ANTHONY LISTER // INTERVIEW.
ANTHONY LISTER – INTERVIEW from DIGITAL TEMPLE Magazine #7.
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Australian artist Anthony Lister (b.1980) has experienced a rapid ascension to the heights of success. Having graduated from the Queensland College of Art, Lister promptly moved to New York, to complete a mentorship with the artist Max Gimblett. From here, Lister’s work and profile quickly developed, with international recognition and, among other accolades, he is now part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
As much a participant as he is a spectator, Lister utilizes all forms of communication, from youtube through to his work in the streets, right through to the gallery walls. Opening the discussion rather than offering a resolution Lister explains, «I am not trying to change the world… I am just reacting to a world that is trying to change me».
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INTERVIEW
Can you introduce yourself ?
Anthony Lister – creative adventurer.
How did you become a painter and what was your very first influence ?
I remember eating at my grandmothers as a child and being really into her place-mats which had old Australian painters on them, like Arthur Streeton.
Today, what is your strongest inspiration ?
Eating, television, friends, throwing lit cigarettes into the trash.
Could you explain to us the way you work ?
It’s a combination of wanting to make something beautiful and constantly being mindful of the opportunity to violate it.
Where do you find your ideas for a project ?
Eating, television, friends, throwing lit cigarettes into the trash.
Can you tell us the craziest experience you’ve had on a project ?
I once had a painting try to kill me, luckily I won the knife fight.
What is your dream job/project ?
Burning a city to the ground in the name of art.
What is the feeling that you wish to communicate in your work ?
I want to break things in order to help people realize the insanity of our overly conditioned world. Sometimes I use humour as the device, sometimes I use ambiguity, its all problem solving really.
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