We speak to LG White, a Dutch artist who has been based in
the UK since 2010. Inspired by poetry and music, LG’s work
references her life, experiences and surroundings and in her first
solo show at Whisper Gallery, LG White exhibited striking, finely
detailed works across several mediums from pencil drawings, to
screen prints and photo etchings. We asked White if
she had a preferred media in which to express her art – or is she
exploring new mediums? An evolution? I don’t necessarily have one specific
medium in which I prefer to use. I fit the medium to the message
and the concept. Of course I enjoy working on bigger pieces
and on a larger scale. When I first came to the UK, I could
only afford to draw in pencil. Jamie Wood has given me a
great opportunity to get in touch with media that I have always
loved working in. I’ve had access to different mediums that I would
never normally use. At my exhibition at Whisper, I’ve been given
the ability to transform these pencil sketches into screen prints
and photo etchings. I love to explore new media as technology
is getting better and better but the question is can you afford to
go with it? I like going on an adventure, to learn, and I’m
highly convinced that we continue to learn until the day that we
die. Where do you draw inspiration
from? I draw my inspiration from the every day.
History, news, music, politics, technology, science, mathematics,
literature, poetry and culture. I’m a very eclectic character and you can
see a lot of my experiences in life reflected in my
pieces. Could you tell us about the
political, historical and philosophical message that you are trying
to bring Muse, your first solo show. What comes first: creating a
message, or creating art? Politics is always very important to me
and everything that I am trying to do brings a subtle message. I do
not want to tell people what to do, or what to believe as I respect
their views. However, I do not like injustice. I was born and
raised in Holland in a time where Greenpeace was very active, when
the Berlin Wall fell and the Vietnam War was coming to an end.
Martin Luther King once said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to
justice everywhere’. I joined the protest at St Pauls’ and I
believe that there’s a lot to be said for and against that things
were handled there. However, at least we made a few people
more aware about a system that doesn’t work for a lot of
people. Words feature quite heavily across my
work. If you look at ‘I have a dream’, you can view propaganda
posters on the panther stepping out the box. These are all subtle
statements. Where do you call work and call
home? My work is my home. No matter where I
go to in the world my work will always be a part of me. Being an
artist is a way of living. You can train anyone how to photograph a
(technically) perfect image but it doesn’t mean that they are great
photographer unless they capture the soul of the
image. How important is it today for Art
to be accessible and for you to get your message
across? Whilst it is absolutely vital for art to
be accessible and affordable, it should not be to the extent that
the artist should suffer and cannot pay the bills. It's not that when you are making and
creating art as a full time artist that you want or you can afford
to be paid with cookies. This is partly why I chose to exhibit at
Whisper. As an artist you can enter different areas of the art
market. For example, I produced a lot of my work on screen prints,
which made my work accessible to a much wider public without
loosing creativity and dignity. Tell us about your use of skull
imagery in your work? The skull represents Vanitas. My muse and
fear for human beings. A friend once told me a story about a
Greek doctor who was obsessed with a skull that he had found. He
was examining the skull for years, trying to discover what had
happened to it. What was their story? Who were they? What happened
to them? After a while, the doctor’s wife got jealous and smashed
the skull into pieces with a hammer. Even after death, we still cannot be sure
what will happen to us. Does it present life? Or make us aware of
what life and death is? It certainly makes me more aware of what
will happen after death. It’s the pure philosophy which I
love! Imagine that you were a butterfly,
what colours or pictures would you have on your
wings? Green, white and black. I know that
officially black and white are not colours. They observe and
project so much in my eyes that it’s even more beyond
rainbows. I chose green because of the freshness,
the beginning of a new life that it represents through nature. It’s
been my favourite colour from a very early age. What plans do you have 2012 and
beyond? More work and more shows. Watch this
space! What words of wisdom do you have
for our readers and young artist out there? Know what you really want and stick to it.
Never give up, however hard the journey. Believe in yourself,
always stay open to learn and grow. I am a vector, I am a simply a line that
connects dots… Although I would love to stick to one point
sometimes! Prints from LG White's Muse
exhibition are available online from www.whisperfineart.co.uk Interview by Nardip Singh As featured in Unfolded Magazine Issue
08
Photographer and Journalist
specialising in art and fashion. Former editor of Unfolded
Magazine.