“I think this tension is the same as I feel as a person – never quite settled and never quite fully connected to what is going on.”
A Life Shaped by Travel and Creativity
Daniel Freaker is an artist living on the south coast of the UK. Throughout his eventful life, he has traveled to different places and pursued various professions, including teaching and graphic design. In every endeavor, he has demonstrated a distinct creative talent. His experience as an art and design educator has been particularly valuable, providing opportunities for exploration and mutual growth with his students.
Born and raised in India by his mother, the richness of his heritage, complete with its symphony of sounds, array of colours, and overall vibrance, seeps into Freaker’s artwork. The sensory saturation that characterizes his homeland finds expression on his canvas, giving his pieces an undeniable depth and vitality.
Freaker’s personal life further enriches his artistic inspiration. His son, being half Cuban, introduced him to the textured and weathered beauty of Cuba. Many critics have compared the fluidity and texture in Freaker’s work to pieces left out in the rain, likely a testament to the influence of India’s monsoon seasons on his visual language.
Freaker’s nurturing environment, brimming with artistic minds, has been instrumental in shaping his journey. Notably, his mother served as his art teacher during his school years, an experience that doubtlessly necessitated his focused engagement with the world of art.
Creativity, for Freaker, carries an immediacy and tangibility often absent in conventional office roles. The ability to perceive concrete development and impact in his work has always appealed to him, infusing his artistic output with a sense of authenticity and purpose.
Upon completing his schooling, the next step for Freaker was clear. Art school stood out as the solitary choice for his academic progression. As fate would have it, he was admitted to a premier art institution in London, marking a decisive moment in his career trajectory. While he has occasionally turned to teaching and graphic design to ensure financial stability, painting has remained Freaker’s primary passion and enduring love.
Daniel Freaker: Shattering Barriers in Art Education
Daniel Freaker’s journey as an art educator has spanned over a course of 13 years, encompassing a myriad of disciplines, ranging from fashion and photography to architecture, graphic design, film, interiors, and print. One of his most impactful experiences was leading a foundation course, a preparatory, year-long program in the UK designed to aid students in curating their portfolios before applying to top-tier universities. This transformative experience fundamentally altered his perspective on art, fostering an exploratory approach centered on shattering creative barriers and endorsing a culture of trial and error.
When delving into the realm of artistic discourse, Freaker refrains from categorizing his work into specific ‘styles’. He perceives this term as somewhat limiting, infringing on the boundless scope of artistic expression. Instead, he prefers to dissect the methodology behind a piece’s creation and the communicative intent woven into its fabric.
Freaker’s unique canvases are an eclectic fusion of varied mark-making techniques. Some are spontaneous and unrestricted, serving as explorations into the inherent properties of the chosen medium and its interactive potential. On cursory inspection, these seemingly abstract strokes might masquerade as independent compositions. However, upon closer scrutiny, one can discern the presence of recognizable objects, spaces, and figures.
He skillfully induces a sense of familiarity in the audience, only to disrupt it with intriguing anomalies upon detailed examination. Freaker finds this oscillation between the abstract and the figurative engaging, much like his appreciation for other contrasts – hard and fluid, bright and dark, messy and organised, organic and geometric. He perceives these tensions as reflective of his personal feelings of constant unrest and intermittent disconnection, an experience he believes resonates with the human condition. This sentiment is further emphasized by the recurring theme of youthful figures in his work, signifying the tumultuous period of transitioning into adulthood.
Balancing Abstract and Figurative Dimensions
In the heart of his abode, Daniel Freaker cherishes one painting above all others. An expansive piece, it commands attention, dominating an entire wall in his son’s room. The artwork captures the essence of Cuba, Freaker’s birthplace, and features a compelling portrayal of the Russian Embassy in Havana, enclosed by surrounding trees. The edifice, resembling a tower, emanates a sense of totalitarian control, akin to a monumental prison watchtower, imposing its gaze upon the Cuban cityscape. This connection to his Cuban heritage serves not just as a link between Freaker and his roots, but also as a bond between him and his son, arguably making it his son’s most favored painting among Freaker’s extensive collection.
Freaker’s artistic process is contemplative and measured, demanding generous allocation of space and time in his workspace. Rather than rushing to apply paint to canvas, he opts for a slower, more reflective pace, permitting his evolving ideas to deeply influence his state of being. Observation, in Freaker’s creative world, often takes precedence over the act of painting itself, allowing his works to marinate in his psyche and connect him on a profound level with his art.
Accompanying this reflective approach to painting, music holds a pivotal role in Freaker’s process. Surprisingly, the artist finds inspiration in the cacophonous harmonies of industrial electronic dance music. Having grown up amidst the musical revolution of the 90s, Freaker has retained an affinity for this genre, its pulsating rhythm syncing with his artistic heartbeat, enhancing his connection to his work, and echoing within the vibrant worlds he manifests on canvas.
Daniel Freaker: Cuba, Reflection, and Artistic Inspiration
Daniel Freaker draws profound inspiration from an eclectic range of sources, including literature and cinema, in addition to more conventional influences within the artistic sphere. He harbors a deep appreciation for a spectrum of authors that span across different literary eras and styles. Names such as Hermann Hesse, Ernest Hemingway, Kafka, Michel Houellebecq, and Douglas Coupland stand out among the literary figures to which Freaker often returns. However, it’s the realm of cinema that claims an even more significant influence on his creative process.
The captivating allure of cinematic storytelling, encapsulated by the play of light and shadow, compositional framing, and narrative strength, profoundly impacts Freaker’s own artistic intentions. He acknowledges the power of film to tell stories that resonate deeply, and he aspires to integrate this narrative richness into his work. Esteemed directors such as Terrence Malick and Tarkovsky have deeply influenced Freaker through their poetic visuals and profound exploration of the human experience.
Freaker’s engagement with art extends beyond personal exploration, fostering an intimate connection with society at large. He recently collaborated with the Covid Commission, a UK government entity investigating the governmental response to the Covid pandemic. The artist was entrusted with the task of working alongside those afflicted by Long Covid, encapsulating their experiences through a tapestry.
Engaging with this community revealed the heartrending struggles they endure, yet Freaker found the experience rewarding, imbued with a sense of humble contribution. This is not his first endeavor with charitable organizations; indeed, Freaker believes that many artists, himself included, are socially conscious. They often question societal norms and envision a world characterized by fairness and equity. Consequently, Freaker eagerly anticipates the opportunity to undertake more socially focused and charitable projects in the future.
