Eyeblog

Interview with artist Dan Baldwin on exclusive new Eyestorm print

Published: 18/6/2009

File under: Eyestorm Artists

Eyestorm creative director Angie Davey talks to Dan Baldwin prior to the release of The Future Frontline Renegades of Dead London, the new large scale silkscreen print he published with Eyestorm in June.

So you’re making a new print with Eyestorm. What are your thoughts on the way the art market is today in terms of print publishing and does this reflect what you’re doing right now?

“When things first took off for me in 2006 it was important to release a print, and I really wanted to push boundaries with mixed media and one-off prints. For me personally they were a major factor in becoming a full time artist; so each was different. It was real cutting edge printmaking with real elements and sexy varnishes. As for how it is now, I feel that now the time is right to bring out another print as I have only released Autumn Girl in the past 18 months. I consciously cooled things off a bit so as to not flood the market as I have seen my contemporaries do with four runs of 1000 released in a year. I think an edition of 15 amazing prints is really exciting, with each one hand touched and with 3D elements. It’s about getting the balance right - print makes my work accessible for more people, yet it’s still special when in a low edition. It’s a very important part of the whole thing.”

Do you think that the print market has been saturated somewhat in the past couple of years, especially in the ‘Urban Art’ sector?

“Yes. When I started making prints I wasn’t aware of any movement, I was just happy to get my work out there. Then it went mental - I stopped producing prints late in 2007 and pulled back. We wanted to slow it down, as it’s about getting the balance right. I think there is great scope to have 4 print releases or so a year, in small runs of 15-50. If you think of this as a worldwide thing it isn’t much - it’s when artists were getting greedy that fucked themselves in the foot - overpricing paintings from £8k to £35k overnight. My work went up gradually as everything sold, and [with regards to pricing] we still try and keep it right, not be greedy. I think because I once earned £28 a week as a YTS plumber it means I really value it [money], so, I value the collector and am not arrogant. Again, we need to produce print, as it’s a way for people to own a piece, and it gets it out there - it’s all about balance.”

Your career suddenly escalated in 2007 and early the following year your painting ‘The End of Everything’ sold at Bonhams for £20,000 in an Urban Art sale. How do you think your work sits alongside this trend of ‘Street/Urban’ art?

“It was £25,200 in total actually. . ahem. . .! .I think those two canvasses really summed up that time well, with the Iraq and American war; the two big burned flags really fitted in with the ethos of the urban scene and politics. It was a really exciting for me and I can see why it was included, the ‘Fuck religion’, ‘Fuck politics’ energy, the anger, the use of spray paint, the use of bullets, money, etc it sits easily with Urban Art, as a lot of this is political, but for me, it was surprising, I mean, I was in a few shows with Antony Micallef before the whole thing went mental in 2005/6 and you know, its good but it was fucking nuts 2007, really really mental, and Antony wasn’t urban either. My work isn’t easily placed I don’t think - I studied illustration & Communication Media, yet I work in a fine art painterly approach with a graphic element. And my subject matter is quite deep, unlike a lot of urban art where normally what you see is what you get. I think Banksy is a very clever artist and like some of the other work that is classed as ‘street/urban’ such as Jamie Reid, but a lot of it I don’t like, and I don’t really like being pigeon holed as ‘urban’ and ‘street’ as it is just not me at all. I’m now finally being asked to show in group shows that aren’t ‘urban’, which is good - I guess you are grateful for the attention when you have been working at it since 1990. But then you think fuck, I’m not ‘urban’!!!”

You’re known for pushing the boundaries with printmaking, incorporating real elements such as crucifixes and bullet holes into your print work. How does the new Eyestorm print push these boundaries even further?

“15 colour screen print, 15 in the edition, gold leaf, razor blade, hand coloured elements, 1 meter in scale!! This is the largest & most ambitious I have made -collage, fade outs...mmm sexy. Also, it’s not based on a piece; it’s an ‘actual print’ the only other one I’ve done like that was flirting with death. I will work on each one individually, so each one will be different; I don’t see this piece as just a print, it’s a hand embellished one off piece, with print.”

Tell us about the title of the new print ‘The Future Frontline Renegades of Dead London’. Your titles are often quite opinionated, are they an important element of your work?

“I never thought of them as opinionated, more funny or light-hearted. I made a piece in 2007 called ‘Frontline Renegade’, and another called ‘Dead London’. I felt that in this current print these were cool kids, like Emo skater dudes, and kids don’t have tattoos, but its the evolution of how things will go; like all kids now are too fucking cool - not like we were in the 80s. But having said that, they don’t know anything! London is theirs for the taking, we have fucked it up, its their country to take on and tackle now - they will be the future. And they look ready, like ‘make way fuckers’, we are here now. Titles are really important in my work - ‘Mexico Fucked Up My Head’ is an example of how honest I am in my work. ‘I Don’t Wanna Die, I Don’t Want You to Die, I Want To Live Forever and Not Grow Old’ or ‘The Forest of Doom’ is another. It’s what I’m feeling - I work on feeling.”

Symbolism features heavily in your work. Can you explain the meaning behind some of the emblems used in the new print?

“Big Ben I’ve used in paintings before, it’s sexy and sums up a powerful historic London energy. Have you ever stood under Big Ben? It’s amazing. The swallow I guess is the main one, symbolising freedom, then there’s the faint skull in the background - I couldn’t help myself! It just needed that ghostly decay lingering. The cobweb represents life and death: death to the fly, life to the spider. Russian prison tattoos, caught in a web. The raspberry symbolises innocence-life-fruit-vanitas-decay-fragility, which I felt fitted with her. I wanted a cutesy element to compliment the girl. The razor blade, I like the fact this is real - I felt the print needed a real element and this is great because it can be ripped off and will slice you, but sprayed gold it becomes sexy. The tank is a symbol of war.”

What was the first painting you sold?

“At art college in 1994 a lecturer bought one of my life drawings - really fucked up they were, lots of text, scribbles, turning the model into a crippled war hero; lots of spontaneous words - it felt good negotiating the price, she was head of graphic design at Maidstone - bought two actually - if I remember rightly - then not till about 1997/98 when all the bars in Brighton needed art, they were coming to our studio and buying three at a time, desperate to hang anything gritty in their clubs, they’d say “we have an opening tonight, what do you have?”. It was 2004 when it really became regular, then took until 2006 to take the leap.”

What’s new for this year and where do you see things going in the future?

“I have my first American solo show in LA in September, which will show a new body of work. Looks good so far, it’s moving on all the time. This work is getting quite layered and complicated, I can’t help that - it’s all spontaneous, instinct-organic. I’m really excited about it actually. There are two book projects, both in America. A limited edition cup and saucer box set with Staffordshire bone china, which I can’t wait to see. I will also be showing work in Manchester, Lancaster and Notting Hill, two charity events, and hope to do a London solo show in 2010. Constantly searching for ‘it’ - becoming a better painter and showing worldwide.”

For Dan’s Eyestorm page and to see ‘The Future Frontline Renegades of Dead London’, click here

In Association with the Institute of Contemporary Arts

Eyestorm is the leading online gallery of limited edition contemporary art. Founded in 1999, Eyestorm came under new management in 2006 and has refined its operations to make buying the finest contemporary art easier and more enjoyable than ever before.