Interview with Painter and Digital Artist Hesam Jey
I came across the works by Hesam around the time of my grandmothers passing. They immediately made me feel comforted and helped me turn the focus of my grief from death to one of remembrance. Even after doing this interview I don’t think I could even explain what the meaning is behind some of his works but I still feel like I understand them. They tap into something profoundly symbolic and otherworldly as if you are traversing a mindscapes or dreams long forgotten to the conscious world.
Where are you from and what was life like growing up there?
I was born in 1999 in Bojnord, a small city in Iran. Growing up, one of my older brothers, who is also a painter, was my biggest support in learning how to create and better understand art. Back then, in such a small city, access to the art world was very limited. We didn’t have galleries or art communities, so all we had were video games, TV shows, and magazines. Hollywood movies and video games were my main sources of inspiration, and I deeply dreamed of becoming a creator in those fields.
What is your first memory of being creative?
Drawing before my school years, showing my paintings to my dad, and being rewarded with an ice cream in return. That is my sweetest memory!
Can you walk us through your creative process?
It usually starts with an image coming to my mind while I’m taking a walk, eating, or right before I fall asleep. That image is quickly followed by an emotion, which tells me how it’s supposed to be interpreted. Is it sad? Is it happy? Is it angry? I try not to question the source of it, at least not before bringing it to life. I sketch it down as simply as possible so I can return to it later. The sketch can be just a few simple lines accompanied by words that indicate each subject.
In the meantime, I think about how I’m going to execute it. Will it be animated or still? What colors should I use?
Then, I start working on the structure, exploring variations of compositions and colors. I refine the anatomy, faces, bodies, and objects. After that comes the fun part: rendering out what I sketched. I prepare all my materials, set up my canvas (or my iPad, if it’s an animation) play some music, and lose myself in the work for hours until I’m fully satisfied.
How would you describe your style of art?
That’s not an easy question for me to answer. I used to think of my art as surreal, dark art, or fantastical, but I eventually realized it’s not necessary to label it. It should just be created, and it should convey the feeling or the idea behind it. Anyone can call it whatever they want. For some, it feels dark; for others, it’s quite the opposite!
What are some of your early inspirations and have those changed over the years?
My childhood paintings were full of fantasy characters and creatures drawn for surreal worlds I imagined all types of monsters and heroes. I used to dream of becoming a video game director and creating my own worlds. Later on, after going to art school, studying animation, and then studying sculpture at university, things changed. I studied art history, became aware of different ways of creating, and also deeply connected with my cultural heritage: Persian literature and philosophy.
Poems by Rumi, Omar Khayyam, and other great Persian thinkers started to reflect in my artwork. Concepts like life and death, the ego and the self, became the core subjects of my work.
What does art mean to you?
A In my view, art is a way of communicating with the world, just like talking, but in a different form. One might dance, one might play a sound, or another might reshape and rearrange objects, lines, and colors. They are all words coming from deep inside one’s soul, waiting to be heard by another’s.
Do you have any hobbies outside of art?
I love connecting with nature, playing electric guitar and traveling.
What is a small bit of advice you could give new artists starting in the industry?
Don’t give in to the fear of missing out when you hear the news about AI or economic shifts. If you feel the urge to create, and if you truly love the process, just do it. I promise that the best will come to you if you create from the heart. Art will always find its way and its audience.
What projects do you have coming up?
Currently, I’m so excited to be working on a new series of paintings. I haven’t decided what to call them yet, but they feel like a window into a completely new part of my mind; somewhere I am yet to fully discover!
At the same time, I’m continuing to work on my short animated series, AWE. It serves as a creative playground for me, giving me the freedom to experiment and tell a lot of small, unique stories
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