Spotlight on Collage Artist Trading Card Artist Danai Gkoni
Architect and artist Danai Gkoni has been narrating surreal and sometimes dystopic urban stories with her digital collage since 2013. A special focus has been on Athens, whose urban condition has always been a strong inspiration for her. She is deeply interested in the dynamics of space and the built environment, the urban lifestyle and its aesthetics, the pleasure of urbanity as a space of togetherness and isolation at the same time.
Danai Gkoni is featured in Collage Artist Trading Cards, Pack 5. We asked her some questions about her work.
KOLAJ: Who are you? How do you describe yourself?
DANAI GKONI: I am Danai Gkoni, an architect and collage artist from Greece. I’m quite temperamental and cynical sometimes, I enjoy creating things and spending time with my people.
KOLAJ: Can you explain the idea behind Snorkeling (Urban_Crisis_Resort#3)?
GKONI: This collage was created for the group exhibition “Art Resident”, which asked artists to visualize their favourite space. For me, it’s a balcony in Athens–there you can have the amazing view of the toxic antenna sea of the Greek metropolis. In an ironic mood, I named the piece Snorkeling (part 3 of my “Urban Crisis Resort” collage series). (top image)
KOLAJ How do you make this work?
GKONI: I work on my collages digitally, using images I collect on the net or photos I take myself on the street. I cut, paste, recolour and distort those images to create something entirely new, that’s what fascinates me about collage.
KOLAJ: Why did you want to make this work?
GKONI: It just happened gradually, as an architect I was constructing images on the computer and little by little I started working on art concepts.
KOLAJ: What are you working on these days?
GKONI: Several things: A collage for a love story, a poster for a noise festival, a decorative illustration for a new restaurant, and continuing my personal projects.
KOLAJ: Where or how can people see more (or purchase) of your work?
GKONI: You can see my work on my Tumblr page and my website, where you can find also links to my Society6 and Redbubble stores. For purchasing my prints, email me directly [click to email] or visit my Crowdy House page to find some offers. You can also see more of Gkoni’s work on her Kolaj Magazine Artist Directory page HERE.
PURCHASE Collage Artist Trading C
ards, Pack 5.
Image (top):
Snorkeling (Urban_Crisis_Resort#3) by Danai Gkoni
19.69″x19.69″; digital collage; 2014
Image (bottom):
There_is_No_Longer_Outside#3 by Danai Gkoni
inspired by Olafur Eliasson’s “Weather Project”
digital collage; 2015