INTERVIEW: SWEDISH ILLUSTRATOR AMARA POR DIOS COMES TO CHAT WITH US

This'll be my first interview with someone who I've never seen before,

as well as my first one with a female! Two birds with one stone...

Amara Por Dios is a Swedish Illustrator who's work I discovered via a

friend liking her page over Facebook! Funnily enough they are both

trainer fanatics so I will be crediting my friend Jess for this, will be

putting her tumblr and website at the bottom!

Anyway back to Amara! Well tbh as I don't know her too well personally 

I think it'd be best if I shut up, and let the interview do the talking!

This is my first interview with someone who I haven't met face to face in 
London! Where exactly are you from and how many languages can you speak?

I'm born and raised in Sweden. My both parents are from Chile. So I’m Swedish with Chilean heritage. I'm from Stockholm but at the moment I live in Uppsala. I speak Swedish, English and I understand Spanish but I can't speak it fluently. I understand a little bit of French because I studied back at school but I never continued. I regret it now because I love Paris and I travel there a lot.

What I've gathered from your blog is that you're into your graffiti, trainers, stickers and dance. Your life basically seems to revolve around hip-hop! How much of an influence 
would you say it has on you?

I would say that hip-hop have been in my life as long I can remember. My big sister listened to hip-hop when I grew up. I had a freestyle with a recorded cassette with 2pac and mob deep when I was 8 years old. I remembered when I came home from school and my big sister screamed 2pac is dead 2pac is dead! I think she had a lot of influence on me.
Now she thinks I’m listening to too much hip-hop.

I wrote my first rap lyrics when I was 11 and I wanted to become a rapper. When I was 12 I began with breaking and at the same time I started with graffiti. My cousins are graffiti writers and I wanted to be like them. Breaking and graffiti were the only things I did for a few years. I gave up breaking when I was 16 and started with popping (electric boogaloo) instead. I also stopped with the graffiti because I got stuck and didn't get any inspiration. After I while I realized that I had to just paint and create from my own mind and not to try to be like anybody else. The last 
2 years I’ve been very creative. I have come up with a unique and different style and I think I have found my thing.

One cruel person (like myself) makes you pick between your 

loves that are paints and your trainers. Which one's it gonna be?

What a dilemma. Haha.

Sneakers are a huge part of me but art is everything I am. I can't live without it. 

I think I would get mentally mad if I couldn't paint, draw, design, and create.

Seriously I think sneakers are a drug and I’m addicted to them. It's hard to 

not get the sneakers I want sometimes but I can be without them for a while.

How would you describe your work? The abstract characters you use as well as the fact that you love your cans reminds me of the graffiti artists over here in London who'd rather paint pictures on walls rather than just their name.

Two artists from London that I love are INSA and Banksy. I get a lot of inspiration from them. I only used cans regularly for two years now. So I’m a beginner still. I think I’ve 

only done around 15 pieces. I really want to learn more and develop my skills.

My grandmother was an artist. I spend a lot of time in her studio when I was little. We painted a lot together. I was a tomboy growing up I loved monsters and slime. I always drew characters with their tongue out and crazy eyes. When I got older I drew a lot of faces. Now I paint a lot of patterns and characters in bright colours. I think I get inspiration subconsciously from the Inca/Aztec culture. A lot of people think my work reminds them of Indian artwork. I understand their point of view and I see similarities. Now I’m interested in getting influences from the Asian and African culture.

 

What's the illustration scene like in Sweden? I'm not even sure if any of the Swede's I know can draw so I am pretty clueless as to what it's like over there!

I think it's quite big here. There’s a lot of great artist in Sweden. 

My personal favourite I would say is FINSTA.

What's the likelihood of seeing your work in London? I'm pretty sure it'd go down pretty well! You got any exhibitions abroad planned?

Actually I tried to find some art galleries in London couple of months ago. I would 

love to have a show there. So if you know any place please let me know.

In December I will have a show in Sweden with Infamous JeanClaude from the US. I'm 

very exited and it's his first international show. I hope I will have my first 
international exhibition soon as well.

You won a t-shirt competition for Flying Lotus who you're a fan I believe, which saw your designs sell out when he toured Japan! Also more recently I noticed that your tumblr got posted up by non other than the official Nike Women's facebook page! What other proud moments have you had?

Yes I still can't believe it. It means a lot to me.

Girls got kicks just released. It's a sneaker documentary book about girls who 

have a lot of sneakers. And I’m in it. I haven't seen it yet, I can't wait to see it.

I'm also in a Swedish documentary film about sneaker collectors in Sweden. 

The documentary are still in process and it will be finished in a couple of months. 

Finally is there anybody out there that you think the whole world should get to know?

Check out Infamous JeanClaude I’m having the art show with.

Amara also left us with a video if her images weren't enough for you!

Amara @ AOTS 2011 from Leif Egnell on Vimeo.

Big thanks to Amara for doing this interview, and also thanks to Jess
(she doesn't even know she's helped me yet!) for helping me stumble upon her!
Please look bellow at the links for the both of them!

AMARA ON:

 BLOGSPOT 
 
FACEBOOK

TUMBLR

JESS ON:

TUMBLR

WHAT SEEMS TO BE HER WEBSITE
(it's a website for people with small feel (s1-7) who have a hard time getting good kicks)

yes I know I just did brackets within brackets. and what?

WHAT SEEMS TO BE HER WEBSITE'S FACEBOOK

WHAT SEEMS TO BE HER WEBSITE'S TWITTER

PS
Amongst all this trainer luvin I may as well say I got me somenew kicks. It's normally 
such a pain buying trainers when you have size 12 feet as stores normally go up to 11
  and run out of size 12s quickly.I do like my trainers but I only ever have 3 pairs of foot wear at a time. Smart shoes, football studs and trainers. I'm poor and unfussy like that. When I get my trainers the first thing I do is redo the laces, takes hour but it's worth it!

hate it when the laces go all lopsided...

ANYWAY THAT'S ENOUGH CHAT, BYE!