digital artist filip custic dissects the human body in surrealist 3D sculptures

‘I feel that, as humans, we’re in a continuous transformation,’ says 26-year-old filip custic braut, a spanish-serbian artist whose installations, sculptures and digital art, travels between past and future, science and spirituality.  ‘I feel constantly different — that’s why I try different things.’

custic combine models, costumes and various other objects that inspire him, using them to give form to abstract concepts surrounding humanity and its evolution. spirituality, religion, relationships and sexuality are all explored through a lens preoccupied with fragmentation, pataphysics, optical balance effects and technological art.

‘retrato with pi’
images courtesy of the artist

it’s a style that has seen the artist collaborate in numerous projects with names including louboutin, palomo spain, camper, garage magazine, and singer rosalía for her latest album el mal querer. here designboom talks to filip about his practice, his use of technology and the presence of religious iconography within his work…

‘liturgy’, featuring rosalìa

designboom [DB]: how would you describe your approach to art?

filip custic braut [FCB]: for me, art helps to draw the imaginary and the evolution of humanity. I use the past and present info that comes to me and interpret it, so future humans can continue developing it. my pictures are puzzles of information.

‘poder, in ningun hombre’, featuring rosalìa

DB: how do you use digital mediums and technology in your practice?

FCB: as a kid, when contemplating artworks, I’ve always wondered: ‘how are they made? what do they mean? how did that artist achieve that idea? how long did it take? what can be learned from these works?’ so I think that with my own practice, I’m answering all the questions I suppose people have too when they see my work.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Filip Custic (@filipcustic1) on Jul 8, 2018 at 12:12pm PDT

‘prisma humano’

DB: what do you intend to do with these technologies?

FCB: new technology is like fresh inspiration. technology is something new. it’s something never done before. everything said before is already created. I think that with good use of technology we can answer those questions that otherwise cannot be answered without it. also, the current situation is overwhelming. there’s too much info, too much speed… and we’re not worrying about the extent we’re damaging all around us. we should seek balance.

a picture for selfridges ‘accessories all areas‘

DB: how do you shift between photography, performance, sculpture and video – do you find that one medium dominates your practice? do you always start with one, or the other?

FCB: I feel that, as humans, we’re in a continuous transformation. I feel constantly different — that’s why I try different things. there’re many disciplines and media that interest me, because I’m still learning and looking for the right formula. I love hyperrealistic sculptures. I like to be able to see art creations from all different perspectives.

‘retrato elia’

DB: is it your intention to use religious iconography/symbols in your work? if so, what effect are you trying to create by doing?

FCB: I like to use symbols that humans can understand and interpret. my idea is to give form to abstract concepts, and humans have created different visual icons to communicate them. I use the notion of the body as a temple to communicate ideas and learnings. in this sense, universal symbols help me to do it.

DB: how has your hometown of madrid/spain influenced your practice?

FCB: I love spain in general. the culture is very inspiring. but what I like about madrid is that it’s a very active city. there’s always something happening. here I’ve met a lot of inspiring people.

‘los bañistas’

DB: what piece of work are you most proud of?

FCB: if I have to say one, I think that would be the hyperrealistic sculpture I did to commemorate the 100 anniversary of césar manrique’s death: ‘(ego hiperrealista) + (juguete del viento) =’. hyperrealism is a great canvas for me to create. I can combine it and use it along with many other different technics. also my goal is to create a robot.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Filip Custic (@filipcustic1) on May 23, 2019 at 6:35am PDT

‘(ego hiperrealista) + (juguete del viento) =’

DB: can you explain the process of making your 3D sculptures, for example, ‘macro = micro and ‘(ego hiperrealista) + (juguete del viento)’…

FCB: creating the 3D sculpture was a whole new experience. I had to scan myself and then, in team with analog studio, we gave form to the structure. it’s nice to see that with technology, we can experience creativity in new ways, breaking the earthly boundaries.

‘varas’

FCB continued… in the creation of ‘(ego hiperrealista) + (juguete del viento) =’, I learnt a lot. it was the first big hyperrealistic piece I decided to make — it wasn’t easy, but the result was worth it. as I mentioned earlier, I’m currently focused on hyperrealism, which is the technique that best allows me to continue exploring the physicality of the human body both on tangible and digital worlds.