Chinese born artist DALeast travels the world, creating seemingly living characters with a unique style reminiscent of cassette tape, in industrial and city landscapes. The mysterious and furiously talented enigma draws inspiration from buddhism, and from the notions of impermanence and interdependence in human culture. This week, we managed to catch up with the mysterious ‘Dal’ for a brief insight into his work.
Has art always been a part of your life? Have you always known you would be an artist?
Yes, pretty much. I think art is a part of everybody’s life. It depends on how we define it. If we would not define it at all, then everything would be art. I have the wish to transform the perception. So I think it is reasonable to be an artist. I guess I was drawn to this life from past lives; what we are experiencing now is a result of what we have planted from the past.
Your paintings are iconic for their distinct style. What inspired it?
The components in my work show the path of our existence and the phenomenon of how we integrate, meet and separate. If we zoom in, we can see the intricate details of how we are compounded together. It is inspired by the impermanent nature of our lives, and how we are interdependent on each other.
What has been your most significant work?
I think different works reflect different situations, memories, energies and moods. So every piece has its own personality. My state of mind is always changing, so today my favorite may be my least the next day, and back to my favorite on the third day.
Do you have an overarching message that you like to portray through your work? Any topic you are passionate about voicing through your art?
When I feel deeply involved through my experience of this irrational world, I can obtain a lot of emotion for my work. I think there are many elements such as impermanence, confusion and illusion which we see in all of life, and I am just a projection of all of this.
What are the upsides and downsides of the artist’s life?
An upside about being an artist is the partial freedom, but this limited freedom can also be a downside that traps you.
