Veca in his studio

Veca's 2003 "Debacle" installation (acrylic on walls and Sintra, enamel on MDF, 27' x 87' x 6')

Detail of "Debacle" installation

"El Gloominator," a 1998 installation at the University at Buffalo Art Gallery

"Funky Jungle," a 1999 installation, DiverseWorks Art Space, Houston, TX

"Mutiny II," 1992

"Sweepea" installation, 2000

"Canto III" (detail), 1996

"Harem-Scarum," 2000, Gallery at Villa Montalvo, Saratoga, CA

Veca's studio

Detail of "Gummi Grotto," 1997

FA:   Tell us a little about your most recent installation, "Debacle" at the Bloomberg Space in London, and what the concept behind it is?

FA: You do a lot of site-specific work that completely envelops the space it inhabits, like your shows at the University of Buffalo Art Gallery and at the Bloomberg Space.   Tell us about your process of creating and installing the work, like at the London space in particular.

MV:   For "Debacle," the first thing I did was visit the site, where I shot some jpegs and video, got some architectural diagrams, and took measurements. After thinking about it for a week or so I made a detailed color sketch, to scale, of my design existing within the site. Then, using a projector, I enlarged the design to full size on large sheets of paper. These were used to transfer the design on to the walls at Bloomberg and to make the cutouts, which I did in the studio and shipped over. Once there, with the help of a few of assistants, we painted the yellow background, transferred the design, installed the cutouts, and painted the red, black, and white parts, and installed new lighting. The actual installation took 12 days or so. We worked right up until the opening, of course. That was definitely the most elaborate, time-consuming, and expensive piece I've made to date.

FA:   How much changes from your final design on paper to the final outcome on the walls?

MV:   Very little. When I'm working on a site-specific piece, I have to keep in mind that I'll have a limited amount of time to install, so there won't be much time available for adjustments. I try to plan every detail I can while I'm still in the studio. That way I can have more confidence that it's all going to work out when it comes to the actual execution of the work. With "Debacle", as with most of my installations, I visited the site and let it dictate what I'd eventually do with it. Usually the architecture or the atmosphere of the site speaks to me in some way and pushes me in a particular direction.

FA:   What happens to the installation once the show is over?

MV:   Usually it gets painted over. Recently I've been experimenting with different ways of saving portions of works by applying canvas or Tyvek to the walls in key areas before painting. I've got a 300 pound crate of "Debacle" cutouts on the landing to prove it.

FA:   Are your installations for sale or are they done on commission?

MV:   My installations are for sale; they can be adapted to fit a new site or a new piece can be commissioned.

FA:   How do you think your work has changed over the years?  

MV:   Well, it's become more complex, that's for sure. I used to do a painting in a day or an installation in a week or two. Now it takes me a month to do a large painting.

FA:   Do the same things inspire you today as did when you first started out as an artist?

MV:   Mostly. Popular culture has inspired me since I was a kid. For a long time I used a one-line statement which read: "Saturday-morning cartoons were my catechism", which explains why my work deals with pop imagery rather than something else, like religion for example.

FA:   Tell us about the first piece of art you created that really made you sit back and appreciate your talent.

MV:   One piece I can think of is the mural I did for The Drawing Center in 1996, called "Canto III". It was the first really large scale piece I'd done (14' x 50'), and I kind of surprised myself. I still consider it one of my best works.

FA:   What are you working on now?

MV:   Quite a bit lately. About a half an hour ago I finished wrapping a new painting called "Good-Bye Nail Fungus" for a show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, which will include another painting titled "Bang". That show, "Open House: Working in Brooklyn", will open on April 16th. I'm also in the middle of doing new work for a solo show at Jessica Murray Projects, also in Brooklyn, which opens April 30th. Then there's the silk-screen print project I'm doing with the Lower East Side Printshop in Manhattan, and, finally, the sketches for the renovation of a freeway mural in L.A. in June.

FA:   Describe your studio or working space for us.

MV:   I live and work in a 3000 square foot loft with my family. Most of that space is given over to living space but I have an adequate space to work in. I can close the door and have a fair amount of privacy. For the past few years I've been talking about taking over more of the living space to work in. One of these days (right honey?). I see it as a big mess at this point, since I've been so busy lately, but, surprisingly, people generally comment on how neat it is.

FA:   Do you have any weird or interesting hobbies you'd like to share with us?

MV:   Does drinking count as a hobby?

FA:   Why are you interested in having your artwork in films? What film, TV show or commercial do you think art is used effectively and successfully in?   Did you see your work as a digital print in the movie Big Fat Liar and were you happy to have it used there?

MV:   I'm mostly interested in the cash, although it's kinda fun to see my work in a film. I was happy enough with Big Fat Liar, but I think my work should have had a bigger role in the overall story. I actually worked as an art wrangler on the set of "Legal Eagles" in 1986.

FA:   Exhibiting work at galleries and art spaces is an important part of most artists' lives. Is it a motivating factor for you? Do you make art mostly for personal satisfaction or is showing it part of the process of being an artist?

MV:   Sure, it's a motivating factor. It's deadlines. Actually, showing the work is a very important part of the process. The audience completes the work. Making work alone in your studio without showing it is like masturbation - it feels good, but doesn't really mean anything. It's like that tree falling in the forest thing.

FA:   You've done installations for many different types of spaces. What is a project you've always wanted to do but haven't?

MV:   One thing I've always wanted to do is paint the inside of a swimming pool. The idea of working in that kind of enveloping space has always been attractive, and I think the style I work in lends itself to an aquatic environment.

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