art — Artists — Seidi Häkkänen

They say sex sells.

"No one knows what it means, but its provocative."

Both of these statements meld perfectly into the world that is the internet, and 5 second attention spans. But eye catching doesn't always mean good (although that is of course subjective).

Luckily, I happened to cross paths with some fresh visuals that I immediately fell in love with, even past initial glance. With pieces that don't take themselves too seriously, Fucci is taking pop art into the new age. Combining bold graphics and bright colors into modern art pieces, you can't help but pay attention.

In your own words, who are you and what do you do?

I go by Fucci. I'm an illustrator and painter living in Toronto. I make female-centric pop art.

In terms of creativity a lot of amazing people have been coming out of Toronto in the past few years, as someone who has never visited I’d love to know the vibe, how would you describe the culture & atmosphere of the city?

Yes, lots of names coming out of the city. Toronto is the fastest growing city in North America and it's a great spot to be a young creative. History is being made here right now. Toronto is a young city with a completely different vibe than somewhere like NYC or LA. Things aren't pushy here. We have so much talent but we need to work on supporting and working with each other rather than competing against one another. There's room for everyone to grow.

I also think the fact that it says you’re partly Finnish in your site bio is interesting, I was actually born in Finland myself, do you think being Finnish-Canadian has had an impact on your ability to express yourself as an artist?

I don't think so really. But us Finns are known for good design so I'll try to live up to that!

As sex is a recurring theme in your work, what do you think specifically about it is so inspiring in terms of making art?

I wouldn't say sex inspires me to make the work. I love the female form and try to add some humour or relatable innuendos into the picture. I had some blog call my work misogynistic the other day but I think the writer didn't know the meaning of the word. My work is meant to empower women and be appreciated by both sexes.

Would you say you have any specific artists who've inspired you to start creating your own work or was it something that happened more organically? How did your style come to be?

Piet Parra was definitely a prominent influence in the development of my style of drawing. I learned how to draw the female form from looking at Wonder Woman and Vampirella comics and old pin up poses. I've spent like hundreds of hours just flipping through comic books and looking at old animation cels. I was working on this endless project when I was working as a graphic designer and I realized art wasn't fun or therapeutic for me anymore so I started putting some random drawings on Instagram in late 2014 and it got way more attention than I expected. By mid 2015 I decided to buckle down and take my art more seriously and work on some paintings and higher quality releases.

Finally, whats you next move in 2016? For example any merchandise or more events that you’re looking to be a part of or create?

2016 is looking to be a great year. I decided I wanted to start doing group shows this year and I'm working on some t-shirts and stuff. So far plans are being made to show in NYC, LA, and Vancouver and I will have my first solo exhibition in Toronto this summer.

All images via: https://www.instagram.com/fucci/

And check out Fucci's website here: http://www.fucci.ca

Art isn't dead in 2016. No matter what your relatives or Twitter timeline states, creativity is very much alive. Although the art scene and its mediums have changed tremendously over the past few years, and new content is debated every day (ahem that Kanye cover), countless individuals are still putting their viewpoints and visions into thought provoking material. Because of this I decided to ask Ian Woods, who's the topic of much discussion at the moment, a few questions about what it really means to be creating right now, enjoy:

In your own words, who are you:

Ian Woods and I draw on my i-pad.

Have you always been into creating art or has it been something you’ve discovered recently?

I've always been into creating ever since I was in kindergarten, but I got into soccer so I just did that till high school, and I got serious about it again when I was a freshman.

Are there any specific people, works, or maybe even places that you feel inspire you on the daily to make moves more than others?

Looking at other peoples art inspires me to work harder and create more. Also shoutout to AWGE, Isaiah, Kuest, Kourtland, Kolt, Nick, Crystalmeth, Craigxen, and Orhan!

As a big fan of hip hop myself, its been amazing watching you work with these influencers. How has it been like working with the A$AP Mob & Ian, and how did that come about in the first place?

It's been surreal. I've been a fan of them since Rocky's first project and Ive always looked up to Ian. But I guess Ian or Carti showed Rocky my artwork and Rocky really liked it so he messaged me on Instagram saying he liked my aesthetic and within a week he flew me out and the rest is history.

Do you think cover art is as important now as it was before, since almost all music is digital (no vinyls, cd’s etc.)?

I think it's very important now and artists are getting more well known for it.

Also, with all the clutter and frankly haters of the internet, I think artists face more scrutiny than ever, as well as an urge from the public to explain their pieces and creative process. What do you think about ‘art’ in 2016 & what influence do you think social media and the internet in general has on it?

I think it's more of a competition now and it sucks. Instead of supporting each other they try to put each other down saying someone's art isn't art or it isn't good enough, its very sad to see.

If you had the chance to collaborate with anyone right now who would you pick?

I wanna collab with Supreme. That's it.

Finally, what are your goals for the year, not in the sense of resolutions obviously, but what are you hoping to accomplish to feel content?

Have my first art show, work with bigger names in the industry, keep perfecting my craft and improve, and keep myself relevant.

https://twitter.com/poserrboy

https://www.instagram.com/poserrboy/

Fucci; Pop Art's Next Killer Artist

Ian Woods on Making Art & Not Drama