Vitali Kraft is a tape artist from Germany, whose recent artwork has taken a classical theme and given it a colorful, modern twist with the help of tape! Check out his artwork and interview below.
Do you have a website or any social media sites you’d like to share with our audience?
Only Instagram: @vitali_kraft
How long have you been practicing art? What have you experimented with before discovering tape?
I have been practicing tape art for 7 years. I never used other media because it’s not as fun for me!
How did you discover Pro Tapes® products? Which ones do you use in your work and how do you use them?
I prefer to use Pro® 46 masking tape. I’m really not exaggerating by saying it’s the most sophisticated masking tape on the market.
The consistency, the adhesive qualities, the flexibility: all properties of the Pro® 46 tape are well balanced. You can tell there is a lot of know-how in the production of these.
The colour and texture of the tape look great whether I am using it to build the basic background structure or for the fine details of my portraits.
What has inspired your latest series of tape artwork? I see a lot of Greek/Roman mythology!
When I create my work, I’m not really intending to make a specific statement; I just want to give people something they’ll love to look at.
In this series, I do not really think of them as portraits; I am imagining objects, antique figures and busts, and adding my own flashy vision.
When creating each artwork, I start with a plain background of acrylic paint and leave an outline for the tape to bring the focus on the imagined object. It gives the artwork a commercial, pop-art touch and gives the whole thing the specific mood I’m looking for.
The figures, taken from Greek and Roman mythology and history, bring in an anthropological aspect. The old sculptors were reflecting on the human being in their artworks. This is what I call “the truth;” watching my art should be like watching yourself in the mirror.
If someone has never used tape to create art, what advice would you have for them?
Keep calm, give it a try, and create your own style!
