January 5, 2008

Other

Other

I don’t remember the first time I saw Other’s work. I remember for sure seeing his prints and paintings on a trip to Montreal in 2005. Since then I have seen much of his work on his blog. Surreal characters swimming through composition wearing brightly knit Nordic pull-overs. Those and all his rad travel photos warrant closer inspection and a short sit down.

I kind of know you by your nicknames, what name do you produce art work under?

I produce artwork under the name Other.

Where’s home?

Well home was Montreal for the longest time but two years ago I left and then it was Paris for four months and Berlin for a year and now it is up in northern Canada on a island called Haida Gwaii across from Alaska… except I haven’t been there for three months… it is complicated.

other04.jpg

Do you have any formal training?

Nope.

I’ve seen a sliver of your art practice through you’re Flickr site, it seems like a lot of traveling here in Canada and Europe. When you travel, how do you find time and space to work?

I have a little trumpet box full of paint and most of the work I do is of a much smaller size… pocket art… I like wandering the streets until I find something I like an old piece of wood or something then I open my box and make the work sitting on the street or on a train or ferry… right now I am so sick of moving, I have been in Europe and Africa and across all of Canada in the last months… I want to get up to the cabin and paint for a good hard couple of months.

What has been your favourite work related travel or journey?

Got a grant to go to Lima Peru and painted murals and drank rum for two weeks.

Other

How much of your practice is perspiration (submissions or grant writing) as opposed to inspiration (painting and printing)?

Well I went to school for creative writing so I actually find grant writing more inspiring than painting and printing inside the house… my real art is illegal and involves the destruction of private property… painting is just a day job and practice for the real work at night.

How did ’07 compare to the other years of your practice (No pun intended)?

2006 and 2007 were very hard years for me because for big chunks of them I have not been able to paint trains. Being in Europe the freight train system is not as vast or interesting as North Americas… this is the soul of my work… the diesel and the silence of a train yard in the city… being an artist is great but without the destructive part of the graffiti to balance it out I feel a little lost.

Other

What projects are you looking forward to this year?

Well I have put in some grants to make a very small edition of hand-bound linoleum print books (waiting to find out if i get it)… and i was also asked to be part of a residency in Quebec… I like the fact that I am going to get a budget to do some work in my home country for once.

I’ve seen your art work on the Documentary Channel and in books, what show or project are you most proud of? What has been the pinnacle of you’re practice so far?

Really the best part of my work is coming home with paint all over my clothes and a giant rip in my pants… a good cop chase and a good painting up somewhere on a train or a building… graffiti is the pinnacle… it is the freight hopping of art.

Who’s work do find exciting?

Gosh… to tell you truth I am not really a fan of painting or visual art… looking at art is like watching a hockey game… I prefer to play… the results aren’t so important… music is more of an inspiration.

Other

For more photos: http://flickr.com/photos/other

12 Responses

  1. i’m too drunk to read this now, but this is fucking sick. Word-da-fuck-up! Ugsmag reprazent mawfuckuh!!!!!!

  2. Good stuff, I remember Other from all the stuff he’s done with Sixtoo over the years and from their old art site 13stars.org

  3. Now I remember, this guy rules. Other used to paint with Dabs back-back in the day, the productions they did would scare you sober. Good shit, good feature…daps!

  4. other…if you re-read this interview and see these comments i have northern canada photos on a few lines with there permeire pull outta the spot you hit them…(was with the boys in loops and was this past year…)think pink…think procor think markal ..stay up

  5. word. funny i run into this today
    i just stumbled across his flickr last night before i went to bed.

    dope stuff.