Interview with Brad Robson
- You use your own name rather than a pseudonym (as a lot of artists do these days) what are your thoughts on that?
My work is very much an extension of who I am. What makes it onto the canvas is a little bit of the inside of my head. I’ve thought about it, but ultimately there’s no pseudonym that can reflect me as much as my name does. There’s no alter ego, there’s just Brad. That, and I’m a total egomaniac seeking world domination!
- How long have you been making paste-ups / street based work and what draws you to this style?
Not long, I guess pasting an artwork on a wall is the quickest way to make your mark on anything and I like that. Being in quite a street art heavy urban environment probably pulled me subconsciously to create works with a street feel.
- The city or place that an artist lives oftens inspires the kind of work they do – how does your location influence you?
Living in the Inner West is like living in a hub of creativity, between the diversity of cultures, characters, sexualities, fashion and art it is a challenge to avoid inspiration. During my residency in New York, I found my location had a significant influence over the work I did during that time. However, Erskineville is where I consider home and there are elements of its surrounding craziness (and the straight out crazies) in a lot of the work I create.
- Your work uses a lot of black and white, tell us about your process and what are some of the concepts behind your work?
I find myself with a sketch book and black pen and I really enjoy playing with shapes, contrasts and perspective. Black and white has its own feel and as much as I’m always changing I still find myself drawn to it. I like to get a little out of this world with some pieces, provoke thought and give my imagination a bit of free reign. Getting lost in these little black and white worlds can be more fun than dealing with the real full living colour world.
- What are your thoughts on Paste Modernism and what kind of work might we see from you for this year’s event?
Paste Modernism is an amazing concept. The idea of bringing together such a large collective of exciting artists to create a work that’s totally unpredictable, it’s pretty rad. I’m really looking forward to taking in the finished product – I’m prepared for sensory overload. As for my contribution this year, although I have been working with some new genres I will be sticking with the monochrome theme that I enjoy in mural work to bring a world of whimsy to the party.