Adam Martinakis: Understanding of an experience is very crucial because there is always more than one explanation
It’s amazing how differently we all interpret art. Pablo Picasso once said, “We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand.” But what truth? And even more important, whose truth? Is it the truth that the artist gives us through his/her labor of love to extract at our own will; or is it a truth we as an audience are actually searching for within the artwork? I came across this artist’s work and I think what ultimately made me want to reach out was that there was a strong blend of the two scenarios I just described. On one end my truth came in the form of identity and what his work revealed to me within that theme. On the other, his truth in a scope of passion, relationship and even sex were relayed to me. So naturally I wanted to get the whole truth and nothing but the truth; and that’s what we’ve got for you good folks today! IVYBetty, meet 3D Digital Artist and Teacher hailing from Poland, creating from Greece, Adam Martinakis.
The Fragile Memory of a Childhood
Adam your artwork is definitely cool to look at on the surface but it also has a much deeper layer to it. To me that sublayer embodies much of the concept of identity, it’s characteristics, and even certain elements that affect and mold it. For example, childhood; exemplified by your piece, The Fragile Memory of a Childhood, is a crucial factor in everyone’s identity because it affects how we see the world as adults. Can you speak on what the word ‘identity’ means to you and how it manifests in your work?
Identity is the mosaic of all the characteristics that a person has collected and developed throughout his lifetime. This includes all the experiences by which the person has been consciously or subconsciously affected. There are periods in life that have a stronger impact to one’s personality, childhood in my opinion is one of them. At least, this what I know from my life. “The Fragile Memory of a Childhood” refers to my personal impact of childhood at the time when I was living in Poland. Everybody has got his own story but, I believe, it is really amazing, although those stories are quite different, how they might similarly affect our puzzle of identity.
Through my work I search to explore those pieces that define my own identity. It is a lifetime process which is also all the time under constant change.
“200000VE” – An abstract dna-like formation made from 200,000 “LOVE” words of different sizes
The word ‘educate’ is traced back to having relation with the Latin word ‘educere’ which means “to bring out, or lead forth.” This implies that whatever is being educated is already within, and essentially being “brought out,” or “lead forth” into realization and consciousness. Would you agree with this line of thinking when it is applied to identity? Would you say that our identities are something already whole within us, and that our life experiences are educating them into our own consciousness? Or does life build the identity from scratch?
In a way, I would say that both ideas are right. I think that our identities hold an important base within from the beginning. This base is being processed by various happenings in life and their perception. The understanding of an experience is very crucial because there is always more than one explanation, it all depends on the point of view that we choose to look at something. It is also common that we change this perception in time for many reasons. The “education” is a general idea of understanding things and enriching our personalities. We could say that there is a base mechanism that is given to us from the start and this base is under constant change by many factors of life. Our identity is a mixture of all those things at the present time, because in the future many things will change like it happened before.
Taking the last question further let’s talk about two relatives, not twins, but relatives; Growth and Change. Growth will naturally occur through time and experience. But change requires intervention. Based on your previous answer, is it possible for one to possess all that is necessary to change his/her identity?
Growth and change are very much connected. Growth is the process of time that passes by, we could interpret it as a quantity measure. Change, on the other hand, is the quality characteristic of a difference and it does need some kind of (internal or external) intervention, indeed. Those interventions will occur anyway in life even if we are not looking for them. If we create our own personal interventions which will bring out changes, we will have more control of our constantly building identity. Yes, I believe almost everybody (in a different level of course) has got the possibilities to guide his own changes of identity. In life, first of all you need imagination to set a goal where you would like to go…
For obvious reasons it would be easy to identify you as an artist, but how do you perceive yourself, and where does your artwork come into that picture?
My art is an essential part of what is called “me”. I am what I do, and what I do is me. It is a strong piece of that Identity we were talking about. If I was not creating artwork, first we would not be talking right now; and second I would be someone else doing I don’t know what. But, it does not matter because the reality we have perception of is happening the way we know it 
The Nature of the Golden Age, my absolute favorite Adam Martinakis piece! It’s because of all that it symbolizes. Regardless of one’s faith or religion, the symbolism is universal in that this moment symbolizes a shift in nature, life, time (regardless of the age.. truly Golden!), and literally EVERYthing else. The apple of ‘sight’, and the ‘serpent’ of perishable influence for both good and bad. These symbols represent the moment in which our identities were no longer unquestionably defined in black and white by the creator, but left in the hands of us as individuals to fill in and color ourselves. Tell me your incredible life-changing story that I KNOW is behind this work Adam lol!
It is true that this image holds a lot of symbols in it, but I will disappoint you because there is not any life changing story behind it
In many of my works I use personal elements of my experiences but then I try to find a universal common ground to them. This is one of my ways to communicate with other people by creation. The particular image belongs to a thematic series that is based on the relations between a man and a woman, the very first investigation of relationships that construct our society as a whole.
“The Nature of the Golden Age” belongs to a thematic series that is based on the relations between a man and a woman, the very first investigation of relationships that construct our society as a whole.
The maximum possible closest point of understanding which will make the living on earth a beautiful experience between us and ease this pain of loneliness and death as well…
The art of relationship plays an interesting role in this conversation; two identities interacting and affecting each other. Let’s talk in terms of an intimate relationship. Two becoming one spiritually, mentally, and physically. What have you learned about your own identity from an intimate relationship?
I remember many many years ago reading a book by an English writer Aaldus Huxley which had changed my views about the relationships. The text was something like this: “We are born alone, we grow up alone, we get married and make children and there are many people alone and after, we die alone. The approach is never a union”. This text looked pessimistic to me at the time but when I realized the truth in it, I started to think in a different way. There is no point on searching for unity because this is impossible at least in the dimensions we can understand and function. The approach to others should not aim there, but it should concentrate to the maximum possible closest point of understanding which will make the living on earth a beautiful experience between us and ease this pain of loneliness and death as well…
We can use them (our bodies) in a cheap way just to satisfy our natural instincts of multiplication and lust, OR we can use them in a beautiful expressive way which will be an important part of an intimate relationship
I read where you spoke of how the body is a physical representation of our identity. It is as you stated in your interview with Don’tPanicOnline.com, “the only true home we really have, and the most expressive tool we’ve got.” The art of sex is an incredibly symbolic act, and it’s very interesting to see some of your various works that portray the art and intimacy. What are your thoughts on sex in relation to who we are as individuals, and what do you aim to inspire overall with such works?
Yes, I share the belief that sex is also a very expressive way to communicate with our partners and show them our feelings. Our bodies are tools to make this approach more effective. We can use them in a cheap way just to satisfy our natural instincts of multiplication and lust, OR we can use them in a beautiful expressive way which will be an important part of an intimate relationship. With my works I try to inspire everybody to understand the potentials that we all have and avoid traps and mistakes which will lead to an unfortunate way. Of course mistakes will occur but the point is to avoid as many as we can.
Where Your Thoughts Meet Mine
Lastly, I think this is the question on everyone whose reading’s mind…. What’s next for Adam Martinakis?
Well nobody can really predict the future but what I can tell is that soon we (me and my girlfriend) will be moving to England (from Greece) for a time. I have always been an international artist but now it is time to become a little more
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I told Adam after this was all done that I believe this was our best feature yet in terms of creating a natural dialogue rather than a Q&A. Everything just flows so well with this one. For that, and everything else, thank you very much Sir Martinakis! Also, to the readers- don’t forget that Adam is a 3D Digital Artist, so those of you with 3D screens will definitely love what Adam’s got to offer you. Even if not, still head on over to his website to check out ALL of his work. Thanks for reading!
http://adamakis.blogspot.com/
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