“DRAW YOUR OWN TIME” – Interview with Lorenzo Quinn

Lorenzo Quinn:

Surprisingly enough, it was created in the most mundane way you can imagine. I was at the beach with my children and thinking how frugal it was to draw in the sand, as you know it is like building a sandcastle, which doesn’t last… So my thoughts crossed my mind, of how can you make something out of nothing and how can you make something last forever? Forever, at least in the human conscience… I love reading about where we came from and where are we going, where the World was and where the World is going to? And there will be a time where there will be no humans and I wonder if something that the humans have built will remain?…

Lorenzo Quinn:

“Draw your time” is a sculpture reflecting the fact that ‘Leaving the Earth’ is a necessary end.  We all will leave… But no-one says how you have to live by the time you are given. I actually fear death, therefore I think this is one of the reasons I actually sculpt, because by sculpting, I have the hope that I can live forever, in the sense that, if you think of Michelangelo, he never left us, you can feel his hands sculpting the marble, which is truly incredible.

So ‘Draw your own time’ is within the confine of time that we are given in our circle, what you do within – that is your life, that’s our time and that would transcend time. If you live your life fully – it would transcend the time you are given.

Lorenzo Quinn:

I like to travel to the places that inspire me and imprint in my mind a lasting moment. Something I can go back to in the moment of need, in the moment of sadness and think about that experience, think about that trip, that place in time where I learnt something new. Travelling allows you to experience different cultures, different customs and in that way you grow as a person. I love having an open eye, I am incredibly curious, so I love learning about people and rituals, that inspire me tremendously. So when I travel – I love to grow as a person, I wish my soul to grow.

Lorenzo Quinn:

I don’t have a favourite destination, in fact my favourite destination is to be present where I am, it is all about how you experience the moment that you are in. Many times, the best travel destination could be 5 blocks away from your house, you never know. It is all about your mind and your heart. If I were to choose, of course, I would love to travel to places that I have never been to, like a number of places in Asia, which is for me still widely undiscovered. I would like to explore Northern India, some secluded places in China and travel around Japan.

Lorenzo Quinn:

That has changed over the years, as it is fascinating how technology can change our habits. But one thing that has always accompanied me – is my daily diary. Every single day, for the past 31 years, since I have started it on April 1st 1986… I write daily about what I have learnt, who I have met and all my inspiring thoughts.

Lorenzo Quinn:

It is funny because, I have a perfect menu, which is based on dishes that I have found and that I have loved from my travels. Where was my favourite appetiser, what was my favourite main course, what was my favourite dessert? For example a soufflé from ‘La Cirque’ in New York is my all time favourite dessert, it is absolutely incredible. My Pasta was from Naples, the most amazing ‘Pasta Alle Vongole’ that you could ever imagine. My antipasto was the bruschetta that I had in Tuscalo and actually my main course is a wagyu from UMU in London, it is orgasmic.

Lorenzo Quinn:

That would be chess. I play it all the time. This game stimulates the brain, it keeps me alert.  How did I start playing chess? I have good and bad memories tied to chess. Because as a child you want to win your father, but when you start wining – you simply don’t feel good about winning over your father. I felt time passing and I saw him as a giant, that’s why my art work is built in the way of seeing my father as a gigantic figure playing in front of me.

Lorenzo Quinn:

Made to order. Which is incredibly special and unique to a person. This is what people are looking for and trying to differentiate themselves, which makes it an ultimate luxury, that nobody else has.