GlobalStreetArt recently had the chance to interview Australians most acclaimed and notorious artist Anthony Lister.
Lister who was recently in Vienna, leaving paintings all around the city closed his art residency with a successful exhibition called “Double Vision Never Felt So Good” at Jan Arnold Gallery.
Arriving a tad late to the vernissage, Lister was already in full party mode, having fun interpreting his show’s title to the fullest.
GSA: In short words, who are you, where are you from, what is it that you do?
Lister: My name is Anthony Lister- I am from Australia – I am an adventure painter.
(GSA Note: If you haven’t checked out Lister’s work, his book “Adventure Painter” is a great entrance to the crazy world Anthony lives in)
GSA: Why do you paint the stuff you paint?
Lister: Because I am guided to by higher forces.
GSA: What’s your creative process like?
Lister: It’s kind of like making breakfast. First I wake up, get the eggs and then throw them at the wall.
GSA: Do you listen to music when painting? If so, which?
Lister: Strictly Metallica
GSA: What is it that attracts you to Ballerinas? To superheroes? To faces? To Punks?
Lister: The same thing that attracts me to women and strange old people- fascinating about the Unknown.
GSA: We’ve closely followed the legal issues in Australia, finding the outcome somehow contradicting (note: While the Brisbane magistrate appreciates the value of Lister’s work he was still found guilty of willful damage).
Does the rendition change anything for you? Will you stop doing these great murals around Brisbane? Was the rendition something that could be considered a step towards Banksy- like freedom in Australia?
Lister: I believe my hardship and persecution for the art of public creative expression was a great step toward my artforum becoming decriminalized in the future.
GSA: You just completed an invited art residency in Vienna right? Why did you decide to head towards Vienna? Was the plan always an exhibition? How long did you stay?
Lister: I stayed for a month. Yes I was invited by MQ (note: http://www.mqw.at/en/) to do the residency. I love Vienna and the galleries and museums it has to show the world.
GSA: Seeing that you painted the MQ with Schiele inspired work – Do you consider Schiele an inspiration to your work?
Lister: Yes.
GSA: How did you like Vienna? Party? Art? City? People?
Lister: It was ok. The coke was a bit overpriced and not so great quality, but the people that sold it to me made up for it with their great character and interesting conversation.
GSA: What’s up next? Any concrete plans you want to share with our readers? Will you continue to do more sculptures?
Lister: Yes I am making large bronzes now. I will be on tour in September showing work in New York, Barcelona, Japan and New Mexico.
If you want to check out more of Lister’s work, be sure to head to:
http://globalstreetart.com/artists/lister
If you are interested in purchasing art from his latest exhibition head to:
Interview by Nuno Wr
Photography by David Schermann
GLOBAL STREET ART 