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Copyright of interview belongs to Ovenden
Contemporary (Art Promotions) Limited. Any
un-authorised use is strictly prohibited. All
rights are reserved.
(c) 2006 Ovenden Contemporary (Art Promotions)
Limited
Enzo Marra MA Interview
OC: Welcome to Ovenden Contemporary Enzo. We are
very pleased to be able to include your
intriguing work in the OC portfolio. You have
studied Fine Art extensively and achieved an MA.
What do you think would be the most valuable
thing you have gained from your studies?
EM: I would have to say it would be more of a
sense of purpose and attitude that I have gained,
as when you are studying for a BA degree it can
too easily
seem like a game, where reality doesn't
enter the scenario until after the finals show is
down and materials and space can be hard to
source. By doing the MA I was forced into
considering every element of my practice and my
attitude towards my practice to a far greater
degree than was previously attempted.
OC: Would you not have challenged
yourself?
EM: My work would have continued developing in its own way but I would not have questioned it as much, or considered how it could be utilised as I do now. The struggle after you have left the BA or then subsequently the potential MA, is where you discover if you have been studying towards a hobby or a career.
OC: That's the thing isn't it? There's no guarantee, even with a Masters Degree, that you will ever be able to support yourself through your art. Have you considered that scenario?
EM: Its best to not get into that mindset, I am a great believer in positive yet logical thinking. With the use of the internet available to us now it is much easier to get in contact and create possibilities, so the only constraints that exist are the ones we impose upon ourselves.
OC: That's a very healthy perspective to have Enzo. Presumably, with that kind of positive thinking, you are confident that you have a career rather than a hobby?
EM: With that type of viewpoint you can build towards a career, It can be quite perplexing to try and figure out if you have a career via the constant attempts or by the successes caused by the attempts. Either way you are travelling towards the same goal, so both of them push aside any feared concepts of being seen as a mere hobbyist.
EM: My work would have continued developing in its own way but I would not have questioned it as much, or considered how it could be utilised as I do now. The struggle after you have left the BA or then subsequently the potential MA, is where you discover if you have been studying towards a hobby or a career.
OC: That's the thing isn't it? There's no guarantee, even with a Masters Degree, that you will ever be able to support yourself through your art. Have you considered that scenario?
EM: Its best to not get into that mindset, I am a great believer in positive yet logical thinking. With the use of the internet available to us now it is much easier to get in contact and create possibilities, so the only constraints that exist are the ones we impose upon ourselves.
OC: That's a very healthy perspective to have Enzo. Presumably, with that kind of positive thinking, you are confident that you have a career rather than a hobby?
EM: With that type of viewpoint you can build towards a career, It can be quite perplexing to try and figure out if you have a career via the constant attempts or by the successes caused by the attempts. Either way you are travelling towards the same goal, so both of them push aside any feared concepts of being seen as a mere hobbyist.
"With each brush stroke, each inspirational
thought, each enquiry into something that further
challenges us, we are continually caught in a
journey..."
OC: So is it all about the journey, or the
destination?
EM: In a weird way, I would have to say it is about both the journey and the destination, as you will be journeying towards a destination, a destination that initially is fixed, that alters as you alter. So the destination is never reached and the journey never ceases, and of course a journey cannot exist without a destination. So with each
brush stroke, each inspirational thought, each enquiry into something that further challenges us. We are continually caught in a journey that we would never want to cease, despite the ideal of the destination that inspired the first faltering step.
OC: Where or when did the journey start for you? Were you always an Artist, even as a child?
EM: I guess the journey begins as soon as you feel the drive to be creative.
OC: Do you remember that precise moment?
EM: As a child I very much recall that, I had the uncanny ability to totally cover the whole exterior of an exercise book in under an hour. I recall I got in trouble for that, probably quite a few times.
OC: How did it manifest itself in the young Enzo?
EM: It began with cartooning and progressed from there, learning perspective, using acrylics, oils, even having a brief romance with sculpture. You can only learn and develop by experimenting.
OC: Have you finished experimenting?
EM: I don't think you ever stop experimenting. It may be in a less noticable way than in your college days when even a general direction has yet to be found, but change is always occurring. Without challenging ourselves via changes in scale, composition, subject matter, and, very rarely with me, the medium, our works can easily become tired and stale.
EM: In a weird way, I would have to say it is about both the journey and the destination, as you will be journeying towards a destination, a destination that initially is fixed, that alters as you alter. So the destination is never reached and the journey never ceases, and of course a journey cannot exist without a destination. So with each
brush stroke, each inspirational thought, each enquiry into something that further challenges us. We are continually caught in a journey that we would never want to cease, despite the ideal of the destination that inspired the first faltering step.
OC: Where or when did the journey start for you? Were you always an Artist, even as a child?
EM: I guess the journey begins as soon as you feel the drive to be creative.
OC: Do you remember that precise moment?
EM: As a child I very much recall that, I had the uncanny ability to totally cover the whole exterior of an exercise book in under an hour. I recall I got in trouble for that, probably quite a few times.
OC: How did it manifest itself in the young Enzo?
EM: It began with cartooning and progressed from there, learning perspective, using acrylics, oils, even having a brief romance with sculpture. You can only learn and develop by experimenting.
OC: Have you finished experimenting?
EM: I don't think you ever stop experimenting. It may be in a less noticable way than in your college days when even a general direction has yet to be found, but change is always occurring. Without challenging ourselves via changes in scale, composition, subject matter, and, very rarely with me, the medium, our works can easily become tired and stale.
