JAMES JEAN // JUXTAPOZ x SUPERFLAT // DAVE EGGERS

SEPTEMBER, n188 $6.99

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 ISSUE 188 / SEPTEMBER 2016

10 EDITOR’S LETTER

12 STUDIO TIME ELISABETH HIGGINS O’CONNOR: POWER POSING

14 EVENT TOM SACHS IN OUTER SPACE

16 IN SESSION SARAH HOTCHKISS AT LEWIS AND CLARK

18 THE REPORT A NEW KIND OF GETAWAY

24 PICTURE BOOK MICHAEL MARCELLE’S RED STRAWBERRY

32 DESIGN FLAVOR PAPER REINVENTS WALLPAPER

36 FASHION MORPH KNITWEAR FOR ALL SEASONS

50 JUXTAPOZ X 60 ELISABETH
SUPERFLAT HIGGINS O’CONNOR

68 DAVE EGGERS 78 CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA

88 ROBERT HARDGRAVE THE DELIGHT OF DISCOVERY

104 TRAVEL INSIDER MARY IVERSON IN SEATTLE

110 BOOK REVIEWS BOSCH, ICY & SOT, AND FONTS

114 PROFILE ROLLING WITH RUSS POPE

118 PRODUCT REVIEWS MODERNICA, MEMORY GAMES, AND DENIM

96 120 SIEBEN ON LIFE SIX PACK WITH MEL KADEL

TILTING 122 POP LIFE LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO AND BROOKLYN

THE BASIN 126 PERSPECTIVE ROBERT WILLIAMS ON GUNS N’ ROSES

JUXTAPOZ.COM
 S TA FF

FOUNDER ROBERT WILLIAMS

EDITOR EVAN PRICCO
ART DIRECTOR ROSEMARY PINKHAM
MANAGING EDITOR ALEX NICHOLSON
CO-FOUNDER GREG ESCALANTE
CO-FOUNDER SUZANNE WILLIAMS
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER NICK LATTNER
DEPUTY EDITOR KRISTIN FARR
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS RACHEL CASSANDRA, LAUREN YOUNG SMITH
INTERNS KIMY LECAMWASAM, KATIE PECK

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS KRISTIN FARR, MARY IVERSON, AUSTIN McMANUS,

DAVID MOLESKY, EVAN PRICCO, GABE SCOTT, MICHAEL SIEBEN, GWYNNED VITELLO,
ROBERT WILLIAMS
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS JAMES ARZENTE, IAN BATES, DAVID BROACH,
SHANE BUSH, ALAN GONZALEZ, SAM GRAHAM, TODD MAZER, RAMIN TALAIE
CONTRIBUTING WEB + PRINT EDITORS JOEY GARFIELD, AUSTIN McMANUS,
GABE SCOTT, MICHAEL SIEBEN
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR AUSTIN McMANUS
CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITORS ESTEVAN ORIOL, DAVID BROACH, BROCK FETCH
AGENCY DESIGNER MAX STERN

ADVERTISING + SALES DIRECTOR MIKE STALTER [email protected]

ADVERTISING SALES EBEN STERLING
MARKETING DIRECTOR DAVE SYPNIEWSKI [email protected]
AD OPERATIONS MANAGER MIKE BRESLIN
MARKETING + AD MANAGER SALLY VITELLO

PRESIDENT + PUBLISHER GWYNNED VITELLO

CFO JEFF RAFNSON
ACCOUNTING MANAGER KELLY MA
CIRCULATION CONSULTANT JOHN MORTHANOS

WEBSTORE COORDINATOR YOLANDA RODRIGUEZ

MAIL ORDER + CUSTOMER SERVICE EBEN BENSON, TOM SHATTUCK
[email protected], [email protected], 415-822-3083
PRODUCT SALES MANAGER RICK ROTSAERT 415–852–4189
PRODUCT PROCUREMENT JOHN DUJMOVIC
SHIPPING MITCHELL CLARK, CHARLIE PRAVEL, IAN SEAGER, ADAM YIM
TECHNICAL LIAISON SANTOS ELY AGUSTIN

JUXTAPOZ ISSN #1077-8411 SEPTEMBER 2016 VOLUME 23, NUMBER 9

Published monthly by High Speed Productions, Inc., 1303 Underwood Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124–3308.
© 2016 High Speed Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. Juxtapoz is a registered trademark of
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workshops, music & more Juxtapoz Is Published by High Speed Productions, Inc.
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juxtapoz.com

Cover art by
James Jean
Bouquet
Acrylic on Canvas
36” x 48”
2016

Book Booths Now

 #lagunitasjux

COLOR ME IN. OR DON’T.

NOT LIKE THERE’S ANYTHING IN IT FOR YOU.
OR IS THERE? FORGET WE SAID ANYTHING.
PETALUMA, CALIF. & CHICAGO, ILL. SAID WHAT? DUNNO. NICE WEATHER TODAY.
Beer speaks. People mumble. @lagunitasbeer
ED I TO R ’ S L E T T ER

ISSUE NO 188
IN REFLECTING ON HOW WE GOT TO THE BRINK OF Murakami’s influential and groundbreaking Superflat above
Paco Pomet
opening our special Juxtapoz x Superflat exhibition in concept, but also the definition of Juxtapoz’s mission to Social (Diptych)
Seattle with co-curator Takashi Murakami, I suppose the make art more accessible, while creating a legacy for Oil on canvas
110” x 48”
genesis of this project began with a predicament and the outsiders. By joining together both classic and new 2016
an honest observation by an artist beloved to Juxtapoz works from some of Murakami and Juxtapoz’s favorite Courtesy of
Richard Heller Gallery
readers. James Jean and I were having a discussion artists, we applaud art in 2016, both as fans and curators, Santa Monica
with Takashi on the opening night of Jean’s Zugzwang as passionate followers of history and the contemporary.
exhibition at Takashi’s Hidari Zingaro Gallery in Tokyo From Urs Fischer to Paco Pomet, Otami Workshop to
last year. It circled around the idea that the barriers Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor, we are excited to acclaim so
surrounding the contemporary art world not only extend many different styles and mediums that inspire us to put
to a younger generation of art fans who are learning about the magazine together each month.
art history, but also to the many emerging artists reaching
a level of success who find it harder and harder to receive Not every artist in this issue will be presented in Juxtapoz
critical acceptance. That there is this secret society of the x Superflat but each one champions the spirit of why we
blue chip gallery, or some sacred text that defines strict wanted to create this exhibition and make it happen. From
rules of the art world. As James and I were, in a way, giving author and artist Dave Eggers’s brilliantly clever works,
our side of the story, Murakami, one of the most successful Camille Rose Garcia’s fantasy world, Robert Williams
and critically accepted artists in the contemporary art keeping things a little perverse, to Tom Sachs transporting
world (albeit an artist who continually sets his own rules), us to outer space, the September issue is a reminder of how
simply suggested, “Well, why don’t we make our own show wide the art world extends, and how exciting it is when it’s
and make our own rules?” just a little more… flat.

And so here we are now, with Juxtapoz x Superflat Enjoy #188.

showing at Pivot Art + Culture in Seattle from August 4–7,
2016. We want this show to not only be a celebration of
the many different genres and ideas that make art, but an
amalgamation of high and low cultures mixed together,
standing side by side, or one on top of the other, into
one aesthetic experience. It is both an extension of

10 | SEPTEMBER 2016
J AY H O W E L L STREET DOG
A R T I S T A N D A N I M AT O R BEST FRIEND
VA N S . C O M © 2016 VAN S INC.
STUDIO TIME

ELISABETH HIGGINS O’CONNOR

POWER POSING IN SEATTLE
I HAVE TAKEN A SUMMER STUDIO AWAY FROM HOME studio. If I have errands to run, it must be in the morning Photo by
Ian Bates
for two months in Seattle to concentrate, live in a city where before I go into the studio, or I will do an entire day of Seattle
I feel powerful, and get away from summer Cali-valley heat. errands. If it’s a studio day, that is all I will do. 2016

The studio is massive and has great light all day. I can swing
lumber around and not bump into anything. I am hip-deep Being “in the zone,” for me, means that I’m not constantly
and midstream in the building of new work, a suite of four fussing with music or looking online; so some days,
large-scale figures that are starting off, process-wise, if that’s been a problem, I actually banish all devices,
differently from my normal comfort zone. Although I’m and leave them at home, even though music is vital.
using the term “comfort zone” relatively here. Intentionally I recognize that I need my own austerity plan to get
and subconsciously, I invite situations that undermine my something done. Ideally, I would have my own personal
abilities or my comfort zone. studio DJ. —Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor

Having the studio kitted out with everything that I need

(within my budget) so that I never have to leave during the
day is crucial. Gathering tools, materials and prepping them Read our interview with Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor on page 58 and
takes time. Going offsite for a coffee or lunch break is to see her work in our new exhibit, Juxtapoz x Superflat, at Pivot Art +
break the spell. I bring my lunch, water and coffee to the Culture in Seattle from August 4–7, 2016.

12 | SEPTEMBER 2016
E V EN T

SPACE PROGRAM: EUROPA

AT YERBA BUENA CENTER
FOR THE ARTS
MISSION TO THE FINAL FRONTIER WITH TOM SACHS
IN SAN FRANCISCO
TOM SACHS IS PERHAPS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS on the ancient Japanese tradition of chanoyu, the ritual above
Landing Excursion Module (LEM)
simulated outer space adventures made possible by a of preparing and serving tea. Sachs treats the culture of Steel, plywood, resin, electronics,
DIY aesthetic and absurdly delightful details. If you’re not the tea ceremony and the scientific and space exploration assorted found objects
263” x 277” x 263”
already there, get yourself to San Francisco for the opening communities with a combination of reverence and ignorance 2007
or closing of this highly anticipated exhibition where you will that allows him to reinvent the rules to tell a broader story of
be transported to another dimension as the latest mission ambition, transformation and faith.”
is set in motion. Or visit mid-exhibition where the operation
will be open for observation, alongside a storefront coffee You may remember the May 2016 feature where we sent our
shop that offers meditative screw-sorting opportunities for special agents to uncover the secrets of Sachs by distracting
space program volunteers on the ground. him and his Satan Ceramics crew with a tattoo machine,
which only filled us with more anticipation to climb aboard
As if “a gigantic thirty-two-foot NASA ‘meatball’ logo relief Major Tom’s next mission. We’re so ready for liftoff.
sculpture of painted plywood,” that can be seen from
strategic aerial locations wasn’t enough to look forward to,
YBCA revealed more, “Sachs will also host a tea ceremony
during the opening and closing weekends, featuring Space Program: Europa launches September 16, 2016–January 15,
hand-sculpted bowls and ladles, scroll paintings, vases, a 2017 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
motorized tea whisk, a shot clock, and an electronic brazier
created by the artist himself. The ceremony is Sachs’s take ybca.org

14 | SEPTEMBER 2016
 LIZZIE ARMANTO
VA N S . C O M © 2016 VAN S INC. P R O F E S S I O N A L S K AT E B O A R D E R
IN SESSION

LEWIS AND CLARK COLLEGE

SARAH HOTCHKISS TURNS BACK TIME
ARTIST SARAH HOTCHKISS IS REMARKABLY familiar with all of the music from my teenage years. They above
Conch Comb
reflective, creating sculptures for humans and birds, know all the lyrics to “Semi Charmed Life.” That’s brain cardboard, paper clay, wood,
designing adventurous field trips, and turning experiences space I’ve been trying to get back since 1997 and they’re acrylic and gouache.
6” x 14” x 6”
into eloquent objects. I spoke to Sarah in the midst of her eating it up. I can’t tell if ’90s music is to them what ’80s 2016
artist residency at Lewis and Clark College. music was to me in high school, or if the internet has
just kept these things alive in a way that makes decades
Kristin Farr: What have you been making at the residency? completely collapse into each other. It’s definitely eerie.
Sarah Hotchkiss: I’m at a two-week writing workshop called
Fir Acres as their artist-in-residence. High school students That’s like Murakami’s Superflat concept, a focus of this
from all over the U.S. spend their time in workshops, and month’s issue. Have there been other discoveries you’ll
I spend my time in an ad hoc studio and lead two sessions explore when you get home?
with the participants over the course of my residency. I’m considering my sculptures in relationship to
interesting spots on the Lewis and Clark campus and
I’ve been making sculptures out of cardboard, paper clay making decisions in the studio based on how I want these
and papier mâché that tread the line between useful and objects to move across or sit in the landscape when
useless, utilitarian and decorative. These brightly colored I photograph them. I’m learning to make stop-motion
objects borrow from the visual language of games, toys and animations, and the sculptures are less static now. Since
optical illusions. I’m always trying to make things that both they’re the characters in these videos, I’m thinking a lot
puzzle and delight. more about their movements, sounds and motivations.
It sounds like the writing workshop’s character studies
On Instagram you mentioned talking to the students about are wearing off on me!
pop music history.
The Fir Acres participants are really open to exploring
different creative approaches to art. In our first session
together, we combined, covered and invented objects of The Fir Acres Workshop and artist residency at Lewis and Clark
varying usefulness. Some highlights: a drone capturing College in Portland, Oregon launched in the summer of 1989 and
device, a high ropes course for ants, and an hourglass provides a community atmosphere for young creatives.
without sand. I don’t spend a lot of time with teenagers, so
I was surprised when the students unleashed their sarahhotchkiss.com
impressive knowledge of music on me. They seem to be lclark.edu

16 | SEPTEMBER 2016
THE REPORT

A NEW KIND OF GETAWAY

KEVIN PETERSON TALKS SOLO SHOW AT THINKSPACE GALLERY
I ALWAYS HATE SEEING AN AWESOME ALBUM COVER tagged Flea in some of my pics. He had already deleted
with credit to the artist nowhere to be found. Scour the pic of my painting. So, I was just like, "Huh, what is this
Instagrams and Tumblrs looking for an answer, and you about?" I just forgot all about it, but about a week later their
might conclude that an anonymous gift was bestowed manager called and said the band was interested in using
upon a band to represent their creative output. But when the image for the new album.
it comes to the newest Red Hot Chili Peppers album, The
Getaway, the art is so identifiably Houston-based Kevin I have not met the band, but they will definitely get the
Peterson’s, no extra research is needed. That is the great invite to my show at Thinkspace Gallery when I'm down in
advantage of having a style and precision all your own. We LA in August.
sat down with Peterson on the heels of the album’s release
and talked about his new body of work set for a solo show In the Juxtapoz Hyperreal book, you talked about being
at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City this August and why the a realistic painter, but that your scenes are "rarely actual
children he paints aren’t afraid of the future. moments in time." Considering that the work looks so
cinematic, how do you prepare? What’s the process?
Evan Pricco: First off, congrats on the Red Hot Chili Sometimes I start with a background image I like and
Peppers album! How did that come about? Did you get to sometimes I start with a picture of a model I want to use;
meet anyone in the band? it doesn't always come about the same way. I work pretty
Kevin Peterson: It’s pretty surreal to see your painting on a closely with my reference photos, but the final scenes are
billboard or at freaking Target! I guess Anthony Kiedis saw composites of my images. I have tons of images of urban
the painting online and showed it to Flea. They were into it blight that I've taken over the years, and I also have lots
for the cover, but they didn't even know who the artist was. of pictures of models that I've taken at my studio. I use
Flea shared it on Instagram and his followers quickly pointed Photoshop to lay out a composition that I will use to paint
him in my direction. I didn't know about any of this though, from. The Photoshop composites are never perfect, though;
until I got on my Instagram later and a bunch of people had they are a framework. The challenge comes in working out

right
Offering
Oil on panel
55” x 38”
2016

opposite
Coalition II
(Used as the cover of
the Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Getaway album)
Oil on panel
36” x 17”
2015

18 | SEPTEMBER 2016
THE REPORT JUXTAPOZ.COM | 19
THE REPORT

all the details during the actual painting process to make adjust your trajectory, reevaluate your priorities. I suppose above
Scrap Or Die
the scene come alive. My goal is to create a scene that is the kids in my paintings are a reflection of a hope that I have Oil on panel
both implausible and fantastic, but at the same time, totally that people will learn from past mistakes and face the future 40” x 25”
2016
believable to the viewer. with a sense of calm reason.

The new work looks, dare I say, a lot more post-apocalyptic? Over the past few years, Texas has emerged as an art
Not in the “end of the world” sort of way, but also not subtle, center. Has that been exciting to see evolve?
as in The Leftovers sort of way. What ideas and themes Yeah, it’s a good place to be as an artist. There seems to
were you channeling? be a good appreciation for art here. There are amazing
I don't believe in an end of the world, apocalypse-type collectors, there is money here, affordable studio space, so
situation. The earth will persist, but the only question is what it all works together to make a nice creative environment.
stage it will be in. Time and how things change over time are
always themes in my work. I like thinking about our world in Who are some of your favorite artists making work today?
different stages. Seeing how the things we make crumble Who gets your juices flowing for your own work?
and decay. Seeing nature take over when it’s allowed to, I love Jerome Witkin. The work of Josh Keyes has always
but even nature is cyclical. A forest burns down, but it grows meant a lot to me. I love Aryz and Etam Cru. Simon
back stronger. It’s just a matter of time. Stalenhag, Tim Lowly, John Brosio, Colin Chillag, just to
name a few.
The kids you portray never look scared, even though they
are in situations that perhaps should cause alarm. Is that
an accurate description?
Yes, that's accurate. They're not scared. It’s hard for me Kevin Peterson’s solo show at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City,
to explain exactly what the look on their faces is saying. California will run from August 20—September 10, 2016.
Contemplative might be a good word for it. They're
considering this new world where things are crumbling, thinkspacegallery.com
but it’s not a reason for fear. It’s a new beginning, a clean
slate. I personally hate and fear change, but it’s important
to remember that change can lead to good. It can make you

20 | SEPTEMBER 2016
 LAGUNA
COLLEGE
OF ART +
DESIGN
Floral painting by, Miguel A. Gonzalez, miguel-a-gonzalez.com

Miguel A. Gonzalez
LCAD Drawing + Painting Alumnus

BFA DEGREES Animation, Design + Digital Media, Drawing + Painting, Game Art, Illustration
MFA Art of Game Design, Drawing, Painting
LCAD.EDU
MINORS Art History, Creative Writing, Sculpture
PICTURE BOOK

24 | SEPTEMBER 2016
MICHAEL Growing up on the coast of New Jersey, the infamous
hurricane that ravaged the Northeastern seaboard Michael Marcelle:

MARCELLE triggered a turning point in the artist’s career. With little

to do, virtually marooned at home as a result of Sandy,
Until about a year ago,
I had been making work
HOW WE CAME TO THE his lens focused on his own home life. His father, sister exclusively about my family,

RED STRAWBERRY and mother, who is apparently camera shy, became

recurring subjects whether they liked it or not, making
using my childhood house
and hometown as an
WHAT IF HURRICANE SANDY BLEW A HOLE INTO SPACE all his work deeply personal. While a myriad of ideas and extension of my studio to
and time, and that hole continued to get wider, skewing what questions are examined throughout his work, nostalgia make work about the fallout
we perceive as reality? People’s noses could unexplainably and mortality continually surface as focal points in his of Hurricane Sandy. I was
disappear, the light outside would make you feel as if visually constructed world. Growing up with a darkroom interested in turning the
you’re sitting in the bed of tanning booth in the middle of an in his basement and studying under the renowned devastation into a uncanny,
afterhours party, and the sight looking in the mirror might result photographers Stephen Shore and Tim Davis while at alien world, referencing
in alarming goosebumps. With heavily influenced aesthetics Bard, it’s not surprising that Marcelle has cultivated such a schlocky horror movies and
resembling horror and sci-fi films, Michael Marcelle’s obscured unique approach to a saturated medium. Others have also the queer world-building
narrative is often otherworldly, deeply intense and residing been taking notice, as his talent is requested for editorial of James Bidgood and
somewhere in the occult. But the uncanny familiarity, difficult to commissions by The New Yorker, New York Times and Vice. Kenneth Anger.
identify, begs the question, is that a digital manipulation or not? —Austin McManus

PICTURE BOOK JUXTAPOZ.COM | 25

PICTURE BOOK

26 | SEPTEMBER 2016
 Many of these photographs
here are from a new series
called Red Strawberry,
which pulls away from a
familial background and
into a wider, more brutal
perspective. Where the
previous work was using a
very specific language of
horror, these photographs
are more interested in the
syntax of science-fiction,
and more specifically, its
visual limitations. Everything
is too bright, too colorful, a
cloying, hyper-ripe piece of
fruit from another dimension.

PICTURE BOOK JUXTAPOZ.COM | 27

PICTURE BOOK

Though still in its early

stages, I keep imagining
the work as something like
a hallucination of a CGI
rendering. It's both primitive
and futuristic, maybe a
depiction of the post-Sandy
world in the previous
photographs thousands of
years in the future, or maybe
a very vivid interpretation of
the present.

28 | SEPTEMBER 2016
K R 3 W D E N I M . C O M
M A T T M C C O R M I C K
DESIGN

FLAVOR PAPER
WALLFLOWER NO MORE
above THINK OF WALLPAPER, AND CHANCES ARE, LIKE ME, How did Flavor Paper start? From what I read, it went from
Wild Thing Pattern
Designed by
your grandma’s house comes to mind. Maybe you think of Oregon to New Orleans, and now Brooklyn.
Ghislaine Viñas her smoking a cigarette, a memory framed by her wallpaper FP was a total accident. I was working on an interiors project
in the background. That’s how far back we are talking when in Miami and a friend showed me some wallpaper she was
remembering the heyday of wallpaper décor. But times trying to source for a client. The guy who owned FP called
are-a-changin’, and Brooklyn-based Flavor Paper has turned her back to say he was literally dragging everything outside
the business of wallpaper into industrial design, fine art, and and burning it on site. She showed me some samples and
site-specific installation work. We sit down with President I thought it was beautiful and flew out to rural Oregon to
and Creative Director Jon Sherman to discuss a new wave check out what he had left of the equipment. He told me
of wallpaper design, Warhol, and transforming your dining I could have the 48-foot long, 6,000 pound table and 300
room into Wayne White at home. screens if I got it out of his hair. I hired a log lifter, a truck
driver, and loaded all of it into a 54-foot trailer and sent it
Evan Pricco: When I was a kid, I had some sort of baseball- off to New Orleans, where I was living at the time. I got a
themed wallpaper in my room, but my mom quickly went warehouse under contract and rolled it all in Egyptian style.
with a more mature style when I got older. Did you have Then I had to teach myself how to make wallpaper as there
wallpaper in your room as a kid? weren't any books or guides. It was 2003, so the Internet
Jon Sherman: I didn't have wallpaper in my room, but we did wasn't much help.
have some bright, poppy yellow 1960s-style paper in the
kitchen. We have family photos of me at my first birthday, Our printing system is hand silk-screening using a 48-foot
partying with cake on my face in front of it. My mom was flatbed vacuum table, which is quite unique, and large
always a wallpaper fan, but she took a long time-out from screens that gave us huge repeats of 62 inches. I made an
using it in the ’80s and ’90s like most of America. early decision to go water-based, which ended up making life

32 | SEPTEMBER 2016
a helluva lot harder, but was definitely the way to go. I wanted twists that turned wallpaper design on its head, yet above
Patterns from the
to use Mylars and foils as ground materials from the get go, respected tradition. I reached out, and we’ve been making Andy Warhol Collection
and mixing those with Day-Glo inks really helped set us apart great wallpaper ever since.
early on. Our UK competitors snarkily called us the "shiny
wallpaper" people, but to me, it was a vast improvement on Did wallpaper really, dare I say, go out of style and then
their dark and somber aesthetic. I wanted people to be happy come back into style? Or is just that since I'm now of the
and inspired in their interiors, so bright colors, fun subjects, adult-settled age, I notice it again?
infused with humor and whimsy was key to finding our voice. Oh, it definitely was gasping for breath in the late ’70s
and early ’80s after it became a mass-produced, low
Our first collection was released at ICFF (International quality background concept. We helped bring it back by
Contemporary Furniture Fair) in NYC in spring 2004. concentrating on making wallpaper full wall art. High-end,
People were completely divided. Veteran designers who hand-painted wallpaper never went away, but was also so
had been through the wild Mylar movement of the 1970s expensive, it never hit the mainstream. There has been quite
said they couldn't go back, but younger designers loved a comeback over the past five years, with pattern becoming
the bold, colorful metallic vibe. We got some great press much more popular throughout society, assisted by the
and things took off, only to be shut down by Hurricane death of the white wall movement. Our first year showing at
Katrina. I thought FP was over, but we rebounded and ICFF, there were three wallpaper companies, while this year
were back in action in by November 2005. there were hundreds.

We first used the original patterns made by FP’s founder, Wallpaper, obviously, enhances the home. But what's
but released original work for our second collection. I really cool is that yours is like installation art, really
found Dan Funderburgh’s work in a graffiti book, and he transforming and tying together a fully immersive project.
was doing exactly what I wanted to do with wallpaper Was that an intention early on, or a really cool evolution of
design, and better than I ever could have pulled off. He had the brand?
the classic design angle down, interjected with all sorts It was something I liked about wallpaper from the
of modern urban elements, comical bits and unexpected beginning, and because we had such large-scale patterns,

DESIGN JUXTAPOZ.COM | 33
DESIGN

it was evident that size and scale had a truly dramatic Wayne White is a cool story because you based the above
Waynetopia
effect and helped realize my goal of bringing wallpaper wallpaper pattern on a mural he completed at his home. Designed by
to the foreground from the background. We focus on I met Wayne through Josh Liner and have always loved his Wayne White

immersive work with a dramatic impact. People love to be work. I own his Smartest Artist painting, one of my prized
transported, and a wallpaper installation can deliver that possessions. We discussed wallpaper and he told me
economically. he loved Chinoiserie-style French murals and had been
working on such a mural in his dining room with his son
The Warhol stuff you are doing is so perfect. How did that for ten years. It was a genius and perfect application of
collaboration come about? his style, and I indicated that I would love to make it into
We worked with the Montclair Art Museum on the Warhol wallpaper. He initially thought he’d have to paint something
and Cars exhibit in 2011, where we turned Andy’s Twelve in order to make a wallpaper, but I explained we’d rather
Cadillacs print into a wallpaper. His foundation, apparently shoot what he’d done and capture all of the wabi sabi
fans of the work, had been contemplating releasing Warhol elements of this personal project. I went in with Boone
art as wallpaper, so when they approached a number of Speed and shot it in great detail, then built it out into a
companies, we were asked to present. We were extremely mural style wallpaper with all of the texture of his plastered
interested and felt our style and aesthetic were right in walls. We even had Wayne paint over a printed section of
line with Andy’s, down to our Factory-like studio with its wallpaper where a built-in cabinet was in his home. The
mirrored ceilings and experimental angle. We took a lot of final mural has a section that is painted over wallpaper,
risks in our presentation and used work that wasn’t well but built back into the original painting! It won “Best of
known, so the Foundation granted us the global wallpaper ICFF” this year, so we’ve been pretty psyched. It’s a truly
license. It quickly became our best selling, with Flowers transformative piece and I absolutely love it.
and Crowd leading the way. We have had so much fun
developing the Warhol wallpapers as we try to work in all
of Andy’s styles and approaches. For example, we spray
yellow toner into the Flowers screens in homage to his piss flavorpaper.com
paintings, use lots of Mylars to mimic his Silver Clouds, and
paint into the screen to produce monoprints as the base for
Marilyn Monroe.

34 | SEPTEMBER 2016
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FA S H I O N

MORPH
KNITWEAR
COZY IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
THE BLANK CANVAS OR MOUND OF CLAY INVITES THE
artist to create an image, make a statement. An unfurled
bolt of soft knit from Morph Knitwear welcomes anyone
to dance, stride or hide, depending on whim, weather or
whatever. I’m not sure if Angela Thornton’s Morph Knitwear
is certified organic by the USDA, but it defines the word by
nature of inception and adaptability. The designer creates
from inspiration, not by color or silhouette of the year, and
definitely not by body of the moment. And it may depend
on how you feel at that moment. Working in neutrals
of white, gray and mostly black, each flowing form can
“morph” to suit the mood, and magically end up being your
coat of many colors.

Gwynned Vitello: Did you grow up sewing, or did you just

decide to take up knitting?
Angela Thornton: I grew up doing all kinds of arts and
crafts, everything from sewing and drawing to gardening
and building objects. My mom has always been a huge
inspiration in terms of creativity and productivity, and she
raised us to be as imaginative and creative as possible.
I learned how to knit as a kid, but didn’t have the patience
or interest to really pursue it until my early twenties.

Can you describe the process of making your clothes? How

are machines involved, if at all?
My design process is probably the exact opposite of what
any school would teach. I don’t sketch anything. When I get
an idea for a piece, I immediately begin swatching yarns to
find the gauge and texture I want the material to be, and from
there I start a prototype. Sometimes I’ll nail it on the first try
(so gratifying) but usually I’ll end up working on a piece a
few times before I get exactly what I want. I use both manual
knitting machines and traditional hand knitting in my design
process, though recently I have been much more focused
on the machine. They are entirely manual, so though they different creative pathways before I rediscovered knitting All photography by
Jon Duenas
do dramatically cut down production time, it is still a hugely and determined that it was something I was both good at
intensive process to create garments by using them. I love the and naturally inclined to do.
juxtaposition of the fine gauge machine knits and more open
or large gauge hand knits, as well as the technically different I have lots of friends who are always happy to get another
but completely complementary skills needed for both. black sweater. Has that always been, and will it always be
your favorite color?
You must have started out making clothing for yourself, Black has been my favorite color to wear for years, and it
right? Or was clothing design something you always wanted honestly probably always will be. To me, wearing black is
to do? natural and comfortable, simultaneously safe and mysterious,
When I was in high school I started modifying my clothes a simple and complex, and I feel it echoes my expression of
lot (mostly with sequins, let’s be honest!) as well as sewing self in just the right way. Wearing black is also a pragmatic
some simple clothes for myself, even though I’m a miserable decision. If I only have one color in my closet, I’ll have far
seamstress. I’ve always expressed myself through what fewer garments, and I can really invest in each one.
I wear, so it was natural for me to go from DIY as a teenager
to knitwear designer. That process did take a long time Removed from my own wardrobe, though, I love color!
and was incredibly frustrating. I tried and failed in so many I especially admire people who pull off monochromatic

36 | SEPTEMBER 2016
outfits in all hues, and if I had the time and patience to for yarn based on what I’ve used. I love it when people get
explore other colors, I certainly would try and introduce creative and use fibers or colors I’d never have thought of.
other monochromatic looks into my wardrobe. I source the fibers I use for production from a range of places,
though I always place emphasis on sourcing ethically and/
White is associated with the tropics, and black and gray or domestically produced yarns. I have a few local shops
seem natural for the Northwest. What makes Morph with whom I work closely, as well as some national and
Knitwear feel right at home in Portland? international fiber mills. Sometimes, when I’m extra lucky,
I’m very affected by my environment. The long, dreary I’m able to source handspun wool from my mom’s sheep.
winters here are something I cherish; they enable my
creative process like nothing else. I grew up in this town, Do you get involved with the marketing aspect of fashion
and have seen it change so much. But there’s always been design?
a pervasive attitude of artisanship and creative exploration Since Morph is a one-woman business and I do literally
that has made being an independent, self-funded little every aspect, from production and emails, to social media
business seem realistic and supported. and advertising, I’d say yes, I do! However, I do not buy into
the fast-fashion aspect of marketing. I’m not trying to sell a
I love that customers are able to buy patterns from you. fad, and I don’t appreciate the creation and dissemination of
Are they complete packages, or do you suggest the kind trends just to fuel thoughtless capitalistic consumerism.
of yarn that should be used? And how do you source
your materials? When did you make the choice to design unisex clothing,
I’ve really enjoyed making my patterns available to customers! or was it even a conscious decision?
I sell the patterns alone, but I do give recommendations I want people with all bodies to wear my designs, regardless of

FASHION JUXTAPOZ.COM | 37
FA S H I O N

how they define their gender. I definitely have more pieces that Can you put into words your philosophy? It seems that you
can be read as geared toward women, and my designs come design for many bodies, many moods.
from a place of creating things that I want to wear. Overall, The philosophy of Morph Knitwear is to create beautiful,
though, I think separating clothing into a gender binary is functional things, to explore texture and fiber, to enable
dumb. Anyone should be able to wear whatever they want thoughtful consumption, and to re-establish an intimate
relationship between clothier and customer. With Morph
Do you have a personal muse, and what else inspires you? I aim to express myself, connect with others, and challenge
How do you come up with a series or collection? our current environment of exploitive consumerist
My inspirations are constantly changing, ebbing and capitalism. The goal is to give value back to something that’s
flowing, so it’s definitely hard to say. My latest collection become trash—to create a culture of valuing hard work,
was heavily influenced by my great-grandmother, who humanity, and lasting quality in garment production. And
was a Croatian emigrant to the US in the early 1900s, my from and through that ethos, I want to create garments that
European peasant ancestry, and traditional functional all bodies can wear and feel beautiful in, regardless of age,
“work clothes” from the early twentieth century. Often I’ll gender or shape.
be inspired by a feeling I get from whatever is around—
nature, music, stories, television, wind, texture, clothing,
a beautiful view—and I’ll try and evoke that feeling in my
designs. I don’t give much thought to how a collection morphknitwear.com
comes together. It tends to be organic and usually starts
with an idea for two or three pieces that I feel fit well
together, and from there it just flows into coherency.

38 | SEPTEMBER 2016
 BACK TO
THE
FLUETURE

j o h n f lu evo g S h o e S
vancouver seattle boston toronto new york san francisco chicago los angeles montréal
portland québec calgary washington dc minneapolis denver ottawa new orleans
flu evo g .co m
 I N FLU EN C E S

LANCE CYRIL MOUNTAIN

SUBTLE AND SAGE
Portraits by LANCE CYRIL MOUNTAIN’S ART IS IMMEDIATELY How long ago did you start doing art?
David Broach
seductive and appears to be deceptively effortless. As long as I can remember, I’ve always been fairly
opposite (clockwise from top left) In reality, it takes a very sophisticated artist to master creative, whether drawing, painting, or screen printing.
Esoteric Angles #6
Acrylic on paper the tense intersection of abstract painting, color theory Things started to come into focus about five years ago.
11” x 7.5” and dynamic design. The shapes, textures, and colors in There’s always refinement though, and the work is
2016
Mountain’s art are perfectly balanced in their boldness constantly evolving. I don’t like it to get stagnant. I try to
Esoteric Angles #4
Acrylic on paper
and nuance. Mountain proves that minimal art can find a balance by keeping it organized, yet organic,
11” x 7.5” be simultaneously structured and organic, as well as while trying to maintain an innocence.
2016
meditative and electric. —Shepard Fairey
Wood Comp. #1 Who are some other artists who inspire you?
Aerosol on cut wood
8” x 9” Thrasher and Juxtapoz Photographer David Broach paid Really, it’s more that nature inspires, and looking around
2015 a visit to Lance Cyril Mountain at his Mountain Manor to at the textures of dilapidating industry. Also, jazz music—
shoot some portraits and ask a few questions. He got to anything from bop to Norwegian free jazz, the straight
know Lance and his dog Dirtbag a little better, though Lance ahead, as well as avant garde.
answered all the questions.
Given that your dad, Lance Mountain Sr., has been
David Broach: Tell me about your studio. When we shot a pro skateboarder and involved in the industry for
your photos, we had a pretty good time. The space is so many years, do you ever do any work for the
unique, even comes with a Junkyard Dog. skate companies?
Lance Cyril Mountain: My studio is located in an oil field. The Sometimes I am approached to work on a product here and
whole lot is privately owned, so it stays quiet for the most there. Recently Krooked Skateboards asked me to work on a
part. Dirtbag is a dog that wandered into the field as a pup series of new things.
and hasn’t left since. He’s a good guard dog.

4242| SEPTEMBER
| SEPTEMBER2016
2016
INFLUENCES JUXTAPOZ.COM | 43
I N FLU EN C E S

Since your Dad is undeniably a celebrity in certain Growing up in California, living in Seal Beach with my
circles, I am curious to know if his shadow has helped wife for close to 12 years, and having two children now,
or hurt your career. I feel like it would be best for my family and their future to
The skateboard and art worlds do intersect and are often venture elsewhere, outside of the state, where we could
connected, yet there are many differences. For example, experience four seasons, a bit of land and an on-site studio
I’m sure Irving Blum knows what a skateboard is, but and woodshop.
wouldn’t be able to name a skateboarder. Opportunities
have come up through folks connected in both worlds, but How has being a dad changed your outlook on life? Do
not solely based on my father being who he is. That said, you feel as if you try harder to succeed with your chosen
he’s always been supportive, but it’s not something I try profession?
and exploit. Absolutely, I now feel like I have a real purpose. I see
responsibility as a positive, where before having children it
When we last spoke, you had stopped skating for the most seemed like a burden. Even with the toddler and newborn,
part. Have you been focusing all your energy on painting? I get into the studio quite often. My wife is very supportive
I’d say family, creating, and work, in that order. Fatherhood and understands the importance of my studio practice and
and enjoying time with my children, watching them grow and staying active.
raising them is most important to me.
Tell me about your latest works and where you exhibited
I wouldn’t call you a starving artist, but you’re still in a spot them.
where you have a day job, right? I show through mid-August at Seeing Things Gallery in San
I work as an installer and art handler based in Los Jose, California, where I had my first solo exhibit in 2014.
Angeles. I get to work firsthand with some well known It’s a mix of recent works on paper and some hard-edge
galleries and established artists, so I have the pleasure of geometric wood work. I’ve found myself working smaller
being behind the scenes in the art world and seeing who recently. I feel like large scale paintings are sometimes used
really keeps it running. to conceal something, so it comes off as a statement rather
than an artist who’s confident about their work.
Although you currently live in Seal Beach, I know you have
talked about getting out of the city. You mentioned Idaho
or Minnesota. What makes you want to leave, anything to
do with the new baby? lancemountainart.tumblr.com

44 | SEPTEMBER 2016
Sept 16 2016-
Jan 15 2017

Official Airline

#tomsachseuropa
 ADAM WALLACAVAGE GLAZED PARADISE KRISTEN LIU-WONG PETER GRONQUIST
ADRIAN COX GREG GOSSEL KUKULA PIP & POP
ALESSANDRA MARIA HANDIEDAN LALA ABADDON R. LEVEILLE
ALESSIA IANNETTI HANNAH YATA LAUREN MARX RAY CAESAR
AMANDINE URRUTY HAROSHI LAUREN YS REDD WALITZKI
AMY FRY HEIDI TAILLEFER LOGAN HICKS RICHARD J. OLIVER
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CARLO CANE JOEY REMMERS MIHO HIRANO SOEY MILK
CARLOS RAMOS JONATHAN VINER MIKAEL TAKACS STEPHANIE INAGAKI
CHLOE EARLY JOSH AGLE (SHAG) MIKE STILKEY STICKYMONGER
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COLIN CHRISTIAN KELSEY BECKETT NATHAN JAMES TOM BAGSHAW
D*FACE KENT WILLIAMS NICOLE GORDON TRAVIS LAMPE
DAVID STOUPAKIS KEUN YOUNG PARK NIGEL COX TROY BROOKS
EINE KINSEY NOUAR VAN ARNO
ERIC JOYNER KISUNG KOH OKUDA VICTOR CASTILLO
ERIK MARK SANDBERG KORIN FAUGHT OLIVIA YASUYO FUJIBE
EWA PROŃCZUK-KUZIAk KRIS LEWIS PAUL FRANK YOSUKE UENO

COREY HELFORD GALLERY

10TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION ~ AUGUST 27TH
HAROSHI Skateboard Sculpture, 19.7" x 3.5" x 9.8"

571 SOUTH ANDERSON STREET, LOS ANGELES / 310.287.2340 / coreyhelfordgallery.com

 1xRUN, Knight Foundation and
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50 | SEPTEMBER 2016
THE NEW
SUPERFLAT
TAKASHI MURAKAMI AND JUXTAPOZ
REIMAGINE THE GALLERY SHOW
INTERVIEW BY EVAN PRICCO

IT’S ALL HAPPENING, MANY MONTHS IN THE MAKING, PERHAPS EVEN

centuries in the making, as artist Takashi Murakami’s Superflat concept is
about all corners of time and culture being collapsed into one accessible
space. Like Warhol before him, Murakami pioneered unlikely partnerships with
low and highbrow entities, building bridges between fashion, art, design—
mashups of cultural aesthetics. When our editor returns from Japan after
visiting Murakami, he always brings back a contagious energy that further
fuels our exploration of this new contemporary world where tomorrow is now
and the past is in our back pocket.

From August 4–7, 2016, at Pivot Art + Culture in Seattle, Juxtapoz and Takashi
Murakami will debut a Superflat experiment, a new exhibit without rules or barriers
that invites our favorite artists to shine, unhibited. —Kristin Farr

TAKASHI MURAKAMI JUXTAPOZ.COM | 51

52 | SEPTEMBER 2016
previous spread Evan Pricco: What is it that you particularly like about made art that sells, and was world famous, and that
Studio view
Takashi Murakami
Juxtapoz? We are doing this show together, and have should feel like something to be proud of. You almost
Tokyo gotten to know each other over this past year, but I haven’t implied that the blue chip, contemporary art world isn't
2016
asked you this question yet. necessarily the end-all, be-all, and that you, at times, feel
left Takashi Murakami: I'm moved by the fact that, as an artist, impaired by it.
James Jean
Plant Robert Williams took the step of declaring that he had I believe this was at the afterparty at Daini Chikara
Acrylic on synthetic textile
72” x 72”
nothing to be ashamed of, and that the work of his friends Shuzoa, a rather tasty sashimi and boiled fish restaurant
2012 was so great and worth seeing that he decided to show it in Nakano. James Jean is a regular and extremely popular
above
in the form of a monthly magazine. I think of print as a really artist in your pages. Here he was, caught in the dilemma
Devin Troy Strother high-risk medium, and for it to have continued to be read of not being able to enter the mainstream. And yet, he is
Lazy Bitch
Neon for more than 22 years is really a miracle. And I think, during unbelievably popular on Instagram and his work sells for
42” x 24” your editorial direction, there's been an even greater mix of high prices. He has his own particular strategy where he
2015
Courtesy of cultures and it is a genuinely interesting read. does not deal with galleries and sells his work directly.
Richard Heller Gallery
Santa Monica
As he told me about his worries, I remember wondering
What I always like is that Robert writes with this mixture if that very behavior was somehow contrary to the rules
of elegance and “fuck you” authority, and it seemed to of the industry. It has been 24 years since Helter Skelter
resonate beyond the page into a whole culture. I'm trying opened, and yet the wall between mainstream, blue chip
to think of when this show idea came about, and if I'm contemporary and the emerging generation is quite thick.
not mistaken, it was while we were talking with James That struck me as strange. And then you talked with me at
Jean at dinner after his show at your space in Nakano great length about that.
Broadway in Tokyo. James and I were both saying how
important it was for artists who come from the Juxtapoz JR was there, and he’s another artist who sort of redefined
world to get critical attention from the contemporary the rules while making a great name for himself in the art
art world, and how that growth was so important to an world. For me, it was like pillars of the art world, all from
artist's career. You sort of looked at James like he was different parts of the world, discussing these issues of
crazy, letting him know how you felt that he had fans, criticism and fame. When you were younger, did you feel

TAKASHI MURAKAMI JUXTAPOZ.COM | 53

54 | SEPTEMBER 2016
the need to be recognized, critically, as an artist, even if
they were bad reviews? Was there a need to be written
about in respected journals? Do you see that as something
artists still really strive for?
In Japan, what's lacking is high-quality criticism. That was
the case then and is the case now. There are zero critics
here who have immersed themselves in the fundamental
question of "What is the contemporary art of post-war
Japan?" As an artist, this provides a terrible lack of
motivation and I felt quite lonely. Yes, I do feel the need
for high-quality criticism. Even if the outlook on my work is
negative, if the quality of the review is high, I accept it.

Paul Schimmel’s Helter Skelter exhibition in LA seems to

have had a big influence on you. Was the original Superflat
show a response to that show, or were you coming from a
different place? I feel like a Liz Larner sculpture in the same
room as a Robert Williams painting is a good example of
how you collect art.
Helter Skelter opened at MOCA in Los Angeles in ’92, which
was around the beginning of my career. It was the show that
introduced the world to Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Chris
Burden, Charles Ray, Raymond Pettibon, and others, all
artists who would end up years later at the forefront of the
contemporary art world. I loved that show and especially the
fact that it featured artists who were not major names and
were active mostly on the West Coast. It was the moment
when I began to think that I too might have a license to Even though I never saw it in person, the Superflat show above
Erin M Riley
participate in that world, and so I began to make works with really influences the way I think about Juxtapoz. I loved 09 12 12, 5 04 AM
that same feeling. that indecipherable collection of high and low right next Wool cotton
100” x 96”
to each other and on a completely equal playing field in a 2016
Helter Skelter also included work by Robert Williams, and museum setting. Painting, toys, fashion, products, all of it
opposite (from top)
though that certainly caught my interest, it has not been in one presentation. I like creating this feeling where on Otani Workshop
one of the elements that has received a lot of closeup one page you have a blue chip, Gagosian-level, established
Chiho Aoshima
attention as the years have gone by. As for me, I have artist, and then on the next, there is some underground
gone on to have the curator of Helter Skelter curate one of graffiti artist or illustrator who’s never even had a gallery
my own exhibitions, and have my work featured in print in show. I think that is an honest way to look at art; more
Juxtapoz, so the world of my youthful fantasies has become truthful. It takes into account people's sensibilities and
reality. Meanwhile, I feel like the magazine and Robert experiences as they walk into a gallery or museum,
Williams have refrained from playing in the overground of acknowledging all the creative possibilities.
contemporary art and are still operating in the underground; I agree. Actually, I myself am astonished at the breadth of
in some ways, what you cover appears to be less art vision every month. I found myself wondering if it was even
and more like subculture. But what is the line between necessary to collaborate, but since you seemed daunted by
mainstream and subculture? Art has always been concerned that wall between you and high art, or better put, the depth
thematically with high and low, but what about mainstream and size of this channel that divided you, I thought maybe I
and the underground? could provide a rope across that channel. And that's really
how we began this collaboration.
I guess, in a lot of ways, there seems to be this difficulty
in defining what the viewer’s role is in the blue chip world, Honestly though, the fact that I have been able to remain in the
and that always bothered me. It’s almost as if appreciation contemporary art world, or in other words, the high art world,
of art, the act of enjoying it, means that you don’t count or is the result of a lot of coincidental factors coming together.
that you are a nuisance to certain parts of the contemporary It is mainly because I am a Japanese artist that the high art
art world. I really like how museums are starting to be a lot world opened its gates to me. Or if we look further, it was Paul
more inclusive and smart, and really broadening their scope Schimmel who selected Superflat for exhibition at MOCA and
without weakening the institutional platform; including film, later curated ©MURAKAMI, which means that I entered high
fashion, music and design into their programming. I think art from the Los Angeles, West Coast side of things. And yet,
that sort of breaks down the barriers between perceived as an artist, the elements that form my foundation have a deep
high and low cultures. subcultural essence and a shallow high-art essence. In every

TAKASHI MURAKAMI JUXTAPOZ.COM | 55

56 | SEPTEMBER 2016
 opposite
Todd James
Untitled
Acrylic on canvas
5’ x 6’
2016

left
Austin Lee
Smother
Flashe acrylic
on canvas
53” x 94”
2015
Courtesy of
Postmasters Gallery
New York City

TAKASHI MURAKAMI JUXTAPOZ.COM | 57

58 | SEPTEMBER 2016
sense, I have a Juxtapoz mind, so I was actually surprised to lexicon. But I also really wanted artists who create work in above
JH Kagaku
hear that the divide you spoke of still exists! the traditional arts in a new and refreshing way. I'm thinking
of Ben Venom's quilts, or Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor’s opposite
Christian Rex van Minnen
Do you think the art world appreciate the themes of sculptures, or Todd James’s paintings, or even how Trenton Coat of Arms
Superflat more now than it did when the namesake show Doyle Hancock treats the comic, narrative medium. I didn't Oil on linen
48” x 72” x 1.5”
first happened? I feel like people didn't realize how much want everyone to be so underground that they needed a ton 2016
their appreciation for art was aligned with the Superflat of background info, but I wanted people that pushed those
concept until you explained it to them. core elements of our history.
I feel like, in the last 20 years, the behavior of appreciating Most of the artists were unfamiliar to me, so I've enjoyed
art itself has become more mainstream, and that is why our seeing the images and I'm really looking forward to
ways of appreciating it have changed. For example, now if encountering the actual work in person.
you see a show at a museum you like, you can look up that
artist's name, find them on Instagram, and then you find out
that your favorite idol or singer also likes that artist, and that
makes you all the more happy. In that environment, reviews Juxtapoz x Superflat will be on display at Pivot Art + Culture in
and critiques are no longer taken into consideration. Seattle, August 4–7, 2016. Artists selected to appear in the show
include Chiho Aoshima, Urs Fischer, Kim Jung Gi, Kazunori Hamana,
You are so right. Maybe it’s the internet that sort of lets the James Jean, JH Kagaku, Friedrich Kunath, Takashi Murakami, Kazumi
casual observer make connections within the art world a lot Nakamura, Otani Workshop, Mark Ryden, David Shrigley, Katsuya
easier, and sort of breaks down the barriers. I was thinking, Terada, a selection from Toilet Paper Magazine, Yuji Ueda, He Xiang
when we were narrowing down artists for the show, that I Yu, Zoer & Velvet, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Todd James, Austin Lee,
wanted to mix styles and backgrounds, to gather a group Rebecca Morgan, Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor, Paco Pomet, Parra,
of people who were either on the cusp or about to make Christian Rex van Minnen. Erin M. Riley, Devin Troy Strother, Sage
that leap into that elusive gatekeeper, the contemporary art Vaughn, and Ben Venom.

TAKASHI MURAKAMI JUXTAPOZ.COM | 59

60 | SEPTEMBER 2016
ELISABETH
HIGGINS
O’CONNOR
THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER
INTERVIEW BY KRISTIN FARR // PORTRAIT BY IAN BATES

IT SHADOWS AND HOVERS OVER THE VIEWER AND ever had to bounce back or pull themselves up by their
demands that one backs away from the work to take bootstraps, (e.g., everyone), these sculptures gently
in its scope, but also, at the same time, up close, pulls reach out and connect. They are alive with the history
the viewer into an experience of delicacy, specific that made them, and their gestures suggest a triumphant
intention, as well as a riot of formal encounters in the rebound from whatever metaphorical pile of crap they’ve
physicality and materiality of the processes that went had to wade through. Constructed of familiar materials
into building the piece. —Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor and towering precariously, you won’t know whether
to hug them or run from them—an acute mirror of life’s
There are no better words to describe the impact of a everyday interactions.
colossal Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor sculpture aside
from her own. Her resilient figures lumber into the world Currently, Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor is likely singing
with a powerful clash of juxtapositions, comfy in their and dancing to the music in her Seattle summer studio as
awkwardness and inability to hide, sweet and scrappy, she works toward her new crew’s debut in our Juxtapoz x
steady and wild; they’re just like you. For anyone who’s Superflat exhibition at Pivot Art + Culture.

ELISABETH HIGGINS O’CONNOR JUXTAPOZ.COM | 61

 Kristin Farr: What are you making right now? Seeing your The work is titled less generically these days and uses
process always makes me think of the lyrics to that Tom song lyrics, my own poetry or internal monologue, and pop
Waits song... what is she building in there? culture references. They are fragmented embodiments or
Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor: Well, Tom Waits is definitely containers of my influences, intuitions, anxieties and history.
an influence! For this body of work, I have been working
more from drawings and maquettes, building wood skeletal Do the sculptures tell you when they’re finished? How
armatures and laminating foam insulation sheets into much of your process is spontaneous?
giant cubes, then carving them into the foundations for There is a whole host of formal or conceptual considerations
the bodies and heads. Previous work either accreted like that need to be addressed before something is truly finished.
a pearl, with bedding, cardboard and all manner of glues, Sometimes the work is “finished” because of a deadline!
drywall screws and paint, or were hollow, many-layered Sometimes there could be two or five “finished” versions
cardboard constructions, and had become prohibitively of the piece layered and buried under what I’ve done. Art
heavy, unwieldy, and after time, tended to deflate or deform making for me is a process of finding and losing, finding and
during transport and storage. I normally work very intuitively, losing. I am happiest if both these events can be happening
and will follow a form toward what it might suggest to simultaneously in a finished work. The facial expressions are
me. Something that I perceive as dog-like might morph really important. When they read “right” to me, that part is
eventually into something sheep-like, for example. finished. They need to elicit a certain pathos, and since
I am generally using pretty clumsy, blunt materials to try to
Because of the time-crunch, new materials and processes, capture this, there is a lot of adding and ripping off of stuff.
this work is forcing me to factor in more planning and A piece is finished when it straddles a gap between opposing
engineering than ever before. The styrofoam may be conditions; tenderness and the grotesque, lightness and
peaking through in places, but will get layered with stressed darkness, sweet and horrific, and so on.
or processed domestic textiles, scavenged cardboard and
goo. It’s an aesthetic of buildup and erosion. In the early stages of engineering a piece, I am forced to
be more logical. I build the armatures with lumber, a nail
Is your use of the mule head shape mostly in relation to gun, chop saw, power tools and ladders, but once the wood
your fondness for Goya’s Los Caprichos? armature is stabilized and steady, the layering of materials
The mule characters from Los Caprichos have been can start happening. This process is like painting or drawing
imprinted on me and I’ve been building a mule-headed for me, and I suppose I naturally fall into more of a flow state
figure in my work on and off over the years, ever since my of invention, intuition and play, following the piece’s internal
undergraduate time in the early ’90s at Cal State Long logic, and delighting in my own.
Beach. I have always seen its use in my work as a way to
describe a hybrid, something caught between two worlds, There are elements of my practice that can be very
belonging to neither. I invite cross-cultural, universal satisfying for the zen and repetitive-task part of my brain,
interpretations of mule-ness, of course. such as spending an entire day cutting floral motifs or
stripes from stiffened bedsheets, or an entire day painting
Was your recent sculpture of a mule creature falling down cardboard. There is a lot of preparation in getting to that
stairs a response to the space, or something else? spontaneity or state of flow. It is something that takes a
A mule-headed figure falling down an actual or implied while to build. It is not something that can be visited one day
staircase is something that I have built a few times in the a week. It is about building a momentum with successive
past year and a half, initially as an installation response days, weeks and months with the work.
to the staircase at Suyama Space, Seattle in 2015. For
me, there is an embedded element of the personal in I do think of your work like drawing or painting; your paint
the work, via psychological readings of posture, gesture is cardboard and fabric. Sometimes the materials seem
or expression, but in the past few years, the work has thematic. How do you choose them?
become increasingly, although oblique and opaque, more I gather the fabric at thrift stores, and it is generally some
autobiographical in nature... so yeah, it’s something else. form of bedding: sheets, quilts, pillows and afghans. There
The latest iteration may have this character splayed and is an entire spectrum of texture, weight, pattern, fashion,
sitting at the bottom of an implied staircase post-fall. era and color to be sourced, so there is a palette and an
inventory of material. There is a language of the forlorn, the
Do you call your sculptures creatures? Do they all have languishing, the out-of-step (style-wise and fashion-wise) in
names? the castoff textiles. Like, really, who is going to buy that shit?
I just call them “the work,” or sculptures! For many years, That’s the stuff I gravitate toward. All the cardboard is found
I referred to them and titled them No-Names, such as, No- behind stores or on the street. Most of the paint is from the
Name #10, Blue Arm. This was inspired by Elliott Smith’s “oops” paint section at Home Depot or hardware stores, and
opposite early song titles, like “No Name #3.” Then the titles evolved then I might tint that with acrylic paint.
Studio view
Seattle into words like Until, Because, and Otherwise—connector
2015
words in language that might allow the viewer to come up Since I generally work on a number of pieces simultaneously,
Photo by
Ian Bates with a before and after. I try to set up contrast in each one. One may be very floral,

62 | SEPTEMBER 2016
ELISABETH HIGGINS O’CONNOR JUXTAPOZ.COM | 63
clockwise (from left) topiary, fecund, and its neighbor will be composed of only scale work? I do welcome the challenge of returning to
Wanna Do Right, But Not Right Now
Lumber, knit afghans, bath rugs,
striped bedsheets, then perhaps the next will be composed of working smaller. It’s a time thing.
mattress covers, blankets, bed sheets, only doilies, afghans and knit materials. As well, an emotional
blankets, doilies, cardboard, packing
straps, paint, paper, drywall screws, component in each one will begin to emerge differently; rage, The work that I am known for is large-scale, and has
pins, acrylic matte medium, twine heartache, despair... tended to be in the larger-than-life or twice life-size range,
Approximately 7 1/2’ x 6’ x 7’
2014 which is a disconcerting scale. It is a bombastic scale.
Fever to Tell (detail)
I do see it as drawing or painting: broad brushstrokes, graphic It pulls on one gravitationally.
Lumber, blankets, bed sheets, lines or pixels of color. Up close, a color field; step away, it
cardboard, paint, paper, drywall
screws, acrylic matte medium, twine
comes into focus. I am doing a lot of restatement of lines or Did you have imaginary friends as a kid?
Approximately 8’ x 8’ x 8’ edges of forms and shapes with the material too. There is a lot No! I have 3 younger brothers, we are all very close in
2014
of just looking at the work in the studio, having up close and age. We were a pretty bratty, rambunctious lot, we argued
No-Name (Jackpot!) (detail) personal scrutiny, affixing tiny elements with glue, thread or and fought a bunch, drew a lot together, made our own
Lumber, blankets, bed sheets,
knit afghans, bath towels, thread, drywall screws, and then stepping back, walking around, or comic books, dug holes and built a treehouse among other
twine, glue
Full piece approximately
getting off the ladder to see how that passage “reads.” adventures. We ran wild.
8’ x 6’ x 7’
2011
Do you make big work to create a physical impact, or do Were there any children’s books that thrilled or terrified you?
you just love it? The original drawings by John Tenniel in Alice in
I enjoy working, period, and I have been lucky to have Wonderland made me very anxious, very curious. They
gallerists, dealers and curators invite me to fill spaces. Could terrified me. That world looked intensely cruel. The
I work smaller and have the same impact on the viewer, and illustration of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare shoving
pack as much of a smorgasbord of content into the work? the sleeping dormouse into the teapot has stayed with me.
I don’t know. As the work decreases in scale, it becomes It is so sadistic! And then my mother told me that the Mad
more precious, cute and doll-like, and I wonder about that. Hatter had brain poisoning from the way the felt in his hat
Does the small, cutie work diminish the power of the large- was cured. Ack!

64 | SEPTEMBER 2016
We had that Time-Life Nature series and I pored over those, I grew up and lived in southern California in working above
Installation view
never got tired of looking through them. I loved things like class neighborhoods for most of my life, El Monte, San
Ripley’s Believe it or Not books and the encyclopedia. Pedro and Wilmington, the L.A. Harbor. Right next to my Head in Hands, Heart in Throat,
Tongue in Knots, Heart on Sleeve
I was always reading things way beyond my years. I read grade school and junior high in El Monte was a 22-acre Suyama Space
Seattle
Irving Stone’s biography of Michelangelo, The Agony and barrio called Hicks Camp. It was a dirt-street, farm laborer 2015
the Ecstasy, in fourth grade. I repeatedly read that. Also, shanty town, torn down in the 1970s when I was a kid.
Couch skeletons, couch
all the Born Free books about the lioness in Africa, loved I have very strong memories of looking through the cushions, lumber, knit Afghans,
bath rugs, mattress covers,
those. Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange in sixth grade, that school fence into Hicks Camp. It was a little island or blankets, bed sheets, cardboard,
was terrifying times a million, but I was fascinated with the vestige of rancho life encircled by our a barely middle pillows, paint, paper, drywall
screws, pins, acrylic matte
language he invented. class subdivision just east of LA. medium, twine.

Left figure approximately

I’ve interviewed you before, and you talked about I currently live in Oak Park, Sacramento, an area that was hit 12’ x 5’ x 5’
Right figure approximately
shantytowns being an inspiration, as well as the idea of tremendously hard by the housing crash, foreclosure boom, 9’ x 7’ x 6’
being marginalized. What makes you relate to certain and a surge in homeless encampments. A favela-style
communities and structures? structure is not foreign to these neighborhoods where I’ve
First of all, I do not want to come off as someone who lived. It might be someone’s carport, shed or unpermitted
aestheticizes grinding poverty, but I do respect the ingenuity, home addition. I am translating my own surroundings.
absolute necessity and resourcefulness that go into building Perhaps they remind me of the cobbled together forts and
these structures. Making do with what’s at hand is a way of two-story treehouse my brothers and I built as kids.
being that corresponds to how I work in the studio. I believe
in a democracy of materials in my art making—materials that As far as the concept of marginalization, there is an
anyone can have access to. I save most of my floor scraps and implicit social justice component in the work. The figures’
studio detritus until I’m done with a body of work because the imperfections, the layers, describe a condition of being
ideal scrap may be right underfoot. burdened yet burgeoning, peeling and covering, armoring

ELISABETH HIGGINS O’CONNOR JUXTAPOZ.COM | 65

above and exposure, disruption and mending, cloaking and Your pillow pile drawings are unbelievable. What role does
Installation view
erosion. On one of many levels, these competing aesthetic drawing play in your work now?
Head in Hands, Heart in Throat, qualities are a place that I thrive in; a history of buildup and Thanks! I had a studio right after grad school in an old gas
Tongue in Knots, Heart on Sleeve
Suyama Space takedown. On a another level, this kind of visual language station. It had a big space with two smaller rooms with large
Seattle is the language of the street, of marginalized materials expanses of walls. I made sculpture in the big space, and
2015
and brutal processes. They stand valiant, yet are gravity- hung paper up in the other rooms. I had berms of blankets,
Couch skeletons, couch cushions,
challenged. They slump and trudge, despite whatever pillows and bedding piled up everywhere to put into the
lumber, knit Afghans, bath rugs,
mattress covers, blankets, bed sheets, has happened to them. I would never claim that the work sculpture, and I had been making small drawings of thread
cardboard, pillows, paint, paper,
drywall screws, pins, acrylic matte
represents the pain, anxiety and struggle for dignity and yarn and blanket scraps—the things that would fall to the
medium, twine. that actual marginalized communities have to live with studio floor—so I think it was just a logical progression that
opposite constantly. But I attempt to invoke empathy in the push I started drawing the blanket heaps. Some of these drawings
Spill/Spell and pull of horrific versus endearing. I make sense of the are small, rendered very tenderly in blue ball point pen, but
Suyama Space
Seattle world through a lens of cycles and circles. there are also very physical, large-scale drawings, at least
2015
80” x 100”, obsessively crosshatched in charcoal, chalk pastel
Lumber, blankets, bedsheets, Through that lens, why do textiles hold meaning for you? and gouache. I have a desire to be really illustrative in my
cardboard, paint, paper, drywall
screws, acrylic matte medium,
I respond to the embedded concepts these castoff household work, and the sculpture has been intentionally clunky, rough
twine, string. textiles carry: domesticity, comfort, childhood, familial history, or awkward, so I think the drawing is a way to satisfy or dance
10’ x 5’ x 4’ birth, death, sex and dreamtime. They are all found at thrift with a certain crispness or clarity. I kind of see them as heroic
stores, so it is very inexpensive material. I like that part! They portraits of really humble things.
hold different sets of meanings for other people as well.
I like that certain fabrics could be compelling or repulsive,
depending on who’s doing the looking. Textiles can describe
droopiness and gravity easily. I’m interested in that kind of Elisabeth’s new sculptures will be on view in Juxtapoz x Superflat at
physical language. I think about the connotations of what verbs Pivot Art + Culture in Seattle from August 4—7, 2016.
could mean in conjunction with bedding like ripped bedsheets,
or patching things out of necessity or fashion. elisabethhigginsoconnor.com

66 | SEPTEMBER 2016
ELISABETH HIGGINS O’CONNOR JUXTAPOZ.COM | 67
 DAVE
EGGERS
THE ART BELIEVER
INTERVIEW BY EVAN PRICCO // PORTRAIT BY RAMIN TALAIE

68 | SEPTEMBER 2016
DAVE EGGERS JUXTAPOZ.COM | 69
 SITTING DOWN TO INTERVIEW DAVE EGGERS SEEMS LIKE for Robert Williams as a rebellious draftsmen, his work
a test of focus. There are the countless books and stories one summer in a blue chip gallery in Chicago, and how his
he has written, including his newest novel, Heroes of the McSweeney’s titles pioneered connecting contemporary
Frontier, which I am happy to acknowledge, though we never literature with the likes of Chris Ware, Marcel Dzama and
got around to discussing it. There is A Heartbreaking Work of other heavyweights of the art world. But mostly, we talked
Staggering Genius, The Circle, A Hologram For the King, and about how art shaped his life, and how regardless of where
You Shall Know Our Velocity, all of which I devoured as each being a best-selling author takes him, there is a still a studio
was published. He conceived the influential McSweeney’s in his garage where he can paint.
publishing powerhouse and the incredibly smart quarterly
The Believer, and of course, spearheaded numerous tutoring Evan Pricco: This is a funny antecedent to the interview,
and learning centers that he founded under the 826 National but did you know I was an intern at The Believer in 2005,
name. Not to mention, he has written major screenplays like right before I started at Juxtapoz? I was probably the worst
Where the Wild Things Are. This just means there’s a lot we intern you guys ever had.
won’t get around to talking about. Dave Eggers: Yeah, we have a monument... it must have
been you. But then you took over Juxtapoz, so you couldn’t
Dave Eggers is an artist. And not just the happy-accident- have been that bad.
because-I’m-a-successful-author type of artist. Dave studied
art, worked and curated in galleries, art directed magazines I just wasn't good as an intern. But I remember wanting
and books, and is a visual artist whose work shows up in to work there because McSweeney’s and The Believer
fairs around the country. His career in fine art took off in were really one of the first publishers to help bring those
2010 at Electric Works in San Francisco with a solo show worlds of art and literature together. You guys had Chris
that contained the now iconic and quirky, humorous, almost Ware doing a McSweeney's quarterly and books with
existential portraits of animals and house pets accompanied Marcel Dzama. That was a really nice kickstart for how
by sayings and biblical proclamations fit for a highly literate art and artists have become so integral in twenty-first
Twitter universe. Consider a morose ox with the words “Let’s century culture.
Get this Party Started” floating around its head, or a mouse The Believer was conceived before we had one word inside.
commenting, “I have talked to the flowers. I find them pushy Charles Burns was hired before we had a magazine yet. I did
and superficial.” You stop and laugh, and then conclude, a sketch on a piece of paper, a tic-tac-toe board, basically,
“Well, why wouldn’t the mice think that? Who am I to know a grid of nine boxes, and I thought, “You want faces on the
what the ox really feels right now?” cover of the people inside, but what if it was illustrated?”
Charles Burns is one of the great stylists of all time with such a
I bring some of this up to Eggers as we sit at his new muscular style that can hold up on coated stock and any kind
tutoring center, 826TLC, in downtown San Francisco, on a of printing technique. The ink is so heavy. I wanted it to be able
warm summer afternoon. We talked about his admiration to compete at 50 feet away from other titles. So we asked if

All images courtesy of

Jules Maeght Gallery
San Francisco

right
Workers VII
Oil on canvas
144” x 84”
2016

70 | SEPTEMBER 2016
he would do some covers, and I mocked it up with some of his You guys kind of turned it into an art piece, too. clockwise (from top left)
Heather Has Sent
old portraits. Luckily, he said yes. He joked always about how McSweeney's? You A Link
many portraits he'd done, and how maybe the work was mind- Yeah, it has that element. Because with Might magazine we Acrylic on wood
12” x 12”
numbing at a certain point. But we were always trying to give tried to be good designers and sometimes we were. With 2015
work to illustrators and comics artists because that's where I'd McSweeney's, we would do everything. I had worked in
There Have
come from. I was a cartoonist for SF Weekly for a lot of years glossy magazines for a while, and I just thought, I'm gonna put Been Complaints About
Your Smile
and so I got to appreciate just how hard it is to do it well. every constraint possible on the basics. One font, uncoated Acrylic on wood
stock. And work within that and make it a little more pure. And 12” x 12”
2015
But when it comes to the special McSweeney’s packaging, then the art major in me, I guess, was like “Well, what if every
or The Believer, you want to be able to ask Chris Ware, or issue was unique?” And at that point, it was being printed in The Era of Suave
is Upon Us
Tony Millionaire, or Burns, “Hey, would this be fun for you? Reykjavík, so I would go out to Reykjavík, walk the floor... Acrylic on wood
Do you want work like this? If not, don't worry about it, but 30” x 20”
2016
we're here. We'll run you anytime you want.” Wait, hold up, why Reykjavík?
So, this is a good story. I was living in New York and walking
Was it a way for you to connect with people that you liked? around the galleries in Chelsea, and I wandered into some
Yeah! But that's why you start magazines, right? With Might gallery. I can't remember which one. And it was a show by
magazine way back when, we had an entree to reach out to this guy named Peter Garfield, who was a photographer,
David Sedaris in 1994, right after Barrel Fever had come out, and I bought the catalog and I was looking at the pictures
and say “You wanna write something?” We had the entree to in it, which were these homes flying through the sky. In the
say hello to Rick Moody, David Foster Wallace, people that catalog, it explains how he would pick up prefab homes,
were only six, seven years older than us, but we loved their like with an industrial crane, a helicopter, lift them up 2000
work, and maybe could run something that they had sitting feet in the sky, drop them to the earth and take pictures of
around in a desk drawer. So a magazine is a way to curate them while they're flying through the atmosphere. I tried
a group of people you admire, do something together with to get in touch with him. I wanted to write something about
your friends to create a mini-curated world of taste. it. I love that heroic scale of these artists like Christo who

DAVE EGGERS JUXTAPOZ.COM | 71

 would do things on that level. He had me out to his studio in
Williamsburg and as we were walking around, I said, “I love
what you're doing. I can't believe the scale you're working in,
and it must be so incredibly complicated to hire a helicopter
and hook that up.” In the catalog, seriously, there are photos
where he's got a crew with hard hats.

He said, “You're kidding, right?” I said, “What do you mean?

Those weren’t real houses, and that catalog wasn't a real
catalog?” He then picks up a model from his table, and all the
images were these little tiny models, like train houses from a
model train set. He said, “I just throw them in the backyard,
I take a picture.” But I'd been duped and really happy to have
been because it was genius how he had created an alternative
universe of how he made his art. In the catalog, there was a
fake interview with an Italian curator, there were fake pictures
of him with his crew, fake helicopter, everything. But one thing
that really made me think was that the catalog was printed
in Iceland. I thought, that's weird, they can't print in Iceland,
there's no trees in Iceland, there's no pulp in Iceland.

There's around 300,000 people in Iceland, you would not

think that book printing would be a priority as much as say,
dentist or plumber.
I found their rep in New Jersey, told them I was thinking
about printing a quarterly journal, to give me an estimate;
and he gave me one that was really competitive, and I'd
always wanted to go to Iceland. It gave me an excuse to go
back every three months, so I spent a lot of time in Iceland.
But every time I was on the floor, I would see some other
book that they'd done. They printed all the bibles in Iceland.
So, I would say, “Well, how much does it cost to do this?
Like foil stamping, how much does it cost to do that ribbon
marker? How much does it cost to do a three piece cloth
package with a tip in and die cut.” Well, it would be, “That's
two cents, that's ten cents.” All of these techniques I hadn't
seen in years, and rarely seen applied to regular books.

But all together, the guys on the press and those of us in

Brooklyn, would come with a lot of ideas. And we had a
blast, inventing new forms and saying, “What if there were
four different covers for a 5,000 unit run?” I learned so much
on the job with experimenting and having a printing partner
who tells you, “We can do this, we can do that.” The guys
on the press are excited to have something unusual. We got
ourselves in a spot where we actually did need to reinvent
every time because our subscribers expected it. We would
just sit there and think about how we had an issue that was
going to be bound in glass; then it was plexiglass, then that
didn't work. An issue that was held together with magnets.
I do think we have hit a Renaissance moment in the last ten
years; there's been a lot of publishers, because of the rise
of e-books, they've had to fight harder and make the object
more beautiful and more want-able and unusual.

I think it’s that “collectible” part of publishing that may

above (from top) never go away.
Has Been Auditing Read Your Diary
Your Dreams Has Some Suggestions Then you've had this corresponding rise in attention paid to
Acrylic on wood Acrylic on paper and wood
graphic design, typography. As with magazines, it's the same
24” x 24” 22.75” x 18”
2015 2016 thing. When you see a magazine read and recycled after a day

72 | SEPTEMBER 2016
or two... these things are hard to make, as you know. There's but I knew I was going to study painting. I was a painting above (from left)
Worker VI
nothing sadder than when you have two months of sleepless major for two years but was lazy as all hell, and I was around Oil on canvas
nights of putting a magazine together and it's deemed not a lot of wayward peers; nobody knew what they were doing. 48” x 72”
2016
worth keeping, the object isn't worth keeping! I've seen stacks It was the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, it wasn't
of Believers in people’s houses because they feel like it's like the place for... we weren't at Parson's or anywhere near Worker III
Oil on canvas
perfect bound, it's nice looking, it would be unfair to recycle it… that. It was no fault of the school because they had a good 48” x 60”
2016
art museum and a real program.
For your art, and I mean Dave, the fine artist, not the
author or publisher, when you were studying art in school, I really find it hard to believe you were lazy.
did you feel that you hit a point where you thought you I was doing other stuff. I ended up working for the school
couldn’t paint as a profession? paper and was a cartoonist for them, and a photographer
When I was young, I was sent around to have extra and designer. I loved that. And I'd go to my studio and hack
enrichment training, because when I was seven or eight, something out that was very mediocre, but enough to get away
some teacher said, “This kid knows how to draw.” I was sent with, I guess. At a certain point there was a professor who said,
to the Japanese watercolorist who lived down the street for "What are you doing? You gotta get serious. You’re gonna
private lessons, and then I was sent to the somebody who have to get a portfolio together so you can get your MFA."
would teach me drafting, then I would go down to the Art What's an MFA? I had no idea, I'd never heard this before.
Institute of Chicago as a teenager to take night classes. I have to do two or three more years of painting? I couldn't be
in school three more years, I wasn’t gonna do that. And at the
Did you like all these courses? same time, I was like a lot of arts students of that era, with this
Yeah! It's all I wanted to do, all I did all day is draw. I would real conflict between those of us that wanted to do figurative,
do other schoolwork and writing because I had to, but representational, maybe even narrative art, and the professors
I would keep drawing. I went to college as an English major at that time who were mostly Abstract Expressionists.

DAVE EGGERS JUXTAPOZ.COM | 73

74 | SEPTEMBER 2016
 opposite
Worker IV
Oil on canvas
48” x 60”
2016

left (from top)

It Is Time For Jennifer
Acrylic on wood
12” x 9”
2015

The Sky Lied

Because the Sky Lies
Acrylic on wood
21.5” x 14.5”
2015

DAVE EGGERS JUXTAPOZ.COM | 75

 And with that, a painting MFA, sometimes your only
career path is gallery representation, which is fascinating
but really hard to do. Whereas in getting some figurative
chops, illustration and design, for example, there are
options for you that are a little more approachable.
Exactly. When I was twenty and still a student, I interned at a
gallery in Chicago in the River North area. It was on the fourth
floor of a building, so it was like a destination to get to. I hung
shows and got to know a little about that world. After we hung
the show and had the opening, we would sit among the art for
the next four weeks and I remember one month, six people
came in. I was there every day; I saw six people. There would
be a lot of days no one would come in. At one point, they didn't
have anything for me to do. I was their first intern. I volunteered.
I was a terrible intern. So they took three jars of screws, bolts
and nails that were all mixed together, and asked me to make
one jar of bolts, one of screws, and one of nails. So that's what
I had to do for two days, sort out bolts and nuts and screws,
and I thought, isn't this such a glamorous life? Something's
wrong here. This is not what I want. That gallery went out of
business, and I thought if I was going to stay in that world at all,
it had to be much more democratically accessible, it had to be
on the street level, interacting with actual people.

Did you have a reluctance to come back to art? Did you

wonder if, because you made a name for yourself doing
these other big things, people would accept you for being
a fine artist? Was there part of you, too, that thought, “This
is what I like to do. Who cares if people have an opinion or
a preconceived idea of what I should be doing?”
Reluctance to do a gallery show? Yeah. It wasn't until eight
years ago that Noah Lang at Electric Works invited me to do
a show. I think I had done some drawings and started talking
about a show. I had these paintings of animals with random
text attached.

You can be very precious about yourself and your name, but
I’ve never had that problem. I feel like if you can keep things
separate and keep the quality of your writing the same, and
take that as seriously as you ever have, and then over here,
do the best as you can possibly do with your artwork, maybe
it will be allowed. It's funny to think about it that way: “Oh, will
they let me do this?” But it's hard to turn off that self-doubt,
that feeling of “is this appropriate?” When I'm sitting there
painting an egret or a prairie dog and writing random text
on it, on the one hand, it's the purest joy I know. Creating a
form. Unlike a book that's four years in the making, this art
piece is done in a day. You can do something in one sitting,
and there's a satisfaction in that. As long as it doesn't suck.
There's nothing quite like it. And then there's that other voice
that says, “You're 45 years old, this is not an appropriate use
of your time.” But then you have to remind yourself, if it makes
you happy and you find joy in it, and it makes people happy in
some way, you can't overthink it. If somebody laughs at one of
those and finds it interesting and wants to put it in their home
or bathroom, it makes me beyond happy.

Animal first or phrase first?

I have a lot of phrases that I like that I will write down and
attach to works later on. But usually with dogs, there's

76 | SEPTEMBER 2016
something about them that speaks, because they're all like the idea of saying aloud or writing to your fellow man,
so stupid looking in the best way. I love them, but they do “Marcus has sent you a link.” Those sentences that we have to
have an inherent lack of dignity that makes it funny to put speak on a daily basis that are so embarrassing.
something dignified next to them.
But if you put it with an animal...
“Not a factor in 2016” with the Tibetan Spaniel is so good. It makes it ten times worse.
I’ll get on a kick where everything is political, or they're all
biblical. It’s the first time I’ve ever worked in series. I would Was painting more and more part of a confidence thing?
always study artists and see these twenty paintings in a certain With writing a book, it was the old Malcolm Gladwell
series, and thought how I'd never done anything like that and thing; however many times I get to the finish line, I feel
didn't really know how it worked. I would always do one-offs, like I know the course. So it doesn't mean that everything
but now I see the fun in a series, see how one thing can lead to will always work out, but when you start something, you
the other. I just staged a photo shoot near Rodeo Beach with know the work ahead. It's generally true with painting
a bunch of friends dressed up for construction because I have now. Maybe not with this construction series, but when
more construction worker paintings in my head. I have no idea I sit down to paint a dog, I know how to do it at this point.
why, but it feels like it’s something I have to do and want to do, I keep laughing because I can't get over the fact that it's
and whether anyone likes them, I don't care. something I'm doing. But there's my 18-year-old self that
expected to be doing this, though I imagined creating
We had a talk in the office recently about the animal work, big tableaus with a lot going on. It was a combination
how they are feeling our burden, feeling what we've done of the same kind of assemblage of characters, so the opposite (from top)
Let’s Make A Mistake
and how fucked up we are. The animals are just talking construction worker stuff is the closest thing to what
Acrylic on wood
back to us, repeating our dumb sayings, left to try and I thought I was destined to do as a teenager. 16” x 20”
2016
understand the crap we’ve done to Earth and ourselves.
It started as a conversation between them and God. They're Bear Pedicab
Kinetic Sculpture
frustrated with their frailties and limitations, and either they're 2016
complaining to God, or they're quoting the bible back at him. Dave Eggers is creating kinetic sculptures as part of the ongoing
below
If anybody had reason to be upset, it would be them because Juxtapoz art program at the Outside Lands Music and Art Festival Bison and Worker
Oil on canvas
they get a raw deal every which way. But then a lot of it is how in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, August 5—7, 2016. His newest
144” x 84”
sometimes you can get at the ridiculous elements of humanity, novel, Heroes of the Frontier, is at bookstores now. 2016

DAVE EGGERS JUXTAPOZ.COM | 77

78 | SEPTEMBER 2016
CAMILLE
ROSE
GARCIA
PHANTASMACABRE
AT COREY HELFORD
GALLERY
INTERVIEW BY GWYNNED VITELLO // PORTRAIT BY DAVID BROACH

A PLATTER OF MAHOGANY BROWNIES SITS

on the table, cut in perfect squares, the aroma
inviting. How simple to pick one up and enjoy that
honeyed, unctuous chocolate. But as that sweetness
lolls around your mouth, the slow kindling fire of
ancho chile warms its way inward and there’s more
bite to the bite! That Camille Rose Garcia, she’s a
clever cook, the mistress of bitter and sweet. Sloe-
eyed maidens and kitties cavort, birds prey and pray.
Like Snow White’s apple, sugar and symmetry might
transport you to another state of mind, might disclose
thorns among roses, pollution in the babbling brook.
Mother Nature’s valerian might transport you to
Camille’s own magic kingdom.

CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA JUXTAPOZ.COM | 79

80 | SEPTEMBER 2016
Gwynned Vitello: When I moved to a smaller house, the family. Did you have a routine, and what was your
I didn’t know where to put all my books. I ended up favorite ride? Obviously, you must’ve been a Fantasyland
boxing most of them, but did find space in the shelves frequenter?
for the so-called children’s titles. Would you have made Well, it was a couple of miles actually, but yeah, at the time,
the same choice? if you were local, you could go after 4:00 pm for, like, six
Camille Rose Garcia: This is a poignant first question. dollars! I was already completely obsessed with the classic
When I was around six or seven, I was an avid collector Disney animations, Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, and the
of illustrated children’s books. We had to move and my idea of being fully immersed in that world was something
mom was out of town. The person that moved us ended up I found completely captivating. It was like I was going to this
throwing out my entire book collection, and I remember, wonderful land to visit all of my closest friends, that’s how
even at a young age, wanting to enact a great revenge. I felt about it. I think I felt more a part of that world than the
I felt like my life was over. I think I’ve been collecting one outside of the Magic Kingdom. I needed that escape
children’s books ever since. into such a world, which really helped me survive the terrible
banality that exists in the suburbs.
Have you always had the capacity to remember dreams in
narrative form, not to mention, in color, and do you really My routine is still the same! I always head straight to Pirates
draw from that ability? of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion because they
I have always lived a bit too deeply in my dreamworld. are next to each other, and I love to start the day with a pirate
Sometimes it’s hard for me to define any difference between battle. Then the Jungle Boat cruise because I love the feeling opposite
Ghost Moth
a dream, a daydream, and actual reality. When it all becomes of the boat on the water—and you are actually outside going
Serenade
just part of memory, it blurs together, and in this way, I think down a river! It feels really relaxing. My two favorite rides from Acrylic and glitter
on wood
my life is stranger as a whole than it might appear to a childhood are actually gone. Journey Through Inner Space 36” x 48”
casual observer. was fantastic, and I actually believed they shrank me into 2014

a tiny person for the longest time. The original Submarine below
The paintings that I make often are trying to reflect the way Voyage I loved because, of course, the Giant Squid. Fade Into the
Dark Stars
I remember a dream. Full of layered symbols, not always a Acrylic and glitter
on wood panel
tangible solid atmosphere, and telling me something that There’s a theory that creatives need time off to really get
36” x 36”
I might not really understand at first. I feel like this is the to the business of being creative, maybe doing something 2016
language of the subconscious. This is very ancient, and
we as a species need to really start listening. This might
require withdrawing from the reality created by modern
civilization, which wants to keep humans splashing around
in the shallows of our minds like toddlers. If we are to
evolve, we need to listen to a more ancient language.

Being the child of artist parents, maybe being creative

has always been a way of life for you. That has to infuse
a child with the impetus, or even the confidence, to make
visual art.
I do feel very lucky that both my parents were creative in
their careers. I grew up mainly with my mom, who was a
single mother and a muralist and sign painter. I was drawing
from the time I could talk, and that’s what I spent most of
my time doing. I was pretty obsessed with cartoons and
animation, I was fascinated with the idea of drawn pictures
moving and coming alive. My father was a filmmaker, and
I think that sense of narrative, of storytelling, comes directly
from him. When I was around six or seven, we lived with my
mom’s boyfriend who was an extremely abusive alcoholic.
That’s really when I absolutely used my imagination for
survival purposes. I would create entire worlds to inhabit in
order to escape the one I was actually in.

I think this is why I find the writing of Philip K. Dick so

compelling. He a depicts these parallel universes, worlds
within worlds, and the characters are always escaping from
one world into the other.

Legend has it that you lived a block away from Disneyland.

For most of us, it was, at most, a once-a-year visit with

CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA JUXTAPOZ.COM | 81

 completely different than the usual day to day. Do you feel Do you keep sketchbooks, and are they special to you? Do
that you need a change of venue? you have a certain size or type of paper that you prefer?
Absolutely. I really enjoy playing music when I’m not painting. I love keeping sketchbooks, and I have kept all of them in the
I play guitar and bass, and not having pressure involved for it to archives, some I even have from high school! I like a sturdy
be that good allows it to feel very liberating. There’s something watercolor paper, I hate flimsy paper. And the size I like is
about the pressure of having to be great that really can inhibit maybe an 11 x 17”. I’ve tried smaller, more portable sizes, but
any creative risk-taking, so I think it’s important to remember the I actually don’t like to draw around people, so there’s no
pure joy of creating something while trying not to overthink it reason to carry it in my bag. My favorite sketchbooks are the
too much. Holbein series, made in Japan. They have a spiral binding and
cloth ties, and the paper is perfect.
I also spend a lot of time in nature, hiking and swimming. That’s
actually the best for creativity, to be able to relax the mind. Why aren’t you comfortable drawing in front of an
audience? Is this common with artists?
Does living deep in the redwoods, as opposed to life on I feel like it becomes more of a performance rather than an
the 405 and Santa Monica freeways, affect your creative exploration inward. There’s also an expectation, especially
process? Do you think someone just starting out needs the at signings with the long line of people all watching, to draw
fellowship and feedback that comes with being in art school quickly and perfectly. My quick sketches are usually kind
or part of the gallery of sloppy and not
scene? really intended to
Yeah, I still miss that
camaraderie and “SOMETIMES IT’S be a permanent part
of someone’s book.
feedback of my LA So I end up feeling
friends, who are all
amazing creative
HARD FOR ME TO DEFINE badly, as there is
an expectation. It’s
people. I think it’s so pressured, it just
really, really important
as a young artist to
ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A doesn’t turn out to
be enjoyable. I know

DREAM, A DAYDREAM, AND

find your creative Mark Ryden doesn’t
community, your tribe. like to draw in front of
It’s too hard to just be people either. So I’m

ACTUAL REALITY.”
an isolated hermit. sure I’m not alone!
I love the people I I even have a hard time
know in Los Angeles, having an assistant in
but I find the act of the studio, or anyone
just getting around helping me, as I feel
the city has become like even a simple
extremely oppressive, stress inducing, and anti-creative. The question will pull me out of my imagination, back into the
mind has to be relaxed to come up with good ideas, so for me, tangible world. Like writing, it’s such a solitary pursuit for me.
it’s become easier now to just visit. I love living immersed in
nature, but it does sometimes get a bit lonely. Is it possible to describe how you make a painting and how
long it takes? I know you start with your sketches, and are
How did you get your first exhibit, and how was the they then guided by color, theme—or one of your dreams?
experience? Do you approach and enjoy them differently It’s quite a process. Usually I start with writing about themes
these days? I’m interested in exploring. Then I kind of choose a palette
My first solo exhibit was at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in of symbols and characters to use for the paintings. Then
1999, but I had actually given up on the art world prior to I do a ton of sketches. I have piles and piles of sketches by
that. I graduated in 1994, and struggled with poverty and the end of things, and I’ll start to put together the layouts
just trying to survive, so I actually put art-making on the of the paintings. But sometimes these change drastically in
back burner for awhile. It was only after I didn’t give a fuck the process, so I don’t get too attached to the pre-sketch.
about making it in the art world that I had any success at all. The color palette really comes last, after everything else is
That’s why I don’t put too much importance on whether or figured out.
not anyone is paying attention to what I do, because I can’t
really control those things. I usually work on one series of paintings at a time, and I
often have 10 or 15 started. I like it when one informs the
I am always humbled and grateful to be able to have an other, so they start working together like a band. They really
exhibition, to be interviewed. It’s a great feeling to know that take on a life of their own and start communicating, and I’m
people care about what I do, and I am just still very lucky just like the orchestrator or something! I hate working on
opposite
Valerian Day Dream that I can do this as a career. There have been some shaky just one, if feels lonely and sad. As for how long they take,
Acrylic and glitter on wood
years lately, where I would think, this is crazy, I should get a that’s kind of unquantifiable! They take all of my life, all of
36” x 36”
2016 normal job with a paycheck. the hours.

82 | SEPTEMBER 2016
CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA JUXTAPOZ.COM | 83
84 | SEPTEMBER 2016
left above
Garden of Someone’s in
the Toothwitch the Wolf
Acrylic and glitter Acrylic and glitter
on wood panel on wood panel
48” x 48” 120” x 48”
2016 2016

CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA JUXTAPOZ.COM | 85

above Because he’s often cited as one of your favorite writers, I’m also really excited about the book I wrote and illustrated,
Revenge of the
Lolita Phantasma I looked up William Burroughs and laughed in spite of his The Cabinet of Dr. Deekay. It’s a surrealist, dystopian tale
Acrylic and glitter quote that said, “After one look at the planet, any visitor that takes place in a hospital, and has elements of George
on wood panel
96” x 72” from outer space would say, I want to see the manager.” Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Roald Dahl, three of my favorite
2016 You’ve been a voice for the environment your whole writers. It was inspired by a terrible reaction to the drug
opposite career. Will that always be a theme in your work? Ativan, which I was given prior to having gum surgery. In this
The Constant Haunting
of My Teeth
Yes, the main theme of my work is our relationship as same week, I had 11 root canals done, and was scheduled
Acrylic and glitter humans to nature. I really feel like something has been lost for gum surgery on the Friday. They gave me this pill that
on wood
24” x 36”
as humans, that we lost that connection and it’s destroying sent me into a strange acid-trip amnesia hell. I had waking
us. We have to stop thinking of ourselves as separate from nightmares for weeks after.
nature. That kind of thinking is suicidal.
This book is also being being developed as a stop-motion
Tell us about your show opening at Corey Helford and any animation by the brilliant animator Martin Munier, who worked
new projects you have coming up. on Coraline and James and the Giant Peach. It’s really
I’m really excited about my show, Phantasmacabre, at Corey exciting to finally be working in an animated format. It’s been
Helford Gallery! These are some of the largest paintings a lifelong dream of mine, and the story is exactly what I want it
I have done, and I really enjoy working on a larger scale. to be! I can’t wait to unleash it upon the world.
I like the feeling of a viewer being totally immersed in the
painting, taken over by it.

This is also the most personal work I have done. I’m using a Camille Rose Garcia’s Phantasmacabre will be on view at Corey
language of fairytale symbols to tell a personal story, one of Helford Gallery in Los Angeles through August 20, 2016.
battling inner demons and ghosts. I’m also abstracting the
pictorial space a bit by using repetition and symmetry. It kind coreyhelfordgallery
of puts you in a weird trance looking at it.

86 | SEPTEMBER 2016
CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA JUXTAPOZ.COM | 87
ROBERT
HARDGRAVE
THE DELIGHT OF DISCOVERY
INTERVIEW BY GABE SCOTT // PORTRAIT BY JAMES ARZENTE

88 | SEPTEMBER 2016
ROBERT HARDGRAVE JUXTAPOZ.COM | 89
 W HEN ASKED ABOUT MY PERCEPTION
of Robert Hardgrave’s work and imagery, I remember
something he said about painting and process that always
rings true: “It becomes an exercise in movement and a
dedication to discovery.’’ Over the last several years, I’ve
watched his paintings go through a series of changes,
of those older components were utilized in totally different
ways. At the same time, the new structure still maintains the
presence and character of the old, bridging the transition.
A stylish new edifice built on a new foundation for thematics
and gestural expression has been completed and is ready
to be unveiled. A fresh framework, built on Bauhausian
grand, mesomorphic configurations that seemed to smolder doctrines, has helped to form a new visual language.
and waft among extraordinary gradients and tonal palettes, A rejuvenation of practical skills, elements of industrial tools
giving way to something new. Detailed brushwork that and a new approach to the artist’s principles by incorporating
evoked the subtle emotions began to manifest in sharper printmaking, collage, and photography, merged to become
edges. A transition to working on burlap would see the Hardgrave’s intuitive superhighway.
brush take a barbed, grittier approach, signifying a change
below
Washington in navigational direction through the universe of the Gabe Scott: Are these more recent works of yours collage
Gouache over acrylic toner
transfer on panel
abstract and the figurative. or a product of printing?
24” x 24” Robert Hardgrave: It’s an acrylic toner transfer of a collage.
2016
What he produced at the next juncture would have been I build the collage to scale with photocopies of drawings and
opposite fascinating to watch in timelapse, akin to watching the buildup photographs and all the leftover bits. I remix all of my work
Winter
Gouache over acrylic toner and teardown of two buildings, side by side. One, being into this process, and I am often surprised. It has a lot more
transfer on panel
slowly disassembled, its elements salvaged and recycled, possibilities, which I find exciting.
24” x 24”
2016 then carried next door to the new structure, where many
You are working with somewhere around 20 different
panels?
Usually between 20 and 27.

Have you already completed the residency program

underneath the West Seattle Bridge?
Yes. I’m part of the Duwamish River residency. This will be our
fifth year. It’s really a dozen friends spending time together by
the river every year. It’s definitely been an eye opening area
to explore. It’s a super fun site, but also extremely beautiful.

What is your association with the residency other than

being a participant?
Well, a former studio mate began it with a friend and I was
invited along with a dozen other folks to try it too. That’s
how I got involved. There are no formal reasons why we do
this annually, but we are being able to enter more of the
industries down there. I find touring steel and concrete plants
fascinating and exciting. I have learned to look at things with
much more consideration as a result of this yearly excursion.

The collage work is a really interesting transition from your

older style of painting.
It’s allowed me to build suggested narrative but remain
abstracted, much like my earlier work, which also had
narrative with a lot of characters. The transfers allow me to
invent rather quickly, which is useful in generating ideas.

Do you feel you had reached a bit of a plateau with your

older style?
I began focusing on collage more and it revealed other
possibilities. The older techniques are still there, but they

90 | SEPTEMBER 2016
ROBERT HARDGRAVE JUXTAPOZ.COM | 91
 have changed through the process. I like to think of what Do the Xerox pieces carry any sort of linear or nonlinear
I do as a distillation of a lifetime of learning. I move through narrative?
the process hungry for more. There’s not really a narrative at all; repeating elements and
the utilizing of figures can make it feel like there is one.
Do you feel as if you were almost working backwards to There could be a storyline there, but once I’m finished with
some extent, as in a deconstruction of the process you had it, others have to decide.
been working with? Or was it more starting over from a
different point and tearing down some of the elements and Has it been a long time since you’ve done much figurative
techniques to begin anew? work?
Exactly. Taking risks instead of relying on a look that sells. No, I’ve always been doing figurative stuff; it just got kind
of hidden. The figure comes up a lot in what I’m making, and
How does it feel to be working in monochrome after using that’s just kind of how it goes. I did a lot of figurative stuff in
such a vivid palette for so long? the early ’90s when I was learning how to draw from a live
I love black, white and gray to make a picture. Sometimes model, and it all just stuck with me. It’s just another thing
color can get in the way of an otherwise strong image. Using I can bring forward out of the past. That was 20 years ago
a photocopier to generate content is why this happened. when I was making those drawings, and they’re still there.

92 | SEPTEMBER 2016
Is the upcoming Gallery 16 show the largest exhibition I’ve always felt your technique has the strong influence of above
Shrine of the Battlecry
of these collage transfers? I know you mentioned you'd calligraphy. Is that something that interests you? Gouache over acrylic toner
shown some of them in both Seattle and Spain. Can you Definitely. It’s fun to paint with a flat brush. The brush transfer on canvas over panel
48” x 18”
convey how you've seen the work grow during that time? automatically makes calligraphic marks, so I’m just working 2016
In retrospect, is there anything particularly unique about with its tendencies.
this exhibit, perhaps compared to the others?
I had a big local show last year at Studio E where I debuted How do you navigate the balance of control or unconscious
the large-scale transfers. I also made a 48-foot scroll that flow when it comes to the relationship between surface
was displayed on a plinth down the center of the gallery. and applicator?
My new work at Gallery 16 is pushing back towards painting I choose to work intuitively until I find something to describe,
where the transfers are being further obscured with paint. painting over things until the image feels right. I learn more
Within making transfers, I am finding some new territory, this way.
but it's too soon to really tell if it will stick or I'll move on to
something new. In terms of the relationship between your brush and
surface, how do you find the type of brushstrokes that are
appropriate for particular works? Do you feel as if each

ROBERT HARDGRAVE JUXTAPOZ.COM | 93

 stroke is specific to each piece, or do they manifest in take a long time before I find the proper thread. For me,
multiple places? painting feels like playing chess, minus the anxiety.
That's a good question. I work intuitively. The marks
are like a bag of tricks. I've collected these tricks by Do you see it as a progression through decreasing
learning new things about materials and tools. Some of possibilities? Is there a specific system you follow for
my tricks have been around for years and are constantly guidance?
reappearing, but exploring different techniques and media Well, not necessarily. I have pulled work back from the
below
Stance helps to add more variation when necessary. I move slowly dead by learning something new and applying it to great
Flashe and acrylic toner and pay attention to each mark as it's being made, being success. So I feel there are possibilities that never diminish.
transfer on paper
21” x 38” careful to find the ending of the movement, and decide If something isn't working, I move on to the next and try
2016
when and how to stop. to remain open to other avenues that I may not have even
opposite (from top) explored yet. Once I discovered the power of collage,
Jamon
Acrylic toner transfer
Explain to the non-painter the development of an my world was forever opened to accepting failures as
and paint on paper envisioned piece into an actual work. Does your mind unfinished work. Anything can be reused and reclaimed in
205” x 22.5”
2016 operate in a particular order? some way, and often is reconfigured in a way I would never
Painting for me is an adding and subtracting game. have imagined.
Untitled
Acrylic toner transfer I work intuitively until I find something interesting.
on Tyvek
Then I develop it to see if it is logical for what else is For someone one who isn’t familiar with your work, how
96” x 72”
2015 happening. The process of adding and subtracting can would you describe your visual language?
My approach to making art is mostly letting the work dictate
what can happen, following the material and letting the tools
do what they do. I enjoy applying myself to different media,
and it all feels comfortable to me.

What kind of flexibility and variations of color palette are

you dealing with in the toner part of the process?
I’m not using color toner copies, so I am limited to
either black, white or grey. Any color I introduce is by
adding paint to the surface before the transfer or after
the transfer. You can use color copies, but I prefer the
black because I just love the way it sits on that paper. It’s
not quite shiny, but not quite matte either; it just has a
beautiful look.

Were you looking to really flatten out the plane of the

image when you started this process?
Compared to my earlier work, yes. Laying paper and
paint over each other to describe space is where my mind
is. I refer to medieval tapestries for their way of making
space. That's what I'm trying to achieve. They seem more
interested in the focus of the stories than creating some
sort of illusion.

Tell me more about your interest in medieval tapestries and

the kind of spatial references you mention. What about that
vehicle do you find particularly compelling?
Medieval pictures don't use linear perspective which I find
elusive and distracting in reading the narrative. To describe
the flattened space, they place objects in front or behind,
above or below each other. I prefer to compose a picture
in this way to activate a suggested narrative and allow the
negative areas to play a role too.

How would you explain the dynamic involving

your conscious and subconscious, as well as the
improvisational element of your practice? Is there an
emotional component in your exploration with collage
and related media?
I had a bout of lymphoma back in 2003 preceded by a
kidney transplant. When I was in the hospital, I found

94 | SEPTEMBER 2016
my drawings were describing how I felt. I wasn't telling
a story but rather the drawings were giving me hope
for the future. It was around that time that I made the
commitment to give myself to doing what I love, drawing.
Circumstances at the time allowed me to not worry
about a paycheck and I could focus on making things.
That was the best decision of my life. Since then, I have
maintained that idea to find what the work is telling me
instead of forcing my will onto the picture, and it allows
me to find understanding and peace within the process.
In regards to the toner transfers, it has opened up
so many more possibilities so that I am able to make
anything and use that in the making of a picture. For
instance, I use photography to generate material for
collaging. If I photograph something interesting, I can
bring it back to the studio and play with it. Then, while
I'm using the photocopier, I can work intuitively,
manipulating the copies until I come up with some of
the strangest things. I prefer working without intention
until I find something worth developing.

You have stated in the past that your paintings "are

meditations on the unpredictability of life.” How do you
feel that mantra has evolved in conjunction with your work
and practice?
The statement still applies today. It means I will take what
happens as it comes; negative or positive. I am looking for
unpredictability. If I know the outcome, it can kill the drive to
continue till the finish.

I imagine that operating with creativity based on

improvisation requires a degree of trust in oneself, a
certain intuition. How do you navigate challenges like
emotional stress or self-doubt while holding true to your
creative faith'?
Working in this way has taught me that there are no wrong
answers. Failure is a teacher. The only thing left to do is trust
myself to create imagery that is honest to who I am. Stress
and self-doubt are natural human feelings. For me, I just
work through them until those feelings are overpowered by
the excitement of what is being made.

When are you are satisfied with your level of clarity, your
stated "upon later reflection" moment? How does your
meditative approach govern such a dilemma?
I can see how that would be confusing. Knowing when a
painting is complete can be difficult at times. I am not sure
how you would describe this feeling of knowing when
something is finished. Maybe I use this word too much but it
remains intuitive. Sometimes it's easier to identify the failure
and move on having learned something new.

Looking backwards into a previous painting can sometimes

reveal new discoveries that were not obvious during the act.
In that way, I feel I can find more understanding of what the
work means to me.

roberthardgrave.com

ROBERT HARDGRAVE JUXTAPOZ.COM | 95

96 | SEPTEMBER 2016
 TILTING
THE BASIN
NEVADA STATES
OF MIND

NEVADA SHOW JUXTAPOZ.COM | 97

 T
HE COVER ON A VHS COPY OF THE 1997 going on there …” And I came to find out. Within two years,
movie Nevada shows a solitary woman I had curated Late Harvest, an exhibition that juxtaposed
wandering along a sand-swept freeway, cutting edge contemporary art made with taxidermy with
framed by sagebrush and asphalt, a classic traditional wildlife paintings from the nineteenth and
image of the area, largely desert and semi- twentieth century. Quite a change!
arid. But the first European explorers of
the region, the Spaniards, called it Nevada, Being in Nevada has refocused my interests and priorities.
which means snowy, because of the white My work on Tilting the Basin began with a challenge from
capped mountains. And so, in many ways, it truly is the Silver David Walker—he asked me one day whether I could identify
State. The Great Basin formed as a result of the Pacific plate ten contemporary artists making accomplished work in
pulling away from the continental plate, the crust stretching as Nevada. Michele Quinn has been a great partner in curating
blocks broke loose and dropped to form mountain ranges and this exhibition because she has a deep understanding of
90 basins (or valleys) that flowed inland and, in time, filled, the Las Vegas contemporary art scene. Yet we approached
teeming with rich sediment. The exhibit, Tilting the Basin, the selection with similar criteria, since we are both regularly
showcases this bounty, as over 30 artists who live and work exposed to the best international art through frequent travel
in Nevada define the land. Opening in Reno at the Nevada to visit museums and galleries, and attend art fairs such as the
Museum of Art and later in Las Vegas, it pours forth thanks to Venice Biennale, Documenta and the like.
co-curators Joanne Northrup and Michele Quinn, respectively
based North and South, who know their way and share clear Michele, In your case, I’d imagine that moving from
visions of the road ahead. New York City back to our childhood home of Las Vegas
must have involved a professional and personal kind of
Gwynned Vitello: Joanne, coming from the San Jose adjustment. Did you find a new appreciation for Vegas,
Museum of Art and Santa Clara University, both identified after 11 years in the national epicenter of the art world?
with Silicon Valley, what attracted you to the Nevada How did you seek out artists in this modern, relatively new
Museum of Art, which is geographically associated with city—only incorporated in 1911?
Lake Tahoe, ski resorts and cowboys? How have your Michele Quinn: Moving back to Las Vegas was challenging
viewpoints or expectations changed, and what do you but exciting on many levels. There was a definite “culture
bring from that to this show? shock” from the New York art world, as there would have
Joanne Northrup: As a curator, I respond to the community been no matter where I would have gone, as nothing
in which I am based. In Silicon Valley, my focus was on compares to New York. But looking back, I can appreciate
artists of the Pacific Rim, and the technology that pervades that there was a small but strong burgeoning art scene, with
that region. I curated the first survey exhibitions of the work a close network of artists and people looking to support
of Los Angeles-based digital animation artists Jennifer the arts and create something good. People were excited
Steinkamp in 2006, and the New York based light sculptor about what we were trying to do, bringing high level,
Leo Villareal in 2010, which came to the Nevada Museum internationally renowned artists to the cultural scene. Artists
of Art after opening in San Jose. The city of Reno might were naturally drawn to us, just by the nature of the work we
be considered the “gateway to Burning Man” given the were showing. Eventually, I started to hire many of them as
proximity of the Black Rock Desert where the event is held art handlers and gallery assistants, as they were the best
every year. Leo is arguably the most celebrated “art world” people to have in the gallery and explain the work being
artist who shows his work at Burning Man in the context of shown to the general public.
his camp, Disorient. When we first began working on his
survey exhibition, Leo and I bonded over the fact that both Many of these artists are in our exhibition, including David
of us began attending Burning Man in the 1990s. Ryan, Shawn Hummel, Brent Sommerhauser and Matthew
Couper, so the relationships have remained strong over the
In some ways, it seemed like a natural progression that years. I usually ask them who they think are the best artists
I would come to Nevada after having such a positive in town, since artists are the best resources for other artists.
experience with Leo’s show at the Nevada Museum of Art. However, the list of studio visits (28 in Las Vegas alone) for
I was attracted by the leadership at the Museum, specifically Tilting the Basin grew beyond those I already knew, and we
by the fearless, ambitious director, David Walker, who’s from were excited to see and learn about many new artists in the
previous spread Los Angeles, where I had also lived and attended graduate Las Vegas area that I had somehow not been introduced to yet.
Timothy Conder, Nick Larsen
and Omar Pierce school. I was also attracted by the intellectually curious
I Wonder If I Care As Much staff and unorthodox ideas being produced by the Museum;
(Protagonist)
Plexiglas, packing tape, it’s a place with drive and grit. Curiously, during the Great
vacuum-formed plastic,
Recession, the Nevada Museum of Art doubled its operating Tilting the Basin: Contemporary Art of Nevada will be on view at the
digitally printed fabric
2015 budget. I thought to myself, “There must be something Nevada Museum of Art from August 5, 2016–October 23, 2016.

98 | SEPTEMBER 2016
DAVID RYAN
Las Vegas and Reno are easily accessible, yet still remote
suburbs of Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively.
This proximity provides permissive environments to make
the art you want to see without the prohibitive costs-of-
living those neighboring cities demand. In addition, there’s
a groundswell of optimism surrounding the arts in Nevada.
Perhaps it is the North/South romance brewing or merely
the way scenes come to fruition, but Nevada feels like
a community pushing for its artists, collectors, curators,
thinkers and tastemakers to claim this point in time.

above right
Stack #5 418 W. Mesquite-3
Acrylic on MDF Acrylic on expanded
15.5” x 20” PVC, high-density urethane
2014 and polyester resin
34” x 36” x 1.75”
2015

NEVADA SHOW JUXTAPOZ.COM | 99

GALEN BROWN
When I returned to live in Nevada I began to spend time
kayaking at Washoe Lake, a way of quieting my mind and
reconnecting with a more natural environment. After a
few summers of morning paddles, I started to see brown
and black volcanic rocks on the beach and thought that
working with rocks in some way might help me to connect
my art-making process closer to my life and Northern
Nevada’s environment.

above and right

Details of No installation
1988-1994

100 | SEPTEMBER 2016

JUSTIN FAVELA
Home means Nevada. I feel very fortunate to live and work
in Las Vegas, the place where I was born and raised. I get
to make work and be around my family and friends, which
inspires a lot of the work I do. The more I travel, the more
interesting I find Las Vegas, a city built to attract people from
across the globe, so no matter where I travel I seem to see
glimmers of home.

below right
The Valley of Mexico from Family Fiesta:
the Santa Isabel Mountain Range, Double Negative
after José Maria Velasco Video installation
Paper and glue on board 2015
86” x 64” Photo by
2016 Mikayla Whitmore

NEVADA SHOW JUXTAPOZ.COM | 101

KATIE LEWIS
Living in Nevada has a sense of openness or freedom
for me. I think this is partly to do with the vastness of the
landscape and also the rapidly changing community of
Reno where things are not completely set in stone. This
allows me to take risks and experiment without being
afraid of failing. I also do not feel compelled to make work
that fits into what might be considered trendy or hot in a
large urban area. Living here allow me to be truer to the
work I want to make.

above right
2067 II SE – 2167 II NE 6359, 8718, 11284, 4531, 9143
Paper Thread installation
150” x 12” 2016
2016

102 | SEPTEMBER 2016

 left
Behind Lone Mountain
Mixed-media
30” x 36”
2015

RACHEL STIFF
Space is what interests me most. Nevada has a lot to offer.
From the outskirts of town, where I live, one can examine the
composition of Las Vegas and its relationship with surrounding
landforms. There are endless variations of color and light,
depending on exact location and time of day. Through painting
I frame the modern West; exit ramps serve sunsets-to-go and
mysterious bluffs quietly exhibit the beauty of perspective from
the grocery store parking lot.

BRENT
SOMMERHAUSER
An interesting part of living in Nevada is that it seems to be the
equivalent of living in more than one city at a time. There are many
different currents flowing, and if you can find the energy, you can
hop over from one stream to the next one. Being able to find work
in a variety of fields is critical when one dries up. I’ve worked as a
stagehand, a set builder, a professor, a studio assistant, a coordinator,
an art handler and an artist — in many cases, all at the same time!
Similarly noteworthy is the scale on which things can be accomplished
here, the overhanging notion that anything can be done, It’s tangential,
but important that most of my gigs are behind-the-scenes, so I can see
how many parts come together to create an ambitious whole.

right
Untitled
Silver and copper point
drawing mounted on 100%
rag Crescent Hot Press
Watercolor Board
16” x 20”
2014

NEVADA SHOW JUXTAPOZ.COM | 103

T R AV EL I N S I D ER

WELCOME TO SEATTLE
MARY IVERSON IS OUR TOUR GUIDE IN THE EMERALD CITY
Photography by I’VE LIVED IN SEATTLE ALL MY LIFE, AND I WANTED can cross the street on a series of 11 rainbow crosswalks.
Shane Bush,
except G.Gibson Gallery
to share with you the places I visit most often to see art; Seattle’s Mayor Ed Murray rolled out the crosswalks before
by Gail Gibson venues that are quieter than your usual big city art museum, the 2015 Pride Parade, and the city pledged to maintain
above and galleries where you can experience the art at your own them for years to come. As you traverse the network of
Capitol Hill pace, minus the crowds and the glitz. —Mary Iverson rainbows, you will also encounter many fantastic murals,
Rainbow Crosswalk and mural
by Read More Books made possible by the organizing efforts of Urban Artworks
Phinney Ridge and The Seattle Mural Project.
opposite
(clockwise from top left) The enthusiasm for coffee in Seattle is infectious, and
Lighthouse Roasters
the best place to partake in this caffeinated culture is at If you are in town on the second Thursday of the month, you
Mary Iverson’s mural Lighthouse Coffee Roasters on Phinney Ridge. The folks can partake in the Capitol Hill BLITZ! Art Walk. While you are
in SoDo
at Lighthouse consider their work to be a noble calling, out, be sure to visit the great folks at True Love Art Gallery
Frye Art Museum and your beverage will not disappoint. While enjoying your and Tattoo. True Love began as an artisan tattoo shop, but
AJ Power’s art supremely delicious cup of espresso, you can appreciate co-owner George Long expanded the business to show the
the artwork on the walls, with monthly shows curated by work of artists he admired, providing a much-needed venue
The Hideout
local artist AJ Power. Because the café does not have Wi-Fi for indie art in Seattle. The reputation of the gallery has
True Love Art Gallery
and Tattoo
(they prefer for their patrons to interact with one another grown, as much for the intriguing art shows as its great vibe
and with the art), you can be in the moment and enjoy the on Art Walk night. According to George, “Everyone on the
good company. AJ curates work that is generally eclectic, Art Walk winds up here at the end of the night because we
sometimes wry, sometimes strange, and always with good have the best DJs and snacks!” But it’s not just the nightlife
craftsmanship. that keeps people coming back to True Love, it’s the sense
of inclusiveness and the positive energy of the space. As
Capitol Hill the surrounding neighborhood becomes more gentrified,
After you are sufficiently caffeinated, head over to the the shop maintains its identity as a stronghold of the city’s
diverse and inclusive Capitol Hill neighborhood, where you original LGBTQ roots.

104 | SEPTEMBER 2016

TRAVEL INSIDER JUXTAPOZ.COM | 105
T R AV EL I N S I D ER

clockwise (from top left) Several blocks south of True Love, you will find The Frye, which started primarily as a photography gallery, then evolved
G.Gibson Gallery
one of Seattle’s lesser-known museums, with surprisingly to include contemporary painting and sculpture, inspiring
Louise Bourgeois’s work edgy exhibitions, free admission, and a classy outdoor collectors to mix it up with all aspects of expression in their
at Olympic Sculpture Park
café where you can grab a bite to eat. While at The Frye, acquisitions. Gail (the “G” in G. Gibson) is a fan of offbeat works
don’t miss the back room that houses their permanent with humor, providing balance against the often serious world
collection. Displayed salon style in ornate gold frames, the of exclusive gallery viewing.
140 paintings in this room offer a uniquely gaudy display of
sumptuous color and masterful painting technique. Belltown
The crown jewel of Seattle’s art scene is the Olympic
While we’re on the topic of salon-style displays, you can Sculpture Park, situated at the north end of the working
check out the floor-to-ceiling array of paintings at a bar waterfront, with magnificent views of Elliott Bay, the
called The Hideout, a discreet destination that is dark, Olympic Mountains, and Mount Rainier. You can bike
decadent, and a bit off the beaten path. Established by through the park, stroll around it, or set up your picnic
artists Greg Lundgren and Jeff Scott, it features a rich décor blanket and stay awhile; it’s free and open to the public
of crystal chandeliers, a mahogany bar and velvet drapes year round. Be sure to have a seat on one of Louise
that will make you feel like you are lost in the Golden Age. Bourgeois’s eyeball benches so you can consider the
If you’re in the mood for a cocktail, you can try the “Andy meaning of her fountain, Father and Son, whose cascading
Warhol.” It’s a cosmopolitan served with a polaroid picture of waters alternate their height every hour to cover one figure
yourself, taken by the bartender. and reveal the other. And finally, because you are in one of
the more magnificent places on earth to watch the sunset,
Pioneer Square do so (if it’s not raining). You can relax on that eyeball
A collection of high-profile galleries give a heartbeat to bench or picnic blanket and take it all in.
Seattle’s Pioneer Square, home of the first Art Walk in the USA
in 1981. Most approachable among these is G. Gibson Gallery,

106 | SEPTEMBER 2016

 Ed Ruscha has long been drawn to the subject of the American West
and its role in our national mythology. Through more than 80 works
in a range of media, this exhibition explores Ruscha’s commitment to
depicting the spare, evocative, occasionally absurd landscapes that
first inspired him as a young man and that still compel his work today.

JUL 16 – OCT 9, 2016

Presenting Sponsor: Phyllis C. Wattis Fund for Exhibitions. Curator’s Circle: Lisa and Douglas Goldman
Fund and The Harris Family. Supporter’s Circle: Anonymous, Mr. David Fraze and Mr. Gary Loeb,
Shelby and Frederick Gans, Peggy and Richard Greenfield, and Arlene Schnitzer and Jordan Schnitzer.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
This project is supported in part by an award from
the National Endowment for the Arts.

Presenting Events Sponsor:

Ed Ruscha, Standard Station (detail), 1966. Color screenprint. FAMSF, museum purchase, Mrs. Paul L. Wattis Fund. © Ed Ruscha
Supported by

NU
Partners
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Norway
STAVANGER
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ROBERT MONTGOMERY UK

SPY ES

EXHIBITION
11 SEPT – 16 OCT
NUART PLUS Opening Night 10 September

8, 9, 10 SEPT
International Street Art Symposium
REVIEWS

WHAT WE ARE READING

FONTS, FLANDERS AND FREEDOM

WHY FONTS MATTER HIERONYMUS BOSCH. LET HER BE FREE

BY SARAH HYNDMAN COMPLETE WORKS ICY AND SOT: STENCIL ARTISTS
It would be so simple if this review could This summer, Germany and Spain celebrate the FROM IRAN
be reduced to one sentence: Why do fonts work and life of Hieronymus Bosch in a series Just as you are about to walk under the
matter? Because they elicit emotion? Because of exhibitions and events, including costumed Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, there is a
they evoke time and place? Because they parades, at the 500-year anniversary of his rainbow-dripped mural with black-and-white
subliminally brand an entity? Because death. Can’t make it to Europe this summer? No silhouettes of children, all looking to the sky
fonts message you in ways you don’t even problem. Taschen has produced a remarkably with optimism and wonder. It wasn’t until
understand. All of the above and more. Sarah thorough look at the master painter of dreams some time later, watching Iranian brothers
Hyndman goes beyond the aesthetic pleasure in Hieronymus Bosch. Complete Works curated Icy and Sot working on a complex, structured
of fonts and typography for someone in the by Bosch expert, Stefan Fischer. The book mural at Nuart in Norway, that I put two and
graphic design world and gets to the root of explores in depth his most famous painting, two together and realized that is was this duo
how font choices affect everyone’s daily lives. The Garden of Earthly Delights, and even putting a major stamp on the street art scene
“Becoming consciously aware of the emotional includes a 43-inch fold-out spread of the work. across the world. Icy and Sot grew up in Tabriz,
life of fonts can be entertaining and ultimately Also included are his earlier works which, at Iran, skating around the city, like so many kids
give you more control over decisions you first glance, seem to be traditional religious around the world, and becoming acutely aware
make,” she writes in the introduction. Don’t get renderings, but even in these, Bosch could not of the unique power of graffiti and street art.
us wrong, there are plenty of beautiful things to contain his imaginative mischief. As the book With a solo show made in NYC in 2012, they
look at throughout the book, but you also get progresses into later years, Bosch completely were granted visas to leave Iran for the first
an understanding for why certain choices are cuts loose, exploring the corrupt morals of time. As Jesse Chen writes in the foreword,
made. It’s like workable philosophies for your society and the dark realms of human psyche in “Their migration continues a legacy of
aesthetic self. —Evan Pricco every corner his compositions. underground Iranian artists fleeing the cultural
gingkopress.com —David Molesky policing of their homeland for a future where
taschen.com they may create art and live free of restriction.
Let Her Be Free is a culmination of the duo’s
early career with murals and work from around
the world. A first chapter, indeed. —EP
lebowskipublishers.nl

110 | SEPTEMBER 2016

Marc Scheff SASHA IRA THE TEMPEST
Solo Show Solo Show Group Show

Haven Gallery . 155 Main St., Northport, NY

havenartgallery.com . [email protected] . 631.757.0500
PRO FI L E

RUSS POPE
DRAWINGS AND THE DAILY GRIND
Photography by DRAWINGS OF EVERYDAY LIFE ARE WEIGHTED WITH Do you draw people from memory, imagination or photos?
Todd Mazer
Lexington and Allston
universal feelings, musings, and overheard conversations. All three actually. I shoot photos of people and places
Massachusetts No everyday activity escapes the pen of Russ Pope, an artist sometimes that I use as reference later. I often use images or
2016
and commentator who makes subtle, drawn observations memories from my past, but the most interesting is drawing
on social quirks and culture. These diaristic drawings are from my imagination. I sometimes create characters to tell a
most recently featured in his self-published book, Life Lines, story or illustrate an idea.
and his apparel line, the THURSDAYMAN. Thursday is his
favorite day of the week. We needed to know why, so we Do you sketch people on the train?
consulted with The Pope just before he launched a book Sometimes I draw people on the train. More often, I will take
tour in Tokyo. a photo or make a mental note of what I have seen on the
train and draw it later.
Juxtapoz: Why do you like Thursday so much?
Russ Pope: Because Thursday is the day before Friday, man. Why do you focus on faces and upper bodies?
Faces are the best story tellers. You can tell a lot about a
Who are your favorite kinds of people to draw? thought, mood or idea by looking at a face. The body language
The people who look different, dress different or are of the torso conveys a lot about attitude and emotion.
peculiar. These are the people who catch my attention.
Sometimes it’s the crazy or interesting things people say How do you take your coffee, and why do
that drives me to draw them. I hear some amazing quotes anthropomorphized coffee pots recur in your work?
out in the wild. I start each day with a cup of coffee while I make a drawing.
Coffee is the first thing I do after I stumble out of bed. I like
What’s a recent example? dark roast coffee with cream and sweetener and sometimes
"Don't do it! Don't you do it!" It was a girl to a guy on the a little chocolate. The coffee or tea pots, cups and mugs in
train. They were both hammered, and the girl was telling the the drawings are fun to make and they make me laugh a bit.
guy not to vomit on the train! They remind me of old animations I used to enjoy as a kid.

114 | SEPTEMBER 2016

Who are some other frequent characters in your work? change what you draw?
My family, myself, the Thursdayman, the California quail, The biggest difference for me is how serious people are
coffee cups, skateboarders, cyclists, artists and surfers all in Massachusetts versus the funny and laid back people
show up often. in Southern California. I miss that. The ocean is radically
different. There are new people and places here to
Name some artists whose work you feel could have a document, so that has changed some of the subjects in
dialogue with yours. my work, and the exposure to a more urban landscape has
Nat Russell, Rich Jacobs, Yusuke Hanai and Jay Howell. affected what I draw. But life and world situations impact my
I like the characters and gestural nature of their work. I have work more than geographic location.
worked on projects with them in the past and I know that
conversationally, the characters we make can live alongside If your work is social commentary, what has it mostly been
one another. commenting on lately?
I've been drawing a lot about the outdoors because the
What are your favorite things about Massachusetts? weather has changed and I've been spending a lot of time
I love the foliage, the variety of trees, the color, the seasons, there. I've also been commenting on how busy life is by making
the different bodies of fresh water and the clear sky. I like drawings to remind myself to take time to enjoy being alive.
the people. They are smart and authentic. The proximity to I've also been making some drawings encouraging people to
Vermont, New York and Maine is also a plus. get out and get busy. Get after whatever you do. Be aggressive
about being productive. Part of this is in response to people
Since you grew up in California, what are some major telling me they don't have time to do stuff they want to do. Put
differences you notice between the coasts? Did moving down the remote and go do something. Life is short.

PROFILE JUXTAPOZ.COM | 115

PRO FI L E

Do you imagine what the party scenes you draw sound

like?
Yes, those big party scenes are loud, noisy places with
people talking and interacting with each other. Often, the
titles of these pieces tell part of the story.

What are some examples of titles with clues about the

image?
I use the titles as descriptors such as Stop and Have
a Sniff under an illustration of a guy smelling a flower
arrangement. I also use them as captions that are
sometimes direct quotes with an accompanying
illustration. Other times, I have a thought that is
expressed with a main image that represents a thought,
like "please" under a drawing of a guy throwing a peace
sign wearing a peace shirt. I drew that right after the
Orlando shooting.

Peace, please—for real. We also wanted to ask about your

coin drawings. What's the significance of the coin as a
symbol for you?
I like coins, not for the monetary value, but for the art
on them. It's fun to make them and wrap messages and
images into a single circular composition. It delivers all the
components of a short story in one small drawing.

I noticed you drew a couple tributes to Bill Cunningham.

Do you feel a connection to his approach to photography?
I do feel a little connection in that I'm absolutely an
observer of people in the wild. I do capture their images
and share them (the drawings) as well. Obviously, we're
using different mediums and he captured fashion trends,
while I'm usually capturing commentary. But I will say what
pulls me in initially are people's appearance or clothing.
What I like most about Bill Cunningham is his lifelong
commitment to his craft and his work ethic. I'm sad that he
has passed but happy to have been able to have been a
fan while he was alive.

What are you up to this summer, and what’s coming up

next?
I have a show and some book signings in Tokyo for my
book, Life Lines. Then I'm showing at The Antonio Colombo
Gallery in Milan in September, Needles and Pens in San
Francisco in November and closing out the year at AKA
in Portland. Keep a lookout on my website for new the
THURSDAYMAN gear. What is a pet you would like to have but never will?
A cat. The rest of my family is allergic. No cats for me,
Life Lines is a nice collection of your work. How did the but I love them. They are hilarious.
book come about?
I usually describe Life Lines as my life in pictures, or a visual What’s the last song you sang aloud?
diary. I make at least one drawing every morning when I get "Something about England" by The Clash.
up while drinking coffee. The book is 160 of my favorites
that I've made over the last two years. None of them are
very developed; they're quick drawings that I share in the
morning on Instagram. russpope.com

116 | SEPTEMBER 2016

REVIEWS

THINGS WE ARE AFTER

SIT, PLAY AND LOOK GOOD

CLEON PETERSON CASE STUDY DAYBED

BY MODERNICA
Fine art doesn’t just have to hang on your walls. You can sit
on it, put it on your living room floor, take a nap upon it if you
want. And if you want to slumber with the beautiful violence
that is a Cleon Peterson daybed, Modernica has you all set
up. This summer, the modernist furniture company teamed
up with the Los Angeles artist on an iconic furniture piece,
creating a dichotomy of luxury and brutality rarely seen in
home decor. A juxtaposition, indeed.
modernica.net

BRYAN NASH GILL WOODCUT MEMORY GAME VOLCOM STONE MADE DENIM
With his untimely passing in 2013, Bryan Nash Gill’s exquisite COLLECTION, SEASON 3
and stunning Woodcut series has become both a unique Like anyone of good standing, we
examination of the passing of time and an intricate reminder abide by our denim jeans. And like any
of the power of nature. Gill’s relief prints, what he described as societal member of the twenty-first
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118 | SEPTEMBER 2016

S I EB EN O N L I FE

SIX PACK WITH MEL KADEL

STAYING SMALL, LIVING LARGE
MEL KADEL CREATES RICH, HIGHLY-DETAILED MIXED- now. The larger the page gets, the more it feels like I’m above
Gentle Nudge
media pieces that explore power struggles and exude a strangling it. 7” x 9.5”
sense of optimism and strength. I've followed Mel's work for Pen & Ink, Collage
2016
the better part of a decade and I'm always impressed with To date, what's been a favorite project you've worked on?
how cohesive her output is. The world she creates is both Having shows is my favorite: committing to a really large
beautiful and treacherous—mirroring most of our day-to-day body of work where people can interact with the pieces in
existence. I recently hit up Mel to knock back a person. I usually add some 3D elements into my exhibits
quick six-pack (of questions). which allows me to take a break from tiny pens and drawing.

Michael Sieben: There's a connection with nature present Do you feel like there's still a male bias in the art world? Do
in much of your work. How does living in LA affect you as you think there are fewer opportunities for women artists?
an artist? I’ve never once felt that my opportunities were restricted in
Mel Kadel: I lived in Philly and NY before coming here, so the art world because I’m a woman. If I haven’t accomplished
nature and flowers weren’t on my mind too much. This place something, it’s up to me to prove that I can. But as women,
has drastically shifted my imagery and color palette. Maybe we are often nudged into a separate category from a young
it’s the giant lemon tree outside my window. age, so we must always continue to nudge back.

Would you ever consider moving? If so, what would be your What advice do you have for younger artists who are trying
dream-studio scenario? to navigate this confusing path?
The longer I live here, the more I love it. I can’t imagine a In this crazy time of social media and soaking in so much of
better home base. After moving around a lot when I was each other’s work and process, it’s really important to get
younger, it feels really good not to have one foot out the door. lost in your own work and allow your own decisions to take
shape. Jumping in and out of art trends might lead to brief
Most of your pieces are pretty intimate in scale. Do you moments of relevance, but there is nothing more interesting
prefer spending time on smaller pieces or is it out of than really making it your own.
necessity based on your working space?
Working really small gives me a sense of freedom right

120 | SEPTEMBER 2016

 Snøhetta expansion of the new SFMOMA; photo © Henrik Kam

Premier Sponsors
Buy tickets at sfmoma.org
Now open
P O P L I FE

SAN FRANCISCO & LOS ANGELES

GUERRERO GALLERY, THINKSPACE GALLERY, SUPERCHIEF GALLERY

1 2 3

4 5 6

GUERRERO GALLERY 3 | Artists Matt Gonzalez and Andy Diaz SUPERCHIEF GALLERY Photography by
Alán González (1–3)
Hope enjoying a Sunday afternoon in the Sam Graham (4–6)
1 | Andres Guerrero re-opened his namesake 5 | We were very excited to introduce
San Francisco Bayview gallery.
gallery in San Francisco this past month, our new friend and a favorite artist of
with a special exhibition of new work by the moment, Sarah Sitkin, but true to
Los Angeles-based Hilary Pecis entitled THINKSPACE GALLERY form, she gave us the mask-over at the
El Verano. We don’t need to remind you opening of her new exhibition, Trifling
4 | It’s almost like they’re getting a band
that we are big fans of the new work. Matters, at Superchief in LA.
back together: Travis Millard came by
2 | Hilary’s husband and Juxtapoz cover the opening of Jeremy Fish and Jim 6 | And, when you have crazy heads
artist, Andrew Schoultz, with their son, Houser’s joint opening at Thinkspace in floating in an exhibition space, people
Apollo, showing family support. Culver City. Actually, this may be a band are going to join in!
we want to see…

122 | SEPTEMBER 2016

P O P L I FE

BROOKLYN
HOUSE OF VANS AND CONEY ART WALLS

1 2 3

4 5 6

HOUSE OF VANS 3 | Quicksand, legendary hardcore style, 5 | Nychos has had a busy NYC summer, so Photography by
Laura June Kirsch (1)
letting it all out and holding court. it makes sense he wants to just need kick Marc Lemoine (2–3)
1 | The House of Vans in Brooklyn hosted
back and lean on his wall. Joe Russo (4–6)
the final show of their Summer Series
with a music by Converge and Quicksand CONEY ISLAND 6| Buff Monster. Good shades, even better
and an art blow out with all the right jacket.
4 | Joseph J. Sitt & Jeffrey Deitch’s Coney
people. Scott Ewalt’s massive collage
Art Walls project was even bigger this
wall with a curated selection of vintage
year, as some of the world’s finest mural
NYC punk flyers was a highlight. Here’s
artists stopped by to lend even more
Scott representing.
gravitas to the already legendary theme
2 | Converge, metalcore at its finest. park. ESPO, HAZE, and D*FACE, all
dressed appropriately . . . well, ESPO
really dressed well.

124 | SEPTEMBER 2016

PER S PEC T I V E

GUNS N’ ROSES
ROBERT WILLIAMS DODGES A BULLET
APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION WAS ORIGINALLY AN OIL Finally, a print of the lurid album cover was placed inside. above
Appetite for Destruction
painting conceived as fine art and not intended as popular With this concession, the uproars died down. Later, the 1987
album cover art. But eight years after it was painted, it contested cover was reinstated back on the outside, but the
found favor with lead singer Axl Rose of the band Guns N’ moralists missed the switch.
Roses. This was in 1987. There were questions regarding
the painting’s moral and social violations, right from the That was almost thirty years ago, and the image still raises
beginning. I had cautioned Axl Rose about its use. He held people’s blood pressure. —Robert Williams
steadfast, and since he was so adamant, I felt compelled to
congratulate him and the band’s daring gall.

As I predicted, “The moralistic feces hit the oscillator.” Not Guns N’ Roses are currently on the Not In This Lifetime tour around
only did many domestic censorship issues arise, but national the US.
publicity filled the media, fourteen million albums worth.

126 | SEPTEMBER 2016

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