French-Portuguese artist Pache returns to Affordable Art Fair Brussels, creating live during the fair! Meet the artist and learn about his inspiration in our interview.
Pache is French-Portuguese artist, born in Belgium. His large colourful, graphic artworks, sit at the meeting point between urban art and geometric abstraction, inspired by cities and loneliness that can mark living within them. At Affordable Art Fair Brussels (15 – 17 March), Pache will not only be exhibiting his work on the Art Unity stand (H6) he will also be creating a bespoke artwork live at the fair! Working in partnership with Leopold 7, a craft beer brewed in Hesbaye, Pache will be live-painting in the Food Market, giving you the opportunity to see him create his abstract works in person.
We caught up with Pache to talk about his inspiration, artistic career and the challenges artists face in this current day:
As a kid, I always drew a lot. At school I excelled in art courses, which led me to apply to the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts of Brussels. When I finished my degree in industrial design, I had to make an important choice in my life. After a few internships in design studios in Barcelona and Brussels I finally decided to develop my art full time. My meeting with Art Unity Galerie confirmed that choice and kick-started my career.
I like to have multiple creative routes, if I only had one I would get very bored! One day I will work on my paintings and on another develop my clothes and accessories. It allows me to alternate my pleasures!
My universe is colourful and urban. I always work in batches that vary according to their artistic maturity. My main inspirational sources are cities, fashion and graffiti, but nature is also an omnipresent theme in my work – to me it symbolises stability and regeneration.
First, I put some music on! It motivates me all day long. The selection varies according to my mood and varies from classical, rap, jazz, bossa nova, even Hawaiian music! When I feel inspired and my desire to create is at its peak, I start a new painting. If I don’t get to that point, I prefer not to force it. Before starting a new artwork, I need to finish ongoing projects. I avoid having too many live projects at one time, as it allows me to be more mentally organised. Above all, I put always my customer’s orders first.
I have always had a little trouble clearly pinpointing where my inspiration comes from. It is the result of many different elements. Fashion, design, contemporary art, an encounter, my travels… In life I am an observer, and this has always helped me in my work. Over time, I saw that my work inspired others, which in turn has inspired me. For instance, a customer’s order will allow me to go in an unexpected direction that I would never have considered alone.
One of my most beautiful memories is from the day Zalando contacted me to work on a collaboration. The project was to customize 10 accessories and clothes chosen from their website, which would be unveiled during Brussels Fashion Week. They allowed me carte blanche during the entire project, which hugely inspired my creativity. Another fantastic memory was my collaboration with Porsche – I was given an entire villa floor to fill with my artwork for the launch of the new Panamera. Throughout the event they were such an organised and professional organisation which I really appreciated. But the moments that really impacted me date back to my early career, including; my meeting with Art Unity Gallery in 2014, my meeting with the blogger Luigi (Tellement Lui), a publication in the SoSoir magazine and my solo exhibit in the Galerie Marie Demange at Châtelain (quarter of Brussels).
Nowadays artists must be versatile and have the capacity and skills that allow to work on multiple projects and broaden our horizons. I could not live from my art if I was dependant on the sale of my paintings alone. The challenge is to maintain a steady flow of work to keep us busy. Another challenge is maintaining motivation every day – an artist doesn’t have a boss, doesn’t have a schedule to respect and we don’t have to explain our actions. So, we need to manage our time ourselves and that is not always an easy thing to do. Finally, knowing how to sell myself and taking advantage of social media platforms to communicate and share my work at no cost is essential for me.
To see Pache creating one of his bright, colourful artworks in person, visit the Food Market during the fair opening hours – and sit back with a Leopold 7 as you enjoy the show!
Main Image:
Pache in his studio with a selection of his artworks.
Images from first to last:
Pache working on one of his paintings.
Pache in his studio.
Facebook: @pacheartist
Instagram: @pacheartist
Website: www.yannlaissy.com