MOSHCIETY - Flipbook - Page 129
Joseph Klibansky
ICONIC PIECE. BABY WE MADE IT
What is your favourite piece of work and why?
As an artist, you’re always thinking about the next piece
and that’s always based on what story you want to tell.
I’ve been working on astronaut sculptures recently,
because I’ve been interested in space travel for a very
long time, in fact my first space travel piece was back
in 2009. There’s a lot of interest in this topic right now,
with what Elon Musk is doing, etc, and I created a piece
called Beyond the Clouds, a sculpture of an astronaut
floating up through the clouds, going from the planet
and transcending into space. For me, it’s a strong piece
and I’m really quite proud of it.
The Klibansky universe is vast and extensive, you’ve
created sculptures, paintings, books, clothing,
jewellery, it seems you’ve touched everything.
What’s your favourite line of work?
I’m very interested in jewellery; it inspires me a lot. Even
as a young kid, I always had bracelets, necklaces, it’s an
important form of expression for me to wear jewellery
and it is something I really want to do. I also think it’s so
cool how with jewellery, you can wear it and take the art
with you wherever you go – whereas you have to leave
your painting or sculpture at home.
One of your most iconic pieces, “Baby we made it”
is on show in Playa Padre, one of the most exclusive
beach clubs in Marbella, owned by Grupo Mosh. How
did this come about and what was the experience
like for you?
That actually came about through my personal
connection with the owner Albert. I’ve known them
for a couple of years, they are super nice guys. I love
to go to Marbella, I have an apartment there so we go
in the summer and we were all together one day and
we just said “we should collaborate”, so it was actually
a very natural collaboration that came about through
friendship. They have a great passion for art, so we
thought about what would best fit in Playa Padre and
decided that “Baby we made it” has the culture but also
the humourous twist that we thought the visitors would
appreciate and like. It felt so good to work together, and
we wanted to do something fun.
Playa Padre has a unique and special charm and is
home to some great artists and musicians... Who is
someone you admire that you would love to share a
table with at this beach club?
I’d definitely invite Maluma because he’s a close friend
and a great musical artist, he has the best energy. The
footballer Sergio Ramos is also a friend of mine, and
not many people know this about him, but he is also
very artistic, so I’d invite him. I’d probably invite Pharrell
Williams and the fashion designer Jacquemus as well.
And my family, of course!
What is the process you go through when creating
your pieces? Do you follow any special preparation
or ritual before getting down to work?
I get the most ideas when I find a moment of peace.
Often, this is just before I go to sleep, when my mind
calms down, you forget the craziness of the day and
new ideas pop up. Or it’s in the shower, but apparently
a lot of people get ideas in the shower because it has
a meditative effect. My biggest problem is that I’m
always afraid I’m going to lose the ideas, so I straight
away quickly write down the concept on my phone, so
I remember it. Your next idea could be your best idea,
you don’t want to forget it!
What does a normal day look like for Joseph
Klibansky?
It’s very diverse and that’s what I like about it. When I’m
in my country (Hollland), I want to go to the studio every
day, but I don’t feel I get inspired there. I’m currently
building a new, beautiful house, and the basement is
going to be my personal studio, just a space for me
and my family - no staff, no assistants. It’s going to be
a place for me to experiment, to create new pieces. It’s
almost finished now, and I am so excited because it will
be somewhere to experiment without pressure. I’ll have
complete freedom of creation. So, a typical day after
April, when the house is finished, will be coffee, gym,
shower, then creating in my studio, some business and
I will also visit my other art studio.
I’ve designed the entire house myself and it’s something
I’ve always wanted to do. I thought hard about what I
need in order be my maximum creative self, so I created
a really big shower, with speakers, led lights, steam,
it’s the most important part of the house because it’s
going to be where I get my best ideas!
