Artist Spotlight Series: Kristofir Dean

I love to celebrate colour in all its radiant glory. I’m inspired by colourful things like rainbows, plants, minerals, holographic wrapping paper and tropical birds and fish. Basically anything that is gaudily prismatic.
The designs are largely based on the shape of the support. I make my own wooden panels and I fit the painting to the shape of the wood, rather than the other way around.

What is your favorite piece?

That’s a hard question. I’m very happy with the mural of my “Refraction” paintings on the side of Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver, though it was painted by a professional muralist (Milan Basic) and not by me. It has become a popular Instagram backdrop and people send me their selfies in front of it.

How has your area influenced your work?

The city that I live in has a lot of green space. In the summer, it feels like a jungle with lots of colourful plants and bugs. I love going for walks and immersing myself in these natural occurrences of colour. I sometimes bring my camera and use these colour findings as swatches for future paintings.

What is your favorite restaurant in Toronto?

I live one hour outside of Toronto and love to go into the city for food. There is an amazing Asian vegan restaurant just outside of Kensington Market named Buddha that I love going to.

What is your favorite cocktail?

I don’t drink alcohol. I lived in Bali for two years and became obsessed with a fruit cocktail called “Es Teler” which is a mixture of avocado, young coconut, coconut milk and jackfruit. It’s AMAZING.

How do you balance personal life and work?

It’s all intertwined into one fun mixture. Maybe that’s my favourite cocktail!

Dream trip?

I travel quite a lot. I’m heading to the Venice Biennale this month. I can’t wait!

Dream commission?

I would love to transform a giant room into a “Refracted” painting. It would take ages, but the idea of stepping into an immersive rainbow makes me excited! Just imagine being surround by juicy saturated colours in every direction 😀

Your favorite host / hostess gift to give?

I used to have a small vegan catering company and loved making people vegan/gluten-free salted caramel truffles.

Who is your style icon?

I love Laurie Anderson’s multi-media world. I’ve seen her perform many times and am always blown away by how she challenges conventions of art, music, storytelling, gender, and identity.

Your favorite up and coming artist?

Monica Figueredo. We are kindred rainbow siblings.

What is your most treasured possession?

I’m not really attached to objects, but I have a lot of plants and if they died I would be very sad.

What are you reading?

I’m currently reading Bali Daze by Cat Wheeler. It is a collection of short stories about moving to Ubud, Bali, the magical town where I lived for two years.