We talk w/ Andrei Warren about ‘080 Aesthetics’

Movement and change are key themes in Andrei Warren’s work and life. He spent most of his early years travelling around Europe and America, later settling back in Barcelona. Specialising in creative direction, digital art and 3D, Andrei’s work is strongly inspired by contemporary art and the way in which anime turns everyday situations into inspiration, further developing it into content for brands and/or with artists with similar visions.

The multidisciplinary artist from the creative studio Misato Kindness curated the digital exhibition “080 Aesthetics” at 080 Barcelona Fashion in which he brought together different internationally renowned profiles: Bryan Huynh, Daniel Sannwald, Hans Reyes, Jon Emmony, Miroslav Perkovik & Miliça Lukic, Misato Kidness, Oscar Zabala, Sucuk und Bratwurst, Unax Lafuente, Yuen Hsieh and Rodolfo Hernández.

HIGHXTAR (H) – What is ‘080 aesthetics’?

ANDREI WARREN (A) – 080 Aesthetics is an event in which I wanted to bring together people who have or are contributing to the aesthetic/ narrative growth of fashion, either through the video campaigns they create or the visuals for different musicians who are the icons of some brands.

(H) – What has it meant to you to curate this project? What does it bring to 080 Barcelona Fashion?

(A) – For me, on a personal level, it has been an experience in which I have been able to enjoy doing something with my friends and the people close to me whom I respect on an artistic level. On the other hand, for 080 it has been decisive because it is a new step towards the internationalisation of the event, so that it doesn’t just stay with young brands that haven’t yet established themselves but also helps to bring together people who in one way or another are involved in fashion and who have been growing for a long time.

(H) – How has the reception been?

(A) – I think that like all the first times of something new it has been a bit irregular as the first days the experience was much more contemplative while the closing day it was understood that it was a space to get together and enjoy, but overall it has been a very positive and motivating welcome for many young people.

(H) – What place does digital art have in the world of fashion?

(A) – Nowadays, it’s not that it doesn’t have a place but that they are one and the same, most campaigns aim to be a statement and become a work of art through the mix of digital art and clothing.

(H) – Why is fashion-art synergy important?

(A) – It’s important because the basis of any creative branch comes from art in its purest state, being this the predecessor to the changes in the rest of the currents, so the stronger the link, the more artistic freedom the brands will have to tell us about their new ideas and/or collections.

(H) – On what basis did you select the guest artists for this project?

(A) – In the relevance they have had, have had or will have in fashion through their ideas and audiovisual creations.

(H) – What do they all have in common?

(A) – Innovation at the creative level through its narratives.

(H) – What role does music play in ‘080 aesthetics’ and in your life?

(A) – For 080 Aesthetics it is one more leg of the equation, I believe that everything visual is lame without the sound and vice versa, that’s why we decided to bring different artists and djs that between them there are already synergies and that create a vision through their sounds and rhythms. Personally music has always been the soundtrack of my life, at any decisive moment it has been there to support me and give me courage and energy when everything seemed impossible.

(H) – ‘080 aesthetics’ is a multi-sensory experience. Is it important that the digital and the physical come together?

(A) – In general, we are used to looking at everything on our mobile phones and this means that we don’t value what we see (how can we value it if we are looking at it on a 15 cm screen?), which is why we believe that we have to amaze people and hypnotise them, which is why we believe that even though it is digital content, it has to play a very important role in spaces as an artistic installation in itself.

This is how we experienced the 33rd edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion.