Invisible Cities: Dangiuz

The interview is conducted as part of the SuperRare April Exhibition: Invisible Cities, curated by an and Elisabeth Johs.

Dangiuz, pseudonym of Leopoldo D’Angelo, is an Italian contemporary visual  artist, crypto artist, art director and graphic designer specialising in sci-fi and  retro-futuristic themes.

A. Describe the cities in your art

The cities in my art are literally everything. It’s what people look at, and it  depicts the immensity of the city, the evolution, the technology around us.

B. How did you become interested in using cities as the subject of your art?  Which aspects of cities fascinate you the most?

My work is heavily inspired by Cyberpunk and Sci-Fi cultures in general, so I enjoy both the cyber/android side, but mostly the City side. I think the Cities, in general, represent the evolution of technology better than anything else and that’s what fascinates me.

C. What do cities mean for you?

Everything. It’s the thing I’ve been loving doing the most, since I discovered 3D art.

D. Which are your favorite cities? How do these cities inspire you and influence  your art?

Tokyo, Milano, New York, Shanghai. Their technology and vanguard makes me wonder what they could become in 100 years.

E. What are you trying to express through depiction of cities? In portraying  cities, what are the (bigger or personal) stories you’re trying to tell?

I’m trying to somehow depict both positive and negative aspects of huge  technology in futuristic cities. For instance, no nature is surely a negative thing, and you almost never get to see nature in my pieces. On the other hand, you have huge technology, huge evolution, and every sort of thing you could ever imagine, or need.

F. What’s your approach to make art about cities (creative process, technique, art genre, aesthetics etc.)

I usually start with mixing different assets from different projects, and then tend to multiply them and mix them up. Then I light the scene and try to end up with a very futuristic and not-realistic city.

G. What does your ideal city look like? Or, for artists who do futuristic cities: what’s your philosophy  considering urban designs for a future city?

I believe impracticability is the key word for my cities: they look cool, but if you look closely, nobody could or would ever want to live there.

H. What’s the relationship between people and cities (or nature and cities) in your art?

The relationship is usually a feeling of nostalgia/melancholy, which kinda makes us understand that it’s completely fair and possible to feel alone even in such a HUGE city.

I. What are the little things you want your viewers to notice in your art?

What I think people already notice is the little easter eggs. I often feature the same details over and over again: a cat, the hologram of dices and the hologram of the tiger.

J. What’s your dream art project to do?

Making a movie.