My artwork takes a critical view of social, political and cultural issues. In my work, I deconstruct beauty, struggle, dreams, and fantasy. My mind often wanders with smiles as I often look at the world much differently than my peers. So many things catch my eye, that I’ve been known to often fall in love with my subjects human or not while in the state of creation. Some say it's weird but I’m never without a camera, sketchbook, and computer as my goal is to constantly tell stories using various forms of media. Creating media gives me a sense of accomplishment and integrity, and has proven a most amenable vehicle for translating inner vision to outer reality.
I create from emotion even though I work quite deliberately, consciously employing both traditional and innovative techniques, my unconscious is the undisputed project manager. Although there may not always be material similarities between the different projects they are linked by recurring formal concerns and through the subject matter. I use a variety of materials and processes in each project my methodology is consistent. The subject matter of each body of work determines the materials and the forms of the work. Each project often consists of multiple works, often in a range of different media, grouped around specific themes and meanings. During research and production new areas of interest arise and lead to the next body of work. I think of my work as chapters of a book.
I didn't set out to be an mixed media artist or to create artwork relating to commentary but as my portfolio developed and people started to review my work, the descriptions started to write themselves. My work tends to focus on our environments, the underdogs and untold stories of epic journeys of life. I’ve always been intrigued with appreciating the most horrific moments in our lives and some how finding a way to make them beautiful. A great deal of my subject matter is about how people assimilate and the culture of beauty within the human race.
Creating media is my key to the coolest party, my way down the rabbit hole or my very own looking glass. The process of using emotion to translate into digital media struck me as magical and over the years, that magical process has had its way with me, leading me from hobby to profession. I think of my work as moments of: film, photography, scoring, and design. They are improvisational pieces in which the constructed and the ready-made are used to question our making of the world through emotion and visual ques. My arrangements are schematic, inviting the viewer to move into a space of speculation. I rely on our desires for beauty, power and education.
My influences are everything I see, feel and experience, but I've always loved films particularly work by Wes Anderson, Tim Burton and The Cohen Brothers. I love architecture particularly Art Deco. I grew up watching films such as Lean on Me, The Neverending Story, and Gummo.
-Zakee Kuduro