Giancarlo Viglianisi is a marvellous cartoonist, fine artist and energetic co-director of Empty Shop Gallery, Durham, UK. I chatted with him about his relationship to drawing, his take on influence and his award winning cartooning, as well as finding out about an upcoming collaboration between Empty Shop and Durham Art Gallery…
Carlo Viglianisi
What got you into drawing in the first place?
Nothing specifically, a bit of a cliché but I’m one of those people who just always drew from being a child; one of those people who’s mam has a repertoire of embarrassing stories about them drawing on the wallpaper. I guess it’s just something I felt comfortable doing – I’ve never been one to shout about my opinions so drawing has always been a quieter release.
Do you think only a few people have the knack, or is it possible for anyone to learn to draw?
Aha! I have a theory about this: I think anyone can learn to do anything – so my answer is yes. An example I like to give is that I believe anyone can paint the Mona Lisa as well as Da Vinci given enough time – some people may achieve it sooner than others, and some may die before they get to that level but if they tried over and over again, eventually they could do it. It’s a skill at the end of the day and anyone can learn. Think of when you learnt the alphabet in school, you were taught how to draw the symbols; your first attempt at the letter ‘a’ was probably horrendous but you practiced it enough and then it looked ok – the same applies to any skill, including drawing. Your right about the ‘knack’ though, some people have it and can just draw, some people need to learn the skill and go through a process.
Is there a big leap between learning to draw observationally and then actually using drawing as a witty, intelligent communication tool?
(Question answered through drawing... thanks Carlo!)
Tell us about being Young Cartoonist of the Year, 2006, your controversial winning image and the commission that came out of it.
It was a big surprise to be honest; I entered last minute after a friend give me a heads up. I had this 3 box strip lying around which has the Queen talking about having Prince Charles’ throat slit – it all sounds very sinister but it was just a good pun really. Anyway, I submitted the piece and didn’t think much more about it until a few weeks later I got the call. It was quite funny because the judging panel loved it but apparently it took a bit of convincing as it turned out Prince Phillip was the Patron of the Cartoon Trust.
Carlo's controversial winning entry for Young Cartoonist of the Year 2006
Needless to say that it never made it to the website, the official reason being that it wasn’t child friendly (which is fair enough) but I think they were just happy to forget about it!
Overall a brilliant experience, I was really chuffed and humbled. It’s a great competition and the folks at the Cartoon Museum are fantastic.
The commission was to create a one box cartoon to a brief for the trust’s sponsors. Again a nice opportunity, it’s good to work to a brief like that and still get satisfaction and see your work in print.
Which comes first, text or image? Are there clear boundaries between writing and drawing for you?
With the cartoons it totally depends. Different things dictate how they are done, such as If I’m drawing a certain amount of boxes or working to a brief. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head and other times it starts with text as I want to try and express (or moan) about something.
Saying that, with a lot of my stuff there is no clear structure to how I work; most of the time things just flow and I go with it.
Why do you think traditional methods, such as drawing or etching, have become significant again in contemporary art over the past few years? Are you interested in any contemporary studio artists that use drawing as a primary medium?
I guess the simple answer is that what goes around comes around.
When it comes to my art I try and distance myself from what’s going on and who is doing what. I have never been one for having an encyclopaedic knowledge of artists and art works. I think having those references in my head can only directly influence me and I try to steer away from being influenced in that way. I see it all too often where people have favourite artists and it really reflects in their work- so unfortunately I can’t really give a critical answer, although I imagine it does probably boil down to what I first said. It’s true of any society, and at the end of the day no matter how individual the art world thinks it is, it’s just another scene and with that comes the same rules, hierarchies and trends as any other scene.
I love interviewing busy, enthusiastic, productive people! You have a lot going on, including freelance web, graphic and interior design, as well as co-directing the gallery space and studio complex Empty Shop in Durham, UK. What motivates you?
Hmmm, realising that you can pretty much do what ever you want. What I mean by that is I never understood why people just followed the predetermined paths laid out by the society in which they lived. It always confused me that people thought they HAD to get a car, HAD to get a job, HAD to get a girlfriend etc etc. I’d look at these people doing things they didn’t really enjoy, in order to achieve this ‘ideal’ that had been spoon fed to them through a society they blindly conformed to, and to be honest I found it really depressing. I always just wanted to do what made me happy and thought doing anything else was almost pointless. So in answer to the question: initially realisation, and now happiness. If I’m no longer happy doing something, I stop doing it. Some people take great pride in having a job they don’t get satisfaction from by feeling they are reliable and dedicated – that may work for some people but I personally think there is greater pride in chasing your ideal… it’s much more rewarding.
Classic Asterix comic book cover redrawn by Carlo.
What do you do to relax?
Oooooo… travel, explore, hang with friends. Think of far fetched ideas that most people think are stupid then add them to a list and fully intend on trying them some day – you know, stuff like that.
Who or what are your drawing inspirations?
In terms of artists I’ve said it all above – more loosely my inspiration comes from anything and everything such as situations, things friends say, things people do; A huge influence is just pondering how stupid, irrelevant and self important we are as a species..
…sorry, this interview keeps getting a bit serious – is it meant to be light hearted? Shall I just say Picasso or something?!
What drawing/art projects are you working on at the moment?
Cartoon wise I’m working on a small press comic entitled ‘A Concise History of the End of the World’. I’m also doing quite a lot with my art practice, having a studio space in a communal environment is really inspiring me. There are loads of projects planned with Empty Shop but they are all a bit hush hush at the moment!
Do you have any other upcoming events/releases we should know about or things we can buy if we like what we see/read here?
In terms of buying I traditionally just give stuff away or distribute very locally. I am looking into getting the afore mentioned comic stocked in comic book store or selling through my website – just keep an eye on my blog for when I figure that stuff out.
In terms of events the most relevant thing is an exhibition opening on the 23rd July which is a collaboration between Empty Shop and the Durham Art Gallery. The DAG’s summer show is illustration based and features famous artists and celebrities playing the drawing game ‘What Are You Like?’ We have guest programmed some exhibitions and events to go along side including a specially commissioned comic anthology by Paper Jam Comics Collective and have brought up the Salford Zine Library to showcase their huge collection of self published comics and zines. You can find full details on our website – it should be a blast.
Would you set a drawing based challenge/task for my readers? Maybe something linked to an aspect of what you do.
Your readers can get involved in one of the accompanying exhibitions at Empty Shop HQ if they like.
Beermat Show is a growing collection by our friends Temporary Art Space. You basically have to draw, doodle, scribble or whatever else you want to do on a beermat and send it to us – it will then form part of the exhibition and be permanently added to the collection.
