Interview with Know Hope

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

i sign my pieces "know hope" eventhough that isnt really a name, more of a concept.
i was born in southern california and moved to israel with my family when i was 10. since then ive been losing some things and finding others and now i live in a rented apartment in tel aviv.



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

i was surrounded by art my whole life, with my parents both being collaborative artists. i never went through any proper art school training, eventhough i did go to a high school of the arts. but most of all i guess its trial and error. so, if to answer the question, all of the above?



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

thats kind of a trick question, but here goes: i think my work is primarily based on the various shades of observation of ones surroundings, and in my case, mine. for the past year and half or so (i dont really know) my work has been revolving around one character. maybe 'revolving' is not the right choice of words, because the character is as much a part of the scenery as the imagery that composes the piece itself. but in a way it is a storyline, some continuum, where the changes unravel gradually. the character is in a way a reflection of some certain struggle, or very natural condition and being, this collective happening, condensed into an image and naturally a series of those, various jusxtapositions and situations.i believe that it is inevitable for one not to reflect his/her surroundings, especially in such ever-dramatic times, and ideally i would like to think that i both reflect and document where i am and what i see, as a part of the whole, both gasping for air and conversing, in a way.



What are your favourite materials to work with?

i mainly use cardboard, ink pens, water colors and oils. the most consistent material out of all those is cardboard,though.
i started using it because it was around, and i could take as much as i wanted from where i used to work.
i like to use it partially because of its organic aesthetic, but also because its usually used as boxes, which are made to carry and contain things from one place to another, and once the goods get to where they are sent out to be, its discarded and thrown out. i thought that to be quite interesting, but i think its mainly its accessibility and availability that appeals to me.



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

it varies and depends mainly on the type of the piece. i work better the lesser time i have, if that has any relevance to the question.
the pieces usually start out of words, sentences, paragraphes or some general sketch.



Where do you get your inspiration from?

listening to music with headphones on watching other peoples everyday life, seeing an empty room get filled up and then empty again. nostalgia and fear. commercials and advertisements. awkward silences and the hindsight of them. the idea of safety nets and time, either having too much of it or none at all.



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

i try to do as much work as i can in the streets, adds a completely different layer of dialogue to the work. i live in tel aviv, but i try to do something wherever i am at the time. i try to update my flickr page at www.thisislimbo.com (i'd like to think that there will be an actual website someday existing in reality/cyberspace), and i post most of the street work there.



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

i think that my main influence is my environment and all that bouces off of it, but as for visual artists chris johansson, yoko ono, maya hayuk. i would probably say that raymond pettibon and shel silverstein probably influenced me the most in the longrun. there are so many artists that i forget about their complete existence until i run into their work again and am blown away all over. laurie anderson, ,barbara kruger, vincent valdezs perceptions of 'hero' have recently intruiged me. what i percieve as a content urgency, such as the works of thimas campbell and jim houser makes me feel nostalgic in a general sense. well this has become a namedropping party, and eventhough im typing this in an email and can delete and add as much as i wish, this is what i got for now.



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

somehow im getting by, which is amazing and petrifiying at the same time. im extremely grateful for that and have got my fingers crossed and my hand on my heart.



Best Gallery in the world? and why?

i dont know..eventhough ive never been (partially cos it doesnt exist physically anymore) alleged gallery seemed like it had the right kinda thing happening. thigns of the past, huh? thats the way things seem to come, so im sure great things are happening now, which will hopefully be looked upon fondly as well.



Best City to paint outside? and why?

any city is as good as the other.

Beer and Fag or Tea and Biscuit?

probably some source of condensed sugar and a beer, quantaties vary on both, but in any case should be cut down.


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

some group and some one-man shows, some local and some a bit scattered.the nearest being at ad hoc art in brooklyn this coming january. until then i have a few things i gotta get off of my chest, so im working on that.

Know hope Flickr