Reflections on Paper: Interview with Artist Lola Dupre
Lisa Zirngast: Lola, how would you describe what you do?
Lola Dupre: I am a paper collage artist and illustrator, and I work with galleries, magazines, brands, and collectors to produce imagery. Usually, I select one image, which I cut into many pieces and then reassemble. That way, it becomes a strange mirror image of itself to me.
Lisa Zirngast: Dadaism – an artistic rebellion against all bourgeois art forms. Take us back to when your fascination with the Dada aesthetic began.
Lola Dupre: When I was very young, I was lucky, because my parents had prints hung up around the house showing works by artists of the likes of Hannah Hock, Meret Oppenheim, and George Grosz juxtaposed with pieces by other artists such as Bosch, Bruegel, Picasso, Kahlo, Klee, and Dix. There was also a lot of Russian, French, and German literature at home which provided wonderful explanations for the visuals.
Lisa Zirngast: You work with two fundamental tools – paper and scissors. What is it like to be an “old-school” artist in an increasingly digital world?
Lola Dupre: I think it is a blessing and a curse. Just like with everything in life, there are always advantages and disadvantages. Social media is great for sharing work. With technology, in some way I am backward. I have no smartphone, for example. But I am very interested in Artificial Intelligence, Blockchains, NFTs, the advance of technology. I just do everything on my laptop. I like being able to leave the studio, or go into nature and leave it all behind when I want to.
Lisa Zirngast: Which words describe your art the best?
Lola Dupre: Surreal, strange, atavistic, beautiful, and curious.
Lisa Zirngast: We can easily picture you surrounded by photos, paper cuts and scissors at your studio. But how does your creative process look like from start to finish?
Lola Dupre: Your vision is correct. I am surrounded by lots of paper. At times, the pieces are so small that I end up finding them in my food or on my cat. When I start an art piece, there is a picture in my head that I try to follow unless something unexpected happens.
Lisa Zirngast: The Dadaists were insistent on not having a definition for their art movement. Regarding your own work, do you also not set yourself boundaries?
Lola Dupre:I try to remain free from patterns, but we do what we do and inevitably form habits and rituals. When I work, I try to leave all directions open, and I never say ‘no’ to an idea.
Lisa Zirngast: Looking at your work, beauty standards, especially concerning the female body, are prevalent. Why is portrayal of women important to you?
Lola Dupre: I try to work with all kinds of images – women, men, animals, or buildings. I think if you were to look for one motif in my work, you would probably find it, but you could also look for something different and stumble upon that too. My work is a mirror held up to the world around us, reflecting what we cannot escape.
Photo: Lola Dupre
Lisa Zirngast: Can you tell us what you've been working on or thinking about currently?
Lola Dupre: I am currently working on new animal portraits.
Lisa Zirngast: If you could have dinner with three artists – dead or alive – who would those be and why?
Lola Dupre: Difficult question! Right now, William Blake, Vivian Maier, and Basquiat because they are such individual personalities.
This interview was taken from the print issue of L'Officiel Cyprus.
