Interview With Stalomir
Why do you like the theme of "aliens" so much?
-When I was a kid in the 90s, this theme was everywhere in TV shows, comics, video games, etc. This resonated with me, I even had my "aliens notebook," where I draw hundreds of species.
At some point (at about the age of 14), I found some aliens-themed books (like Erich von Daniken or Frank Drake) in my grandpa's library, I had no idea he was into this stuff cause he died a few years earlier. This blew my mind even more, and the aliens' theme became part of me forever.
Right now, I am just reflecting on what influenced me most, especially the theory of ancient aliens.
Even if I'm into this stuff, I try to be the most possible skeptic. I'm treating all conspiracy theories like one big fantasy lore. At the same time, I think if even 1% of them are real, we live in an insane reality. I am not going to lie. The fact some alien news has popped up in the last months caused a big smile on my face with "finally something happens," even if all of this may be one big hoax.
The aliens you depict are not unfamiliar to us and are not entirely distant from our concept of humanity. Do you still refer to them as "aliens"?
-Yes, you're right. It's just a word stuck in pop culture for "species from another planet." Honestly, I'm pretty much tired of this word and would like to name my aliens something else. But I would avoid biblical therms like Annunaki, Elohim, or other mythical or generic fantasy-like names. I hope this will hit me like thunder one day; until then, they will stay as Ancient Aliens.
And yes, I'm making them very familiar because the species I show in my works are our ancestors. So, we have in our DNA to look and behave like them. I like to think they have a regular life in their world, they eat, have fun, love, hate, they use technology, some stuff looks weird to us, some not.
I'm trying to figure out what their style might have looked like and what influence it might have had on our ancient civilizations. That's why I'm trying to be inspired by all of them.
Do you believe "Trader" is a broad topic?
-Yes, of course. We're all traders, trading every day, not only in terms of buying/selling stuff. All of our relations are, to some extent, trading. We even trade with ourselves. Some aspects may be self-interest, but the irony is that we often get the most when we give the most and don't expect anything. This is, of course, not so easy. That is why many people say that trading is art.
Trading may be the most important trigger of civilization development. We are trying to take the trading of creativity to a new level.