GetFreaky Interview

Get FreakyInterview by Above Second

What is GetFreaky? What is the basic philosophy of the publication?

HelloFreaks: Get Freaky is an illustration fanzine. It’s pretty much a non-profit project as it’s sold very cheap. The aim, or philosophy of the fanzine is to allow people, artists or those outside the art scene, to discover a large range of artists and styles from around the world. We made the choice of Black & White so all artists and works stay at the same level, with the same “guidelines”. Also, the idea was to keep the fanzine as an overlook of what is happening on the illustration scene today and let people see more of the artists they like.

Supertexte: Get Freaky, is also what turns around the fanzine, the shows, exhibitions, publications, concerts and parties. Many artists like  keeping in contact with us and participating in our shows, so it’s a publication, but also a traveling gallery. Sometimes we are invited to galleries, or we need the power of a group to get more facilities and to find some places. It’s like a big team or even a movement.

When did you meet and how did the magazine get started ?

S:I met Nicolas when I was 15, we became friends through some graffiti groups and kept in contact since that time.  Almost 2 years ago, when GetFreaky was too young to cross the road but some artists were already moving, I met Hellofreaks who supported my crazy ideas and helped me hold a special edition of game books and some street barbeques.

H:We are now 3 people running the GetFreaky project but it all started by the will of Nicolas Verbauwen, an illustrator from Lille (north of France), very fond of illustration, who wanted to see his favorite artists gathered in one place and so he asked them to contribute to his fanzine project. From a few pages for the first and second issue, the mag is now around 40 pages with contributions from over 15 countries including France, Italy, USA, Thailand, China, Sweden and many more.

Get Freaky is driven and published in Lille. The team is evolving as the project evolves and so, some other people may join the project with new ideas and skills! How do you choose artists to contribute ? What do you look for in an artist’s body of work ?

H: At first, we invited (and still do) the artists we like to contribute, asking them to send, if possible, some unpublished work or better, made especially for the magazine. It’s nice when we get some submissions from artists because it means that they really want to be part of it.

S: We sometimes make some artists angry when they don’t understand that the style doesn’t match or that the zine is full. As more time passes and  the more contacts we have, even if we’ve worked with over 150 artists since the beginning, we like to keep a little core of artists who are really invested in us and with whom contact is easy. It’s also nice to discover from the exhibitions that one little black and white illustration can hide a crazy artist.  I‘m always surprised when I open the mail or when an artist brings me a painting.

What inspires your personal work ?

S:I could say that I don’t really know what inspires my personal work, as I ‘m working on mapping video projection experiences, but I draw a bit and I can see my drawings changing in a way that could be influenced by GetFreaky. Perhaps, if I wasn’t, I could be published in GetFreaky zine now, even without the help I have in being one of the directors.

The contributors all being from different cultures, how do you think artistic diversity has been represented in the zine ?

H: We think this is the point of it. As each issue is free style, with no leading themes (except being good!) the artists are free to contribute what they want. GetFreaky can be for them a kind of experimenting field. Also, we try to get some new artists in every new issue and the magazine is open to all, from very beginners to confirmed artists.

S: As there are too many artistic diversities, styles, memberships or affiliations at a time, a movement, it’s hard to represent everyone, and we don’t really want to. We prefer to show what we think is new and important in illustration.

You have exhibited work by GetFreaky collaborators all over Europe and now in Hong Kong. Has organizing events and exhibitions changed the way you work or the way GetFreaky has developed?

S: We did events and openings since the beginning, moving around Europe brought us more gratitude and we did some shows with more important works, like original paintings and drawings, in more important places, such as art galleries instead of gallery-bars. Because we can’t all move together so far, for the Hong-Kong show, the collaboration is not only in the art works we show but also in the organisation. Mei Yan Jane who is the biggest contributor of this show, took care of all the organisation- art works, place, even printing, editing, communication, and evem taking me to the beach and some restaurants! It’s also a collaboration with Above Second which invited us and is working hard listing and installing the works of 32 artists, inviting people, and planing the event as well as it can.

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What is next for GetFreaky? How do you hope to expand?**

S: We plan first to celebrate the 2 years of the Zine, and come out with the 7th issue in France for that. Then we have to think about more collaborations to expand  and visit other countries. We are already working on a big show in the Bangkok Art Cultural Center in collaboration with Toot Yung Gallery for the beginning of next year, and hope to hold a little event before that time.

Please join us on July 20th, Friday 6-10pm for ‘GetFreaky’ opening