Interview
Ivan Suvanjieff
Ivan looks at the world and sees that we are once again being consumed by war. That is the reason why he created his artistic series, "Quanta Dada" - to express his disgust with what is happening today. For Ivan, this is nothing new. Throughout his life, he has always been fiercely committed to defending the voices of those who see the world differently. Whatever his mode of expression, he constantly stands for free expression in a world dominated by a single thought and the established norm. In music (as lead singer of the punk rock bands The Ramrods and The 27), in prose (as associate editor of CREEM magazine and contributor to "The Stooges: The Authorized Story"), as a literary publisher (60 issues of "The New Censorship: Monthly Journal of the Next Savage State''), and as a film producer (his most recent film, "Shirin Ebadi: Until We Are Free" was just broadcast on BBC), Ivan has always supported those who question authority.
He lives and paints on the northernmost tip of Spain, where the Pyrenees mountains meet the Mediterranean sea. The Costa Brava of Spain was the stomping grounds for many artists before him, from Matisse to Duchamp to Picasso to Dali, and the vibrant light and color here informs his artistic creations as well. His "Quanta Dada" series is a study in contrast between the light and the dark, as we as humanity pass through these turbulent times.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I have always been an artist. I started with a pencil and a piece of paper. For twelve years, I painted only in black and white, in order to learn more about color. It was a difficult challenge, my black and white period, and I became a better painter as a result. I came to love the thousands of different shades of gray, the symphony of gray that exists in the world. Now, I live on the Costa Brava in Spain. We live where the Pyrenees mountains meet the Mediterranean sea. Scores of great artists lived and worked here. The colors are so vibrant, and the terrain is unbelievably beautiful. My recent solo exhibition in London (‘Quanta Dada London,’ The Holy Art Gallery, February 2024) captured the danse de la mort between the beauty of the Costa Brava and the bleakness of a world at war. I am happy that three paintings from my London solo show will be featured in EuropArt Fair, on September 6-8, 2024 in Amsterdam.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I created my artistic series, ‘Quanta Dada’ to express my disgust with what is happening in the world today. I am drawn to the Dada movement of 1916-1923, because it was a powerful reaction to World War I by artists who believed that war itself is craziness incarnate. Dada artists used humor and absurdity to hold up a mirror to the absurdity of a world around them. Today, we find ourselves back where we were 100 years ago - only now, we have the ability to destroy humanity many times over, with weapons much more powerful than before. In this era of crushing autocracy, global greed, and a world on the brink of destruction, I believe it is time for a new Dadaism which can shock us back to our senses. It is time for Quanta Dada.
The great Romanian American poet and the author of ‘The Posthuman Dada Guide,’ Andrei Codrescu said, ‘After decades of keeping away from Dada, which I inherited from my ghost-daddy Tristan Tzara, I wrote a sane book advising sane people to stay away from it. I thought I succeeded. Then I saw Ivan Suvanjieff’s work that streams like a quantum computer, and I knew that I will never escape as long as a human can make Quanta Dada!’ Andrei wrote this Dada fable about me: ‘A dadaist walking up a vertical mountainside using tentacular implants met a geologist coming down the same rock face. ‘What's up there?’ asked the dadaist. ‘A crazy painter’ said the geologist. The dadaist, bent on the pataphysical insistence on uncovering quantum bits of god in objects such as forks and discarded tires, continued undaunted. At the top he was greeted by an easel with an unfinished canvas of quantum bits. That wasn't a geologist! realized the dadaist. That was the painter Ivan Suvanjieff leaving a tablecloth for me to eat my lunch of fish and capers. The geologist, in his turn, realized that the dadaist was the painter Ivan Suvanjieff he had already met on the mountain top. When both of them realized that the other was the painter there was thunder and lightning: the scientist had met the artist and vice-versa, but only the mountain knows for sure who's who.’
Absurdity? No. During my next solo exhibition I will ride a flatulent horse backwards into the gallery. In the USA, a car crash summons the police. To keep traffic and pedestrians from gathering, the police say ‘Move along, nothing to see here.’ At my next solo, I am hiring police to stand by the doors of the gallery and say to those who wish to enter, ‘Move along, nothing to see here.’”
Quanta Dada #162: All Floral Arrangements Die
“Three paintings from my London solo show will be featured in Amsterdam's EuropArt Fair.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I pick up the brush and begin. Anywhere. My friend, the dynamic Detroit poet Jim Gustafson, always said, ‘Make art, not excuses.’ I agree. The most important thing to me is that I show up ready to paint every day. I am in my studio every morning. Some days the paintings flow rapidly onto the canvas. Some days I struggle. But I keep showing up. My best paintings are the ones that come from my subconscious.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“I like the digital pop up shows that are happening across the world right now.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“Acrylic on canvas, and sometimes acrylic on paper. Every day, we go outside to look at the mediterranean sea and the spectacular beauty that surrounds us here on the Costa Brava. It is therapeutic. I also bathe once a month and keep my nose hair trimmed.”
What does your art mean to you?
“I have a diverse body of work that spans various mediums, from music to literature to film. And yes, each form of expression definitely informs the others. It happens mainly because of the people you get close to. Being pen pals with the writer Charles Bukowski actually bolstered my approach to Desmond Tutu, and being friends with author Lucia Berlin encouraged me to always keep humor in my work. And the poet, Andrei Codrescu was the first to recognize the Dada in my paintings.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I’ve had numerous exhibitions including: Quanta Dada London, 2024; Quanta Dada Barcelona, 2022; Quanta Dada SAINT-JEAN-CAP-FERRAT, 2021; among others.”
