Andy Eidelstein
My Hari Nef drawing.
Andy Eidelstein is a Buenos Aires based artist with a thing for Rihanna and who wore what to which Met Gala. His aesthetic is pure and unadulterated with an artistic process that borders virginal and can be best described as self taught, passionate, and personal. His sculptures and sketches feature bold and decisive lines with an impulsive force. Andy showed his sculptures this year at the IAF in New York and currently in "The Veterans" show at Dio Horia gallery.
Grace Coddington
What does your family/community think of your work? Are they supportive of your work?
Even though my family do not understand much about art, they support and encourage me to keep doing it. It can be difficult at times but I can comprehend it considering that art is not very common here.
Drawing of Donald Trump and Snoop Dogg photographs being shown next to each other at NY's Frieze Art Fair.
““One of my main goals is to deliver unique work which hasn’t been seen or done by other artists before.””
Serena William's pregnancy announcement selfie drawing.
How old are you?
24 years old.
Where are you based?
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
My sculpture of photography duo Inez and Vinoodh, they liked it too!
If you were only allowed to take 2 of your porcelain characters with you to an island for life, which would you take?
I would take the characters that I'm most proud of: Pinocchio and Jack Skellington, to remind myself how exciting it has been to make them.
What is the art scene like where you live? galleries? magazines?
There is sadly not much art scene here. Maybe I'm not very aware of it but you don't get to hear much about art galleries or magazines.
Rihanna's iconic look at 2017 Coachella drawing.
Describe your workspace - is it a studio? your room? kitchen counter? is the space messy or clean? lots of art around or is it minimal?
My workspace is basically my home's living room. I've found it the most comfortable place for me to work. I try to keep it clean and tidy. There is some art around Including framed paintings by Van Gogh and Kandinsky.
Are you self taught or formally trained?
Self taught.
Björk
About how many drawings have you done to date?
I've lost count but probably more than 2,000 drawings to date.
About how many sculptures have you done to date?
I've done over 510 porcelain polymer sculptures to date.
Batman and Robin's sculptures, they are actually a bigger size than the regular ones.
When did you start drawing?
I started drawing around early year 2012. I believe it was a moment of my life back then when it felt like the right thing to do.
When did you start sculpting?
I started sculpting in February of last year (2016) when I believed it was about time for me to take my art to a whole another level.
This Elton John sculpture was made as a 'get well soon' wish.
Have any of your subjects responded to your porcelain or drawings of them?
Yes, Riri was actually my first Instagram follower and she's been really supportive of my art ever since then. I'm very lucky to say so as she's basically my favorite singer ever. Inez and Vinoodh have also been very supportive of it which means a lot as I've always been a fan of them.
Which do you prefer?
I prefer sculpting as it allows me have more fun and take more risks as an artist. It's a much more challenging and exciting process.
If you could meet one person/character you've drawn who would it be?
I would say Rihanna as she's not only my favorite singer but also the very reason why I kept believing in my art.
““You would never expect Adele to be standing right next to the Wimpy Kid or Elton John to be standing next to Mother Theresa, so it’s definitely interesting to see them all combined.””
If you could meet one person/character you've sculpted who would it be?
Goofy as he's my favorite cartoon character ever since I was a kid.
Is there a piece in particular that you would never give up?
Yes, the Pinoccio sculpture I made last year. It naturally ended up looking crooked with his big nose - as if it was too heavy for him to stand properly. That makes the sculpture special for me as it's as if it was just meant to look that way.
Do you sell your art?
Yes I do. I sell both my drawings and sculptures.
Sculpture of Madonna's 'Confessions on a dance Floor' iconic album cover.
I know you've done a couple of shows, do you want to touch on those a bit?
Sure! My first show happened to be in March of this year (2017) at the Independent Art Fair held in New York. It was such an incredible experience. I not only got to show my sculptures with Karma gallery, but I could also see people's live reactions to them which made me very happy. I also have some sculptures currently being shown in Greece at 'The Veterans' show by Dio Horia gallery, which is also very exciting!
Michael Jackson's iconic 'Thriller' look sculpture.
““By always believing in my art I became my own encouragement to keep working on it every day.””
My sculpture of Mother Theresa praying.
You are very confident in your lines, they seem very bold, almost impulsive. They are fluid and gestural and so telling! Grace Coddington's face is an example! How did you get her to look like her?
Thank you so much! Every time I'm working on an art piece, I want to deliver my best while I also try to make sure people will get who is it that I'm representing. With Grace Coddington, I focused on the aspects that make her most unique such as her iconic orange hair and outfit.
Tintin & Snowy
““I would call my style different. I believe my art is not like something people expect, and that’s what makes it special.””
My sculpture of Tommy and Chuckie- The classic Rugrats!
Where do you keep your art? Do you have special characters that you keep on your bedside table? Do you keep your pop stars together and your cartoons in one place etc? Who do you keep by your vanity mirror?
I basically have my entire bedroom's book shelves and bedside table full of my sculptures. I don't necessarily have them separated by theme. That is because I believe it's more interesting to see them together next to each other.
Do you get commissions?
I'm glad to say that I do.
Self portrait of myself with my lovely dog Mandy.
Images courtesy of Andy Eidelstein
interview ASHLEY MUNNS
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