Euklidean The light and dark of reality

Euklidean’s artwork draws on aspects of surrealism, geometry and pointalism to create something that is entirely his own. The intricate complexity of his pieces holds your gaze, revealing new depths and perspectives the longer you look.

I chatted to the Sheffield-based artist to hear more about monochrome, changing direction, and his plans for the future.

First things first. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what art represents for you?

As a creative and exploratory person, the possibility for novel creation that art offers is continually invigorating. There are so many directions I can and have taken my art in, and this option for continual change is a source of immense fulfilment.

The pieces on your website and Instagram are all in monochrome. What keeps you returning to this colour scheme?

Working in monochrome might seem limited to some. However, for me it has opened the opportunity to refine a different set of artistic and perceptional skills. To retain complexity and detail without colour trains the eye to focus on new ways of rendering an image.

More fundamentally, monochrome is incredibly simple yet incredibly complex. Lacking colour, the image is stark and striking - its simplicity is elegant and refined. If art expresses ineffable truths, then monochrome embodies the fundamental duality - the light and the dark - of reality, and in this sense it encapsulates something profound and complex.

I’m intrigued to know more about your artistic process. Do you plan your pieces in advance or is their creation more organic?

My ideas often arise as a quick, fleeting image, almost like a dream or memory.

The challenge then, for me, is translating this onto paper. I start with capturing the general shape of the design, and after this has been mapped out the rest of the process is organic.

My artistic process most resembles automatic drawing. Automatism is a meditative philosophy which aims to quieten the thinking mind, allowing the body to guide the creative process. This method was exposed to me through the surrealists but also through other interests of mine such as Taoism and jazz. Not knowing what the end product will be is a source of great excitement and defines my creative process.

Your new series signals a change in direction. Can you tell us about it?

Recently, the applications of my art have broadened in scope; my designs, therefore, have to be more simple to be able to translate into different media and at different scales. For instance, I have been developing my mural portfolio, and of course the complexity of my previous drawings would not have been appropriate for this.

Your ‘365’ collection documents a year’s worth of drawings. What themes did you explore during this visual journey?

Initially, my focus was abstract pointillism - a mark-making effect made up of dots. As the project progressed however, I began to reflect on my immediate surroundings. Each page thereafter generally focuses on a single theme.

For example, one page describes things seen along a single walk by a river, another studies bones and skulls discovered in the Peak District. Complementing the focus on my exterior surroundings, many pages equally focus on drawings from the mind, since this is also a part of my experience.

What’s on the horizon for you in the coming months?

As mentioned, I am in the process of expanding my mural portfolio. A motivating factor for my choice to create murals is the accessibility of this art form. Further, art invigorates and revitalises urban areas and is therefore invaluable to the community.

Finding walls to paint on is the biggest obstacle for me. Anyone who would like a wall painted please, don’t hesitate to contact me.