Interview: Gabriel Soares

First, a few basic questions, who are you, what are you doing, where are you coming from?

I’m Gabriel Soares, born in São Paulo, Brazil. I’ve always enjoyed trying out creative areas such as photography, collages, and abstract painting. I recently graduated in graphic design but I don’t work in the field yet. I’m specializing in order to start working permanently this year.

Why collages? How did you start to do them?

I started trying out collages in 2018 because of the influences I’ve always had through music and photography. From a very young age, I’ve been taking pictures and listening to a lot of music, and what caught my attention the most were band covers and posters. Many of these artists used collages as art, and from that point on, I started having fun and playing with the clippings, asking friends for books and magazines.

When you start a new piece, do you have a clear vision of where to start or what you are going to do?

I usually start by leafing through a book in search of an image that catches my eye to use as a base. Photographs that feature cars, landscapes, and open spaces in nature are usually the ones I like the most. I also get inspiration from everyday life, such as walking down the street, watching a movie, and reading books.

In your artworks, what are the most important things/elements to yourself?

I will try to use the base as a starting point. I love using old book covers. I usually love the textures and aged colors. In the cutouts, I like to use typography and colors that catch my eye, without using anything too flashy or strong colors. I like the idea of minimalism with the right amount of images.

You use paper as your primary base material. What is the deal with old paper for you? Have you tried modern source materials or building digital collages?

Old paper is a very good material and has colors that I like. Usually, the textures and weight of the paper match the aspect of the art that I want to maintain. The brightness of current papers doesn’t catch my attention, I only use current typography or some specific images.

I’ve tried some digital collages but I realized that I waste a lot of time looking for images, the cool thing about analog collages is that I can look for images in bookstores and second-hand bookstores, and it’s always a surprise to find clippings that come by chance.

What do you look for when you go through the materials? What catches your attention?

I flip through the pages until I find good photographs and typography, I really like design so it’s easier to fit the images in my head in different ways and forms. Analog photos always have a color that I love, with more muted tones and without much contrast, with aged and worn aspects over time.

What are your favorite source materials, or do you like the challenge of working with something new?

I stick to the good old glue and scalpel. Some time ago I challenged myself to use oil pastels and acrylic paint, and I did some series mixing these materials. I try to bring a bit of abstraction to my work, and this mix helps a lot in the process.

What are the best and worst things in collaging?

The best thing is being able to search for new books in second-hand bookstores and bookstores, having the feeling of chance, exchanging experiences with other artists who inspire me is great, and going to exhibitions and seeing other works up close is fantastic.

The worst thing is definitely having a creative block for days, arriving at your space and not being able to produce anything even with some new material, and also dreaming or having an idea and ending up forgetting without being able to produce it.

What influences you as an artist? And how do things influence you?

My friends have always been my biggest influences, I know several artists from many different areas who help me a lot with daily inspiration. I like to feel open to new experiences and this helps me compose my work.