SYMBIOLOGY: Q&A with George Kozmon & Guy-Vincent

Artists George Kozmon, left, and Guy-Vincent.

SYMBIOLOGY is hosted by a new initiative of the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, spearheaded by Dave Johnson, Director of PR and Marketing for the Center. Dave sat down with George and Guy-Vincent to have a conversation.

Dave Johnson: Have you exhibited before, or collaborated? What type of projects?

George Kozmon: We’ve been bouncing ideas off one another consistently for years, feeding and inspiring new work and unexpected projects. This ranges from an art advocacy video project engaging with leaders in the international art community in Chicago and New York, to the recent exhibition at Cleveland State University Galleries.

Guy-Vincent: Our recent large-scale collaborative installation Symbols, Glaciers & Ghosts provided us the opportunity to investigate themes in our respective work. The collaborative process provides a unique perspective, as most artists typically work alone. It provides a rich convergence of both shared and contrasting elements from each other’s work.

DJ: What is the meaning of your exhibition’s title Symbiology?

GK: SYMBIOLOGY relates to the idea of symbiosis; the context is usually in biology, the interrelationship between species. We’ve extrapolated the essence to examine the conceptual duality of our work in relation to one another in broad terms of creative output, and the dichotomy of earth/water, the underpinnings of landscape in the abstract sense.

G-V: Yes, at its core, SYMBIOLOGY serves as a conceptual bridge, providing us a path to both overlap areas, and to illustrate contrast. This exhibition reveals a much more subtle reference to the relationship and connection between humans and the land that we inhabit.

DJ: What new directions or materials can we expect to see in this exhibition?

G-V: For the past five years or so, I’ve been consumed with my last series entitled Neo Post Factum, which shifted my focus to large-scale figurative works that included paintings, photography, mixed media, installations, and videos. Currently, I’ve been exploring ideas about the recontextualization of existing works, process driven, informed by the site-specific nature of exhibiting works in both public and private environments.

GK: We make art with our hands, but really it’s our mind, our perceptions that drive ideas. Playing with the computer in contrast to visceral, hands-on art-making—my foundation—has prompted new thoughts. New mediums generate new ideas…

G-V: Like George mentioned, it’s our mind that serves as the greatest driver of the work. The ability to delve deeper into the creative process in order to understand oneself, and in return, to understand one another better. As Leonardo da Vinci said, “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”

 

GEORGE KOZMON & GUY-VINCENT: SYMBIOLOGY | APRIL 25–OCTOBER 11 | CLEVELAND CONVENTION CENTER GALLERY

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