Hayati Evren is an artist from Cyprus, known for his unique mashups of some of the most famous artworks in history and contemporary pop art culture. His original artworks have received wide appreciation and have been shared by thousands of people on various social media platforms, where Hayati is followed by more than 145 000 fans.
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G: What inspired you to start your project and why did you want to share it with the world?
H: This is a very old technique. It was also done in the absence of computers. In summary, we can call this technique anachronism.
G: Did your first idea work straight away or you have tried a few different things before?
H: No, it didn’t work, but I found ways to get people’s attention.
G: How did you get there?
H: I have observed people all my life. I love analysing people. I act as if I have entered for the first time even in familiar places. This makes me see new things.
G: What was your most viral post so far? Did you expect it to be so popular?
H: There is too many. I can usually predict what will go viral, but sometimes there are surprises.
G: Have you noticed any patterns or can you tell which work will be quite popular before you share it with the world?
H: My work, which I think is my best work, is usually not viral, because it appeals to me rather than the general audience, but still there are those which stand out and are appreciated by others.
G: How did you build the relationships with your community?
H: We always have fun and escape from stressful environments – the community that likes laughing is more motivating, they don’t make life difficult.
G: What were the strangest interactions with your followers? What are the worst / best experiences?
H: Some of the fans wanted their children to be included in the artworks so I’ve added them with Photoshop, in order to help them to develop love for classical art.
And then there are those who want to meet me. Someone found my home address and decided just to show up at my house – that was quite a strange experience.
G: Do you get any negative comments from the fans? How do you deal with it?
H: Yes I do. Generally I don’t care, because they forget that we are all human. If it is a reasonable criticism, I am trying to take it on board.
G: At the early stages of your career, how did your work got noticed by people and the media? What’s your advice for upcoming artists, how to spread the word about their projects?
H: I was noticed by other people sharing me. The media noticed me because I was always viral. My advice to future artists is that they do not forget that art is not only for ourselves, but for society.
G: Art and Money, don’t follow each other especially at the beginning, how did you finance yourself at the start of your artistic journey and how did you find sponsors later on?
H: I’ve been working at the advertising agency before and now I am doing graphic design on freelance basis. In terms of sponsorships, I don’t find sponsors – they find me.
G: There are so many art projects these days, how do you find your edge for the new projects?
H: I love to go through the issues that concern people and I am inspired by what they have experienced.Usually, I show the images I create to my friends before I share it, according to their reactions I understand if the idea is going to work or not.
G: What 3 pieces of advice would you give to creatives looking to make it in the art world?
1- Originality
2- Never back down
3- Work to be the best
G: What are your favourite projects that you have seen recently and who are you favourite artists/people that you follow regularly?
H: These are the 3 artists I love:
Selin Çınar – @axstone_
Ertan Atay – @failunfailunmefailun
Mehmet Geren – @mehmetgeren
G: What’s the biggest risk that you’ve ever taken as an artist and how did it turn out?
H: I’ve crashed financially for a while and it was a very tough moment for me. In addition, a journalist who shared my work was imprisoned. I felt very sorry for him. Then he was released on bail.
G: What are your future plans?
H: I think of producing physical works of art in the future.
Social links:
https://www.instagram.com/hayatininevreni/
https://twitter.com/hayatininevreni
