Artist Robi Walters [INTERVIEW]

Robi Walters is a London-based artist who has his own gallery and studio space in the heart of Soho. His mesmerizing, colorful collages have attracted celebrity collectors such as Thandie Newton, Maxim from the Prodigy and Major Lazer’s Diplo and Jillionaire. In 2017 Robi presented a piece to Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt. Music is a powerful influence and he has collaborated with several renowned musicians including U2, Mary J Blige and Sir Paul McCartney in order to raise money for charities.

He was recently Aston Martin’s Artist in Residence. He utilized unused materials from their production process and created innovative and provocative works of art. He is collaborating on special projects with Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman and for the Aston Martin Residences in Miami which will open in 2022.

2 Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge recently commissioned three of Robi’s pieces for his new London restaurant, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill in the Corinthia Hotel, including two bespoke table tops made out of menus people had saved as souvenirs.

Robi’s most recent collaboration is with Formula 1. He’s been a fan since a he was a boy and deeply admires their spirit of pushing past boundaries and innovation. Watch this space.

Robi made his first sculpture out of the contents of his recycling bin over a decade ago. The piece was conceptualized when he started to think about human consumption, sustainability and the effects of consumerism. Rifling through the bin and pulling out old cereal boxes, he began cutting petals before arranging them into an exuberant 1,000-petalled lotus, constructed in line with the rules of sacred geometry.

The mesmerizing, socially-charged pieces are born from sacred geometry, exploring inner space and the calm he seeks in his daily meditation practice. Over the past decade, his oeuvre has communicated the art of transformation, employing discarded materials to create a unique commentary upon consumerism, consumption and waste.

Robi’s artistic practice echoes his own life. The process of taking discarded objects and making them beautiful and ‘wanted’ reflects the spirit of transformation with which he has turned his own life around. He has opened his own studio and gallery in Soho and continues to break past his own boundaries to make his dreams reality.

Work: Innervisions

In the intricate and multilayered spiral collages he creates, recycled materials are cut into thousands of tiny, hand-crafted petals, which are then painstakingly layered into the thousand petalled lotus shape; a symbol related to enlightenment. His works not only display his dedication to the meditative repetition involved in their creation, but also to the sense of infinity and calm he seeks to engender in the viewer.

What is your preferred medium?

I work in many mediums. My main body of work is collage which utilizes recycled card and spray paint. I use a lot of abandoned or discarded material in my work. I also do paintings using acrylic and spray paint. When I was a teenager, I absolutely loved graffiti. It was so fresh and a way to share with your friends what you could do.

Who is an artist that inspires you?

One of my favorite artists is a friend, Chris Ofili who also gave me some amazing advice that went on to inspire me on of my biggest projects. He told me to paint every single day. In 2011, I started doing just that. It’s turned into my ‘365: Every Day Counts’ project. I’ve been in my own gallery space in Soho (London) since 2017. My studio space is downstairs. It’s allowed me to take the next steps in my career.

Do you have a favorite piece that you have created?

That is a difficult question. Normally my favorite artwork is the one that I’m working on. Even if the art is really small, I don’t see it as less important as my big pieces. If I had to choose one right now it would be the one I finished last year when I was in isolation. It was my company for 10 days and I formed an attachment. It’s a 120cm x 183cm Pink collage, named “We Can Find Love Too.”

Is there a specific experience that stands out to you, either transforming you as an artist, or just a special project?

In 2019, I became the Aston Martin Artist-in-Residence. During this time, I was fortunate enough to meet and worked with their Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman. I took the premium discarded leather from their production process and created works of art from them. I even made some pieces in the shape of the Aston Martin wings logo.

If you could travel anywhere in the world to see a famous piece of art where would it be?

The place that is on my mind currently is LA. I have visited many cities in America but not LA. There is some great art there! I also have some incredible friends based in LA who would be able to show me around and that’s important to me. Sharing is caring.

What is your creative truth?

As mentioned, I was once advised to create artwork every day. This gets you into the practice of always being creative. I have been doing this for over 10 years now. Accumulated small steps create big things. Much like the process of the Aston Martin Residences currently being built in Miami. Also, find something that inspires you – if it’s your interest, you can keep going and going. It’s important to me to go beyond my own comfort zone. For example, doing something your inner voice says you can’t, showing someone something you have created. Most importantly ask for advice and help.

What are you working on now? 

I’m currently exhibiting my ‘365: Every Day Counts’ project in my gallery. 500 books that I’ve hand painted, so each one is also an individual piece of art. I’m also in the process of turning them into NFTs which will be available to buy very soon. My latest exhibition is currently showing with Aston Martin Residences, the first luxury residential development by the British automaker, currently under construction in downtown Miami. The creative team have produced a Virtual Art Gallery that resembles how the physical art gallery will look on the 52nd floor. Visitors to the Astonmartinresidences.com website can tour the gallery online to see my collection of work being exhibited that started in March and will be showing for the next three months, entitled “You’ll Know When You Get There.” This is my first “virtual art gallery” show which is very realistic and shows how the actual art gallery will look when the property is completed at the end of this year. The Aston Martin Residences Virtual Art Gallery provides unrestricted access to everyone who wants to experience my work and collections by other established and emerging artists. This exhibition follows the previous virtual shows by fellow artists Julian Lennon, Aaron Schwartz and Fabio Mesa. I’ve also created my own expression of the Aston Martin Residences building that is a colorful collage, made from recycled card that is based on sacred geometry.

Have you always been interested in being an artist? 

Since I was a young boy have been interested in art. I was a huge fan of graffiti while I was growing up. Now I see that innocence in my kid’s art which makes me very excited. Young people’s art is so free. There is something in the creation of art for me that transcends normal life.

What is one of the hardest challenges you face as an artist?

Time running out!

What is one of the most rewarding elements you take away from doing what you do?

I receive a very special feeling when others get excited about my work, especially when someone buys my work and hangs it and I see the response from them. The other thing that I find rewarding is that time stands still when I’m creating.

What is one quality you feel is key in succeeding at your craft in today’s creative landscape?

Stay true to yourself. There’s so much going on in the creative field that it can be distracting. Don’t try and copy someone else. Find your own voice, your own style, and then put in the work.

If you could meet another artist (dead or alive) for a day, who would it be? 

If I could meet another artist and spend the day together that artist would be Jean Michel Basquiat. I think he is one of the best artists ever. I would try and talk him into trading some art! I wouldn’t want his work for the value, I would want it for my lifetime and pass it on to my kids who would have to share it. I find Jean’s artwork spontaneous; childlike with incredible confidence of material and subject matter.

What advice can you share with other artists about what you’ve learned from your journey?

We can be inspired by others but ultimately, we have to take the action, so take that first step constantly. Trust your gut and instinct. Through the passage of time, we are being distracted and separated from ourselves. Take back control and go for it. Like Steve Jobs said: “We are all making it up as we go along.” No one is in a better position to live your life than you!

For someone who is new to discovering art, what would you recommend on how to explore the possibilities of what is out there?

With art and particularly if you’re considering investing in art, I recommend doing your research, but buy what you love.

Have you been fortunate enough to have a showing, performance or more?

I haven’t had a showing performance before. I have meditated for over 22 years and is one of the most important practices in my life. When I do workshops with children or adults, I start the workshop leading a group meditation which is always connecting. It like a performance.

What has been your biggest “Wow” moment in your career as an artist?

Selling my first artworks with a Mayfair, London gallery was a very special moment. Which was with the gallery called Waterhouse and Dodd. I received a call asking “…are you near a bar,” and I said “,,yes can you see me.” I was at a show in The Tate Britain. The answer was “…no I can’t see you, but we have just sold your first artwork at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair, so get yourself a celebration drink.” I was so happy and when I left The Tate Britain, and I received another call saying they had just sold another one of my artworks. That was a very special moment.

Tell us an interesting story about yourself that you have not already covered in the above questions.

Something that I have really got in to the last few years is cold water. I take a cold showers Monday to Friday and cold baths on Saturday and Sunday. The benefits form this is just beyond measurement. I feel fresh and alive afterwards and I jump in a cold river or the sea whenever possible. It helps with my immune system, my skin, digestion, clarity and focus. A simple way to start is to have a hot shower and for the last part stand under cold water for as long as you can and see how you feel after.

Thank you Robi for taking the time to share your story with us!

To learn more about this amazing artist, visit robiwalters.com.