By Paola Bassanese
Today’s Conversations With… features emerging artist John Bingham who recently exhibited at The Other Art Fair at the Oxo Tower, London.
Q. You follow a vegetarian diet: when did you decide to become a vegetarian?
A: I became a veggie in 2011 after meeting someone who has been on the diet her whole life. She gave me lots of tips and recipes. I have to admit that I’ve fallen off course and have succumbed to Mc Donald’s and other such junk. I’ve just started the ‘Weekday Veggie’ diet where I’m allowed to eat meat on weekends only. I’ve also been looking at the raw food diet, it amazes me how people can eat such little and still be healthy.
Q. What do you do to keep fit and healthy?
A: I have a personal trainer who I should really see more often, when I do see her we row and exercise on the power plates. I have two beautiful dogs who keep me busy, lots of walking by the river, parks and around my living room whilst watching TV. I haven’t an ounce of fat on me, but that doesn’t mean I’m healthy.
Q. How important is massage in your day to day life?
A: Hugely important. Again, I should make more of an effort to book more appointments, but when I do it’s massively relaxing and makes a great difference. There’s nothing better than an hour long massage after a boozy night in West London!
Q. You have recently started doing meditation: how is it helping you with your artistic career and creative process?
A: So far so good, I’ve been trying it for two weeks now. I say ‘trying’ because it’s something you need to work at. I’m working at pure relaxation. Transcendental meditation is all about a relaxed state of being and a relaxed mind. I do it for 30mins twice a day. It has helped me think a little more clearly about future projects, so I’m hoping it will help that way.
Q. What do you enjoy the most about being an artist?
A: Without sounding like a brat, I like being able to do what I want. I enjoy meeting other artists and seeing what they’re up to, theres no shortage of artists in London. I love the galleries, large ones like the Tate and Hayward, smaller ones like Rosenfeld Porcini and new contemporary galleries like Debut Contemporary and Rook & Raven. London’s art fairs are also amazing, Frieze, AAF and TOAF. I exhibited at The Other Art Fair in 2011 with 80 other emerging artists which was so much fun. But the most enjoyable is being invited to all the wild and wonderful events where you get to have a drink, network and party with people like (excuse the name dropping) Jay Jopling, Kate Moss, Tracey Emin, Harland Miller & Hirst.
Looking for collectors and people to buy your work is also fun, but a challenge.
About John Bingham
As a ‘brand new’ artist from London, John Bingham studied art at Camberwell College and has since held small exhibitions of his work, in 2011 he exhibited at The Other Art Fair with 80 emerging artists. His work was sold to private collectors shortly afterwards.
His work is influenced by ideas relating to social interaction, environments, people, place, journey, media, popular culture and is sometimes autobiographical. His abstract paintings represent a chaotic London life. Follow John Bingham on twitter