Interview with David Hochbaum

Hi, Can you introduce yourself for us? (Where you from etc...)

How do you do? My name is David Hochbaum. I was born in NYC in 1972. I grew up just outside the city, around the age of 9 (1981)my father got an apartment in downtown Manhattan and I started to troll around with my Pops, going to his friends parties and clubs. I became enamoured by the city life, all the freaks, queers, junkies, you know, my dad's friends. I was exposed to the music and the art and nonstop movement of the town. It gave me reassurance of acceptance towards lifestyles outside the "norm" which was the majority where I was going to grade school, in a more removed from counter-culture, suburban town 20 miles outside the city.



What's your background? Art school? Self learner? Art for Dummies?

I studied in Boston at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. I knew that studies in NYC would be way to distracting. SMFA is a small school which did not insist on following a major to study, like having to take all painting or photography classes and in 1991 when I started, I had little to no idea what discipline I was going for. IT was a great time but a dangerous school to go to since it was quite easy to fuck off for 4 years and pass and then..what,? work for an art department for some company? I found very quickly that I had to really, really focus and take full advantage of the facility and faculty.







How will you describe your art for somebody who doesn't know your stuff?

um..muti-disciplinary figurative and textural collage



What are your favourite materials to work with?

I cant say but depending on my mood or project. I love painting and plasters and I love working in the darkroom. I enjoy process sometimes over the result so I cant really pin down a handful..



How long does it take you to produce a piece? Do you start out with a sketchbook or do you freehand all the way?

Sketches very often play a part in the realization of a piece but do not nessaseraly dictate what it will look like or be about. I respond to words, phrases, lyrics a lot so the time it takes to make a piece and how it is work varies very much. Freehand plays a part but really not just one approach dominates my works.







Where do you get your inspiration from?

Music, artists, stories, books, movies, history, dreams



Do you paint/draw/work outside sometimes? Where can we see your stuff?

I do. I like to do sky studies outdoors. I like to build ladders in remote locations. But you not likely to run into any. I doubt any last very long.







Who influence you the most, any favourite artist(s)?

not an easy question to answer but I will mention a few tops..Anslem Kiefer, David Bowie, Alejandro Joderowsky.



Living as an artist is sometimes difficult financially, any part time job?

Well I have been working behind a bar in NYC for 12 years and I do still have a couple of shifts I hold on to just to, you know, make for certain I pay the bills. And It get me out of the studio and forces me to kind of interact, although it can be quite trying, with young drunk self entitled spoiled brats. Did that sound bitter? I do still find some time to enjoy my job.



What do you think of the current "Street Art" movement?

I really like the fellows that paint themselves all gold and stand perfectly still. I just don't want to comment on "street art". Inflection doesn't carry to well on the Internet.







Best Gallery in the world? and why?

not a question to answer for a working artist who want to stay working.



Best City to paint outside? and why?

cant say.



Beer and Fag or Tea and Biscuit?

beer, fag and a tranny with a biscuit







What are your plans in the near future? Any upcoming exhibitions?

I have a show opening at the Corey Helfrod Gallery in Culver City California this Feb 2010, then a group show at Strychnin Gallery, Berlin, a group show in Denmark and then I am going to Japan for a month to collect materials for a show in 2011 regarding Japanese folklore and ghost stories.

Interview with Labrona

Hi, Can you introduce yourself for us? (Where you from etc...)

Hi, I'm an artist that goes by the moniker Labrona. I'm from the mostly French speaking province of Quebec, i live in Montreal, Canada.

I'm known for doing characters on freight trains that travel allover the continent of North America.


Picture above: with Other - 2002

What's your background? Art school? Self learner? Art for Dummies?

I've got a bachelor of fine arts. i started painting trains with my friend other at the same time that i started school.

so i got two educations at once. one in the class room and one in the train yard.

i definitely learned more painting with Other, He is such an incredible artist.


Picture above: Sept 1101 and 2002

How will you describe your art for somebody who doesn't know your stuff?

I'm not to good at describing my work, my paintings are my language.

I guess they have a modern liturgical feel, but, I'm not religious.

I just really like the intenisty of those old religious paintings so they've influenced my work a lot.

they are a search for meaning, a way to try and make sense of this crazy world.


Picture above: Painting 2005

What are your favourite materials to work with?

In the studio I work mostly with acrylics, outside spray paint and oil sticks..

i also do silk screens, lynol cuts, and take photos.



How long does it take you to produce a piece? Do you start out with a sketchbook or do you freehand all the way?

these days when i do trains and street stuff i don't use a sketch i just freestyle. I come up with an idea on the walk to the spot.

lately i've just been doing one big character rather than more complex compositions. At home i work from sketches, usually i sketch right on the canvas and change stuff as i go. On trains and the street a piece takes me less than an hour, inside it some times takes a few weeks.


Picture above: with Other - 2009

Where do you get your inspiration from?

i dont know there is so much to be inspired by, I read lots, music, the news, travel, friends the world.


Picture above: with Gawd

Do you paint/draw/work outside sometimes? Where can we see your stuff?

Yes, you can see my work at various trains yards and on the tracks through out north America and on the streets of montreal.


Picture above: Berlin 2007 with Prudukt and Other

Who influence you the most, any favourite artist(s)?

my father is an artist, so he was my first and greatest influence, as i kid i was in to comics like mad magazine, tintin, asterix, super hero stuff, 80ies/early90ies skateboard graphics. later on i was influenced by my graffiti friends and just checking out as much art as i could at the school library.


Picture above: 10 fb follow the dogs

Living as an artist is sometimes difficult financially, any part time job?

yeah it can be hard, i know how to live cheap and make money last.

i work odd jobs when things get tough, i do a bit of construction, house painting stuff like that.


Picture above: with Prisin 2009

What do you think of the current "Street Art" movement?

its really grown and become main stream. its good for selling work getting shows and all that but i like it better when it was more underground. i dont think society will ever really accept illegal art so we will always be on the margins.

Best Gallery in the world? and why?

the north American rail road system, I'm showing in every major American city right now.


Picture above: with Gawd

Best City to paint outside? and why?

Berlin. its a giant outdoor art gallery and anywhere with a nice line of trains.


Picture above: Train 2009

Beer and Fag or Tea and Biscuit?

I'm Canadian so I'll say a nice quart of beer.


Picture above: With Gawd London 2008

What are your plans in the near future? Any upcoming exhibitions?

I'm currently working for an up coming show at the Neurotitan gallery in berlin. Its called as if by magic at opens February 12th.

I've also got a few pieces at Signal gallery in London for the Mixed Signals show.

check out Campbarbossa, Show and Tell gallery and Carmichael gallery if your interested in purchasing some work.

Interview with Simon Birch

Hi, Can you introduce yourself for us? (Where you from etc...)

I'm Simon Birch. I was born in England, of an Armenian and a Russian, left home young, sneaked off around the world and, after many adventures, stopped in Hong Kong. I've been here for 10 years now and my career as an artist was born here.







What's your background? Art school? Self learner? Art for Dummies?

Self taught with no education until a recent masters degree in fine art which I finished last year. when I was a kid I imagined I'd be a comic book artist but I got distracted by house music and spent many years Djing and promoting parties. painting was always a constant activity in my spare time.







How will you describe your art for somebody who doesn't know your stuff?

I'd rather not. Better they just take a look and work it out for themselves.



What are your favourite materials to work with?

Oil paint, film, people.



How long does it take you to produce a piece? Do you start out with a sketchbook or do you freehand all the way?

How long is a piece of string. Days, weeks or months. I usually have a dozen works in various stages of production at any one time. i start with a clear drawing on canvas and it just gets messier as I progress. One painting leads to another as I try to correct the flaws of the previous work.







Where do you get your inspiration from?

Everything.



Do you paint/draw/work outside sometimes? Where can we see your stuff?

I only work in my studio, it's at the back of Hong Kong island and away from the city facing the sea. It's a big industrial building so the space is large and cheap. My stuff is hard to find, it's mostly hanging on peoples walls. hong Kong is not really on the world art radar and we don't have institutions here that show artists work. There's no modern art museum at all, not even a well known commercial gallery. I doubt the outside world knows I exist. My gallery here shows work for me sometimes. My installation work pops up around Hong Kong now and again but is always destroyed afterwards. There's nowhere for it to go unfortunately, storage space is too expensive here. I once built a 50 meter long building full of sculpture and film, it was quite an achievement and extremely expensive. It's currently in a million tiny pieces being turned into firewood i imagine.







Who influence you the most, any favourite artist(s)?

I'm influenced by people that make wonderful things and share them with the world. That's what I try to do myself. Doesn't necessarily mean artists. Architects, product designers, scientists...I'm constantly humbled by other peoples achievements. Here's a few from this weeks reading, watching, listening; Ridley Scott, Rem Koolhaas, Stefan Sagmeister, The XX, Matthew Barney, Taryn Simon, James Lavelle, Spike Jonze, Jarred Diamond.



Living as an artist is sometimes difficult financially, any part time job?

I don't think about money much other than getting enough to pay for the films I'm trying to make right now. I have enough income to pay rent, buy paint and eat. I don't need much more. I haven't had a day job since 1997. Lucky monkey.







Best Gallery in the world? and why?

It hasn't been built yet. I like the turbine hall of the Tate Modern but not because it's an art space, it's just a nice public space. I went to Venice this year, I really liked the Arsenale space but more than that, the satellite shows that were in old Venetian houses. When the artist had really considered the space in his work, like an intervention, that was a lovely thing to see.



Best City to paint outside? and why?

Haven't painted anywhere other than here. I imagine I'd like to work in NYC though. It has a similar energy to hong Kong. HK is a true 24 hour city and probably the closest environment to the landscape of Blade Runner you can find. That pace really is infectious. I couldn't work anywhere too peaceful.







What are your plans in the near future? Any upcoming exhibitions?

Stay alive until plans for world domination come to fruition. I have a small show in HK in November and then an enormous installation project in April next year. That's taking most of my time right now. It's a 2000 sq meter, 20,000 square ft, space and I'm filling it with large sculptures, cinemas, installations and performance. The project is called Hope and Glory and is all about spectacle and wonder. There's lots of science fiction and circus references, it's experiential, something like wandering around a huge film set.



A showcase of new works at Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art

Opening Reception: Thursday October 8 2009 / 7.00pm – 10.00pm

Exhibition Dates: October 8 – October 29

www.carmichaelgallery.com

Interview with Jonathan Darby

Hi, Can you introduce yourself for us? (Where you from etc...)

Hello. My name is Jonathan Darby. I live in the shire and I play with flowers and rabbits. When I am not doing that I make large socio-political paintings.







What's your background? Art school? Self learner? Art for Dummies?

I went to a really nice hippy Steiner school, it was awesome, I think I loved it, but I got expelled. I didn’t pursue art seriously at that tender age but one day when I was sketching Bart Simpson riding a massive wave I decided that I wanted to take on something more challenging. So I applied to Central Saint Martins and did a foundation course and then a BA in fine art.



I never learnt or was taught how to draw or paint. I've been sketching since a very early age. I remember I had a massive period between the age of 6 and 9 where I only used to religiously draw Bart Simpson surfing. One day I found a dusty copy of Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant's Subway Art on the bookshelf. I developed a fascination for graffiti and I remember constantly browsing the book. I would copy lettering from the masters until I began to develop my own style. By the age of 12 I was well and truly hooked, sketching at any opportunity. I only started to really take things further once I started university.







How will you describe your art for somebody who doesn't know your stuff?

I make large images, always figurative (faces mostly), depicting people in a socio-political context of manipulation by external forces. I paint people who have been exploited/conditioned by mega agencies such as the political war machine and corporate commerce. I am currently focusing on children in my work. I believe that the future is very much determined by the experiences that children are having today. This is the subject matter that my current work deals with. I find that combining the innocence of children with the devastating realities in which they live in very profound. Therefore, I often juxtapose and intertwine symbols of human distress with beautiful images of people.



What are your favourite materials to work with?

I like scraping paint. It makes me feel good. Splatts are fun too, who doesn’t enjoy splatts?

I work with acrylic, spray paint, emulsion and a couple of secret ingredients.







How long does it take you to produce a piece? Do you start out with a sketchbook or do you freehand all the way?



A piece usually takes me several nights to complete, I don’t really use a sketchbook. I usually come up with an idea and then envision an appropriate image. The initial marks are very loose and free. When I begin to paint the image I usually start by making a mish-mash of paint on the canvas, anything goes, any media, and any kind of marks. Once I am happy with that I begin to paint a figure on top of the mish-mash. This part is not very free at all as I am careful not to fully paint the figure, I like to let the mish-mash from behind come through and I leave bits of the figure unpainted so that the underlying layers still show. When this is complete I overlay and intertwine logos and imagery that reflects the context of the work.







Where do you get your inspiration from?

I have always been absolutely obsessed with drawing the human face. I have such a strong impulse to portray human emotion/life. I still find it incredible that one can make a living thing or produce life by making a few marks on a surface. It still blows me away and gives me the same excitement as ever. This impulse combined with the satisfaction is why I make art, I need to have that feeling.



Do you paint/draw/work outside sometimes? Where can we see your stuff?

Not yet, I am about to paint the wall outside Signal Gallery tomorrow. I have a solo show there and it has become a tradition for the artist to paint the outside wall. COME CHECK IT.







Who influence you the most, any favourite artist(s)?

I don’t have any particular artists that are a direct influence on me. I love figurative work, VERY MUCH. Generally the urban arts is where my focus is. There is a lot of great stuff around at the moment.



My parents too. I am back at home with the parents where we have a fantastic studio space. Both of my parents were artists and they are my ultimate critics, RUTHLESS.







Living as an artist is sometimes difficult financially, any part time job?

No, I suck my parents dry of every last drop of cash, food, sanity. No joke.



What do you think of the current "Street Art" movement?

Vibrant, Fresh, Juicy as ever. I thinks it’s a very exciting time to be part of the urban arts movement. As resources are becoming more accessible, artists are becoming more and more ambitious in their ways. Things are getting bigger and badder, in the most positive ways. It is quite obvious that a strong socio--political voice/consciousness is present nowadays, I think that’s a great thing.







Best Gallery in the world? and why?

Hmmmmm….very very tricky. PASS!>>



Best City to paint outside? and why?

Black Rock City, Burning Man, Nevada. No matter how bad the dust storms and hurricane winds, you will never ever ever be lacking inspiration in burning man. Never.







Beer and Fag or Tea and Biscuit?

Beer and Fag, no doubt.its happeining right now, as we speak.



What are your plans in the near future? Any upcoming exhibitions?



I have been working on my first solo show for the past couple months, the show is at Signal Gallery. I just delivered all my work today and the show runs from 17th Sep – 10 Oct.

I have just been offered a residency in a very nice location in Australia for the next couple of months (which I will be taking) and I have received an invitation to take part in a show in a well-respected venue abroad but cannot reveal the details just yet.

I am planning to start exhibiting abroad from now on, as I need to spread the seeds.

I see my work moving away from a consumerist focus and heading towards a more humanitarian theme. Eventually I would like to take my work to the relevant environments and create site-specific work. I would also like to make work as a direct response to what I see when in these environments of humanitarian trauma. I want to use my work as tool to expose what is happening and bring awareness to those who don’t know what is happening across the world.

Interview with Klingatron

Hi, Can you introduce yourself for us? (Where you from etc...)

I'm from Glasgow, Scotland and work under the name Klingatron.





What's your background? Art school? Self learner? Art for Dummies?

I graduated from Art school back in 2004 where I studied illustration but it wasn't until my final year until I became aware of using stencils as a way of creating work that I was happy with. I was easily frustrated with my drawing style and it took a really bad arm break for me to realize that I needed to focus on what I want to do and how I wanted to go about doing it. My tutors were not familiar with stencils so I dedicated my time and efforts towards learning how to create stencils in the best way that suited myself and I haven?t stopped cutting since.





How will you describe your art for somebody who doesn't know your stuff?

It seems that the best way to describe my work is highly detailed and delicate stencil work, when I mention stencils then people say "Like Banksy??" to which I say "yes and no." My work is by no means political or has any direct message to get across but from the initial understanding of how the stencil is used I can then explain the process of how the work is created and that it is an appreciation of my surrounding environment and most recently figurative.



What are your favourite materials to work with?

All I need is my knife with plenty of spare blades and Montana Gold and with those I paint my paintings on wood and heavy-duty cartridge paper.





How long does it take you to produce a piece? Do you start out with a sketchbook or do you freehand all the way?

The majority of my time is spent cutting out the stencils, I find myself going into a state of near mediation as I spend hours upon hours cutting out a layer for a stencil. The multi-layered paintings can take way over 100 hours to cut but only 7 hours to apply the paint, and only a couple of seconds to destroy the stencils once the painting is finished. I think for me personally the ideas for paintings come with out sketchbook work.



Where do you get your inspiration from?

I always carry my camera with me looking for new and interesting things to snap that I think may make a good painting, my environment whether at home or abroad is an continuous inspiration for me, but I get inspiration from a lot of different things from the music I listen to, to conversations with people. This list could go on and on.





Do you paint/draw/work outside sometimes? Where can we see your stuff?

I am an indoor artist exhibiting my work in galleries and shows mostly.



Who influence you the most, any favourite artist(s)?

Favourite artists include Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt Peter Howson, Ken Currie, Archie Forrest from a fine art perspective whilst I love the works of Jose Parla, Futura, Kofie, Mr Jago, Will Barras, Elph, Connor Harrington. A big influence for me is Mr Cartoon, not only do I admire his work but also his focus and discipline to his craft. When listening to interviews it is hard to ignore the dedication and commitment he gives to his art.





Living as an artist is sometimes difficult financially, any part time jobs?

I have a full time job on the side for the time being.





What do you think of the current "Street Art" movement?

Keep it coming.



Best Gallery in the world? and why?

The Tate Modern, London. I got to see an Egon Schiele years ago and I just love the building itself.





Best City to paint outside? and why?

Hard for me to say.



Beer and Fag or Tea and Biscuit?

Tea and Biscuits then some beer later on. I don't smoke.





What are your plans in the near future? Any upcoming exhibitions?

I have been busy with several shows so far this year and will hopefully have an exhibition with the Xynthetic family later this year. But for now I plan to work on some new paintings and a couple of things that I'll keep close to my chest for now.







The work from Klingatron's recent exhibition 'The Face Off' @ The Soup Gallery is available to view and purchase here:

http://shop.thesoupgallery.co.uk/category/klingatron

Interview with Jaybo

Hi, Can you introduce yourself for us? (Where you from etc...)

my name is jaybo , imigrate frenchman in Berlin since 86. i am older than I thought.





What's your background? Art school? Self learner? Art for Dummies?

actually my school is life , i am a self learner never had to do with

any artschool or similar, i did a lot of jobs in my early years ,

going with the wind , washing dishes in restaurant , street theater

perf, everything i could made a penny from . then in 94 starting some

business and get concrete with doing some companies , Style and the

Family Tunes and Iriedaily. since 2 years trying to make my way threw

galleries.





How will you describe your art for somebody who doesn't know your

stuff?

One of the main things about my work is the fight against

prejudices and pre maid ideas. about first looks and wrong

consequences, about giving a second chance and about trying to be

open to the unknown. i use distortions as symbol for the movement

from the inside to the outside of a body . i use sharp and unsharp

as a symbol of distance beetween you and my raw feeling. i use the

white untouched background of a canvas to show the spontaneity of

an accidental meeting.





What are your favourite materials to work with?

well all what i can found , because the material is the essence of

my work . i love to experiment. i am not interested in the final

product but in the different mistakes during the making. i Think

mistakes are the only way to get farther , to evoluate and to go some

stepps forward.



How long does it take you to produce a piece? Do you start out with

a sketchbook or do you freehand all the way?

i t takes a long pre time , before i get the canvas done . the fact

itself goes quiet pretty fast , but that depends on what happens at

the moment , some happy accidents with the piece can bring extra time

of no satisfaction. so the real answer would be- i don t know. i

think my piece are never ready.... i am constantly drawing on

sketchbook, but what i bring on canvas or in the street are more some

souvenirs from those sketchbooks . everything stays in a free

impulsive ways. sometimes good sometimes not.





Where do you get your inspiration from?

from everydaylife , from my family , from words in a song ,from the

old masters , and from all of the things who are at the the wrong

place and at the wrong time





Do you paint/draw/work outside sometimes? Where can we see your stuff?

yes i do . mostly in berlin in some backyard , but i am more active

when i am outside the city , i prefer the work with nature . i am

quiet too old now to get it with the cops, i dont want to run no more =)





Who influence you the most, any favourite artist(s)?

francis bacon, Leonardo da vinci, adam neate , matt small. andy

Goldsworthy, modigliani, tom waits, marcel duschamps ,anthony

lister, kill pixie, i can write thousands of name right now...........





Living as an artist is sometimes difficult financially, any part

time job?

how right that is. i am happely co running two companies , which

helps to go around the month, but berlin is a cheap town so i am not

so in trouble like people in Paris or london





What do you think of the current "Street Art" movement?

too much wind around this. i dont see any differences beetween

Banksy and jeff koons or other established artist . the word artist

got the same taste like the word Politician they are not necessarily

representing what they were created for.

same with the word street art



Best Gallery in the world? and why?

the street. because art should not be made for an elite but for

mankind. and true art doesnt cost nothing .





Best City to paint outside? and why?

any city where you are. all cities are in need of visual

confrontations, maybe berlin got an extra point for easypainting outside



Beer and Fag or Tea and Biscuit?

what about some beer tea and fag biscuits.

dont smoke dont drink but love good food.





What are your plans in the near future? Any upcoming exhibitions?

holidays and nature hanging in portugal.

Seoul , Museum of art group show exchange beetween south korea and

berlin

preparation of the next show for StolenSpace in January called "eye

of the hurricane" will be a disertation on nature