In Conversation
with Lola Dupre
Words by Michela Bevivino
Visuals by Lola Dupre
Who’s Lola Dupre?
I am an artist and illustrator, a Homo Sapien on a planet we call earth making what we call a living. Today I am here, soon I will be dust.
When was the moment you realized that art could become your full-time job?
I have always been an artist of some kind. I used to struggle to survive, it was a slow process to where I am now. I do not think there was a particular moment because it happened so slowly.
In a world completely projected towards digital exploration, we are curious to know what you find fascinating about paper and scissors and how you arrive at the materials you’re working with?
I have been working with paper for many years, many years even before I began to collage. I love the digital world and it fascinates me. Paper attracted me because it was physical, cheap and plentiful.
Speaking of gut feelings, what would you like viewers to think during the first second they stare at your work?
If viewers are amused I am happy. If viewers are encouraged to have any kind of conversation I am happy. If I changed someone’s mind about something – that would be great.
Can it be said that your chosen art medium of analogue collages is a form of rebellion in the current times?
No I do not think so, I might make rebellious work sometimes, but it was not rebellion that brought me to collage. In the past I wrote short stories and other things, paper always seemed like the sea that could carry any ship. Any poem, drawing, painting, story could be carried by paper. Paper, just a scrap of paper can carry everything in the world upon itself.
One of the subjects most often represented by you are animals, can you tell us why?
In recent years I have been working more with animals because I love spending time with animals and I have a lot of respect and interest in them. I appreciate how an animal accepts you totally for who you are, and judges you on nothing but how you occupy space with them.
In today’s world, art and politics are entangled in so many ways (propaganda, memory preservation, activism, etc).
Do you think this relationship has deeply affected your body of work? If so, how.
It has definitely had an effect, my earlier works were sometimes more twisted and contorted to reflect political turmoil and machinations. This has continued into my general work, bringing a certain chaos I believe.
Anything on the horizon we should know and start getting excited about?
I have some works in a group which opened the 26th of August at Paradigm Gallery in Philadelphia, closes september 18th. Other than that, I intend to continue making new work until I can no longer function. I hope there will be many great things to come.
Follow along on Instagram, Twitter and loladupre.com if you are interested.
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