The second in a series of interviews with our newly appointed Artist Ambassadors Board, we caught up with Jerome Cholet, Germany based collage artist.
Q: Could you start by introducing yourself to our community?
My name is Jérôme, I come from a German-French family with roots in Poland, Russia and Spain. I also lived in Brazil and South Africa for a long time. So, what do you need to know from me? I am a human who likes to mix things, overcome borders, to unite, to put things together. That's why I work as a collage artist and why I am here. My goal is to bring art back to the street and to normal living rooms. And the other way around to bring art back from the street and private easels to galleries, museums, and collectors.
Q: How long have you been on Artfinder and what has been your experience so far?
I have been with Artfinder for three years. The online gallery allows me to be inspired by great colleagues from many parts of the world, regardless of backgrounds, ages, or beliefs for example. Artfinder is a platform that sees us artists as humans, gives us a forum to sell, to develop, to grow and to exchange with people interested in art and to build a community. So that we can bring art to the people and find an audience beyond lockdowns and established, elbowing elites.
Q: What made you want to become an artist?
I love the art of Antiquity; I love the art of the Great Masters as well as Pop and Street Artists. I love so many emerging artists on the Internet and in Social Media, that don’t call themselves artists yet. But the traditional art world is so exclusive and excluding. I want to change that. I want to bring things and people together, move them, find new perspectives, new spaces. This is my main motivation, why I became an artist. Bring everything together and move people!
Q: What does the Artfinder community mean to you?
Artists want to be seen, new artists need puppy protection, a fair chance to start, to be able to score only through their art. No matter where they come from, who they are, who they sleep with or how high their parents' income is. Artfinder gives every artist with an aesthetic aspiration the same starting chances, a forum to develop, a chance to develop their art and to find interested people.
Q: What do you hope to achieve by being part of the Ambassadors Board?
On the Ambassador Board, I have three goals: first to help emerging artists to get a fair start on the platform, second to create equal opportunities for all and to contribute to inclusion and diversity. And third I want to give us as Artfinder artists a voice in the outside world, to the media, to the established galleries and museums. Oh and I hope that we can achieve this whilst having fun!
Q: What project/artwork are you currently working on?
I am currently working on two projects: first, I want to capture these current pandemic times in my art. So when the world-wide threat of Covid-19 is over, my works remind us of these times and how we persevered. Second, I have this crazy idea of selecting artworks that hang in museums, but are almost forgotten. I re-work them digitally, take a new perspective, sometimes only select a detail and re-produce them in my collage technique. Why? Let’s bring them back to life.
Q: If you could only use one art supply for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I just need glue, I get the rest from life. The papers, the materials, the colours, I find all that everywhere. I just need glue to bring it together. I would like to integrate much more from everyday life into my art. And I would like to bring my art even more into people's everyday lives. Even if it means that they look at my collages from the toilet. At least they have time there and little other distraction.
Q: Do you have a final message for our community?
Be yourself! The outside world, especially the art world, is so exclusive and not really celebrating diversity. But creativity and diversity are the only way to survive. They make us strong, they solve problems, they overcome challenges. All we need is to talk and listen to each other in constructive ways. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us we can overcome all threats if we work together. As artists we can be an example to others, we can move people, touch them, create new perspectives, and initiate new dialogues. Well, let’s do that more often! But first I need coffee now!
