Yamakasino aka Matthias Brandt is a visual artist currently living in Berlin.
For his minimal architecture series he collects impressions of reality with his camera and then subjects them to his imagination in the digital studio. His understanding of shapes, colors and contrasts stems from his many years of experience as a graffiti artist and abstract painter.
“"Although YAMAKASINO learned art on the street, he has mastered the techniques from the textbook. Perhaps that is the exciting thing about his MINIMAL architecture works. The works enable him to design objects, buildings, places and walls that would be inaccessible or taboo for him as a sprayer. Their selection, however, clearly stems from the perspective of someone who sees the urban landscape not only as a motif, but also as a canvas.“ - Quote from German art historian Johannes Rosenbohm”
Since I was little, I have seen the world less figuratively and much more in colors and shapes. In my imagination, I cut out angles and add colors until a harmonious concept emerges.
For a long time I didn’t understand that not everyone perceives the world in this way.
With my art, I try to show people this view. I want to inspire everyone to see the world through my eyes and discover beauty where it is hidden under the gray veil of urban concrete facades.
I want to make the world a more colorful, more beautiful place.
To do this, I regularly travel to new places and explore the architectural features. I’ve been to Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Israel. Next, I’m planning trips to Holland and America. Besides that I work in the studio on a series of abstract architectural paintings with spray paint on canvas.
I love sport! Besides my often hours-long photo walks, I play beach volleyball and do bodyweight workouts. But I also love spending time with friends and having long conversations.
The name Yamakasino comes from the Yamakasi – the first parkour group founded in Paris in 1997. These acrobatic free runners move freely through the urban environment, seemingly without accepting physical boundaries and always on the lookout for new ways to explore the city.
Don’t hesitate!
First and foremost, my parents and my brother. My mother taught me that creativity is an inexhaustible source from which I can always draw. I am also inspired by architects such as Le Corbusier, Bofill, Gropius and van der Rohe, as well as artists from all eras and styles.
And even more so my two nieces Marie and Sophie. In their childlike carefreeness, they use colors completely free of rules and create wonderful abstract paintings.
Sony Alpha 7 III and a 24-70mm lens
I need a reliable camera that I can always have with me without lugging around too much weight.
Photoshop
It helps me to create my version of reality. I don't ever use the AI tools that the program offers, but work by hand. Each image consists of thousands of clicks.
Spray cans
For me, there is hardly a faster and more intuitive way to work with colors.
