Catching up with Calgary-based artist, Rhys Farrell
It wouldn’t be a PARK installation without Rhys Farrell. The 20-something-year-old artist joined us at Destination Deerfoot City to paint the longest street mural in Calgary for #YYCBlockParty.
Spanning 200-feet and exploding with saturated reds, yellows, and blues, Farrell’s mural, designed in collaboration with Sydonne Warren, is composed of dramatic, intersecting lines, geometric shapes, and classic childhood games like hopscotch, and snakes and ladders. We wanted to learn more about the other projects Farrell’s been working on and how the full-time artist has been navigating Covid-19, so we gave him a call.
Photo by @snarephoto
What have you been working on since Heated Horizons, your last collaboration with PARK?
I’ve created a couple of public art projects and murals. From January until Mid-May, I was working on eight new paintings for my exhibition at the Herringer Kiss Gallery. Sensationships [on exhibition until August 29] is an investigation into the relationships and sensations created by the combination of colours and patterns. Conceptually, Sensationships relates to my research into Gestalt theory—which focuses on the idea that an organized whole is perceived to be greater than the sum of its individual parts—and also reflects on how my travels have influenced my colour palette and the patterns I work with.
Is #YYCBlockParty the largest mural you’ve ever painted? What was the process like and how do you hope Calgarians react to it?
I think Oplandia, the mural I created with Michelle Hoogveld for #CHROMAYEG was actually the same size since we painted the floors and walls. Everything actually went very smoothly for #YYCBlockParty—the main thing was making sure my assistants and I finished in time. The whole installation is very bright and happy, so I want people to feel good and enjoy how fun all of the art is.
When did you first being painting murals? And what, in your opinion, is the goal of this form of public art?
I first started painting murals in 2011 while I was still in art school. I’ve always been interested in graffiti but I’ve never been a graffiti guy, so murals allowed me to paint on a large-scale. Going from working in the studio to working outdoors with so much surface area taught me a lot of different techniques and let me work with different tools. With each mural, you have to consider the different types of walls, the weather conditions, different paints…so there is always a learning curve.
Photo by Courtney Verbeek, Destination Deerfoot City
Public art has several goals—it brings people together and it brings more awareness to how art affects the public. I think public art can change an area or brighten up a place that wasn’t previously seen as attractive. It definitely makes spaces more fun and it makes art more accessible for people and families. Historically, galleries have always been quite intimidating spaces but there is no stigma or barriers with public art. It’s an easy way to enjoy art without having to engage in an intense conversation or go into a building.
Last time we spoke, you mentioned you had plans to travel and host an exhibition in Singapore this year. Has Covid-19 impacted those plans and your overall practice?
At the beginning of the pandemic, things went stale but we have to carry-on. I think now people are trying to find new ways or approaches that are going to be safe and sustainable, so we can all still enjoy the day.
I have a project in Inglewood and some smaller murals lined up. I also made a series of collages, with my former professor, turned colleague Derek Beaulieu, that are going to be turned into a miniature collaborative book, with a small print run of 200 copies in January. Beaulieu created a series of abstract images that breakdown different letters and structures and then I responded to them with patterns or shapes and colours.
My first solo exhibition in Southeast Asia is still scheduled for January at the Taksu Gallery in Singapore—I’ve been working on a new series of paintings for it.
Last year, you completed two group exhibitions and a residency in Singapore. How did your time there impact your art?
It was a really crazy experience for me—it’s a completely different world then the one I grew up in. It’s a mix between developed and developing worlds with a vast gap between living in extreme poverty and extreme wealth. There is so much diversity and it’s a very busy city. My time there was very influential, it gave me another standpoint. I saw and did a lot of things I’ve never done before, which put new ideas into my head.
You always have so many projects on the go at once but do you ever run into creative blocks? How do you push through them?
Working on several different projects at once actually helps me juggle my ideas and move forward when I do feel stuck, but I don’t really get much artist block—I’m working at a really good pace. I definitely do overthink though. I’m always in my head, but when I feel like I’m at a standpoint I just jump to a different project. It gives me the space to work on solutions so I can come back to those other ideas and problems.
Photo by @snarephoto
Last question, what advice do you have for emerging artists who want to break out of the studio and work on more public art installations?
The main thing is to get out there and paint as much as you can so you can build your portfolio. I did a number of mural projects a few years ago that weren’t funded or paid. I reached out to different businesses for wall space and brought my own supplies. I was able to use these works to apply for bigger and better projects.
STAY CONNECTED
Read our previous interview with Rhys here