«My name is Ivan Ulmann, I am a Swiss born Artist, living for 30 years in the sunny, south west part of the Algarve / Portugal. From 1996 -2003 I explored autodidactically many different materials and ways of creativity and educating myself to become an artist.
In 2003, inspired by the works of Antonio Gaudí and Andy Warhol I started my professional artistic journey to developing works made out of broken tiles. The technique is called Trencadis. Over the years it was always important to me to perfect and progress this technique in detail. The results and steady progress is visual within the works.»
The story of this Swiss artist is the discovery of a passion through the architecture of the famous Antonio Gaudí mixed with the colors and the impressive way of doing of Andy Warhol.
Ivan has inherited his passion for art due to his parents who introduced him to the artistic world. He lived in Algarve and started experimenting with music, writing and drawing.
Since he was young, he was interested in urban art, something that at the time seemed to him like a world of adventure where he could express what he already felt as an artist.
But his world had to provide him with something more than dreams of artistic creations and he decided to take a gastronomy course in St. Gallen, Switzerland, in 1992.
The world of gastronomy is also related to the art of good cooking, but it did not go deep into Ivan’s heart as he saw his dreams in danger.
In 2003, he decided to leave behind all his time in that world in which he felt somewhat maladjusted and, at the same time, he returned to his true passion.
He worked with his father, a builder and carpenter, on projects with natural stone, marble and granite.
From that moment on, his work started to become more perfect, creating marble mosaics, inspired by the famous Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudí. His sculptures are more classical, with large iron bases, although he needs the influence of pop art that bring new materials and a new technique and this is where the relationship with Andy Warhol’s way of doing begins.
Ivan began to develop one of the most striking features of his work, pop art style mosaic portraits, which almost take on a three-dimensional form through the use of broken tiles, which he acquired from the Portuguese company Cinca, based in Santa Maria da Feira.
After exhibiting his works all over the country with great success, Ivan has also created numerous personalized art pieces for various national and international celebrities.
Ivan Ulmann defines himself as a “cheat puzzle maker”. What does this definition mean?
The definition of a «cheating puzzle maker» is simple. Many of us like to make puzzles. It is a fun activity and it tests our curiosity and patience to search for the right piece within hundreds or thousands of similar looking pieces. Every piece is destined for a specific place, where in resonance with others, all pieces build one picture. There are many similarities between a puzzle and a mosaic picture. The biggest difference is that by solving a puzzle, nobody would use pliers to cut the pieces into shape. In comparison, creating a ceramic tiled mosaic absolutely requires pliers to break and shape the pieces into place. This makes me in some ways… «a cheating puzzle maker.»
Did your parents’ influence create the artist you are today?
I believe that was an important factor in several ways and I’m very thankful to both of my parents. In early childhood, they influenced and supported me in many kinds of creative activities. For example… learning to play an instrument was very important to my father, especially because everybody of his family was playing an instrument. Overall, I was lucky to grow up in a very inspiring and creative environment in Switzerland. It was there, where I could develop my first experiments with graffiti´s, drawings, writings, playing my accordion or just building stuff in the carpentry of my father. The biggest influence of my parents in regards to the artist I am today was the fact that we decided to leave Switzerland in 1995 and to start a new life in the south west of the Algarve in Portugal. I was 19 years old when we moved joyfully to Portugal. With this big change in life and change of perspectives… the materials and views for my creative expressions changed also.
How do we unite the concepts of urban art with tiles?
Historically, the Mediterranean countries like Spain and Portugal have a long history and tradition using ceramic tiles in covering facades, stairs or walls.
Hand painted ceramic tiles were not only pretty and colourful but also different from region to region in their designs and styles. A simple painting on the wall vanishes over time.
The practical use of ceramic tiles instead of painting a facade of a house every second year, was in old times beneficial in many ways. Once covered in tiles, the wall was protected from rain and remained almost new for many years to come and gave the place a kind of identity. Here in Portugal, most of the older town houses in the streets have still tiles covering the first half meter from the ground.
In regards to my personal artistic journey, I focused much more to create art for the interior than for the urban or exterior. Only during 2008-2015, I had a time period where I created almost exclusively sculptures, not for urban purposes but rather for luxurious gardens. Today, I make Art for luxurious homes! =)
Your mosaics remind me of the work of the Catalan Antonio Gaudi and I think he has influenced you a lot in your concept of art. What would you tell us about that influence and that of some others who have marked your professional life?
The Catalan Architect Antonio Gaudi was indeed an amazing inspiration. Not only was I impressed by his unique designs, shape and forms but also by his tremendous creativity and productivity. His architecture was in my eyes revolutionary and opened many new horizons in me. For example the masterfully designed houses in Parc Güell made out of natural stones in combination with white broken tiles. Just beautiful! Through him I was introduced to the technique Trencadis and how to break tiles for example, or the symbology that is hidden in his works, were very important for my artistic orientation and formation. There was so much I could learn by studying his works. Other influences were Andy Warhol and the black and white photographs of Anton Corbijn.
Still, it was important to me to find my own, personal artistic way and my own individual signature.
I believe that doing work with such small tiles requires a great deal of patience. Have you ever felt like leaving the piece you were creating?
Patience is indeed of essential importance, when creating art works that require hundreds of hours of dedication. But more important than patience, is focus, persistence and the idea itself. The work must be well designed and thought through. Mistakes are difficult to correct, but leaving an artwork behind is not a option, there is no way back… once started and time has been invested, it would feel like a defeat to give up on a piece.
Pop Art and Andy Warhol have been very present in your professional life. What did you mean and how was he linked to your works of art?
In the beginning years of my artistic career, Andy Warhol was indeed a big inspiration. In that time period I mainly created Pop Art Portraits that were made out of broken tiles.
When building a mosaic portrait, the Pop Art portrait style allowed and educated me in how to use colours and contrast. In comparison with a painted portrait, where you can use smooth shadows and transitions of light, with ceramic tiles you don´t have that option. Instead of a smooth transition, you must work with hard lines and strong contrasts.
I know you have worked with some collaborators. How was the experience?
Yes, I did. It was a very special and creative phase of my artistic experience. In collaboration with Karl Heinz Stock and Quinta dos Vales I created 15 sculptures from 2008-2015.
Our goal was to perfect the effect of mosaic when applied on a round body or sculpture. The challenge to cover a round body with tiles and still be able to create motives or portraits on it, was very big. But the pieces we created, speak for themselves. We achieved throughout Portugal many successful exhibitions when in 2015 our ways parted. It was time for a change! That is when I decided to go a step further and to start with the production of the Babylonication Collection. I enjoyed every moment of the process and was grateful for the opportunity to be able to express myself freely and wide in big size pictures. Now after 10 years of work, the Babylonication Collection is finally finished!
Where do you find the mosaic pieces to work with?
Gladly I don’t have to search for them. I can order the amount I like from a Portuguese Tile Producer in the colors I need and in the size 15cmx15cm. Then I break them to smaller pieces.
You have made many exhibitions with great success. I would like you to explain to me how they developed and how the public received your works.
Exhibitions surge by requesting a venue or entity or just by being invited. At the moment for example, I am trying to find MP´s from the EU Parliament that would help me to organise an exhibition with the Babylonication Collection, within the entrance halls of the EU Parliament. The exhibition theme deals with the rise and fall of empires and fits contemporarily perfect into the Zeitgeist of today. Besides I am looking to find ways how to send the exhibition on a long exhibition tour.
Over the past 22 years, I have realised many solo and collective exhibitions. The reaction was most overwhelming and very positive. People expressed their deep respect for the patience and dedication that was requires to create this kind of special artworks. Often I receive positive feedbacks and congratulations by Email from people only visiting my website www.ivanulmannofficial.com
Some celebrities are good clients of yours. This will undoubtedly have opened up many opportunities for you… Could you name a celebrity who has one of your works?
Contacts and Networks are very important in the art market. They can indeed open to new possibilities. To mention one of the celebrity, Cliff Richard has one work of mine.
And finally, how do you see your future in the coming years? Will there be an evolution of your art? Or would you like to return to the world of gastronomy where you were for many years?
Returning back to Gastronomy like in the beginning years of my career is not an option I would consider today. Too many waters have passed since then and too many successes have been achieved. =)
But in regards to your first question: The coming years in Europe will be very challenging, but personally, I am optimistic. Especially when I look at the outlook of my different projects ahead. Like for example the World Cup 2030 Project, the Babylonication travel exhibition, but also that my newest creations (The Broken Pollock´s), gain a lot of interest and attention by renowned interior designers and architects around the world.
In regards to your second question: I strongly believe and hope so… =) not only because I have made my homework, prepared the field and laid the corner stone. The evolution in my art has always been progressive and is visually easy to recognize, compared with works from 20 years ago. But of course, I will continue evolving my artworks and techniques, but with God´s help…. maybe even more than just that. =)