We have all heard about the strict copyright rules for online images, but here’s an artist who does work by ‘stealing’ images from Instagram users. Hf met the Brazilian multimedia artist Lucas Levitan  (Instagram: @lucaslevitan) to talk about his recent project – Photo Invasion.

我們聽過很多關於使用網上圖片時的版權問題，不過以下介紹的藝術家就正正是專門「偷」別人Instagram上的圖片來進行創作。Hf 最近遇上了巴西多媒體藝術家 Lucas Levitan (Instagram: @lucaslevitan )，談談其最新創作──Photo Invasion。

L: Lucas Levitan | Hf: HOKK fabrica
中：中文翻譯

Hf: Hello. Please introduce yourself.

中：你好！請自我介紹。

L: I’m a Brazilian multimedia artist based in London. I search for inspiration in everyday life and turn ordinary objects and scenes into intriguing images that sometimes take shape as illustration, sculptures, installations, paintings or video-art. I see the world with a little twist on reality. And by de-contextualizing them, I change the way they are perceived and engage the audience in an unexpected and playful way.

中：我是一位來自倫敦的巴西裔多媒體藝術家。我的靈感來自日常生活，我喜歡將平凡的東西和場景改變成為有趣的影像，這些影像可以是插畫、雕塑、裝置、畫作和錄像。我以一個稍微扭曲現實的目光看世界，將主體與情景分離，就能夠有趣地改變觀眾對主體的認知和參與。

Hf: How did you come up with the idea of your ‘Photo Invasion’ project?

中：你是怎樣想到「Photo Invasion」的呢？

L: Photo Invasion is my latest illustration project. I appropriate photography by other people and add my illustrative touch. My humor and quirky intervention changes the narrative creating new stories.

中：Photo Invasion 是我最新的插畫藝術，我將別人的照片據為己有，然後加上幽默和怪誕的插畫，這種介入能夠改變原有的敘述，從而產生新故事。

L: Photo Invasion is a crossover of two of my passions, illustration and photography. I thought it might be interesting to mix and match partnerships with other friends and photographers alike on Instagram. It became like a game for me; I can spend hours searching for the next one, visiting galleries, collecting images and conceptualizing my next ‘invasion.’

中：當插畫和攝影走在一起的時候就成為了Photo Invasion。在Instagram上的朋友和攝影師合作是一件有趣的事，對我來說就好像遊戲似的，我可以花上幾小時尋找、收集和構思下一個「入侵」目標。

Hf: Explain to us about the process of your Photo Invasion project from the selection to the drawings.

中：由揀選到畫畫，可以解釋 Photo Invasion 的創作過程嗎？

L: I travel around Instagram for an attention-grabbing image. It’s not about the quality of the photographer, or the gallery, but how the image itself inspires me. I create a surprising partnership with other users by ‘stealing’ their images. I use the word ‘stealing’ instead of ‘choosing’ because not asking for permission gives autonomy and respect for the photographer and myself vice versa. Asking for permission loses the surprise element as well and makes the project too formal and methodical.

中：我會瀏覽Instagram尋找一張矚目的圖像，該圖片最重要的是能夠啓發我，攝影師和畫廊本身的質素反而是次要的。當我「偷」走其他人的照片，我同時與他們建立了一個奇怪的合作關係。我用「偷」一字而不用「選」，是因為在沒有授權之下取得照片進行創作能夠同時給予照片原創者和本人自主與尊重。取得照片授權後才進行創作便會喪失了令人驚奇的元素，而且還會令到整件事情變得太過正式和太過有條理。

L: I’ve been lucky till the date, as I haven’t got any complaints from any of my ‘victims’ yet, quite the opposite, some of them have become my friends. I have a deep admiration for their work. I hope it’s seen as a kind and honorable form of robbery.

中：我十分幸運，直到現在還未收到任何「受害者」投訴。相反，我與不少「受害者」成為了朋友呢。我十分欣賞他們的作品，希望他們視我的「侵襲」為一種友善和光榮的搶劫。

Hf: What are some other projects of yours that you personally like?

中：你還有其他特別喜歡的作品嗎？

L: I’ve been working as an illustrator most of my time lately. I finished a graphic novel and I’m looking for a publisher. I’d be happy if I manage to release it in 2015. In parallel I’m working on a documentary about my roots. My grandfather left Lithuania just before World War II, escaping from the Nazis and went to Brazil. My father and I went back to the city where he was born and we shot a small documentary there. It was such an emotional moment. I have this unfinished film on my website; I still need a few weeks to polish it.

中：最近我的工作主要圍繞插畫，我完成了一本繪圖小說，現在正在尋找出版商，如果能夠在2015年成功出版就好了。同時，我在製作一部關於自己根源的紀錄片。我祖父在第二次世界大戰前為了逃離納粹德軍而離開了立陶宛走到巴西去，我和父親回到他出生的故鄉拍攝一部小小的紀錄片，記得當時我感到很激動，我會將紀錄片放到我的網站上，但我還需要一點時間修飾一下。

L: However, I’m really keen on restarting doing art installations and conceptual art. Work in Progress, Three Painting and Balloons are three projects I really enjoy doing and I have a few others I’d love to bring to life soon. I love juggling all those projects at the same time. If I spend too much time on one, I get bored.

中：不過，我很想重拾裝置藝術和概念藝術，《工作進行中》、《三幅畫》和《氣球》是三個我十分享受的創作，我還有幾件藝術要實現。我喜歡同時進行多個創作，如果我在一件創作上花太多時間，我會感到沈悶。

Hf: Could you tell us a bit about your typical day at work?

中：可以分享一下你平時的工作嗎？

L: I’m not a morning person, but when I’m doing something I’m really passionate about, I can work even before the sunrise. I normally go to bed with a sketchbook and the following morning I wake up to see most of my ideas all over the place on the sketchbook. I select a few to start my day. The day is pretty much sitting on my desk drawing and laughing at my illustration. When I giggle I know it’s funny to me, and perhaps to other people as well.

When I finish a few illustrations, I go to my email inbox and spend a few hours catching up with people. This is my ordinary day at work. However many of them are full of crap, going to the bank, filling up invoices and washing clothes. I believe that’s not what you want to hear, is it?

中：我不是一個早上工作的人，但若果遇上一件我很喜歡的事情，我天亮之前就會起床工作。睡覺時我總愛帶著素描本，翌日早上起來我便會發現素描本上寫了很多構思，我會選幾個來用。通常，我整天坐在桌子前畫畫和取笑自己所畫的。當我知道望見圖像時連我自己都會笑時，那很有可能其他人都會覺得有趣。

畫完之後，我會檢查郵件，這就是我平凡的一天。其實大部分時間都是很悶的，例如要去銀行、填表、洗衣服等等。我相信這不是你想聽到的吧？

Hf: What is your ultimate goal as an artist?

中：作為一位藝術家，你最終的目標是甚麼？

L: I feel fulfilled when people comment on my images saying they laughed with my illustration, or that they made their day happier. This is the most important thing for an artist, knowing that the image you created reached the heart of people and brought out their emotions. This gives me motivation to continue doing my work.