Artist Proof: Martin ‘Mander’ Ander is a Swedish graphic designer & illustrator with roots in Stockholms Graffiti and Skateboarding scenes.
Artsprojekt: What inspires your art?
Mander: I usually get inspired by seeing other peoples art or seeing other artists work. I like reading comics and looking at pictures in books or on the internet. When I see something really good it makes me want do something really good to.
AP: What is the relationship between technique and content in your work?
Mander: I just use whatever i need to get the result I want. But usually when I draw by hand the motifs gets more personal when i draw by hand then when I use the computer.
AP: Describe your first experience of making art and how it affected your life’s journey
Mander: I can’t remember the firs time I created art, I´ve allways been drawing. But I do remember the two things that gave me the direction of what I want to do.
It was the same year. in ‘87. First when i first sat foot in I skateboard shop and saw all the skate graphics. I was so stoked, I had never seen anything like it, I intantly started making plans of graphics in my head.
The other thing was when me and my family visited the Stockholm Art Fair, After looking at the exhibitions we went to the book store. I think I was looking for Fantasy Art or something when I found Martha Coopers and Henry Chalfants book Subway Art, about Subway Graffiti. It was like the coolest thing I had ever seen. My dad bought it for me.
Now, 23 years later im Art Director for a Graffiti Magazine and I do Skateboard Graphics for a living.
AP: Describe your most recent experience of making art.
Mander: Me and my daughter was drawing together yesterday, I did some lines, then she took over and did some lines and gave it back to me. Then we did like that until it was a paper full of animals and charaters.
AP: Take us on a guided tour through a day in your life as an artist
Usually I go to my studio after leaving my kids at kindergarden. Then I work with graphic design jobs with one hand and sketch out ideas for drawings with the other. Then I pick my kids up in the afternoon. Hang out with them and my wife, have dinner, put the kids to sleep. Then I get back to work. Either with design jobs that needs to be finished or I work on my own projects.
AP: What are you currently working on right now?
Mander: Right now im doing some cover design and lay-out for a book about Street Art for Dokument Press, Im also working on more skate graphics for Sweet Skateboards which is one of Europes top skate companies.
Im also helping my friend Josefin Hinders who is a very talented performance/installation artist with some illustrations for a project she is working on.
Im working on issue Number 41 of UP, The Graff-Mag which I’m the Art Director for. The issue is about to hit the shelves any day now.
My Album cover for Fever Ray just got voted the 3rd best Art Vinyl 2009 in Artvinyl.coms annual album art list which is pretty cool and I’m exhibiting a poster together with some very good artist in a show hosted by La Surprise in Paris now in January.
Apart from this Im also trying to find time to work on my own projects. I’m also trying to put a show together, I havent exhibited any of my work for ten years or something, so it´s about time.
