A Conversation With Pierre Debusschere
Pierre Debusschere is a true visual artist, he continues to explore and master many ways to express himself in this digital age.
His journey took him from Dazed and Confused to Raf Simons, Beyonce, and to solo exhibitions. A wide-angle of visual communication told through photography, graphic design and direct painting and interaction with the models.
Although he is using different kinds of visual interpretation, Pierre Debusschere does have a distinct and clear visual language and direction. Everything that Pierre Debusschere does is Pierre Debusschere. Deep even sometimes aggressive but still soft and under the skin art that is inspiring and leading the age of contemporary visual art.
Gata Magazine met the artist in Tokyo for his solo exhibition "UNcovered" and book release to talk about his philosophy, life, and style.
Gata: Let’s talk about the young Pierre that moved to Iceland all those years ago. Who was he? Did he have a dream? Did the dream come true?
Pierre: I was very shy at first, but Iceland helped me to take more initiatives to interact with people. I had and have a lot of dreams still now! they keep evolving but my dream of being able to express myself in a creative way is the one i’m most happy of.
Gata: You started working for Dazed & Confused at the age of 24 and within a few years you were already working with artists like Beyonce. How did the "Jump to fame" influence you as an artist?
Pierre: I’m lucky that i have good friends around me and after that a good team that kept me grounded.
“I would say music is my biggest inspiration. the emotion that music convey is what inspires me”
Gata: Do you plan your artwork before you start to edit them? I mean, is there any order in all the chaos, colors, etc? Or is it in the moment when you sit in front of the computer that creativity hits you?
Pierre: I always push myself to conceptualise the images before, or at least create a canvas to allow accident to happen. I like to plan but i plan in a way that unexpected thing can happen.
Gata: You talk about how nowadays most of the fashion magazines are not taking any risks with their images and how they keep everything in the safe zone. Wouldn’t this be a positive thing, because then, the real creatives can stand out? Or do you still think that the fashion world needs more risks to get to the next level?
Pierre: I’m not sure today that it is the magazine but more the platform we are sharing our work on that is playing safe. safe is a very gentle word in regard of that matter. i think our freedom to create is on a leash when it comes to those platform that are nowadays predominant…
Gata: Now that most people recognize your art, do you have total freedom with every decision you make about your work?
Pierre: I do have total freedom in my creative personal work, even though it is not easy in today’s world with all the new censure we have to face. when i work on a “commercial level” for me it becomes a team work, so the decisions are made hand in hand with the creative team and client.
Gata: In most of your artworks, we can see how your models are transformed into a canvas where you play with paint, shadows, patterns…Is everything edited by photoshop? Did you ever use real color on their bodies?
Pierre: In the exhibition i just showed at Bookmarc Gallery in Tokyo, all the layers of colours added on the bodies were done on set by myself. of course photoshop is a tool for me but lately i’m trying to do as much as i can directly on set.
“ I like to plan but i plan in a way that unexpected thing can happen”
Gata: I heard you, and your friend Rebecca founded 254Forest the year after you started to work for Dazed. Did you know each other from before? Was this project also a way to keep the family business running?
Pierre: his was a dream I had when I came back from London. I started to work with Rebecca in 2015 and we launched 254Forest in 2017. 254Forest is a place where people can work, shoot, record and exhibit. A creative space of sharing & collaborating within the visual art, music & new technologies.
Gata: Who is your biggest inspiration?
Pierre: I would say music is my biggest inspiration. the emotion that music convey is what inspires me.
Gata: Can you recommend three of your favorite movies?
Pierre: arrival, under the skin & girl
Gata: What is next Pierre?
Pierre: I feel blessed that i have the opportunity to create and express myself everyday. I have always been on a more abstract and emotion driven language and i will stay in this narrative but i’m trying more & more to infuse alarming topics into my own language.
https://www.artandcommerce.com/artists/photographers/Pierre-Debusschere