Like many artists during the pandemic, Evaldas Gulbinas had to make a shift in his art. His work as a tattoo artist living in London slowed down immensely, giving him more time to think about his art and who he is as an artist. “I refined my art and started combining my tattooing and fine art skills,” he explains. “I wasn’t working in the tattoo studio or art studio any longer. I was making work in my room.”
He began working on a new collection that started from very small drawings of sculptures. “My art has gotten darker, more objective and similar to tattoo art. I understood that by making these sculptures I was improving my skills in fine art and tattooing,” he says. Inspired by Japanese art, human faces, and religion, Evaldas designs sculptures made of paper or metal. Each sculpture has its own meaning and message, but Evaldas says “the pieces work as one and communicate with each other.”
His current exhibition, “Chaos in the Making” is representative of his current situation. “At the moment, I am studying full time at Chelsea College of Arts at University of the Arts London, and I am working in two tattoo parlours,” he says. “I am jumping from one art style to another; I get bored doing one single style. Making a sculpture for me is like creating a new kind of body. I think most of the sculptures can last for many years.”
When beginning to create his mixed media pieces, Evaldas first determines which material he will use. “After that, I think about the ideas and creation, which just come to my head naturally. I love to inject the secret behind the art piece I make,” he says. “It’s pure creation.” Next, he draws on paper or metal, creating the shapes that come to mind. He takes a “destruction of painting or drawing” approach to keep his art fresh. “As I’ve been drawing many years, I can get a bit bored with it,” he explains. “I try to destroy the art by making shapes and sculpting. I also started to engrave metal sheets and make sculptures out of it.”
Evaldas has also started to create sculptures from his tattoo pictures. He says his art will continue to evolve with creating sculptures from his tattoo designs, turning sculptures into print designs and multimedia work with a focus on futuristic objects.
To see more of Evaldas’ art, visit http://www.evaldasgulbinas.co.uk and https://www.instagram.com/efka_tattooart.
