Meeting with Sébastien Dominici

Passionate about surfing, Sébastien Dominici travels the continents in search of sensation, well-being and culture, and it is within a team of surfers and creators of surfboards that he discovers resin, surfing -culture, and free-style customizations. Artist currently presented at Acid Gallery, he released his first book at ISSI Éditions in a limited series. For the occasion, 

You entered the art world through surfing. It's quite unusual...

 Yes and all this is chance, luck. I have always lived in Corsica. But very early, I wanted to discover, to meet. In the summer, my parents sent me to the village, above Ghisonaccia to keep me away from possible nonsense. Up there, I found my cousins ​​from the diaspora, those who had come back from Paris or Marseille. They are the first ones who made me discover counter-cultures, the graph. And then I was part of a group of Corsican surfers, precursors of the discipline on the island. We do not realize, but in the 90s, it was still something very little known here. It was not easy to practice where we were. So we started to travel. Around 15-16 years old, I went to the Basque country, and then to Indonesia, California, the Caribbean, and I discovered the visual and cultural identity attached to the world of surfing. I listened to the Clash, the Ramones; I discovered Black Flag, Raymond Pettibon, punk culture and Basquiat. It is my thirst for discovery that has guided me so far. 

How do you go from surfboards to canvas? 

A friend of mine started making surfboards, and I used to customize them. It worked well and gave me confidence. Me. So I dared to show what I was doing on canvas, and on skateboards. The Gour-Beneforti gallery in Bastia was the first to trust me. Mr. Gour really helped me, he advised me and helped me to evolve. Then the Saltiel gallery in Aix-en-Provence and the Acid Gallery in Lille allowed me to be visible elsewhere. 

What drives you? 

Like many artists, I am a rebel. I hate injustice. Painting does me good, it allows me to denounce without being categorical. I need to talk about everything that's wrong with the world (for me). Above all, I try to be free, spontaneous, amazed too. Like a child.

What is the place of writing in your work?

The words are a treasure hunt, made of small symbols, for the power of the drawing, of the naive line. They are articulated around a strong central element, which generates a double visual impact, from far and near. I am against the instantaneous effect of which one tires quickly. I want people to be able to discover things for a long time in my work.

Sébastien Dominici carries within him the crossbreeding of influences and techniques. A breath springs from his works, a universal language, high in color and in hieroglyphs of an as yet unidentified counter-culture. From his island, he built an archipelago. ISSI Magazine and Acid Gallery have produced a book on the art of Sébastien Dominici. Retracing his life and works, this book is the first of its kind for the artist. Sebastien Dominici reveals himself, recounts his youth spent between Bastia and the small village of Prunelli until his meeting with Eric Delecourt of Acid Gallery. A collector's book published in a limited edition of 500 copies, available now on the website www.issieditions.fr or at Acid Gallery in Lille.