Interview with Niels Schack

Introduce yourself and your practice as an artist. 

Hello I’m Niels Schack, I am a multidisciplinary artist based in Paris. 

What Is your main inspiration, where your art comes from?

When I was younger with my family we moved a lot. I had the chance to grow up in Sri Lanka and Iran, and whilst living there we travelled a lot in Asia and Africa. What I remember most were the stories we exchanged and the details about little objects that became little treasures. I haven’t really thought about it this way generally but these days I feel growing up like this really led my art to be more folklore-based and also a form of diaries for me to remember the little moments of everyday life.

Where the idea of using your art on clothes came from?

I’ve done it a couple of times before by screen printing or doing small details on shoes and jackets. But it’s from the push of NOMAD X that I worked on this trench jacket. Leather reacts so softly to the paint it’s very interesting to work with. 

How does your art relate with the clothes you work with, you consider them part of the art piece or you see them as two separate things.

I don't really work on clothes but I love wearing them. I love seeing clothes you adore live through time. I often have a suitcase of time travelling clothes were I forget about them and find them again later, like a little gift from the past :)

What is the process behind every piece? Do you make the art in relation to the clothing you have to work with, or you adapt your designs into the piece? 

For this, my process on canvas is very much like bringing the everyday pieces of life into composition. I mix what I see and how I feel and since they come from past moments and future aspirations I get a blend of representing how I sway inside myself a little.

Share your thoughts on upcycling and how you enjoy the process.

Love upcycling, and love my friends and talented people who are doing it! Thank you!