His inspiration comes from the Web and the writing of Marquis de Sade, his canvas is the computer screen and his digital paint comes from Photoshop’s toolbox. Time to meet the creator of these dark complex images, an interview with Roberto Segate.
How would you personally describe the nature of your art?
The work is, at its simplest, a statement conveying interaction between different human relationships, but the work can grow to demonstrate many emotions, love, care, despair, hopelessness etc… It can be a simple beautiful image or a complex disgusting image. Someone once described my images: ” All of your pictures have a great melancholic almost post war Jewish camp sort of feel to them and it evokes such an incredible mix of emotions. I feel sad, determined, guilty, awed, inspired all at the same time.” That’s one of the closest statements to how I feel about my own work. Sometimes it takes someone else to tell you what you already know but you’re so close to the work you can’t see it.
What artists, art periods, are an inspiration for your own work? And in what way?
This is a big question! My work is quite diverse and I’ve taken inspiration from everywhere. Particularly just before I got into digital art and I began to see, in the work of Catherine McIntire and Sandy Gardner, the endless possibilities that the digital world could bring. I was excited by these methods to create richly layered composite image and I haven’t looked back since. I’ve also taken inspiration from graphic designer Dave Carson as I have a strong interest in his typography and work. I also spend a lot of the time traveling the web, just picking up bits and pieces from here and there, like the work of Jason Beam and Chad Savage.
Where are your ideas coming from? Does your work reflect your own erotic fantasies & desires?
Well, there’s a question! I spent a lot of time reading the writings of the Marquis de Sade and that sent me on a journey into the dark side, where I began to think about about relationships, struggles, isolation, torture and all that. No, this doesn’t reflect my own fantasies and desires, I’m happy with a night in, a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake!
What you biggest artistic frustration? Or main struggle in your creation process?
Learning how to use Photoshop. How do I use these tools to help me make work that conveys what I’m thinking. Yes, I’ve been frustrated, I’ve spent hours and hours trying things only to delete them. But the important thing is going through the process, I learn something every time I delete something, a new technique a new way to use a particular tool. Of course I suffer, like most artists, from debilitating periods of nothing. Nothing happening in my mind or on my computer. I deal with it by battling through, working with images, getting outside to take some photographs, listen to music. Eventually I’ll discover something which sets me off on another journey.
Is it easy to find places to display your work? Or is erotic art still somewhat taboo in your country?
This is easy, most of my work is unsuitable for public display and I tend to set up private exhibitions, submit the tamer pieces to magazines and books or publish my own. You must remember we’re British and we don’t like ‘that sort of thing’. Actually that’s not exactly true anymore but my work can cause a few raised eyebrows!
Can you provide a link to a website that you consider a must, a great place to visit ?
Oh my god, this is like asking me how long is a piece of string. But this is a link to one of the best digital showcase sites I use: http://www.rasterized.org/7/index.html When I get a bit dry I’m guaranteed to get fired up by the work showcased by other talented artists. It really is a massive and valuable site for any artist, digital or otherwise.
