Imbue Interview

James chats with, ahem, "Banksy of Brighton" Imbue prior to Reduced to Fear, his second no walls solo show.

Reduced to Fear will be my fourth solo show and my second show at No Walls. I'm pretty excited about this one.

James: For those who don’t know, tell us who you are and where you're from?

Imbue: My name is Imbue. I'm a visual artist living and working in Brighton. I work in a variety of ways... screen printing, digital work on the computer, painting and sculpture.

J: How long have you lived in Brighton?

Imbue: Probably 6 or 7 years now. It's great.

J: Tell us about Reduced to Fear.

Imbue: Reduced to Fear will be my, I think, fourth solo show and my second show at No Walls. I'm pretty excited about this one, it's quite political and the work is full of meaning. I have some big original 3D pieces, prints and more.

J: How often are you in the studio?

Imbue: I'm in every weekday, 9 - 5, just like a 'proper job'. well, sometimes 11 - 5 but I love being here so it's not too hard.

J: Talk us through a typical day in the studio?

Imbue: I ride my bike here, I'm based right on the seafront so it can be very calm and quiet or really busy and loud when the sun is out. I do everything myself so everyday is different... I can be on the computer, painting, printing or packing up prints and taking them to the post office.

J: I really admire that you’ve committed to art full time. Was that a big decision?

Imbue: I decided I had to do this full time but it's hard work, you have to stay motivated, think of new ideas, promote yourself and work out where you are going to get your rent from.

J: How has committing to it affected your work?

Imbue: Well, you always have to get the balance of strong provocative artwork and artwork people would want to buy and hang up on their walls. It can be a difficult balance and you don't want to be a sell out. You have to stay true to what you like and what you believe in.

J: Do you remember the first piece of work you sold?

Imbue: I'm not 100% sure, but my first proper print was 'Not So White'. My brother lent me the money to get them screen printed. I sold 30 of them in a few days, I couldn't believe it.

J: So, who are your favourite artists working today?

Imbue: I like what JR is doing, KAWS, D*Face, Ron English, Hayden Kays and I recently discovered Kent Rogowski, He has some really cool work. There are more but I'm struggling to think...

J: Talk us through the art you have up at home?

Imbue: I have work by INSA, Eelus, Friends With You, Kidrobot toys, a Ron English 'Fat Tony' and a 'Chris Simpsons Artist' drawing stuck to my fridge.

J: I love the Art Vend at the Marwood. Such a great idea. How did that come about?

Imbue: I came across the machine on Ebay, I'm always on Ebay. It used to sell adult DVD's so I was pretty sure it would dispense a piece of plywood the same size and it did. It now lives at the Marwood. It's been so popular I am struggling to keep it filled up.

J: Anything else you’d like to plug?

Imbue: Just the show, come along, it's going to be great.

Reduced to Fear opens Friday the 31st of May at our Brighton gallery and runs until the 23rd of June. Sign up to our mailing list to receive a preview of the new work before the show opens. You can also view available Imbue prints and originals in the shop area of the site.

posted by james