Interview With Somfay
Your work is cleaner than other analog artists. Is this due to your aesthetic or a technical reason?
-It is both aesthetic and technical, but perhaps with more weight on the technical.
There are quite a number of small but necessary steps in my process, and I like to take the long road - taking no shortcuts - so that each piece can be given the maximum clarity and quality that it needs.
To speak in metaphor, it is a long and intricate equation whose purpose is to generate clear and elegant results so that you almost forget the technical aspects of the final image and instead experience it with purity - with as little interference as possible, between the image and the viewer’s mind and heart.
Experimentation, patience, and finesse are key.
There are two characters in the piece, the same as the previous "zero-sum," why?
-I have somewhat of an obsession with the idea of twins and twinning; the potential interpretations are endless, and it always provides fertile ground to explore.
In ‘Zero Sum I & II’, the bear and the bull are - on the surface - direct symbols relating to the cycling of the market, while in reality, they represent two different configurations of the same structure, like the peak and trough of a sine wave - two masks on the same face - they’re not separate from one another. They share one heartbeat.
Within 'Euphoria', things are a bit different and are meant to be more obscure and open to interpretation by the viewer. Who is affecting who? Is the figure floating above or the one below? Perhaps both? What energy are they exchanging with one another, and for what reason?
Are they two beings sharing a psychic connection, or are they representations of different facets of one being?
I like the mystery that twinning can provide in this way, as there is always some uncertainty within the equation. The result is that the viewer experiences things in a manner that is unique to them, dancing in the mirror with their own life experience and circumstances.
Do you think euphoria causes problems?
-It can cause problems, although it depends on the context. It often arises as a result of positive experiences (i.e., Eureka moments).
One can experience Euphoria in any number of situations, and it will play out differently in each of them. For some, the experience of euphoria in love - an exchange of feelings and raw energy between beings - can be powerfully bonding and even stabilizing.
Whereas in a hypercapitalist market setting, it can be greatly destabilizing, fuelled by the unpredictable emotions of individuals (and emergent networks of individuals), leading to exponential runs and deep, long-lasting crashes, which have consequences that affect the lives of many, even if they are outside of the market.
Euphoria can exist on the way up (FOMO), and it can also occur on the way down (opportunity). This is not exclusive to markets either and can be experienced in individual and interpersonal relationships via emotional and spiritual experiences. The experience and exchange of energy between beings is quite a nuanced dynamic, where even contrasting emotional states can paradoxically occur at once.
When we experience euphoria - whether it is in a positive light or a negative light - it is always good to take a step back and breathe, viewing the larger picture - the longer term - and take it all in, exploring what it means for us, so as not to be overwhelmed by it.