By
Felicity Carter

MATT BLACK TALKS TO ARTISTS


The filmmaker-cum-photographer-cum-journalist Matt Black has always been one to merge the worlds of art and fashion. “What fascinates me is how the contemporary art scene works as mirror of the world that surrounds us, but at the same time is completely insulated,” he says. “There is a very interesting dichotomy about it.”

Not only is he driven by his fascination with this contemporary artistic landscape, but he also likes to provoke his subjects, delving and finding insights into their world. In 2011, Black launched Reflections, a series of films for Nowness focusing on the art world, and now he has brought out a book of the same name with Assouline, where we can read and view the inner workings of respected artists around the world.

This intriguing book brings together interviews by twenty-one artists, all accompanied by images of their work in their natural habitats—their studios. From American painter and sculptor Robert Longo revealing the symbolism of his work to Damien Hirst sharing the history of his spot paintings, readers will get closer than they ever have before to these iconic modern-day creatives. “I think the biggest insight was about the common thread, discovering while interviewing them how they stated that another career was never an option,” Black explains. “They have a need to make art. They could not ever think of another path in life.”

Reflections: In Conversation With Today’s Artists is out now.

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By
Felicity Carter
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