JASON SEIFE | AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH
JASON SEIFE
BY JASMINE SUKARY

Artist Jason Seife was born in 1989 and grew up with immigrant parents of Middle Eastern descent. Carpets were a large part of his world as he grew up. The artistic Jason Seife rug paintings are created using a tedious painting process.
This rug painting involves making tiny brush strokes to create large scale pieces that are as large and as intricate as the originals in some cases.

Jason Seife’s work references old Persian carpets, an art form that is often taken for granted in modern times. Carpets were a large part of his childhood growing up with a Middle Eastern background.
Jason recreates these old weavings by tediously painting them on canvas in colors and mediums that were not typically used in their origin.
Jason presents the pieces in a new and exciting way. The creation of these works is both a therapeutic and a spiritual process, being able to channel his obsession with detail into the intricate geometry and compositions of the carpets allows Jason to find himself working hours on end without lifting his brush. What initially drew him to these works was not only the aesthetic but the dense history and meaning behind the imagery.
The weavers were able to link each rug’s particular pattern, palette, and style with a specific and identifiable geographic area or nomadic tribe that stood out to him.
Jason aims to mirror this practice with his take on the carpets by having each color and pattern specifically correlate to what state of mind and emotion he was in a while creating the specific work. Allowing him to be able to look back and see a chronological timeline of both his mental and emotional state embedded in the paintings. Essentially creating a language through shape and color that is hidden in plain view.

Art Market: Thank you, Jason, It’s a pleasure having an interview with you. Your art is unique and impressive in so many aspects. Your art is indicating a significant connection and attraction to the Middle East cultural roots. Tell us about your background, where did you grow up, and where this attraction to art and oriental carpets came from?

Jason Seife: Thank you for having me and for the kind words!
I grew up in Miami with a mixed background. My parents are Syrian and Cuban. Being a first-generation American born to immigrant parents, it can be hard to fit in or to find where you belong.
When you add in such mixed cultures, it then becomes even more of a confusion.
I always grew up with carpets in our homes; My parents are very artistic, and my household was always a creative place. For me, this artwork became explorative of my roots and finding my purpose. I always felt I needed to pick which side I gravitated towards or how to identify.
It wasn’t until I got older and started exploring my art and traveling to places like Syria and Iran, and followed my family’s journey to the US, that I was able to create my own path.
I realized I don’t have to choose anything; instead, I can mix both and create my personal narrative.
While at first glance, the artworks may seem very arabesque in terms of patterns and design, I also take a lot of inspiration from my Cuban side. I use colors and palettes that are typically found more in Caribbean art than middle eastern.

A.M: Let’s talk about the oriental carpets artworks. For me, rugs symbolized the meaning of “Home.”
The technique and the artistic structure of the elements pass through generations, connected to the community’s physical location and religion. What is the association and the meaning of carpets to you?

J. S.: I think you nailed it in terms of the meaning and significance of “Home.” I moved a lot at a young age, sometimes the one piece that followed through different homes and stages of my life was a specific carpet that becomes a family heirloom.
This can really signify a feeling of home, especially when you’re in a new and unfamiliar place.

A.M.: Do you focus mostly on a specific style of oriental carpet? Are you focusing mainly on Persian Heriz, for example, or can we find artwork focusing in Persian Gabbeh?

J. S.: I don’t focus on any specific style; on the contrary,
like to mix styles together.
As I don’t usually work from existing carpets, I create my own patterns and styles. But for instance, at times, I will reference an Isfahan carpet for a center medallion and then maybe a Tabriz for the border and so on. Which then creates this sort of new breed of mixed styles.
At first, when I began making this work, it was painting existing carpets. Ones that we owned or were dear to me, but then I started learning more about oriental rugs and their meaning.

I traveled to Iran and studied under carpet designers and weavers to understand how and why things are made the way they are.
Once I had this basic knowledge and understanding,
I was able to create my own styles and designs.
As mentioned before, I often do reference existing designs, but never create 1:1 copies. I usually take a few different elements, whether its motif I like or composition, and then infuse it with my own designs to create something new.

A.M.: Describe the workflow, from the stage of the image in your mind to the final result.

J. S.: My process is very similar to the actual carpet design process. It starts with an idea, then I sketch out the quarter of the design on paper (similar to carpet designing) I then redraw it digitally and mirror the 1/4th design to create the full work.
At this point, I will either test colors digitally or begin the painting based on the digital outline. I then redraw it on canvas or whichever medium I’m working on, and then the actual painting part begins. It’s pretty extensive, and depending on the size and intricacy can take anywhere from 1 to 3 months per piece. Sometimes, even more.

“I traveled to Iran and studied under carpet designers and weavers to understand how and why things are made the way they are.
Once I had this basic knowledge and understanding, I was able to create my own styles and designs.”

– Jason Seife

A.M.: In your latest series of work, we can see the painting on the surface of a rock/ Acrylic on concrete, broken and scratched, which gives it a wonderful sense of an old piece of art that comes from an archaeological location in the middle east. Tell us about this series.

J. S.: I have been working with mixtures of concrete and mortar for about 3 years now. It has been a fantastic and exciting process to leave the comfort zones of canvas and explore new and usually unused mediums in terms of fine art. For me, this came from my travels in the middle east. Unlike in the West, it’s not common for buildings to be painted after they’re completed in the middle east. Usually, the raw limestone or whichever the stone used is left exposed. With time this causes what I find to be a gorgeous natural abstraction.
These were incredibly inspiring to me, so I researched how these walls are made and directly reference that in my practice of creating these substrates. It’s a mixture of limestone mortar and natural dyes. I also distressed the material after I pour it and before it dries to create the cracks and broken portions. It’s great to add a second dynamic to the artwork instead of just being flat paintings.
They become 3d and sculptural.
I also love the juxtaposition of what should be an aged effect, somehow making it seem a bit more modern and contemporary in its abstraction.

A.M.: You are very young (b. 1989) and already exhibited in many locations around the world, represented by Unit London Gallery if I’m not mistaken. Your art has been featured in many articles and interviews, including at christiesrealestate.com for interior designers and architects. Looking back, did you expect this success?

J. S.: I fell in love with art at a very young age, from finding a book on Van Gogh in my aunt’s closet at the age of 9 I became obsessed with his work and the idea of painting. So for me, having started and dreamed of this from such a young age, it feels like it’s been quite a journey which has involved all sorts of ups and downs, but I’m still very fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. Growing up with immigrant parents, this career choice didn’t seem like a possibility to them, so I am entirely grateful for this opportunity.

I can’t say I ever expected this success nor do I think of myself as “successful,” for me, it’s just about creating artwork that can inspire future generations, especially those who may feel this form of art was becoming obsolete. I think I’m on the right path as long as I can continue to do that.

A.M.: What the future holds? (Exhibitions / Art fairs / Auctions)

J. S.: Well, 2020 has been quite the year of uncertainty, so the future is hard to plan out at the moment, but I will say I have plans for an upcoming solo exhibition in London at the beginning of 2021 and my first solo museum show in the spring of 2021 in Rome.
But we will see how this year goes, and when these will actually come into fruition, fingers crossed!

See The Full Interview Article on Art Market Magazine Issue #48