Artist Interview: PoOL

Hello Pool! Thank you for doing this interview, and letting our readers get to know a little more about you and your artistic journey. What got you interested in art?

I’ve always liked to draw ever since I was a kid. I was fascinated with logo designs, as well as the shapes, colours, and the articulation of my childhood toys. My mom also painted a bit, maybe that’s what got me into drawing and art!

I started to make some comics with very simple characters when I was young, it was only to tell a story, often about war, with castles, guys with arrow and swords, and big battles.

During the 90s, the Hiphop movement became popular in the French suburbs. At first it was rap then I discovered graffiti. The art style made me crazy! It was a revelation for me and I got really into it. It was so exciting!

Music occupied a big part of my life. When it was time to choose what to study in university, my heart was torn between taking design or music. During this time, my passion in music was stronger, so I’ve decided to go with it. It was also during this time that I discovered a lot of artists and art movements. 

It was around 2014 when I discovered art toys. I said to myself, “why not try it?”. I bought the basic Fimo and Sculpey clays and my adventures began. I made the basic form, then reshaped it with a dremel tool. I became familiar with various modelling, silicon molding and resin cast techniques – all of which I’d never done before! But, like everything else, it is an exciting learning process. Making toys is a dream come true, the child that I was couldn’t have imagined this. It’s amazing.

Now I try to juggle my career as a sound engineer, spending part of my time in music and the radio studio while still devoting time for art. 

Who inspired your art while you were growing up?

Mostly movies, cartoons and pop art. A lot of artists inspired me too, like Romero Britto; an awesome Brazilian artist who works colours like nobody. Kanye West, Aphex Twin, Jason Freeny, Takashi, and lot of street artists. I can’t mention everybody, it will be a long list and i don’t want to bore people!

Friends with whom i spent nights painting walls— all of them are good street artists, definitely better than me (that’s why i stopped doing murals, and switched to collages instead). Of course I wouldn’t forget my mom. It’s because of her that I got interested in art!

What sort of mediums do you enjoy working on?

Digital – my iPad became my love and my only way to draw. I also enjoy working with sculpey and resin. I would like to experiment with more mediums, larger formats, but i work in my living room, so its sometimes a bit hard to work with some materials.

Tell us a little about this piece, what inspired its creation?

I’m a big fan of the character and also of the hiphop culture. I like to mix all my passions. With this design i tried to make a vintage star. He is living the high life, his body is soft like bubble gum.

Favourite food?

All foods with cheese! And pizza!

I have 2 – HOOK by Steven Spielberg and LA HAINE de Mathieu Kassovitz. Both had a significant part in my childhood.

Wow it’s so difficult to choose! Maybe “808s & Heartbreak” by Kanye West ; it truly initiated a change in hiphop music; i think it’s the first rap album fully made with autotune. I’m not a big fan of autotune but this album is amazing!

And also “Le Combat Continue” by Ideal-j which was my first hiphop CD – and surely is the best French rap album!

I’m very excited for our collab, it’s my first vinyl toy and this design was really meant to be created as a toy. So yes I am really proud of this one!