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Exploring the realms of technology and nature, Ludo carefully constructs war-like mechanical creatures and anatomical depictions with bold technical precision. The artist’s meticulous ultra-modern canvases illustrate themes of dissolute time and resolute chaos, striving to represent an accelerated pace of life in which human contact is increasingly cut off by advanced technology. Frail and ephemeral creatures with fleeting flights are reincarnated into futuristic hybrids, pertaining a transformed sense of durability and strength reminiscent of combat weaponry.
– Hello Ludo, first of all, tell me something about your next projects, what’s new in the box?
Well, I can’t tell you everything about my next project BUT I’m working right now on a next solo show in China.
There is a first monography coming out at the beginning of the next year, and a lot of other things for 2015 that already stresses me… I’m trying to find a way to better organize them..
– There’s no doubt you have a signature, your style is unique and highly recognizable, and it’s not only about your green lime. I’m interested in the process you had to come here, how did you reach this point?
Maybe it’s because I studied technical drawing, perspectives and straight lines. I started to go on the other border of organic and round shapes. Then, it became a pathological obsession to create some kind of new species. Nature is so beautiful, I mean if you see macro photos and some studies of flowers, like some Karl Blossfeldt’s photos for example, it’s just an amazing source of inspiration, and the black&white gives them almost a mechanical and cold aspect like a Cronenberg movie.
The idea of beauty and chaos in nature attract me in a way; like the concepts of duality, dichotomy and almost bipolarity. I am amazed to see how nature can reveal beauty and be a synonym of destruction in such a small amount of time.
Then I added the green, my green as a marker. I don’t use it as a color (I don’t know how to work with colors actually) but more like a tool to highlight a visual part of a piece.
But at some point I’ve always liked abstract paintings, so maybe the use of green is a link to that kind of art and a way to kill the obvious figurative part of my paintings. It sounds complicated but that’s what I am in..
– I’m in love with the one you did in Belgium-2012, the knife/scorpion. It looks pretty big and centrally located to be painted illegally.
How did you reach it?
Ok I must admit this one was legal…I hate to do legal works, but this one was done thanks to the help of a museum and actually I was there for a work inside an institution. But for these kind of pieces, I usually just run a cherry picker, which is even more fun to drive illegally to do big works.
– Let’s talk about the action, how did you prepare your illegal pieces at the beginning of your vandal career?
Same as today, I cut and paint at the studio then roll everything and prepare it as a grid with numbers to be very easy to put when I’m outside. Then I just go. I used to check on google map, like finding the right spot thanks to google map. But now that I don’t have too much time to spend online I just go out with my backpack and see what I can find.
– I recently spoke with several artists, and the thing that struck me most was this sentence repeated by many:
“you must have the urge to say something to go out at night in the cold to paint a wall in secret.”
What’s your urgency?
I think my urgency depends on my mood and what I want to say. Yes if I want to comment or complaint about something I saw on the media like today, I won’t wait next month to react. Then if it’s something I created just for a visual interest, I’ll just wait for the right moment or city to do it. Unfortunately now there is so much legal walls and decoration that the urge to say something and paint sounds like a joke.
– Talking on a bigger frame, I’m always curious about what artists think about other artists.
Tell me three artists you admire at the moment, who do you think is doing remarkably well?
I don’t know how well they do, but I know how much I really like their work.
Damien Hirst, always liked his vibes and the work he produces.
Wes Lang, big fan, from the tattoos visuals to the textures and constructions of the works.
Cai Guoqiang, speechless works just seen at the power station of art in Shanghai last month, incredible massive installation with some kind of black ink lake. and the black fireworks….
– You recently entered the Lazarides artists team, how did they reach you, and what are the mutual expectations from this collaboration?
Well it’s been some time that we speak and meet as simple as that. I’m proud to work with them.
I think the mutual expectation is a trustful collaboration in producing the right pieces and finding the right collectors. I expect them to work on a longtime solid construction more than a shoes seller trying to sell to whoever shows money for a sold out.
– How was your recent solo exhibition “The Chaos Theory”? What kind of reaction did you get?
I think it was good. I was proud of the works shown, from the installation, the video shot in Bangkok, the canvases,….. And they had quite a lot of visitors. So everything was great. Talking about reactions, I don’t know. Good reactions so far I think, but everything is so ephemeral nowadays that it’s almost like when you hang the works before the opening, your mind is already on what’s next. So to be honest, I wasn’t so much interested to make a big deal of reactions, as long as I was happy with the works produced of course.
– I read somewhere you left your previous job to completely dedicate yourself to the art thing.
I can imagine the words you heard some years ago..
“Hey man, are you seriously leaving your job to paste up some papers on a wall?…WTF are you kidding me?? »
Well, at that period, I liked to play the double life/identity idea, so no one from there actually knew that, instead of playing football every sunday mornings, I was going out and focusing on doing my things. But even if I could hear that WTF thing, I would have just laugh.
– ….and now you are internationally known.
What’s the message behind it, just to follow your dreams, or there’s something more behind your choice?
More to follow your dreams that sounds too much for me, I would say trust what you do, don’t listen to other crap advices and jealousy. And be true to yourself, follow your path.
– Tell me something you’ve always wanted to do, but have yet to.
Tchernobyl big paste up, the more I check, the more it sounds tricky…
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