“The internet has changed our views on art, this inspires me to make art that is even more vibrant online than in real space” says elusive British street artist INSA on his GIFI-TI project. INSA’s groundbreaking GIF-ITI animations explore a new form of interactive art in modern day, requiring him to repaint designs many times in a rigorous process to create one final GIF. The latest GIFI-TI was INSA’s most ambitious project to date. Teaming up with Ballantine’s for its ‘Stay True’ series, INSA and a team of 20 created the world’s largest animated GIF — which can be viewed from space — in Rio de Janeiro. We caught up with the London artist after his triumphant success. Here, INSA lets us in on the motifs behind his work and the challenges faced painting the record-breaking piece.
What inspired you to make GIF-ITI?
I’d been thinking a lot about how people were actually seeing my work. Even if I painted a huge mural anywhere in the world, I realised more people were looking at the few photos of it that circulate online. It seemed a shame the level of work that was going into something that was only going to be seen as a small image online, but then I just thought why not make the internet, and those few images, the best way to view my work – even make it the only platform for seeing the final work and GIFs are the ultimate for the internet.
How often do you improvise your GIF-ITIs?
Some of them I’d improvise on the spot, but generally I’d have a loose plan in my head before approaching the wall.
To make a GIF-ITI is an intensive process, what’s the biggest challenge?
Sometimes the biggest challenge is five frames in, finding the motivation to paint the same thing again, can be pretty testing, but the excitement for end result keeps me going.
Why did you choose Rio de Janeiro as a place to create the world’s largest animated GIF?
Brazil is a place I always want to see and work in. And when coordinating the satellite for the GIF shots, we needed somewhere that had consistently good weather at the time of year [November] and after some location scouting with the team, it made perfect sense to do this in Rio, it’s such an amazingly beautiful place, I felt inspired having that view as my surroundings while painting.
Who were the people that made up your team for this particular project?
For this project there was the film and production crew who were dealing with capturing the event and coordinating with the satellites, then there was me and my trusty assistant, and a further 20 local painters we brought in to help with the mammoth task of getting the paint on the ground.
How does Ballantine’s ‘Stay True’ series coincide with your own aesthetics as an artist?
I don’t think it coincides with my aesthetics but it’s more about my approach to my work and I think I’ve pretty much stayed true to doing what I want to do my way since I started painting 15 years ago.
How do you think your GIF-ITI work adds to the larger landscape of contemporary art?
I think its very relevant and asks a lot of questions about the disposability of art and how work is seen and enjoyed now. I think its trying to move things forward which is essential in any medium. The merging of physical and digital worlds pervades all aspects of our lives; so exploring these boundaries in art is paramount to me. I can imagine that the ‘art’ establishment wouldn’t necessarily be so keen on this new wave of work, but then that is because it can’t be brought and sold by the rich tax-avoiding elite. It cant be commodified, it exists purely for creativity’s sake in the free eternity of cyber space.
Each step in the process is very detail orientated. How do you deal with mistakes and setbacks?
There isn’t a lot of room for mistakes, so I have to keep my mind pretty sharp when working on one of these paintings. Making sure to track all the changes and remember all the elements, it’s a good mental work out. At the same time set backs are unavoidable sometimes, so there is a need to be flexible to work around problems.
Knowing how you like to keep things elusive, are there ever any hidden messages in your GIF-ITIs?
There are of course underlining conceptual ideas behind most of my work, but they aren’t necessarily hidden messages. My new app allows me to make and produce all sorts of content that is literally hidden…and its something I am doing more.
Now that you’ve created the World’s Largest Animated GIF, what’ next for INSA?
It’s going to be impossible to ever go as ‘big’ as the satellite project, but i have several new concepts for the GIF-ITI that I’m working on and have many new projects yet to be realised.
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