Eugenia Loli's Surreal Collages

In the hands of those capable wielding it, art can be a powerful weapon. With it, for one, creation of fantastical realms far removed from the one we live in is entirely possible. Through collage making, Eugenia Loli builds such worlds that invite the audience not only to marvel at them but also, and most importantly, to see through the hodgepodge of images to find meaning and formulate interpretations.

Science and art have always been at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet, Loli has somehow found her way from one end to the other. After forging a long, successful career in the technology sector, first as a programmer and later on as a technology blogger, she’s now making waves in the art scene by creating pop collages that are, at the same time, beautifully surreal and meaningful.

In this interview, Loli opens up on her artistic beginnings, rationale for making art, inspirations, and more.

“Eugenia Loli originated in the technology sector, but she left that impersonal world behind in order to build new, exciting worlds via her art. Her collages, with the help of the title, often include a teasing, visual narrative, as if they’re a still frame of a surreal movie. The viewers are invited to make up the movie’s plot in their mind.”

- Artist’s Statement

Before you became a collage artist, you were in the technology sector. What specifically did you do and how long ago was this? When did you first begin making collages?

I graduated from a Greek IT college in 1995 and started working immediately at an artificial intelligence project. Then, I moved to the UK and worked at the newly booming Internet. When I got married and moved to the US, I changed my tech roles from a programmer to a tech blogger. I’m very proud of bringing my site, OSNews.com, from 750 pageviews per day in 2002 to over 250,000 by 2005.

Then, I was stricken by ever increasing illness. I stopped all kinds of work, I couldn’t do anything anymore. For 10 years, no doctor knew what was going on. I was near my end when I changed my lifestyle to Paleo in 2011, and health returned very quickly. After that, art kind of happened by itself. It just flourished in me. Sometimes, I get that feeling that art was a gift to me, ready to be opened only when I’d have finally managed to fix my health. Health is the primary goal in this lifetime for me.

You make collages “in order to build new, exciting worlds…” Out of all the other art forms, why did you choose to focus mostly on collage making? What drew you into it?

I traditionally hated collages. The old Dada style simply doesn’t represent me. But in 2011, a new type of collage was starting to emerge via Tumblr, something that is now dubbed “pop collage.” That new type of collage is still surreal, but not nonsensical. It was cosmic, it was like taking the old Magritte paintings, or Dali’s, and giving them a new, fresh makeover. It captured me immediately, like a wildfire. I started making collages the same week I first encountered that style. Within three months, I was already published. The whole thing kind of clicked together as if magic.

In your bio you mentioned how vital it is for you to “say” something in your work. What subjects do you tackle or messages do you usually convey?

In the beginning, I was heavy-handed with politics. I don’t do that anymore; people don’t like that type of art. They prefer easygoing art that only has hints of “important meanings.” So I now do more of these decorative collages, but with hints of meaning about society and, lately, spiritual things. I’d say 75% of my collages have meaning. The rest are just decoration type art.

Among all the collages that you’ve made, which is your favorite and why? What is its message?

Three Minutes to Nirvana is my deepest artwork.

It’s about the journey humanity must take towards ascending into a higher state of being.

The structure represents all that we can comprehend while in our human form. It’s also what keeps us within boundaries, limiting our existence, experience, and understanding.

The bottom level is about developing, learning, and trying out various routes. In the process, and among progress, there’s also war and misery (as evident by the fire in the background). The cube in the field is the teaser of the ultimate prize, placed in by the people on the top level (the “Ascended”).

The second level is about expanding our horizons further, making the leap towards an enlightened state. Notice the woman in black, ready to make the leap. The man in the staircase calls her, trying to keep her back, but it’s too late. She has superseded him. She is intrigued by the possibilities. The man also signifies the various forces that will try to keep humanity back on its journey. Notice that the observable universe is also within the boundaries of the structure.

Two humans are attempting to reach the third level. One is climbing the old-fashioned way [while] the other one is using (transhuman) technology to get there—both choices are acceptable. At the end of their journey, they won’t be “humans” anymore, anyway.

Notice the trophy in the middle of the third level, right below the angels painting. These two people think that this is the ultimate prize. But that’s just a trap. The third level is the most difficult level towards reaching ascension because humans will have to leave behind all their vices, delusions, and personal limitations. Most never manage to do that. Their only enemy in this level is themselves. Notice the human skull, hidden by the flying spaghetti monster-like flower.

At the very top, the Ascended people are waiting for more people to make it to the top. In the whole artwork, they are the only element depicted outside of the structure, able to see the bigger picture. They’re beyond time and space. Notice the planet above their heads, alluding that there may be more levels. Knowledge and wisdom have no limits. There’s always something more to explore, know, and live.

What and/or who inspires your work?

Inspiration to do anything comes from our higher self, deep in our subconscious.

Now, the triggers that lead to inspire us, these come from seeing a lot of other artworks. The more art you see, the more you do of it. I’m not one of these artists who will go yadda-yadda about things like “the simplicity and beauty of life inspires me” et cetera, et cetera. I don’t understand such statements, in fact. To me, to do good artworks, you just need to view a lot of them. You condition yourself within the latest ideas, and then it becomes much easier to create them. There is, of course, a type of natural drive that drives artists to wake up in the morning and do art, but to get them to create anything of note, they need to have the right stimuli. And the Internet is perfect for that. I highly suggest new artists follow the curated “art” tag on Tumblr daily. The latest word in the fashion of all types of art can be found there. Program your brain to be able to do these things with your own twist, of course.

As to why create art in the first place: we’re creator beings, art is what we do all the time.

Aside from being a collage artist, you are also a filmmaker. Would you say your work in collage making affect your work in filmmaking and/or vice-versa? How so?

Filmmaking has helped me with composition and colors; however, I’d say that my filmmaking was affected more by collages rather than the other way around. Pop collages can be very rad, so that pushes you to want to do something similar in filmmaking. Problem is, that would be rather expensive to realize such visions in film. At least with collages, I have one frame done.

Any current or upcoming exhibits and projects that you’d like to promote? Any final words?

I don’t do exhibitions, and I don’t work with galleries. I do everything online, by myself. I believe that the Internet can reach many more people than a local exhibition can.

Information and photographs in this article were provided by Eugenia Loli to Lomography and used here with permission. Additional information was sourced from the artist’s pages on Tumblr and Cargo Collective. To see more of Loli’s work, please visit her website.

written by Julien Matabuena on 2015-10-29 #people #lifestyle #interview #collage #eugenia-loli