How did the duo come about?
FLEXBOJ & L.A .: We met at art school, where we worked together more frequently over the years. It led to a similar style, but also similar ideas and insights, so we decided to continue working in a collective.
The KOPLABO will temporarily expand your artistic alliance. How do you approach such encounters, Laurent?
LAURENT: By working together, you can actually cross over with a certain nonchalance, which also is the common thread of this exhibition. After 20 years I still think it’s important to approach my practice from a certain spontaneous and naive perspective. The idea of placing my work next to that of two promising artists, whose work I admire immensely, really excited me. Such collaborations can provoke a lot.
What arouses your (common) interest, whether or not in relation to your artistic practices?
FLEXBOJ & L.A .: Human nature, philosophy, journalism, politics, cartoons, fashion, punk shit and art. If one of us comes across something interesting, it can become a painting or a work of art. We are basically DJ’s with paint. We take all our interests, inspiration and different styles that we like and bring them together to make them our own. In addition, we both have the feeling that art has to transfer something, although it’s not immediately clear what, you’ll see it when it’s there. In that way, our practice is based on the need to tear these things apart, criticize them and use them in our own way. Some people can get really irritated by it, or they don’t understand us, but we don’t mind. To say it with a quote from Christopher Wool: “FUCK EM IF THEY CAN’T TAKE A JOKE!” Or the famous words of one Taylor Swift: “Haterz gonna hate”. We just want to see some fireworks!
LAURENT: Personally, in general, I am deeply bored with art … Especially that form of ‘smooth art’, essentially cerebral, and intended for an elite who shares an exclusive vocabulary. Moreover, the art market bores me too! And don’t get me started about the relationship between art production and profitability … But what keeps me animated are attempts to cultivate my own work beyond these codes. Even if I bring a little more sophistication to the image, it’s nice to not always be where I’m expected to be. Painting and drawing must always be a game, which continues to amaze and make you laugh, but also to expose certain realities of this meaningless society.
Can you tell something more about the upcoming KOPLABO?
FLEXBOJ & L.A .: We just want to make a great expo. The concept and the presentation arn’t very concrete yet, but that will follow. For this interview we did a photo shoot in front of “Buddy’s open” chip shop, that gave us great ideas for the show. It may even be the title of the show, who knows!
LAURENT: We’ll start from a canvas on which our six left hands will create something together. I already started with the background and then i’ll leave it to my friends Flex and Lander to bring the work further to life. For the rest of the exhibition, we want to show a mix of our work in a cheerful mess …
KOPLABO // Flexboj & L.A. X Laurent Impeduglia will be on display in the KOP Artspace from 22 March – 7 April.