a)Hello! My name is RIVER KUO.
I am from Taipei TAIWAN.
q) Where do you live and work?
a)I am now living and working in Taipei TAIWAN.
q) How would you describe your work
to someone who has never seen it?
a)My creation is originated from real life experience.
I tried to turn them into virtual imaginative elements
in my works and construct a personal Utopia.
The colorful images are overlaid in intersected spaces
to create an illusion both with pressure and sweetness.
It is all about my observation and attitude toward life.
All the fragments in life are transmitted to
a unique sense of humor and of ridiculousness.
q) How did you start in the arts?
How/when did you realize you were an artist?
a)I am not the so-called “good student”
when I was a little boy.
I always love to draw and scrawl on
the book when I was studying at class.
I remember one day, my mother asking me
“if you don’t love to study so how about
doing something else, like painting,
because you always love to scrawl everywhere!!!”
q) What are your favorite art materials and why?
a)Any kind of pencil / pen / acrylic / watercolor
/ canvas / paper…..these are my favorite and
commonly available materials I use.
I enjoy using very simple materials directly
to exhibit my artwork. Just want to straight
show the quality of material but not fancy
complicated makings.
q) What/who influences you most?
a)Family, my first art teacher,
and the daily life experience!
q) Describe a typical day of art
making for you.
a)For me, there are many different
ways to see, to think and to feel all kind
of things in my everyday life, even a very
small thing.
And there are also many different kinds
of ideas and experiences to share or
understand the life experience.
So for me, everyday seems become
very interesting and important, all because of art!
q) Do you have goals, specific things
you want to achieve with your art or
in your career as an artist?
a)Actually I thought about this question
lots of times, but I never figure it out even now.
It seems a very major and serious problem
for me since there are still lots of things
I want to see and try, so for the moment
I would not to think about having goals so early.
But now I would say I’ll do my best
at this moment to share my works and try
to do different things first in my career as
an artist and a designer.
q) What contemporary artists or developments
in art interest you?
a)I think nowadays environment is very different
and complicated, especially in art and design,
which I really care about. I enjoy the situation
of the developments, when
contemporary artists combine lots of different kind of systems,
for example ”design”…Today many great artists are
also very great designers!…… Because of that,
it seems that art becomes more and
more interesting and multiple, even more tolerant.
To me, it is easier and easier to understand
and to close to contemporary artists!
q) How long does it typically take you to
finish a piece?
a)It always depends on my personal mood,
sometimes it takes me just a week to finish a piece,
but sometimes it spends me more than half a year
to finish it.
q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or
are you emotionally attached to them?
a)I have an agent company to manage
all of my artworks. Truly some works
I will keep them myself but not for sale!
q) Is music important to you? If so,
what are some things you're listening to now?
a)Yes, music is very important to me,
especially when I am doing my work.
I love to listen to different kind of music
because they give me different mood
to create and influence straight on what
I am doing at the moment. I am now listening
to “homesleephome (cover songs)” and “MARZ (wir sind hier)”
q) Books?
a)Not really, at least for right now!
But I enjoy reading books from the Germany writer
“Patrick Suskind”.
q) What theories or beliefs do you have
regarding creativity or the creative process?
a)I didn’t have any specific theories or beliefs
on the creative process. But I really enjoy
observing the change of the nature because
it offers me lots of creative elements and
makes me to experience the change of the creations.
q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing)
when you're not creating?
a)Sometimes I enjoy travelling in different places.
Sometimes I love to spend all the time just hanging
out with friends. Sometimes I do noting to be lost in reverie.
q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up
that you are particularly excited about?
a)My new book and art toy will be published
and distributed recently. And I had joined
a very interesting international group
exhibition “CowParade Taipei 2009” and then,
I will prepare the solo exhibition in 2009.
q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes?
If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries
do you prefer?
a)I didn’t follow contemporary art scenes
because I only did what I really want and love to do!
But I do enjoy reading different kinds of
magazines or websites, and searching for
the different kinds of exhibition because
the most important thing is, it makes me
know the world is full of novelty.
There’s no distance between us just like now
I am sitting at my studio in TAIWAN having
an interview with Claudio Parentela from ITALY.
It is really amazing!!!
I would like to recommend several websites about art and design:
1-David Hockney
http://www.hockneypictures.com/
2-Maison Martin Margiela
http://www.maisonmartinmargiela.com/en/index2.html
3-hint magazine
http://www.hintmag.com/
q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer,
and answer it.
a)Am I afraid to change? Yes, I am!
q) Any advice for aspiring artists?
a)Only doing what you really love and want to do.
Experience all the details of life, even a very
small stuff! Turn them into your own unique thoughts.
Do not follow the trend and create your own style
to build up your personal art language .
q) Where can we see more of your work online?
a)This is my personal website / www.riverkuo.com
Here is my personal blog / http://blog.roodo.com/riverkuo/
This is an online gallery (U.S.A.) http://wheattoast.org/
