Reis Valdrez Artist - Random Act of Kindness

Reis Valdrez

Porto, Portugal

Mediums: wide range of mediums, video

I was born and raised in Porto, Portugal July 1988. Studied Visual Art - Multimedia as an undergraduate and am now enrolled in a Masters in Contemporary Art Practice. Throughout my life and my artwork (the two aren't really set apart) there is a constant will to experience and discover new ideas and obtaining new results trough experimental process of creation - in which the topic and medium vary constantly - giving meaning to the expression “Random Act of Kindness” when applied to the selection of objects and subjects that I alter and recreate, usually by giving them new purpose and new life.

Reis Valdrez artist

Can you remember your first experience with art?

I remember as a first year student I assembled a robot like figure with wreckage of electrical devices and this although it might not be my first experience, it now after all those years comes back as a turning point in which I first experienced what is the main key of my project nowadays.

What style of music do you like to have playing in the background while creating art?

surplus 1 I guess I am an eclectic listener and I like very different styles of music with one particular detail - it always has to be a compilation of different authors and genres. I can never listen to a full album of a certain artist unless it’s a new release. Besides that it must be a diverse play-list.

What message are you trying to convey to others through your art?

Mainly I try to show alternative views to an object or concept twisting and turning the purpose it was intended to, preferably with a little taste of humour trying to look on the bright side.

Can you explain your creative process?

I usually give out an analogy concerning my method, saying it has a similar process to cinema. Having three stages much like the pre-production, production and post-production. Primarily I focus on a topic of my liking and start to investigate and gather information about it.

Secondly, I start lets say reuniting all the condition gathering raw material and assembling together bits and pieces, and on the final stage or post-production there is a fine tuning process accompanied by some opinions and feedback I usually ask for, from colleagues that end up supporting the conceptualization of the project.

Inspirations

I am attracted to the general idea of creating something - always have been even creating while destroying (as I would do in my younger years when trying to disassemble a toy car or every little peace of equipment with screws that I could unscrew and from that point on trying to put it back together which never really worked). I'm also inspired by the idea of bringing to reality something imagined.

Exhibitions

"P.S. 22 V1.0" - collective exhibition - Lofte, Porto 2012.
Michelangelo Pistoletto's Project "Terzo Paradiso" at Guimarães European Capital of Culture 2012.
7ª Bienal Internacional de Arte Jovem de Vila Verde, 2012.
"Una Hora Menos" collective exhibition at Gallery "Cozinha" Faculty of Fine Arts from Porto University 2012.
"Una Hora Menos #2 Teremos Tempo?" - collective exhibition at Temporary Exhibition Room from University of Porto 2013.
“Menos (de) Una Hora #3 Repetir o Tempo” - collective exhibition at Galeria dos Leões, Porto, 2013.
"Rumo a Oeste" - collective exhibition at Maus Hábitos, Porto 2013.

Centro Este e Oeste

Are you selling your art?

Not any major work only a few watercolor paintings. The work was sent as part of an exhibition arranged by a team organization that promotes illustration and artwork using paper as medium.

How do you promote your art on the internet?

I try to keep up with every means provided on the internet to promote my work by using every platform available and suitable for my work, and generally by advertising those platforms on social networkssocial networks.

Influences

Dan Perjovschi, Bas Jan Ader, Allan Kaprow, Pedro Tudela, Maurizio Cattelan

ridicule Reis Valdrez

Can you tell us about your future plans?

I make it up as I go, but I would like to widen my range of countries and cultural experiences in the future.

Can you share some good advice for other artists?

Reis Valdrez I would have to say, be perseverant. It kind of is a characteristic that you either have or you don't. But at least be persistent. If you’re not someone else will.