5/5 ARTAFRICASu Opperman: How did you get involved in the underground art
scene?kEda Gomes: I became involved because I saw a need and gap for
the creation of platforms for illustrators, street and comic artists. I
was actually more interested in assisting underground comic and street
artists by giving them spaces to showcase their work. This desire to
help opened up my artistic window to view even more art forms, styles
and mediums, thereby broadening my exposure to the underground
art scene.What do you think of the ability that art has to reflect society and
how do you think this is captured in the underground art scene?Art is personal; each individual has an ability to reflect (on society)
that is unique to themselves. As artists, our creative output feeds on
our personal experiences and environments. The artistic expression or
creative sphere that we create out of that is unique to the individual
and cannot be replicated by another. Through the act of consumption- by this I mean a person coming into contact with an artist’s creative
sphere, as in a painting – we encourage reflection on society when
people confront a cultural object that invites a search for personal
understanding.
Consider an (internet) meme; a meme becomes popular and useful
as a communication tool when a critical mass of people intuitively
understand the underlying meaning of the meme, which can be leveraged
to convey further information. It is this intuitive understanding that is
lacking in underground art forms, and thus these works demand more
interpretation from the audience. The meaning of a given piece thus
reflects a viewer’s own state of mind and their subjective opinions
based on their societal experiences. Going further, you can imagine a
sort of graduation of an artistic expression when it achieves that critical
mass of common understanding to allow it to become a mainstream
communication tool. In doing so, its meaning is locked in as people
cease to reinterpret the piece and rather seek to simply know what the
visual representation means.As an artist, what do you find fascinating about the creative
process?Getting inspiration from a surprising source, mostly from things
unrelated to what I do. The juxtaposition of the familiar and unfamiliar- that moment of meeting whereby your brain has to make connections.
We spark people’s imaginations when we’re successful in making these
connections.
ComicArtAfrica / UNDERGROUND ART ACTIVISM / A SHORT INTERLUDE BY SU OPPERMAN
kEda Gomes, Surma Popeye,- Acrylic on wooden skate
deck, 13 x 43cm.