TONY FUTURA - SIMPLE IMAGES WITH A TWIST*

SIMPLE IMAGES WITH A TWIST*

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK?

It’s quite simple, funny and open to interpretations.

WHAT DOES YOUR ART FOCUS ON?

It deals with a lot of stuff. Thing is, I get bored super fast, that’s why I am searching for new ideas all day. I don’t want to get bored with the same images that the advertising industry offers us every day. Same for the music business, art and media. I hate that people think we’re just some stupid idiots that can get fed with the same shit all over again. I try to give a new input to people and to open their minds for creativity and a life that is more than just daily routine.

WHAT TRIGGERS YOUR IMAGINATION?

That could be anything: Objects, persons, TV shows, everything on the internet or a drunk talk with a friend. I also discover a lot of inspiring images through pop-culture. Pop means something famous, something many people know or can relate to and that gives me the opportunity to twist expectations and turn them into a different direction. The rest just happens randomly and gets into my mind like a brain wave.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?

I live in Berlin, Germany.

WHEN DID YOU JOIN INSTAGRAM?

I posted my first photo in July 2013 and started doing what everybody did: taking selfies, posting private stuff like my food or pictures with friends until I discovered that i wanted to do more than #foodporn and #TGIF. I started posting my works last summer.

HOW DID IT MAKE YOUR WORK EVOLVE?

I haven't done anything like this before. It’s not that i had artworks and was using images to give them a platform. I started making these artworks because i wanted to use this platform differently. When i got about 40.000 followers in one week in December ’15 i was really understanding that this was something other people like as well. I was invited to contribute an artwork for this year's Tribeca Fim Festival in New York, which was a big honor for me. But i am also very happy when i see that others share my work on Facebook or even Youtube. It’s quite amazing to see where those little images go to through the internet.

Now i get more and more mails everyday, offers from brands, galleries and other people but i try to choose my next step carefully and wait for the right opportunity to go on with this.

WHO DO YOU COLABORATE WITH?

I mostly work with magazines at the moment, since brands are quite greedy and don't give a fuck about what I think. I made an illustration for this month’s Esquire Magazine and also the New York Times contacted me for an image I made. Also some musicians wanted me to do their covers, but since I have like two jobs now, I am trying to stay picky about what jobs I take.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU POST?

It depends on how much time I have next to my job as an art director. I am working in advertising so I am kind of like those people I hate. But mostly I am posting one image every two to three days.

WHAT ACCOUNTS DO YOU FOLLOW RELIGIOUSLY?

@plastikmagazine for sure but also @ taxcollection, @glennztees, @fra_vullo and @ brockdavis are a huge source of inspiration to me.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST LIKED ARTWORK/ PHOTO?
On my personal account it was those two pierced lemon halves, though I never figured out why. In general I guess the remake of Munchs "The Scream“ where I put Macaulay Culkin from "Home Alone“ into the painting which went kind of viral I think. It was shared on hundreds of sites, some had more than a 100.000 likes and that really blew me away.

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Since I was a teenager I listened to rap: Cormega, Mobb Deep, Nas, Aesop Rock and Del the funky Homosapian are just a few of my favorites. But over the last years I got more and more into rock and punk. I love The Clash, which guided me through my whole study, Misfits, Social Distortion and the Sex Pistols. Favorite songs? You should definitely listen to The Clash “Train in Vain“ and to “Stress the World” of Del.

WHAT ARE YOUR LATEST PROJECTS OR COLLABORATIONS?
I just got my first real art piece, which is the yellow latex smiley mask, which I also use for my profile picture. Next steps will be to try to build other ideas I made as real sculptures and then find a good gallery which would like to exhibit them. But beyond that, I am really not the guy you should ask about future plans.