Lucian Niță, also known as KSELEQOQYNQYSHY (Houses with Eyes Closed), tells us what it means to be a visual narrator, about intuition as the primary source of inspiration in his art, about his passion for mural painting and his intervention for Un-hidden Bucharest, as well as the link between street art and collective consciousness. The following interview invites us to perceive the city we live in and the world around us from a new perspective.
f: Lucian, how do you like to look at the world – with your eyes closed or open?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY: I often look at things with my eyes open while being closed at the same time, and vice versa, depending on the situation and vibe ☺.
Personal exhibition _TheMe from Socotra_ @ SUNSHINERS Showroom – Varna – 2018
f: When did you first become a conscious observer? Tell us about the personal journey that opened the path to your artistic universe, rich in mystical references.
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY: It’s a bit pretentious for me to be a self-proclaimed conscious observer, yet we all tend to “a higher self,” to overcome our condition and evolve. That’s what my artistic discourse is about; I could say it’s a continuous “chant” towards this direction. The references come from everywhere, accumulate there in a box (whether I’m aware of them or not) and then appear in another context, in another form (as a flashback), concluding that all things around us are closely linked together.
Mural collaboration – SUNSHINERS (MOUSE _ NIKKAWHY) – TUS – KSELEQOQYNQYSHY – Budapest (full screen image here)
f: In your works, we encounter other-worldly elements – fantastic creatures, dragons, playful animals, and even UFOs. These are often absorbed by houses in a meditative state. Why did you choose these elements in particular and what do you want to express through them?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY:
I find it wonderful, and I am grateful that I can build a “scenario” where all the concerns and information accumulated live together. I am a “visual narrator”, and I let things flow by themselves, I’m counting a lot on intuition, and often they appear and are confirmed.
Many elements are fantastic, and my role as a narrator favours me because I can give them “life” … I would add that these compositions are small previews of what is beyond the matrix ☺.
Mural for Street Delivery – Bucharest – 2018
f: An aspect that caught our attention is the colour palette you use. How does it complete the artistic story?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY: I would say it does, indeed, quite well ☺!
f: What motivated you to choose illustration and mural painting as the main forms of artistic expression?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY: Regarding illustration, I was drawing from a young age, and I liked books with illustrations. I was fascinated by animals, and I loved drawing them. Their shapes and varied colours have attracted me in this direction as a drawing subject.
The passion for mural painting is somehow drawn from the roots of hip-hop, “… being a little boy wandering through forests…” ☺. I remember the first drawings that appeared on the walls of my hometown, Târgoviște, in the ’90s there was a crew of graffiti artists that was active and it was a great joy for me as a child to see their pieces. Afterwards, I would realise that the manifesto was actually an element of this culture (hip-hop) and then the discovery of the internet cafés and the first graffiti website (artcrimes). Small interventions in this direction, but a lot of playing.
Then it continued with me coming to Bucharest, drawing, discovering and developing the style, seeing street art, graphic design, illustration. All this time, the idea of manifesting on the walls remained there somewhere, and my style was long awaited to appear in the form of a mural. This support – the wall: its texture, the surrounding context, the transformation of space giving it a different meaning, all its elements keep me hype!
Mural at Chimopar – Bucharest – 2017
f: Among your hobbies beyond art, we saw on Instagram that you have a collection of plants. Tell us about it and how you stay connected with nature in the urban jungle.
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY: The passion for bonsai and penjing has been around for a few years, and this form of art has brought me closer to nature. It made me better understand the complex process of nature, and there is still much to learn. This process related to our existence is very slow, but nature has its rhythm and is moving so well. This passion is addictive, and you start to look differently at the trees that you pass by, the passionate people know what I’m talking about :)). Nature is everywhere. It’s up to us to ask whether we are aware of it or not ☺.
f: Is it easy to be zen in a city like Bucharest? What are you doing to maintain this state?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY:
Bucharest is a city full of contrasts, the state of zen leaves us. States, whatever their nature, we let them flow, we accept them, and everything comes from ourselves. We all find a refuge that brings us a state of completeness, whether it’s music, visual art or bonsai ☺!
Proposal for the Un-hidden Bucharest Open Call I – 2017 and II – 2018, Cats & Mices sticker packs – 2018
f: You were describing the intervention for the Un-hidden Bucharest project as an urge to a collective consciousness. How can you awaken this consciousness through street art?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY: During the intervention, I interacted with the students at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, they were curious about what was happening. As the mural evolved, they would come from time to time and ask me things. I realised they were resonating with what was happening in the story and with its message.
Collective consciousness comes when we focus our attention on a common thing, street art belongs to the people. Consciousness does not seek attention, consciousness simply appears and manifests itself differently for each of us. Street art is increasingly beginning to be present in Bucharest and across the country, people are becoming more receptive to this phenomenon, and feedback is positive.
Mural for Un-hidden Bucharest II – Faculty of Sociology and Social Work – Bucharest – 2018 (full screen image here)
f: Your Un-hidden piece at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work is a very big one. Was it a challenge to draw on a surface of approx. 50m? How did space influence you in creating the story? Also, do you think that due to its size it has a more significant impact on the passers-by?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY: Everything went fine, the challenge was to cover the big surface with many points and details, it was like a meditation exercise. This process reminds me of the Tibetan monks who make mandalas from sand, but in this case, the result remains for a longer period. Space was ideal because I often extend in length, and the wall helped me to unfold the narrative.
Regarding the size of a mural, for me, the content is essential, regardless of size. I often “get lost” in details and say a lot with less.
I cannot answer on behalf of the passers-by, they know better, I think part of the answer is somewhere above.
Mural for Un-hidden Bucharest II – Faculty of Sociology and Social Work – Bucharest – 2018 (full screen image here)
f: How would you represent the spirit of Bucharest using a single colour and a single graphic element – a house, a creature, etc.?
KSELEQOQYNQYSHY:
You can follow KSELEQOQYNQYSHY on Instagram.
In our online shop, you can find and buy signed prints, original artworks and sticker packs by the artist.
His intervention for Un-hidden Bucharest can be found on the project’s map.
This article is part of the Un-hidden Bucharest series of interviews with street art and graffiti artists, published weekly on feeder.ro. Together we will enter their artistic universe and learn how the city can be regenerated through artistic interventions in the public space.
Keep your eyes on feeder.ro, we’ll publish new interviews soon with iZZY iZVNE, Maria Bălan, John Dot S, Livi Po, J.Ace, Robert Obert, Pisica Pătrată, Skinny Bunny, Primitiv Print, Alexander Blot, Irina Marinescu, Kero, Lost.Optics, Obie Platon, Serebe, Alina Marinescu, Cage, Livia Fălcaru and more.
Interview by Emilia Cazan
Images © KSELEQOQYNQYSHY, feeder.ro (Petre Ghiocel) and Street Delivery
The Un-hidden Bucharest street art project is organized by Save or Cancel, through feeder.ro and is co-funded by AFCN. The program does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the program or the way the program results can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.
Organizer: The Save or Cancel team, composed of Cristina Popa (random) – social designer, editor, and cultural manager, and Andrei Racovițan (ubic) – architect, editor, and artistic manager, together with the audience, artists, collaborators și partners.
Project partners: CNDB, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, Zeppelin, IQads, Urban Collectors, Igloo, Urban things, România Pozitivă, IQool
About Save or Cancel
Since 2008, Save or Cancel is a medium of communication and propagation of the arts and culture, promoting and facilitating their role in contemporary society.
The self-initiated multidisciplinary programs of Save or Cancel aim to identify sustainable and adaptable opportunities for (re) valorization of the existence through architectural, cultural and editorial projects.
Visit the project’s page to find out more about past, current and future activities: https://feeder.ro/un-hidden
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