Interview with Anthony Zinonos

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)My name is Anthony Zinonos. I live in the fine city of Norwich in the UK. I was born in South Africa in November 1981, moved to Cyprus at age 11, where I lived till I was eighteen and then I moved to Norwich to do a foundation course in art and design. I then spent a year at a photography school in Athens, Greece then returned to Norwich to study for a degree in Fine Art, specialising in printmaking and photomedia.

q) How did you get into art?

a)When I was about 2 years old I pooped in my toy box then proceeded to redecorate the hallway with my newly found finger paint. It’ss been down hill since then.

q) Who has been the biggest influence to you?

a)My father, he has always been into art and photography so I guess his art genes rubbed off on me. He used to own a screen printing factory in South Africa and I used to love going there and looking at all the paper and misprints. Also, there was loads of Letraset and different kinds of tapes which I would fiddle around with.

q) Do you rule by any tendency in your creative work, or you only follow what comes in your mind?

a)I follow what comes into my mind.

q) Do you have a preferred medium to work on? Why?

a)Paper! I love it, I collect all kind of different types. Also magazines- I have piles of magazines all around the house just waiting to be cut out and reused.

q) How much does your environment have an effect on your pictures?

a)My environment has a big impact on my work, I tend to feed off the places and people that are around me. That’s why I think travelling is so good; you get to step out of your day to day life and see new and different things. It seems to put things into perspective ‘cause sometimes you can get so caught up in your own life you forget that there is a whole other world out there.

q) Tell us about your studio space. Where do you work? Do you listen to certain types of music while working?

a)My girlfriend and I share a studio space, it’s the biggest room in our house and ideal for storing all the crap we collect. Its great sharing a studio because we encourage each other to work and there is always someone there to have a laugh with. I mostly work on my desk but a lot of the time it gets too messy and I have to work on the floor. Lately we have been listerning to Sleater Kinney, The Books, Modest Mouse and The Stooges. The other day my girlfriend made me listen to some musical theatre soundtracks which was stressful and I nearly cut my finger off.

q) Who are your favourite artists?

a)My current favourites are Thomas Schostok, John Stezaker, Sergei Sviatchenko and Neasden Control Centre. They are all Brilliant artists and get me excited about making work.

q)When have you started using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?

a)I’ve only recently discovered the wonders of the internet and I still get amazed by its capabilities . It’s a great way of presenting your work that endless amounts of people can access and appreciate.

q) What books are on your nightstand?

a)I have three books next to my bed “Return of the lost consonants” by Graham Rawle which I was looking at a few weeks ago. “Bob Dylan chronicles Vol. 1” which I read about half of then gave up cause it just wasn’t going anywhere. I'm now reading “The Jokes Over, memories of Hunter S Thompson” by Ralph Steadman.

q) What's playing on your stereo?

a)Radiohead “Kid A”, one of my all time favourites.

q) Any interesting "rituals" before you start creating?

a)A lot of the time I start cleaning my desk, trying to sort things out then ill find an image or bit of paper and start creating.

q) What is your favourite colour?

a)That’s a tricky question because I seem to be obsessed with all kinds of colours right now. It used to be blue, so I’ll just say blue.

q) What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)I work best at night, I find it easier to concentrate. There is also that joy of working till the early morning and feeling really alive and full of energy and knowing that everybody else is fast asleep.

q) What projects mean a lot to you at the moment?

a)I’ve been working on a clothing company with my friend called “dirt box”, it gives our idle hands and minds something to do when we are not working. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with fashion so this is my way of sticking my finger into the fashion pie. We have some big plans for the company next year.

q)Your contacts…

a) www.anthonyzinonos.com
www.dirt-box.com