EDITORIAL: Taking inspiration from the daily life, artist Dudi Ben Simon experiments with mixed media through preserving regular appearance of the subject while twisting its purpose, leading to the invention of unique characters and scenarios.
Artist: Dudi Ben Simon
Interview: Sonya Mazuryk
How would you describe your style of working and the aesthetics? I see it as a type of readymade, a trend in art created by using objects or daily life items disconnected to their original context, changing their meanings and creating a new story from them. I attempt to preserve the regular appearance of the items but with a switch; for example, take the earphones of a smartphone, leave them in their natural environment on the table, and by adding to them a paper on which there is a printed lower part of a female body, change the meaning of the earphones by turning them into sort of a bra. I truly believe in minimalism, what is no required to tell the story does not exist. I believe in it also in the advertising field, everything must be simple, without disturbances; we do not have the luxury to have the customers ponder about our creativity.
"I place the initial inspiring item in front of me and look at it occasionally until the idea is fully formed"
How do you turn everyday objects into smart images? Sometimes it comes easily like a gift I get from the universe, and sometimes it is a slow, prolonged process; if I am dissatisfied with the result, it will be through away regardless of the investment. There were also cases in which I was so pleased and satisfied with what came out and put it online and it does not relate to the public. Recently I create series; I take an existing successful work and develop a sort of continuum to it, for example, a serial of works portraying office elements (pins, stipple, paper clip perforator, etc.).
"Most of my work originates in my life, the things surrounding me or prints of photographs that I liked. Therefore, I believe that one can learn on my life through my work"
What is your creative process? My creative process always begins with a spark of some sort; whether it was an element I saw and liked, a photograph printed in some magazine, if I connect to the element/photograph an idea will surely be born. I place the initial inspiring item in front of me and look at it occasionally until the idea is fully formed. Although I never learned photography and I do not define myself as a photographer, I am an auto-deduct so I am the one who photographs and does the stylize.
"I truly believe in minimalism, what is no required to tell the story does not exist"