more about the exhibition, here. Plan your visit today!
A special extension of gratitude to our sponsor, Paradox Hotel Vancouver for the ongoing support to our organization and for the arts and culture of our beautiful city!
All photo credits to Elvis Yang
