ARTIST SPOTLIGHT UMIT SURAL
Umit Sural (b.1984) is a multidisciplinary artist, actor and filmmaker currently living and working between Barcelona and Paris. From charcoal drawing, acrylic paintings, sculptural objects to NFT’s, Ümit explores various scales of artistic expression.
Thank you for joining us today Umit, tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences please.
Influenced by the struggles and difficulties of my native culture, liberty and freedom of speech became a centerpiece of my artistic expression. Human rights, the fight against racism, religious indoctrination and intolerance of any kind are permanent issues in my creative process.
What about your creative process?
I try to stay at the peak of digital technology using it not only as a tool but also as an inspiration in my creative process. My latest NFT series is a good example, using digital deformation and pixelation not only as a tool, but even more in order to achieve a precise image I have in mind. It is therefore no coincidence, that some of my digital creations find inspiration in impressionist masterpieces. Such as the small, thin, barely visible brush strokes characterizing impressionist paintings, pixelation can achieve the same emphasis of light in its changing qualities and effects on color and forms.
Each artistic discipline has its own creative process. As an actor, I give life to a character, one which is created by somebody else (authors, scriptwriters, etc.), by mixing personal acting techniques and my own interpretation, feelings and emotions. In photography, I create stories by observing, understanding and catching what I see. With painting, the most important thing for me is emotions. I choose an emotion which I want to share.
How do you view the “ art- world”?
There is nothing more important than art. If we want it to have an influence on the largest number of people possible, it has to be shown and promoted. Thats where art enters the “artworld” as you call it. The real difference between an artist and the “art world” lies in the evolution an art work goes through, from very personal and private to public and visible.
Nonetheless, one needs the other, though Internet and new technologies such as NFT- seem to have a new and non -deniable influence on that relationship.
Any upcoming projects you would like to share with us?
In my work “series”, I assemble a certain number of artworks, done in the same technique and artistic expression. I am preparing a photography project interrogating women-power, that hopefully will be shown in Paris, Barcelona, Istanbul and Berlin soon and a new NFT series is also on its way- stay tuned!
What does ‘well-being’ mean to you and what do you practice Umit?
I believe in energy and its direct effects on our mind, spirit and mood. I therefore try to use and enhance the power of “inner me”. If wellbeing comes through mind and spirit, painting surely procures a form of wellbeing for me.
