Hektor: Q&A with Chloé Derderian

{graffiti} {spraycan} {laptop} {programming} {art} {robot}

Can you guess whose those tags belong to?

It's Hector, the graffiti robot.

Hektor is consist of spray can folder, two motors mounted and his brain, the laptop computers. His spray can part of the body is driven by two motors mounted at the upper corners his canvas/wall.

He has just finished a show "It's Ok to Make Mistakes" at the Riviera gallery in Williamsburg. On June 13, he produced graffities on the walls of the gallery. He diligently drew the lines making the robotic moves. He looked very humorous and charming.

Hector unfortunately is already back home in Switzerland. So I asked questions to {young} {cute} {smart} {sweet} {Williamsburg}{riviera gallery} {curator} Chloé Derderian about him and also her views on technology and her devotion for art and her gallery.


1: Can you explain about Hektor and the work made by him? Is Hektor also an art piece?
Hektor is something that needs to be seen to be believed. The robot/machine Hektor was created in collaboration with Uli Franke and Jürg Lehni in Switlerland. To create the pieces, Juerg works with a guest designer (for this show he worked with Laurenz Brunner) who makes the design in a special program that tells Hektor how to draw the lines. It is then installed within the gallery hooked to the computer and there you have it. The real magic in Hektor is as a spectator, you never know what the final piece will be as he teases you by drawing one line in the upper right corner, swings down to create a line to the lower left and so on. You really get trans-fixed by watching the story unfold. It is really about the performance as opposed to just the finished piece.

I would say that Hektor the machine is a work of art in itself. It is a one of a kind object, which took quite a bit of work and ingenuity to create.

More information can be found here: www.hektor.ch

2: Computer nerd or art nerd?
Art nerd, but I guess any nerd is cool. If a nerd means someone who is completely interested and devoted to one thing (whether it be art, computers, Star Trek, the Civil War) that is something I find admirable in a person.

3: If Hektor was an android what do you think he¹d look like?
This is an interesting question as I have a very specific connotation to the name Hektor, and I wonder if it translates the same way to the Swiss designers.

4: What do you think of ape artists, like Janey the orange utan?
I¹m not as interested in ape artist as I am with elephant artists. The fact that an ape makes art is not so surprising, since they are a close relative to humans. But the idea that an enormous animal like an elephant can hold a tiny brush in his trunk and paint a painting is amazing.

5: What¹s the moment that you hated technology?
When your computer crashes and dies and you go to the Apple store and they very nonchalantly say "There's nothing we can do". (although perhaps that is really 75% a people issue). Otherwise, I love technology and don¹t know what I would do without the internet and email.

6: How did you land on your current job? How did you start getting involved in the art world?
My position with the Riviera came out of the blue. I was curating a show at the gallery set for this July and one of the partners asked if I might be interested in managing the space. We had a few meetings and I started within
2 weeks. I got really involved in the arts in 2001 when I curated my first show, "The All-Girl Art Show" at a lounge in Greenpoint. I was the Deputy Director with a not-for-profit called s.u.n.Arts and we curated numerous shows in the NYC area from 2001-2003. After that I branched off on my own for a bit and now I'm happily at the Riviera!

7: Any galleriest /curator you adore?
I admire the works being shown at New Image in LA. I think they¹re really on target with what¹s going on with real art. Deitch Projects and Cinders
Gallery has cool shows as well. Cinder¹s has their Porch Show up right now and I keep meaning to go and see it.

8: Where is your favorite place to see art?
Honestly, my favorite place to see art is generally in a book so you can really leaf through the pages and get in to it. I often feel intimidated going to galleries. There have been times where there was a garbage can in the gallery and I wasn¹t sure if it was art - so I¹d give it a good look just in case.

Other than books I like going to Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria. Last year they had a giant hairy sculpture of a Bigfoot. Our dog actually ran towards it from yards away barking thinking it was real.

9: How are you dressed today?
I am wearing a black pencil skirt, purple tank top, black patent leather flats and a gold necklace with the initial "G".

10: Anything we should know about you?
At the moment, the only thing I can think about is the show I¹m curating at the Riviera- "Tiger in a Tropical Storm". It¹s a project that has been in the works for over 6 months and I am thrilled that the opening is just around the corner. The piece that I am the most excited about is Richard Colman¹s. He will be sending along a 10 foot by 12 foot piece. Needless to
say- I'm excited!

Thanks do much Chloé! See you at the opening!

Special Thanks to Dan.

Watch Hektor making art

Check out upcoming exhibitions at the Riviera Gallery

Chole's new show "Tiger in a Tropical Storm" opens on July 12.