1xRUN Through Interview
Five Scoops by Joram Roukes
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece, was it part of a recent series or show you had?
Joram Roukes: I made this piece originally in 2012 for my debut solo show titled “Oils” at Signal Gallery in London. At the time I was doing a lot of portrait based works and experimenting with lots of stylistic variations. This was one of my favorite pieces of that show. I don’t remember exactly how long this piece took to create. I would have to say it was about a 2-3 week process using oil paint on linen. The original painting sold in a big group show at the Cat Street Gallery in Hong Kong which was my first and only show ever in Asia.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Joram Roukes: Around this time I was mostly trying to find new ways to create portrayal works. To build the figures and assemble them as icons of sorts. I worked a lot more intuitively than I do with most my works by not having an exact setup or design for the work, but finding references along the way and literally building the work as I found my information. It made for a spontaneous and fun process with a dynamic piece as a result.
1xRun: What is unique about this piece?
Joram Roukes: This piece is unique because of its roughness and yet overall cohesiveness. That balance is what I try to find in all my works. It struck really well with this one.
1xRun: Why should people buy the print?
Joram Roukes: This piece is one of the few pieces I would hang myself. I made it well over a year ago and it stood the test of time. It’s always a test, but I think it’s still as strong as the day I finished it which is why I think people should buy the print .
1xRun: Describe the piece in one gut reaction word.
Joram Roukes: Powercohesive.
1xRun: When did you first start making art and what was your first piece?
Joram Roukes: I’ve been drawing for as long as I remember, but I don’t know when I first considered it to be actual art and it’s impossible for me to trace that back what my first piece was. I do, however have some early teenage stuff when I was very much into Bob Ross and made his pretty landscapes. This is as embarrassing as it is awesome to me now.
1xRun: What artists inspired you early on and who inspires you now?
Joram Roukes: The first time I really remembered being inspired was when I started doing graffiti and I came across the works of Amsterdam artists Delta and Sender. I was blown away by their work. I think it taught me the importance of inspiration. These days I can be inspired by anything in any genre, but I always love the paintings of Neo Rauch. Also David Lynch as a filmmaker mostly, but also as a person.
1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work?
Joram Roukes: I always listen to music, but its never just one thing. I can listen to soundtracks from films, Carter Burwell or Angelo Badalamenti. I recently worked on a body of work based on the lyrics of ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ by the Smashing Pumpkins and I listened to that album non stop. The music of David Lynch is great, Sufjan Stevens is fantastic and Lykke Li. Tom Waits is always in my playlist as well and I like hip hop too. It really just depends on my mood and what kind of work I’m doing at that particular moment. I like listening to New York hardcore punk rock when I’m building frames.
1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living and deceased artist who would it be and why?
Joram Roukes: David Lynch. His work doesn’t have to make sense to make sense. Does that make sense? Its very inspiring. As far as deceased artist go I would have to say Basquiat. I’m fascinated by the 1980s New York arts scene, but I already was a graffiti writer. His work is also powerful and remains to be influential to this day.
1xRun: What was the first piece of art that you bought? Do you still have it? The last?
Joram Roukes: I never buy art, but do I loan and trade sometimes. I have some art by Joost Krijnen and Sven Nibbeling at the moment who are both Dutch artists. I was loaned three acrylic paintings by Joost Krijnen. They’re dramatic and very cinematic. I love them, but I will need to let them go when I’m in Los Angeles.
1xRun: Anything else coming up in the next month or two for you that you would like to share?
Joram Roukes: At the moment I’m showing at Gallery B15 in Copenhagen. The ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ show is going on there until November 8. I’ll be doing a group show at StolenSpace Gallery in London in December as well as SCOPE art fair Miami with Thinkspace Gallery from Los Angeles. Also, I’ll be moving to Los Angeles for a while to do a residency there where I’ll be working on my July 2014 solo show at Thinkspace.
Photos by Henrik Haven – More at Joram Roukes Facebook Page
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Joram Roukes: Website – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter
-1xRUN