I’ve always been into abstract graffiti characters. Artists like Dave Kinsey and Andy Howell have even had a very direct impact on my own work, so it’s probably no surprise that when I saw a piece by Christian Mugnai I was in awe. You can see more of his work <<here>>
Tell us a little about yourself and what steps you took to get here:
My name is Christian Mugnai. I emigrated to South Africa with my family in the late 80′s from Italy. I still have a great sense of pride for my mother country, but my foster mother South Africa has nurtured and inspired me for the last 22 years. Durban is a small city on the east coast of South Africa; things don’t move incredibly fast here, but I believe its South Africa’s incubator of some serious talent. It is a city of diversity, that houses people from a variety of different cultures, so it’s not short of inspiration for any artist living here.
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Drawing has always been that spark in my life that’s fueled my inner creative furnace which I still cannot put out. I initially studied Branding and Advertising and quickly realized that although it would be a great field to pave a foundation for a future in design, it would never really satisfy my craving to constantly express myself through illustration.
I enrolled to gain a traditional Graphic Design Diploma which really allowed me to develop my illustrative skills as well as gain an understanding of sound design philosophies. I furthered my studies and obtained a degree, and focused primarily on drawing and illustration. I’ve been working ever since, mainly freelancing, but I’ve always looked for short contracts on projects with reputable studios to gain further experience as well as to learn from older mentors in the game.
It’s apparent that you’ve been influenced by graffiti and street art. Can you tell us how you were able to transition your style into a career?
I’ve been attracted to graffiti from the moment I first saw it. I’ve never been a graffiti artist, but have immense respect for the art form as well as the artists. Many of these guys have never had art training and are completely self taught, which makes their work that much more interesting. The graffiti scene here in Durban is not big at all, but its definitely growing. Two of my friends, I believe, are some of the best writers in South Africa; ‘PHINK’ is very well known for his characters and ‘CADE’ for his tight lettering.
I think the single most prominent characteristic evident in my style which is influenced by graffiti, is the strong outlines and flat colour I use in my illustration. I love the boldness aspect of it. It also forces you to be very detailed in your work.
I have a full time occupation as a designer, so all the work that you see, is free of any restricting briefs, and I like to keep the two very separate. Keeping the two separate has allowed me to constantly focus on my personal work and achieve my own distinct style with out any kind of commercial prostitution. If clients ask me to create a MUGNAI piece of work, I tell them that it’s now art not a design solution, this allows me to keep free of any restricted boundaries set by them, and allows me to create to the best of my abilities. These clients are very few and far between and probably every creative’s dream, but they are out there.
What’s your go-to source of inspiration outside of art or music?
Outside of art and music, I believe in the old saying,”Healthy body, healthy mind”. I think a balanced healthy lifestyle, with a good exercise routine, is what your mind needs to clear its self of daily stress and clutter, in order for you to function to the best of your abilities. I find that while I’m exercising the creative floodgates open.
The other form of inspiration surrounds me in every day life here in Durban, like I mentioned earlier, I share my city with people from a myriad of different cultures and so inspiration here is in abundance. I suck in everything from my surroundings even subconsciously. Whenever I have to work on something, I draw my inspiration from an image bank in my brain.
What are some of your influences as to your style?
My subject matter is inspired by the place I live in, my style is influenced by many experiences and things I’ve followed from an early age. Most of my youth was spent with my nose buried in 2000AD and Batman comics. Sometimes not even to read them, but to analyse the artists’ style and weight of lines they would use when only working in black and white. If you can master black and white inking, you’re the man.
So with a love for graffiti and comics, one can definitely see now how my work carries those elements through.
Words to live by?
Well, my words to live by, are to never stop, prostitute or neglect doing what you love, for anybody or anything. To never feel you have arrived to a point in your life when you think you’ve learned enough, always keep evolving push the envelope of creativity, and when that’s done, push it further.
What blogs or magazines do you turn to for creative inspiration?
With the Internet there are so many points of reference for inspiration, it’s hard to mention one or two. But I’m always on Flikr and have recently joined a new artist network called Behance. These two platforms are overflowing with talented artists, some known some unknown, it doesn’t really matter if the work is good.
What’s your personal favorite piece of your own work? Tell us a story behind it.
I don’t have one favourite piece in particular. I do tend to like my most recent stuff – I think that’s pretty normal for any artist. I recently created a poster for a traveling show called “City Slickers”, over a hundred artists nationally and internationally submitted a piece of work. The brief was to portray your city in any way you wanted. My city is gearing up to host the biggest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup. Being a soccer maniac, I wanted to portray the excitement and honour the people from Durban are feeling, and rejoice in the unity this will bring our country. I called it “The City is Alive”. In this piece I really tried to portray some of the things I see in every day life here in Durban, and focus on those very things that makes us different to the rest of the world.
What’s your all-time favorite piece of art or design? (*not created by you)
Wow, toughest question all day. I think if I had to put it down to one it would probably be the graffiti I saw in Rome, wall to wall masterpieces some 3 to 4 metres high. I think that was one of the few times I’ve been taken aback by such amazing talent and work. From their characters and their amazingly manipulated lettering to the colouring and sheer scale they worked at, I was left in awe.
What’s your current creative obsession?
My current creative obsession is to get my work out there, and for people to take notice of it. Not for any monetary gain but to share what I do and the story I have to tell from a small little town at the bottom of Africa, with the rest of the world. I would really like to get my work into the States and Europe, and maybe collaborate with someone from there. All in all I would love to be able to do what I do full time, without having to rely on random freelance work. And finally to never stop evolving and define my style.
