Interview
Philippe Halaburda
Philippe is a self-taught artist with almost 25 years of practice. He was born in Meaux, France. He graduated from the Art and Graphic Design School, EDTA, in Sornas, Paris.
Philippe’s work has been compared to that of Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich. Philippe’s artwork is very similar within the fundamentals, but not as schematic as Malevich’s work. It is characterized by an enormous dynamism and bold presence telling stories and exploring social tensions and relationships.
Philippe currently lives in Newburgh, New York.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I studied graphic design in Paris and started to paint as an artist just after graduating. Initially, my style was more figurative. Later, my art became increasingly abstract, light, bold, and colorful. In 2012, I ultimately transitioned into playful, unpredictable abstraction, creating an emotionally charged explosion of colorful shapes and grids against white space.
In 2016, I moved to the USA. Influenced by living in New York, I continued transforming my style in exciting and innovative ways. More and more, I consider psychogeographic mapping, combined with drifting, as the base of my artistic path. I developed the concept of Geographic Abstraction to translate this invisible world through unconscious interconnections in various environments. Whole urban environments are being encoded into my own visual language, maps, and frameworks that invite the viewer to discover their subconscious; to visualize their interactions in the city as well as their relation to the collective.”
“Making abstract art makes me realize the infinite possibilities of ideas that I haven’t thought up yet.
My art is made using simple shapes that create complex compositions.”
What inspires you?
“My biggest inspiration comes from human nature. I truly believe we are all connected in a spiritual way, but we deny it because of progress and selfishness. This union can be extended to our environments, natural or urban. I feel the necessity to reveal and share that as an artist and human.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I’m fascinated by human behavior and social interactions, especially the invisible ones. Those things that we do or assume every day in an unconscious way. They are imperceptible, but they change who we are. Every day, my senses capture all this hidden information to create abstract art. Every day, I start from scratch and discover new perspectives of observation of the human nature, of myself. Even without knowing them, I use colors, forms, and compositions to shape them in a very natural and spontaneous way.”
How would you describe your work?
“I describe the psychological effects of geographical locations on emotions through abstract maps. I use the word ‘map’ because my creative thought is built like a mind map. The singularity of my work lies in the poetic and spontaneous expression of landscapes transformed into a unique visual code of collected algorithms and data. I’m constantly reinventing and perfecting the algorithms and data.”
What artists influence you most?
“In the past, I had different artists who were like spiritual guides. They probably helped me find my own path as an artist. But today, I feel I have found it and I don’t need to be influenced anymore, or maybe I should say I don’t feel that I need to be ‘accompanied’ on my path anymore.”
What is your creative process like?
"I intentionally don’t control what I do when I make art. I want to lose control. That’s why I apply the situationist concept: the drifting or let-it-go.
I also apply the psychogeography philosophy in my art, and even in my daily life. It means that I favor emotions, memories, and places as main sources of my creations. We shape our environment, and our environment shapes who we are, what we think and what we do. It’s endless.”
What process, materials, and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I am a painter, using acrylic paint as the main medium. Acrylic offers various possibilities of uses. I can draw a straight line by hand, without any ruler or tape. Moving to New York shaped my art in a very rigid way, the line became shorter and imbricated. When my audience saw my recent works on social media, I received a lot of questions about the use of tape in my art. I was surprised at first, but I realized the opportunity to add this medium to my artistic practice.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“It’s a very difficult question because I don’t really have a favorite artwork. I like the recent ones because they are emotionally and intellectually closer to who I am and where I am now as an artist.
In my mind, I always like the artwork I haven’t met yet.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist’s role is to propose a different perspective in life, in society, and on earth. As writers or philosophers, we are here to propose new angles, new approaches on people, events, or history. My role is to awaken our hidden and sleeping human nature. I believe we have lost high spiritual connections and interactions. I am here to share this message, in a positive way.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Since 2016, my work has been represented by various American and European galleries, with several solo shows.”
