VGXW MAGAZINE: Let’s start with a basic question. Who is Sophi Vejrich, both as a person and as an artist? What are the top 5 characteristics that define you?
SOPHI VEJRICH: As a person I am a loner, sensitive, paradoxical, individualistic and curious and as an artist I´m stubborn, a perfectionist, personal, uncompromising and brave.
VGXW MAGAZINE: When did you decide to become a sculptor? Was it before or after you became a student at the Royal University College of Fine Arts (Stockholm, Sweden)?
SOPHI VEJRICH: It was after I became a student, I think it was in the second year (of 5 years)
VGXW MAGAZINE: What is your opinion of a formal education in arts?
SOPHI VEJRICH: I think it is good and necessary to have a formal education, partly because you get to learn to question your artistry and also to have the chance to get a platform/contacts with your future colleagues. It is good to be in a context, it is very lonely to be an artist and you need every connection you can get, but of course there are artists that do not have a formal education and that could be your way as well. However, in general I think education is a very good thing. Finally, it is also from a society aspect, a way of giving the artistic profession a status.
VGXW MAGAZINE: Some artists create their work to communicate their ideas, some artist create their work to express their feelings, some artists create their work because they find the process enjoyable. The list goes on, but how about you? What are the things that drive you to keep on creating?
SOPHI VEJRICH: For me, art is synonymous with me as a person, it is constantly flowing in my veins. I process the unimaginable in being human and everything that happens in life through my art. I´m also kind of a shy exhibitionist, because I like to share my inner thoughts and feelings with an audience. If I couldn’t do my art I wouldn’t feel good. I have just “survived” through my art because of a trauma that I´m still living in. My partner passed away in an accident a little over 1.5 years ago. He was also an artist and just 53 years old. My latest exhibition is a lot about processing my grief.
VGXW MAGAZINE: Aside from art, what other things are you interested in?
SOPHI VEJRICH: Cinema, dance, literature, poetry, theater, music, subcultures and yoga among other things …
VGXW MAGAZINE: What are the most important elements/aspects of your art?
SOPHI VEJRICH: The ambivalent, the mysterious, the existential and the personal.
VGXW MAGAZINE: Whenever you are starting on a new project, what are your usual starting points?
SOPHI VEJRICH: It always starts with a thought that I am thinking around and daydreaming about. It could be things I have had in mind for many years and then, suddenly, an artwork forms in my head. It is a mix of earlier artworks, my feelings, phrases, inspiration, images and the social climate.
VGXW MAGAZINE: What are your main sources of inspiration these past 3 years?
SOPHI VEJRICH: First of all my trips to Tokyo, the futuristic atmosphere there, the subculture and mainly all Japanese culture. Music videos with FKA Twigs, Yolandi Visser (Die Antwoord) and Björk among others. The fashion world with designers like Gareth Pugh, Rei Kawakubo and Alexander McQueen. And, in addition to those, books by the Swedish author, Sara Stridsberg.
VGXW MAGAZINE: Tell us more about “The Dandruff Spreaderess”. (What is the story/concept behind it? How did you come up with the idea? What are the challenges in creating the piece?)
SOPHI VEJRICH: It was about the strange thing that the dandruff (this low, silly material) is physically placed on the brain, nearby the most delicate part of a human being, her intelligence and her thoughts. That contrast interested me. The unexpected meeting with the abstract and the physical. So I created this Barbie Doll-like hybrid with wings and over sized dandruff coming out her head like a volcanic eruption and big piles of dandruff were lying on the floor. This is both an existential and feminist artwork. It has all aspects that I like, the humor, the grose, the unexpected and the deep. It was also under my “blonde period” (I have done a several sculptures in that theme). The main challenge with this sculpture was the lack of money that I had at that time. I was forced to make it with plaster and also combine that with a lot of different materials. The piece was also very heavy and we had problems when we were going to hang it up at the gallery. I’ve also put a lot of effort and time into finding out how to make fake dandruff in the most natural way. I wanted the whole artwork to look like reality and unnatural at the same time. This was not easy at all, but it ended up very good in the end. I sold it, actually, to a private collector, that had persuaded his wife to put it at home, although she was frightened of her.
VGXW MAGAZINE: Let’s talk about your first solo exhibition. How did it happen? How was it like? How did you prepare for it? And what are the most important things you’ve learned from the experience?
SOPHI VEJRICH: It was through my professor at the Royal institute of art, in my last year. He made a contact with his gallery so that my friend/colleague and I were promised our first solo-exhibition together at the gallery. We were thrilled and stressed at the same time, because we had such a short time to prepare for the exhibition. We arranged for the press release and were very serious in preparing everything in a very professional manner, as I recall. Through this process, I learned to believe more in my own ideas and to go all the way in my artwork. I was very pleased with this first exhibition and it was a good start to create a strong foundation in my art universe. I listened to myself.
VGXW MAGAZINE: What – in your opinion – are the most significant milestones in your career?
SOPHI VEJRICH: My exhibition “The Dandruff Spreaderess,” my exhibitions in Japan, and my last solo exhibition “A Leak in the Underworld” 2019.
VGXW MAGAZINE: Let’s talk about your most recent exhibition. How would you describe it to someone who is a complete newbie in the contemporary art scene? What are the things they need to do and to focus on so they can understand/appreciate it?
SOPHI VEJRICH: First of all feel it, be curious about what is going on in you; the sensual feeling. Experience the artworks one by one and then see the connection between them. I would describe it as a story and a wholeness. It’s like theater and the artworks are like actors in a scene. A frozen scene. It is about many layers and can be read in different ways. The titles can help. Don’t be afraid if you can’t understand. It is not a rebus. It’s about our subconscious, where everything can happen. Go back and experience it many times if it’s possible. Give it time.
VGXW MAGAZINE: What – in your opinion – is art?
SOPHI VEJRICH: Art is what cannot be explained logically. It is a free zone in the society where you can express and ventilate everything possibly. Integrating art into society is an absolute necessity for maintaining democracy. Exactly everything can be art, just that thought gives me freedom!
VGXW MAGAZINE: If time and budget is no object, what would you like to create?
SOPHI VEJRICH: I would like to have others produce items I need for my artworks, instead of having to do everything myself, which takes a lot of time. I would also like to have large sculptures cast in bronze and aluminum.
VGXW MAGAZINE: Lastly, what are your advice to early-career artists who would like to keep on pursuing their career in the art industry?
SOPHI VEJRICH: I would advise them to go their own way, not to look at the trends that prevail, but rather dig deeper into themselves. As well, they should create a strong foundation in their artistry, so when troubles and obstacles come, they will always have their security in their art. They should get together with other artists, create their own conditions and help each other. Using the social media for one’s art is also a positive thing to do. Most importantly, don’t ever give up! If I had given up after all the setbacks I have had, I would not be an artist today. One must be stubborn!
Originally published in VGXW Magazine May 2019 – Book 2, available via MagCloud and Blurb
