Zoom on the creative process of the duo Monkey Bird
Can you remind to us who you are and your artistic practice?
We are Louis and Edouard, together we created MonkeyBird. We paint stencils, small or monumental, with minimalist colors, mainly in black, white and gold. Our goal is to create volume, depth and vibration with line work and density. We draw, cut and paint by hand. We are craftsmen and symbolists, we like to represent our totem animals, monkeys and birds, set in timeless landscapes between ruins and grandiose architectures.
What is your background, how did you start creating?
We met ten years ago at the design school in Bordeaux. We became friends and found common passions in art and music. We progressively worked together in the street and developed this work even before we graduated, by pooling our know-how in graphic and industrial design.
In your daily work as an artist, what inspires you? What is the trigger for the creation of a work?
We are inspired by nature and art history. Architecture and its ornaments (sculptures, moldings, mosaics, stained glass) hold an important place in our inspirations because like our work, it is in the public space. We also like engravings, which inspire us in the work of the line and the control of the tools. Everything is a pretext to trigger a creation, because we have many interesting commissions and inspirations are omnipresent.
Can you explain to us the way you build a work? What are the different stages of creation?
First we create a sketch, then a fine point drawing on a small format. Then we enlarge our image on software and print it at the desired scale, when it is a mural we print on large rolls of paper. Then we cut out manually with a scalpel. Then we paint by driving a gondola, we use acrylic paint and aerosols. Working as a duo allows us to anticipate our organization and also to have a good dynamic when we are in action.