On January 6, Spanish artist Pere Ibañez is releasing ‘Ultraviolence Selected Works 10-25’, a 15 years collection that covers many of his iconic works, remasters and brand new works. The book is being released on the same week that the artist band Sonic Panda is publishing his first original single with Spanish record label No Where Records.
Q: ’Ultraviolence’ celebrates 15 years of your photographic career, what are the moments that you would highlight from all this years?
Pere: There are plenty of great moments, great highs and terrible lows. I worked with amazing people and made life-long friends among the way. I collaborated with NGO’s on beautiful projects and had the privilege to showcase my work around the world. I also had to go through the loss of loved ones and the pandemic as everyone else did. If I have to choose one highlight it would be to see my work in New York Times Square screens, and a ver low moment it would be the loss of my father, both integral and critical to what my work had become.
Q: During this 15 years your work has changed drastically, how would you describe this change?
Pere: Back in 2010 I was really having fun, playing around and being bold, often pushing boundaries. I was full of energy, during the years that followed I learnt to control and redirect that raw energy and create more focused works. My visual language got more sophisticated somehow, well as sophisticated as someone like me can get (laughs). So yeah, my last works were really much more personal, and sometimes painful to even look back. So there is a huge difference between why I was creating those photographs en 2010 and why I did it later on. The last years were not fun at all, they were therapeutic since they helped me deal with breakups, the passing of my father and the pandemic, but not fun. But funny enough, those last photo-collections are really my favourite.
Q: When you say that ‘Ultraviolence’ is your final work, does it mean that you photographic career ends here?
Pere: Not really, I’m very exaggerated in the way that I express myself. It’s my ‘last one’ for now, I’m taking a break from photography, I’m not quitting. I keep evolving and finding new ways to communicate and be creative, and photography is just taking a back seat for the moment.
Q: So what can you tell us about Sonic Panda and signing with No Where Records?
Pere: Sonic Panda is the continuation of my work, on the same week that ‘Ultraviolence’ comes out, we will be releasing our first original song, in fact one of the first songs that I wrote. And our music is really a continuation of the work I did as a photographer. If you had to put music to my photographs it would be what Sonic Panda sounds like. We have been very lucky to sign with No Where records who support our creative vision and encourage us to be ourselves.
Q: What are the differences between being a photographer and being a musician?
Pere: Not many really, it all depends on how you create, and there’s not that big difference in the way I created the photos and how I am writing the songs. The big difference is that photography was more of a loner job. Sonic Panda is not just me, is Seni Ren who is the other half of the band, is No Where Records who are supporting the project and Carlsed who is producing the songs. So is a group effort and that really feels different, it’s all much more familiar, much more friendly.
Q: Finally, what can you tell us about that first song you are about to release?
Pere: In fact, we released a song at the end of last summer, but it was a rock version of an old pop classic. ‘Foreigners’ is written by me and our first song with No Where Records, and it feels much more us. Is an electronic rock track that in lyrics, theme and vibe goes pretty much in line with what my photographs are.
‘Ultraviolence – Selected Works 10-25’ will be available in paperback, hard-cover and eBook from January 6. And the song ‘Foreigners’ by Sonic Panda will be available in all streaming platforms and digital music stores on January 10.
