Spotlight

Daniel Zeballos

October 24, 2024

Daniel Zeballos is living and working in London. He recently took part in a year-long residency at White Noise in Seoul, South Korea after graduating from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received a BFA in painting and drawing. He is now an MFA candidate at Goldsmiths. In his work he looks at this blurring of the familiar and the mysterious, processing them through ancient mediums: silverpoint, graphite, and oil. Reacquainting the specific with the abstract, tethering them together for a brief moment. In his silverpoint drawings, the result of this kind of practice is transformed into the ancient accumulation of magical experience, transforming over time into a kind of shorthand.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.

I am Daniel Zeballos. I make art and music.

What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on?

I’m working on a 4-track EP with my best friend, Rob Ladia. It should be coming out within the next couple of months.

Freedom | Graphite and silverpoint | 8 x 10 in

How did your interest in art or design begin?

As a child and into my adolescence, I was always involved in art, whether taking piano lessons or drawing in art class. It took me a long time to find a medium that would work for me and before then I was confused not only about how to make but also about what I liked. Watching movies or scrolling bandcamp/soundcloud opened everything up to me as a teenager, but I felt so lost for a long time. Feeling lost is good when growing.

How has the transition from Chicago to London affected your practice?

London to me feels like 2018 Chicago, but this may only be because I’ve been so lucky to meet the people I’ve met so far. It’s hard to say how all this affects my practice directly but the whirlwind of Chicago – Seoul – London has been intense. I look different.

White Noise Residency show

What products or companies are you interested in right now?

I have recently been obsessed with hifi Iems. It really is like listening to all your favorite songs for the first time. My personal setup is the Binary Acoustics – Chopin coupled with the Tanchjim – Space.

What materials do you use in your work and what is your process like?

The majority of my practice revolves around material setup. It takes roughly a month to get the papers treated and ready to draw, and when I begin the drawing I usually have 2 or 3 going at a time. I move between them depending on my mood or urgency to get them done. Silver takes a long time to build up so the drawings take around 60-70 hours each. Most of my time in the studio, I am sitting with the works and waiting to make decisions. I watch lots of movies and try to read when I’m not easily distracted.

Citizen Eco | Graphite and silverpoint | 8 x 10 in

How does it work to have a visual arts practice in cohesion with music and design? How do these influence each other and build off of one another?

When I listen to a new album or go to a new show, I am equally excited to sit at my desk and draw for 6 hours as I am to receive guitar stems from Robert or Jorge. All of my interests trickle into each other and I don’t put barriers to separate them. Since my fine art practice is such a slow-moving process, I see many new possibilities arrive throughout the making of a piece after thinking separately about resolving music problems. The same can be said when the subject I have been investing so much time in drawing slips into a song I am working on.

What artists or designers are you interested in right now?

I like Yorck Street, Camille Keller, B.L.I.X., Alex’s Tease, Psn15, Bassvictim, Kitty, Benjamin Anderson, Pol Wah Tse, Graham Wiebe, Yage Guo…

Promise Film | Graphite and silverpoint | 8 x 10 in

Out of the cities you’ve resided in, which one do you think has influenced you the most?

I remember getting up on Sundays and waking up Robert. He would always be so annoyed at me when I woke him up but then I’d play some CD on the machine and he’d quickly pick up his spirits. We’d pick up some 40s on our way to the bus station, Robert probably gets a spicy chicken sandwich. Waiting for the 9 would be the worst. Henry’s already up and about when we get to his. I try mixing his records but nobody is having it. Maybe we go play ball. At the end of the night, Robert and I stumble back onto the bus and go back up. A normal attitude in Chicago.

What was the last show you saw that stuck out to you?

Ella Rose Flood, Boz Deseo Garden, Graham Wiebe – Spectral Fine Arts Trust – Final Hot Desert

I also liked

Pol Wah Tse, Nicola Gunnarson, Isabella Benshimoi Toro – tac au tac – gnossienne

White Noise Residency show

What are you really excited about right now?

I am happy to be in school again. I just bought a new lamp for my studio and am about to prep some papers for drawing. A friend is coming to London from Seoul and I’m sure we will have extra fun.

 

Interview conducted and edited by Liam Owings.