10 Questions with Ivan Suvanjieff

Ivan Suvanjieff is a multifaceted artist and painter. His most recent solo exhibition, "Quanta Dada Barcelona", was held at the Art Nou Milleni Gallery in Barcelona in September/October of 2022, and his previous "Quanta Dada" solo exhibition was held on the French Riviera in June of 2021. He is also an activist, a musical and literary icon, an award-winning filmmaker, and he has been nominated 17 times for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2001, Archbishop Desmond Tutu honored Ivan by presiding over his wedding ceremony at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa.

www.ivansuvanjieff.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

"What would you paint had you been surrounded by writers and poets? What would it look like? Did the writers I published in my magazine, "The New Censorship" - Charles Bukowski, Lucia Berlin, Andrei Codrescu, Kathy Acker - affect my work? Yes.

I learned a lot by reading "How to Proceed in the Arts" by Frank O'Hara and Larry Rivers. It has everything you need.

You know what Dada is, don't you? Meet Quanta Dada."

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Why are you an artist, and how did you become one? 

My name is Ivan Suvanjieff. I have always been an artist. When I was very young, in grade school, my friend's father was a political cartoonist, and he worked from home. This gave us access to India ink, nibs, and paper. We would stay up and draw all night. So for 12 years, I painted large black and white canvases so I could learn about color. 

What is your personal aim as an artist?

That's a good question that I can't answer. I don't know. 

And how would you define yourself as an artist today? 

Greater appreciation of different forms. I've seen too much rubbish in my life. My amazing poet friend Andrei Codrescu calls my work "Quanta Dada." Go find two academics talking about Dada. Listen to it if you can't sleep or have a desire to be annoyed.

You've had an interesting and full life. How much do your personal experiences influence your work? And where else do you get your inspiration from?

My wife Dawn is my greatest inspiration. Plus, a Sex Pistols' poster on the wall was annoying me, so I started painting. Back in 1986, a King Sooper's grocery store in Denver actually carried a wide variety of art materials, and I'd change the price tags just for fun and to save money. I paint for Dawn.

What is your creative process like? And how did you evolve this way of working?

I get up at 8 am, boil some water to drink, enter my studio, walk up to the canvas, and with my eyes closed, I just run a pencil around the canvas. Maybe I'll find something. I'm not fully awake yet. When I paint, I'm not there. Buddhists call this "focused meditation." I'll paint for 5 hours and not notice Dawn walking in and out of my studio, talking to me. She tells me I don't answer. If I was there maybe, it would be different. I'm not Buddhist. Christian. But when I do finish for the day, I feel good, lighter, happier - unless the painting is shit. 

What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

Mixing colors. 

What do you think of the art community and market? And how did your perception change over the last year due to the pandemic?

In Europe, art is taken more seriously than in the US. Here in Spain, painters are really pushing the envelope. I like its freshness. I appreciate all the motion. Now everything is going virtual. We'll see what happens. I'm just learning about it all now. 

Tell us more about your Tedx Talk. How did you get involved and what was it about?

The talk was about an international program that my wife and I started for young people, called PeaceJam -- basically, it is Nobel Peace Prize winners mentoring youth to change the world. I talk a lot about Desmond Tutu, who was essential to the formation of PeaceJam. He honored us by marrying us in his church in Cape Town, South Africa. He and the Dalai Lama were the two Nobel Peace Laureates that made our youth foundation possible. He gave us so much. He changed my life.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you want to share with us?

I keep painting. I'm doing more solo exhibitions. Dawn is my manager, and she has solo exhibitions lined up in London and Lisbon for me next year. At my next solo exhibition, I will ride a flatulent horse backwards into the gallery and smear my paintings with white paint. Dada that, motherfuckers. We live on Costa Brava, Spain, 15 minutes from the castle where Napoleon kept his troops for 6-7 years. Later, Dali wanted to buy the castle to keep a pet rhino in it. The perfect place to live and to create.

And lastly, what is one piece of advice you would give to an emerging artist?

If you want to be an artist, be a door-to-door condom salesman.