LIVIL
addicted to stencils
I love the stencil technique... The way I work is particularly elaborate. When I come across an image I like or have a motif swirling in my head, I first sketch it out by researching motifs that match my vision. I outline and draw as densely as possible, as the more intricate a stencil drawing is, the more robust it becomes, similar to a finely meshed net. All my stencils consist of just one layer. Initially, I used to cut them from large paper rolls. Now, I use specialty papers that are very durable. The papers I use are also used by the federal army for maps, and I exclusively work with acid-free adhesives. I've developed an accordion technique so that a stencil folds down to a maximum size of A2. This makes it easy to store the stencils, and it's extremely practical when using them on the street, as I can slowly maneuver them around obstacles. A2 is precisely the size that fits into a suitcase that I can check in on a flight. I developed this technique thanks to Dan Perjovschi's philosophy. I had him as a professor at the Salzburg Summer Academy in 2008. He instilled in me the importance of thinking about mobility and flexibility as a "young artist." He referred to his own story of not being able to leave Romania as a young artist. It wasn't until he reduced his working method to an Eding pen that he was able to reach all corners of the world. With the stencils in my luggage, I travel everywhere, whether it's to Georgia, Senegal, America, or China, to work quickly and on a large scale on-site... For the past few years, I've been using stencils like a construction kit. I start with facade elements of well-known buildings (including Chambord Castle), painting them repeatedly on top of each other until a new building emerges. I also paint the stencils on canvases. Each time, I try to implement a new interpretation of the motif.