CARBON COPY
Roman Longginou, the Brisbane born visual artist has managed to establish a reputation built on his attention to finer detail. The genre of pictorial art informs viewers on the alternative perceptions to the human experience we all share. Roman’s success in doing so, has earned him some exciting upcoming opportunities. When catching up with him earlier this year, we delved deeper into his story, his process and his ambition.
Interview By MATHEW SIEBUHR
I’ve always felt I was pretty creative.”, “-even back at school, I was that kid that would scribe all over any sheet of paper”.
“I studied at QUT (Queensland University of Technology) – basically within second year Uni, it was solidified, that this is something I wanted to do.
We also asked about early recognition.
“2015, I had my work featured in a gallery down the road – I’m based in Brisbane. At the time there was a gallery called ‘The Red Sea’ Gallery’.”
“I hadn’t shown any work publicly yet, outside Uni.”
“That was the first point where I was like, ‘I can do this professionally’.”
We asked about the moments he realised as an artist, he could have potential.
“It’s funny – I went through school and even first years of Uni, and I wasn’t that good at anything”.
“I had one tutor who said basically, ‘you’re really good at this, and I think it would be a great disservice to yourself if you don’t pursue this more”.
We also asked if there were events that reminded him of his growth as an artist.
“My first solo exhibition…”, “…it would have been 7-8 months of work, I had never done something like that before.”
“And then the gallery closed down, and I was like “…sh*t”.”
“From where I was back in 2017 to where I am now in 2020, it feels like its been a decade of growth”.
“It’s not fair on yourself, to compare yourself, it’s such an up and down industry.”
And then, we talked styles.
“Realism. I’ve had people say ‘hyperrealism’.”
“I execute my work in a realistic style, and I’d probably leave it at that.”
When discussing the importance of workspaces, he had this to say.
“It can either help you or hinder you.”
“I was lucky enough to move into the space my sister used to work in, she’s a dress maker and designer – it runs in the family”.
“Maybe on a personal level, I feel like I have shoes to fill. But also, on a career level, I can do larger scale work”.
We also enquired about the unique challenges he might have faced amongst the turmoil of the past year.
“This year I was represented by a gallery in Sydney called ‘Jerico Contemporary’.
“I’ve spent 5-6 months of this year doing the work for that show, and if I’m being honest, having COVID happen when it did, actually helped me put all the work together”.
“I’m so grateful that I’ve had these opportunities, I’m definitely aware that not everyone has had that.”
What’s next?
“One of my dreams has always been to get a show down in Sydney, and it’s just bitter sweet that it happens during a global pandemic and I can’t even be down there for it”. “But you know what man – I have nothing to complain about.”
“-I’m working towards doing a series of print editions, in collaboration with artists from Brisbane.”, “I’m really excited for it”, “-I’m really happy with what I’ve made for them.
With the culmination of recent and upcoming showcases adding to his momentum, we look forward to catching his next point of action, very soon.
