Full name: 

Martin de Diego Sadaba

Date of birth:

Any moment three decades ago

What is your current location:

Bilbao / Spain

Tell us a little about the art styles that you use:

I develop different kind of works, I do concept, classical illustration and portraits for commissions but my personal works flows between fantasy and dark surrealism. I’m opened to many things it’s hard for me to find a personal line of work or a personal style, maybe my personal strokes would define my style.

Why did you choose these art styles:

It’s how when you are hungry and you open the fridge, you know exactly what your stomach wants to taste. I develop “my styles” because it’s what feeds my hunger.

How can you define in your own word, surrealism:

Intuition speech is the best definition I could find.

What influenced you to become an artist and how did your family/friend react to the idea:

Like someone said. When we are children we all draw, but most of us stop to draw at a moment. I’m one of those children that never stopped, so I never became an artist, I just continued drawing. Because I always drew, my family and friends got used to it, so they never had the chance to react any way haha

How long have you been an artist:

As a professional artist for more than a decade, too much for my poor quality, enough to be double better than how I’m.

Where do you get your inspiration from:

I get my inspiration from my dreams, from fantasy, philosophy, drugs and Deviantart.

What determined you to do collaborations:

I’m an energetic vampire when working. I have double the energy to do whatever if I work in a group and I believe in what I do.

What can you tell us about your first collaboration:

I could say that I don’t remember exactly what it was. I can only remember that some of my first ones were Exquisite Corpses between Ton Haring, Bernard Dumaine and me. I remember that I experienced strong feelings, loving them and partially hating them (my collaborations, not my partners) in some way, but mostly experiencing a heavy surprise at the end. Actually when I do collaborations, both of us (me and my collaborator) work together through all the process, so it is a very different thing than the exquisite corpse experience. Actually it’s more like a studio work, depending on the person with who you work on the collaboration.

Can you tell us how collaborations influenced you and your art:

Some of my collaborations gave me the chance to meet people that today are my friends and fellow artists. Collaborations are the best resource ever to learn, share and help each other, and also collaborations are a good training for working in groups.

How the internet did influence your art:

I live through internet, the simplest question would be “how the internet DID NOT influence my art. But anyway I have no answer. :D

What can you tell us about your current exhibition:

My current exhibition will be a series of collective exhibition with my partners that can be seen at /www.hystericalminds.com and it will be ready soon, for early 2012.

Where can people see your artworks: http://almanegra.deviantart.com and I’m working on my personal portfolio already but it’s not finished.

How can people contact you: mdsadaba@gmail.com

View the work of Martin de Diego Sadaba in LITnIMAGE's Winter 2012 issue

Click here for Martin de Diego Sadaba's bio