ARTIST PROFILE
Name : Fin DAC
City/Country : London, England
Bio :
In a relatively short urban
art career, I have defined and perfected an atypical paint/stencil style that
ignores the accepted visual language of street art almost completely - I call
it Urban Aesthetics (a modern-day take on a 19th century art movement). Hailing from Cork (Eire), I have lived the majority of my life in and
around London. Self-taught and non-conformist, my influences range from dark
graphic novels through to the works of Francis Bacon and Aubrey Beardsley.
I have painted/exhibited
alongside respected artists such as Goldie, Nick Walker, Jamie Reid and Jef
Aerosol. But in general, I shy away from the scene, keep my own counsel and
shun the typical life of a street artist. My commercial work includes commissions for The Royal Albert Hall,
Armani, G-Star, Red Bull, Jagermeister and London 2012/. I am also Artistic
Director at urban/digital art brand Beautiful Crime.
Interview with Fin DAC...
- How long have you been an artist?
Just over 4 years
- Is being an artist a full-time career for you?
Has been only for the last year or so
- Tell me about your work? What are you currently
working on? How is this different from past projects?
My work is mainly stencil based but I think I
do it in a unique way. It is heavily influenced by all forms of Asian art and I
am known for doing urban Asian females. I’ve just started to use paintbrushes
and working in a fine art way as opposed to stencils and sprays... it’s simply
another step in the evolution of my work.
- What was your inspiration?
A previously unhappy life
- "What is Art?" is certainly too big of a
question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your
art? What statement do you hope to make?
There are no
big statements with my art, no social or political commentary. My work is all
about beauty and aesthetics and the need for those in the urban landscape
- What was the best advice given to you as an
artist?
I didn’t get any. I just painted. I didn’t think about it, didn’t worry
about things working out, didn’t plan much but also didn’t fear the chance of
failure. My recent past had put me in a position where I felt I had more to
lose by not at least trying to make things work
- Tell me about your work space and your creative
process.
My studio is at my home. I get up early (usually around 7) and start work
immediately. I generally stop at about 11 and make myself a cup of tea and
maybe something to eat. Then I simply carry on for the rest of the day.
Depending on how focussed I am, I sometimes eat at around 5... But I often
don’t remember to eat at all. I am online as well checking emails, updating
blogs and generally keeping in contact with the world... but this rarely gets
in the way of my work. I will work to 11 at the latest but on the odd occasion
I’ll finish earlier and relax for a bit... but it is a rarity. The way I work varies from project to project and piece to piece.
- What has been the biggest challenge in the work you
create?
The biggest challenge for me was just being an artist. I used to draw when
I was younger but had no confidence in what I did and didn’t think what I did
had any validity whatsoever. Those self-doubts plagued me all my life so it
wasn’t easy to suddenly start ignoring them.
- Where do you go online for good art resources, whether
to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and
otherwise?
I am constantly
bombarded by imagery on facebook and tumblr so it’s not something I have to go
looking for. I tend not to take too much notice of what other artists are doing
and generally keep myself to myself anyway
- Do you have any exhibits to promote?
Nothing right now I’m afraid
I was lucky to be able to interview Fin DAC because apparently he is
heading to North Wales to paint a portion of a ship that has been dry-docked
for a number of years. It is an ongoing project involving a number of artists –
some of which have already added their particular style to the many facades of
The Duke of Lancaster. Sounds like it’s not the kind of a short time project...
When asked what form he
would paint for this project he answered, “I will be painting something Asian influenced obviously but am still
undecided as to what form it will take.. I want to let the ship and the texture
and colour of the portion I’m painting to dictate how and what I do.”
Curious?? Same here, but
I’ll keep you updated of course. While waiting for his new work, it's better to
see the other amazing works of Fin DAC. Best recommendation, visit his
Tumblr here!
