ISSUE 2 / web EXCLUSIVE / INTERVIEW

The View From AAbove

INTERVIEW WITH AARRON RICKS BY CHRISTINE BE
ART DIRECTION AND PRODUCTION BY LEXIE COON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANE ROONEY
STYLING BY AARRON RICKS
HAIR AND MAKEUP BY KATY PURDY

at 6 foot 5 (and a half!) inches tall, "Down to earth" would be the last THING you would call AARRON RICKS but it would be the most accurate description of this performance artist, model, stylist, and muse about town. AARRON is fast becoming a NOTABLE presence in the New York City nightlife and art world. Just don't tell him there's no room on the train for him—you make room!

LIAR: Hey Aarron!!!

Aarron Ricks: Hey Christine!

LIAR: Thanks so much for taking the time to do this.

AR: Of course! Thank you for meeting me and wanting to do this feature.

LIAR: Of course, you're a fascinating person. How would you describe yourself?

AR: Hmmm to put it simply—I would describe myself a fighter and hard worker. Growing up I was lower middle class and I didn't grow up needing anything, but there were definite struggles in many capacities from the life I was raised in as a homosexual black male with a Pentecostal Christian family. I felt almost like my sense of self wasn't established in the ways that I needed to see them.

Once I got into my teens I started to rebel and push buttons to find out whom I was and doing that that without a lot of support from family and being fairly surreptitious about my life I went through a lot of hard choices and decisions. To get to where I am today I really needed to fight for the life I wanted to have now. That fight has been for my own sense of self-expression.

LIAR: Where did you grow up and how did you end up in NYC?

AR: I was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in New Carrollton, Maryland. I always remembered being fascinated by New York City at a young age. When I turned 17 I started visiting here more just to experience the city and the pulse, as a bus from D.C. to New York City was $20 round trip at the time and 4.5 hours away. I moved to New York City when I was 22 upon getting accepted into The Fashion Institute of Technology.

LIAR: So you decided to make NYC your home after school?

AR: Yes. School was just the first step in my establishment here in the city. I knew if I went back home after school I wouldn't have the same opportunities. D.C. is a political city and I wanted to focus more on the creative arts.

LIAR: What do your parents do? How do they feel about you and your life path?

AR: My parents had a very specific mode of thinking when it came to my career path. They wanted me to pursue going into the Military. I was in JROTC in high school. Like most parents, I knew they would have preferred that I lived my life in a more structured way that fits in with societal norms. They've gotten acclimated to my life now and understand that it's working for me. So nowadays I have their support. My parents are working class people.

LIAR: Same. I think parents always want the best for their children, but in the end they need to let their kids follow their own path, wherever that takes them. 

AR: Yeah, I feel parents get clouded in the idea of their children being images of them and often forget that they're raising another person. And their job isn't to dictate their lives, but more so to guide and support them.

LIAR: The instinct seems to be to try and guide children to an easy life, but that doesn't necessarily equate to a good life does it?

AR: Not at all. Easy does not equal good. Especially because both of those concepts are matters of perspective. On one hand I understand a parent wanting the best for their child and wanting them to do well. However, those ideas usually come from the parents projection of what success is rather than encouraging them to do what makes them feel happy and fulfilled, which in my opinion is what success is—doing what makes you feel valued.

LIAR: What did you do after FIT?

AR: After FIT I started working for a fashion PR firm in SoHo. I did a lot of press for new and emerging contemporary designer fashion brands as well as production for fashion shows, pop up shops, and product launches.

LIAR: How did it feel going into fashion PR? I know the fashion world has it's own set of rules!

AR: While at FIT I studied advertising and marketing. So I was excited about going into fashion PR because I always thought about that as a career venture. Fashion does have its own set of rules. And one thing I learned was that it NEVER sleeps! When doing press for a brand or multiple brands you need to be caught up in what's happening all the time and it’s often in stressful situations.

But I learned so much about myself at the firm. I learned to be assertive, to be extremely organized, and have great social skills to help me connect with others. It's helped me so much with organizing my life for what I'm doing now.

LIAR: I'm sure you've had some interesting challenges there, what was the motivation or turning point for you to move into a new creative path?

AR: Honestly, I started drifting away from my PR job. I felt like it was taking a lot more out of me than what I was benefitting from it and I started to become very unhappy. I moved from doing that to doing retail visual merchandising, which also ended up not being a good fit. So I left that and didn't have a job for three months.

During that time I met some of the most beautiful people in my life that gave me encouragement to try something new and different and a lot of them were giving me a bunch of odd jobs. So I started learning new skills and built upon those with others. So it just got to a point in which I was able to fit the puzzle pieces together from my experiences and blend them all together. And modeling for art became one of them.

LIAR: I definitely know what you mean, at some point I was also becoming deeply unhappy with my work in advertising. At some point you really need to step back and reevaluate how you want to spend your life. I didn't like the person I was becoming. That's why I started the magazine. What was one of your first modeling for art assignments?

AR: All of us need an outlet. And the one thing that we should understand is that an outlet doesn't mean you need to give your job away—it literally means rest or a sense of mental retreat. If you can find a way to make money out of it, then that's great. But we should all also use our time to do thing that is fulfilling for ourselves.

My first modeling assignment was for a head sculpture. It was the weirdest four hours of my life. I couldn't really move my face and the artists were so close and staring so intensely at me. Overall I enjoyed it but I just wasn't used to that level of people staring so much at my face.

LIAR: What other assignments have you had? 

AR: I do everything from drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs. They include nude portrait, oil paintings, themed or costumed illustrations and paintings, animation, and experimental film.

LIAR: Who are your favorite artists? Is there a person or persons you really want to work with?

AR: Well there are so many great artists out there, but I really love animation and comic art. I've really been interested in virtual reality. I would have loved to work with Monty Oum the creator of RWBY.

LIAR: I love animation and comic art too. I feel like it's so underrated. What do you think about video games as an art medium? 

AR: They are heavily underrated. I feel most people think comics and animation is such an age-restricted thing for the youth when honestly, it's not. There's so many different ways to take it as it is with television—from sitcoms, reality, comedy, etc. I think video games, as an art medium, is genius. In essence, our lives are very much like video games. Our mind and soul is using the controller to dictate our next move we make decisions and those decisions have effects. Putting it into a 3D realm just gives it that much more depth. And of course the convenience of being able to die and return back to square one. We get to see the consequences of choices. It makes it that much more real in a sense. And those video game designers are SMART!

LIAR: Are there any video games you've played or have been playing lately that stand out?

AR: Lately I haven't been playing much, but I LOVE the Bayonetta series.

LIAR: Oh yeah, I've seen that one, doesn't she have guns as high heels? That's some crazy character design!

AR: Yes! She's so badass! The whole game is designed heavily around fashion, as they wanted it to stand out. The outfits are great. Especially in the anime they made. It's a hack and slash game that is essentially about two opposite powers and their struggle for the world while they sift through three levels of existence: Heaven, hell, and purgatory. Bayonetta has been sleeping for 500 years and is recalling her memories. It's insanely amazing!

LIAR: I could totally imagine you as a character model for a video game character, what do you think your special move would be?

AR: (Laughs) Way to spot me. I would totally love to be a fighting game character or main character for a hack and slash. I've recently been taking Aikido classes at a space around the corner from my house, which has been amazing. I'd like to mix that with Tahtib, which is an Egyptian form of martial arts. I think it could be really beautiful. They both are reminiscent of dance so it could be so cool. My special move would be something aerial with a series of kicks, flips, punches, a throw to the ground, and ending with a severe sword slash or stab.

LIAR: I'm sure I'd totally use your character all the time! And I bet you'd have a great selection of outfits to change into. You have quite a fabulous fashion sense, where do you get your outfit inspirations? 

AR: Thank you. Yeah, my character would have quite the selection of clothing options. Inspiration for me comes from anywhere. I have ideas pop into my head all the time. Sometimes I'll see someone wearing something on the street and then I'll daydream about how I would wear it. I normally like to mix quite a few different concepts into one. Most people would think it’s confusing, but it's actually quite interesting to see how they come out.

"…our lives are very much like video games. Our mind and soul is using the controller to dictate our next move we make decisions and those decisions have effects."

LIAR: who inspires you fashion-wise?

AR: Well first and foremost it would have to be my great grandmother. She was truly special. She always loved embellishments. She had the best jewelry collection ever, most of it costume jewelry. My mom also inspired me in so many ways as she had a huge closet while working with a small budget. Then I discovered Parliament-Funkadelic and David Bowie who brought all of these crazy antics and ideas into play. It inspired me to just be who I was. Not that I could be them, but could be the rendition of myself that carried myself in the same ways that they do.

LIAR: I can totally see that from your editorial shoot. The shoes you wear—you choose a lot of platforms! You're already a very tall person, what are you? Like 6' 4" without the shoes? Do you like being up on a pedestal?

AR: I'm 6' 5.5”! Yes, I love wearing platforms. I get shit on the street from random people sometimes for wearing them, in which I just laugh it off. For me, it's not about being taller or being on a pedestal. It's a form of expression and I love having fun with clothes. Shoes especially.

LIAR: What are some of your favorite comments from random people on the street?

AR: Hmmm let's see: “… as if you needed to give people another reason to feel short," "Excuse me, can I borrow your shoes to grab the paper towels on that top shelf," and "OMG! YOU CAN’T FIT IN THE TRAIN!"

I have actually hit my head on low signage in the train stations from time to time if I'm not careful!

LIAR: Oh boy, as a somewhat tall person that wears heels on occasion, I feel your pain. It's embarrassing, like you have to walk away like nothing happened and hope no one saw you!

AR: Yeah, we go through a lot. It's not all glamorous when people get a little nervous to date you because of it or when you hit something and look like a clumsy fool! There's only been about three times no one has seen me. Most of the time I literally get seen by so many people. Usually because people are staring at me anyway, so I just have to laugh. But I'm still somewhat embarrassed.

"…it's possible to meet the right person at the wrong time."

LIAR: What's the dating situation like as of the moment?

AR: Oh lord, you had to go there. Haha! Joking. Right now I am single. I've been focusing on work more than anything. I used to be a person that chased relationships, but I've learned that doesn't do much except creating heartbreak and insane dialogue in various ways. I'm just living in the moment and doing me for right now and focusing on what I need to function at my best.

LIAR: Haha, well I'm sure everyone wants to know! It's definitely challenging to meet people on the same level in New York City; everyone is so ambitious and focused on their careers. But I'm sure when the right person comes along at the right time it will be magical and you will both bring out the best in each other. 

Do you feel like there's someone for everyone out there? Like a salt to your pepper, so to speak?

AR: Oh absolutely! I couldn't agree with that more. I also think it's possible to meet the right person at the wrong time. I think the best thing to realize is that relationships always change so we should embrace what we have at the moment if it feels right and allow it to run its course. Relationships are about partnering—learning from one another. To lift the other person up, to lift ourselves up, and allow us to be lifted by the other person—a giving of yourself fully. Sometimes those things last forever.

LIAR: So true. What projects are you currently working on?

AR: Currently I'm working on a film with a good friend of mine. I play her husband in a melodramatic reality film. Also I’m working on a few costumes and clothing pieces for a fine art painting.

LIAR: Let's end with the question I ask everyone: State two truths and one lie about yourself. Don't tell us which is which.

AR: Hmmm let me take a few minutes to think about this...

1. I am polyamorous
2. I almost fathered a child at the age of 15
3. I only wear thong underwear

LIAR: Brilliant! I'll think on those. Thank you for the interview!

ISSUE 2 / PRINT EXCLUSIVE / INTERVIEW

A STILL CHAOS

INTERVIEW WITH BROCK ENRIGHT BY CHRISTINE BE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIMMY KIM

Brock is balancing an umbrella on the tip of his finger. He’s been at it for quite a while now. At last count it’s been about 5 minutes. He says It’s not his record yet. After 15 minutes or so, he finally let’s go. It wasn’t because he needed to, it was because he wanted to. I try my hand at the umbrella balancing act. 2 seconds. Fail.

It’s late. Brock’s young son, Torben, has long been tucked into bed. We are hanging out in the studio with a group of his artist friends, listening to music, talking Philosophical shit. The grown-ups are playing dress up and make believe. Rain is softly falling on the flora outside. Magic is happening.

Earlier today, Jimmy (my photographer) and I are driving over to Brock’s new home near beacon, New York. The buildings give way to trees, the trees give way to Brock’s home. It is a treasure trove of artworks and oddities. You can feel the chaos radiating from the piles of boxes, some with unique identifies such as “lemons and razors,” “broken glass,” or “Cat Skeleton.” There is a lot of stuff.

BROCK ENRIGHT: Well, I do have a lot of stuff.

LIAR: Indeed. I have seen your studio and workspace. So I can totally vouch for that. Is that one of the reasons you are moving your stuff up to Beacon?

BE: Yes it is. I’ve realized throughout the 15 years working as an artist in the city, I’ve moved my studio, my projects, and my storage units many times from one location to another. Up and down flights of stairs, across rivers, and over mountains. And every time I do this I’ve said to myself, “I must find a home, a place to set up and spend time archiving and working towards my larger concepts.” It always felt like I was archiving and working on the road.

LIAR: That is very challenging and exciting, to have that constant feeling of movement but at the same time, to have a desire for stability and a place to call “home.” How did you find yourself deciding that this was going to be “home?”

BE: I had a feeling that I’ve never felt before looking at the home, so I considered it to mean something and it has. I love the name of my street.

LIAR: “Orbit Lane”—what does it mean to you?

BE: I’m on another planet and from time to time I visit “earth.”

LIAR: The house struck me as very “normal” in the sense that you could imagine any family living there, except for the fact that the garage and basement area is full of art materials and tools. Are there any definite plans for additions or changes? Or do you think this space will just evolve organically?

BE: We have plans for additions on two parts of the house and two new structures on the property that will be used as studio space.

LIAR: How do you think the process of “settling down” will affect your current work?

BE: It will allow me to focus on finishing long-term projects that have been in the works for years. I can finally create my library of materials and archive properly.

LIAR: I can totally relate. A place for everything and everything in its place, right? Do you find the process of organizing and categorizing items to be cathartic?

BE: Yes, very much. Order to me is a perception game. To move an object an inch to the left versus the right—if I stand to the side and keep my head forward it was moved an inch up and down—because this can happen, it frees me up to make up my own rules of order. Also the use of an object changes how I place it in its order—after I have placed an object in a position, I leave it alone for a day or so before I work on it again.

LIAR: You have your own internal drive to categorize and control the objects in your environment, are you trying to create order out of chaos?

BE: A storm from a distance can look amazing—the lightning, the thunder, the colors. I try to apply the behavior of weather systems in the process of making things. After a storm I comb through and find things that may be of use. I understand I need the chaos before the calm sound but I can also see the calm sound as a chaos of its own. Imagine a still chaos. The eye of the storm. The intuitive center of working, of seeing.

LIAR: Yes, even amidst chaos there is order. When I look at your artworks for afar it feels very chaotic. But the closer I get, the more logical and ordered it becomes. Do you feel there is a secret hierarchy to all things?

BE: I think there might be a secret momentary value to all things.

LIAR: I love that concept! And it is very true on many levels.

BE: I try to address that in my work.

LIAR: How do you feel about the art you are developing now for your upcoming exhibition compared to past artworks?

BE: I breathe before I make a move. I’m composing more this time. I’m taking my time. I’m listening to the birds in the trees and practicing my movements on top of my moss.

LIAR: You’ve developed patches of moss around the surrounding rocks of your new house, how did that come about?

BE: The climate here has the perfect conditions for moss to grow naturally. So I’ve been encouraging it to expand by using buttermilk and yogurt. I spray the buttermilk and paint the yogurt blended with pre-existing moss on the rocks and objects.

LIAR: Do you have any patterns in mind or do you spray indiscriminately?

BE: I follow the rock lines hoping to have a cluster of objects scatter along the rocks with copper leafed objects, copper statues and stones, and perhaps a fluorescent stone winking at me.

LIAR: Patterns on top of patterns? Patterns hidden by patterns?

BE: Both. Meandering like a dragon.

LIAR: Do you feel you meander as a person? As an artist?

BE: Meandering for me is the best way to discover things. Once I’ve found something that I value, I work with it in a focused manner. Once it’s found a home or feels complete for the moment I set out to meander again. I may not know where I’m headed but I’m never lost.

LIAR: You know, I "interviewed" your son a few days ago while we built a fort in his room. Torben is very insightful. He was telling me that we are all energy and when we die we can’t control it and just become something else. Do you feel like you have new insights into the world since raising Torben?

BE: Torben has saved my life in many ways. Before him I was spending too much time in the storms I created. I had to find shelter for him. In doing that I found that there is so much more to life.

LIAR: He answers my questions with a thoughtfulness and clarity that only a child can imagine. You are his world. You are creating an adventure for him that is real and will unfold throughout his lifetime.

BE: I’m working very hard at enriching his and our lives and showing him how to navigate his way and what to bring with him for his journey. Through thick and thin. Keep going.

LIAR: You had a very different experience growing up as a child, can you share some of your thoughts on how you were raised?

BE: Up to age six I was raised by my mother. I remember intense moments. String-less guitars and cookie crisp cereal for breakfast lunch and dinner. I remember nudity. Mosquito trucks and a lot of the time waiting at night under parking lot street lights by pay phones. Then one day I remember being in a large open space with shiny floors, and running, and sliding. It was there that my mother introduced me to my grandfather. She said, “Brock, meet your new dad.” And then from then to now I’ve called my grandfather, dad. He is my father and I love him like crazy. Later on in life I found my biological father and we became really great friends. But that only lasted 4 years due to his death.

LIAR: And what was it like growing up with your grandfather?

BE: He put me in martial arts from six on up. He and my grandmother together showed me and taught me the root of kindness and how to love and have integrity with my visions. My grandmother taught me the importance of attitude. My grandfather is an extremely passionate and loving man. He and my grandmother have the best smile. Long story short, I had an intense childhood.

LIAR: How has martial arts influenced you?

BE: Muscle memory. I’ve applied muscle memory to my practice and projects. Learning when to give and when to push. Stay light in my mind.

LIAR: Is that how you’ve learned to balance the umbrella?

BE: You just made me smile. It must be.

LIAR: Has anyone ever broken your record, balancing the umbrella or any object for that matter?

BE: I’m sure there is someone out there. My friend Anders is really great at a lunch tray on his nose. I’ve yet to learn that one.

LIAR: When did you realize you were an artist? How did you decide on this path?

BE: From the beginning. I’ve always had the desire to make things from the beginning. It was the only language that seemed to cross through everything. I was behind in reading so I guess I over compensated with drawing. I noticed that I couldn’t read the word the teacher needed me to read. One day she had the class draw self-portraits. The teacher put hers up and I noticed its likeness of her was off farther than mine. That’s when I understood learning differences, the wavering lens of context and what’s important to some is less important to others. All of this seen from a six-year-old's perspective being said from a 38-year-old's perspective today.

LIAR: It’s all about perspective. Did anyone introduce you to art as a career? Did it even occur to six-year-old Brock as a possibility?

BE: I was taught art history a very early age. I probably saw an importance to its position in our world. Van Gogh was the first artist that inspired me to look in this world, to really see, to see the hidden colors in your mind and this world. I never saw it as a career move ever. I felt it was my silent protest, my duty in some way. I felt it was a responsibility. It is another approach to understanding this world.

LIAR: When did you have your first “silent protest?”

BE: Drawing what I see, whether it is with a pencil, a thought, a sound, or subtraction.

LIAR: Who is your ideal audience?

BE: An open audience.

LIAR: Naturally. Some of your work is performance based, do you lose yourself in the work or do you become the work? Or is the work you?

BE: I see performance as the way someone conducts themselves throughout their day. Saying “hello” or telling a story to a friend, eating socially, playing, or sport.

LIAR: Do you find you absorb other people’s experiences into your “performance?”

BE: If I’m sad for some reason and my son comes up to me and wants to play. I try so very hard to reach deep in my body and pull out whatever little happiness is left and I give it to him. And then when we play, we are both so very present in all of its performative elements and emotions. Everyday I absorb a new way of applying what I experience into my work. But no there isn’t anyone personally that I have based anything off of.

LIAR: It’s true; sometimes just going through the motions changes you regardless of what you felt before. What have been the greatest challenges in your life? In art?

BE: Wow…there have been so many. I think I’m in it now.

LIAR: How so?

BE: Balance. To maintain balance. Much endurance is needed to maintain balance. Sometimes I think everyday is a challenge.

READ THE REST IN ISSUE 2

ISSUE 1 / PRINT EXCLUSIVE / INTERVIEW

THE SEA INSIDE

INTERVIEW WITH SAMANTHA KEELY SMITH BY CHRISTINE BE

Sam looks at you, her pale blue eyes revealing nothing and everything. She is Soft spoken and unassuming, one has to lean in to listen, like placing your ear against a conch shell to hear the sea roar. There is a world inside her, a rolling landscape she captures in oil and varnish. Like the ocean itself, you could not truly describe the depth, luminosity, and grandeur of her paintings to someone unless they stood before one in person. We sit down for a coffee to break the surface.

LIAR: Tell me about your background. Where are you originally from and where did you grow up? 

Samantha Keely Smith: I’m originally from England. I was born in Harlow, Essex, but lived mostly in Hampshire before we moved to the US when I was 9. We came to New Jersey first but soon left to spend a year in Michigan, near Detroit, and then came back to New Jersey. The town where I grew up in New Jersey was really small, but close enough to NYC that I could come in on the train when I was a teenager. I mainly did that to go to see concerts.

LIAR: Were you an adventurous teenager? What kind of concerts did you go to?

SKS: I was pretty independent as a rule, and then I discovered all this mostly British music that I identified with around 15 or 16 and got totally into that. I went to the city to buy records on St. Marks and just hang around the village. I probably started doing that around 16 years old. Concerts were mostly bands like The Cure or The Smiths, etc. This was mid-80’s.

LIAR: I have fond teenage memories of record shopping on St. Marks also. I’ll always have a warm spot in my heart for The Smiths and The Cure! Those are some pretty angsty bands. Do you consider yourself an angsty person?

SKS: Ha ha! I guess I was back then. I was the black sheep in my town by that time. Total outcast. Everyone thought I was a weirdo. Or on drugs. Or both. I didn’t much like the small-town narrow-minded outlook and felt suffocated. I was desperate for a creative outlet to get out all these images that had been building up in my head for years. I tried music, and I tried doing some writing, but neither one was working. By the time I was 17 I was definitely looking the part of the town rebel too. Punk/goth girl. I discovered painting at 17 too. That changed everything for me. It felt right immediately. What a relief.

LIAR: I think all teenagers naturally feel the need to rebel in different ways. Did your family support you in your creative endeavors?

SKS: My Mom was very supportive. My Dad wasn’t too keen on my strange outfits and hair colors/cuts, or the idea of me going to art school. He wanted me to get a sensible degree and get a good job, which I can understand now. Once I started art school and my Dad saw how hard I worked he was supportive. He’s my biggest fan these days.

LIAR: When did you first get exposed to fine art? 

SKS: My first clear memory of seeing a reproduction of a painting that really moved me was a painting on a record cover of one of my favorite bands at the time, called Japan. It was a painting by Frank Auerbach, who is still one of my favorite painters. My Dad liked paintings, and I think we had a couple of books around the house with Renoir and the Impressionists, things like that. That stuff didn’t do much for me though. I mean, I saw it and it never occurred to me to try and paint something. The Auerbach painting did do that though. It really spurred me to try. Then, a few months later I found out about an artist in a neighboring town who gave drawing and painting lessons and I started going there. He was amazing. Old guy. Wonderful spirit. He used to set up still lifes for me to paint and then read to me or play old jazz records while I was painting. It was a full cultural experience. The first time I walked into his painting studio I got a chill because it felt so familiar, so right. The smells of turpentine and oil paint, they felt like home. Painting came easy for me too. I knew it was the right thing for me once I walked in there.

LIAR: Sometimes you just know it when you see it. Who and what are some of your strongest influences for your art?

SKS: I think the reason the Auerbach painting did it for me was because it wasn’t pretty, it was visceral, gut wrenching and it felt so honest. Because of that I found it very beautiful. It spoke to me because the barrage of images I had in my head growing up were like that. Strange and terrible...And yet beautiful. I can’t really explain where these images come from. It has been suggested to me that perhaps I am getting them from the collective unconscious, or they are just how my mind takes sensory input and twists it into something new that is more basic or essential, and mainly emotionally based. Music and novels have probably been a stronger influence that looking at visual art.

LIAR: If your paintings were a piece of music or a novel which ones would they be? 

SKS: Ok. I’ll pick two things that had a huge impact when I first experienced them and that I felt plugged into things that I was trying to express through my paintings: Arvo Pärt “Spiegel im Spiegel” for piano and cello and Dostoevsky’s amazing novel “Crime and Punishment.”

LIAR: Those are both pretty classical and epic pieces, they suit your work. There is a real sense of familiarity in your work, yet they also feel fresh and modern. What type of mediums do you work in?

SKS: I only work in oil paint. I keep thinking I should expand, branch out, try new things, but oil painting is my love. I recently started doing some paintings on paper, which are also smaller, and which I am trying to keep a little less “worked” than my paintings on canvas, which can have many layers and take a couple of months to paint. So that’s my big adventure! Ha ha, doing work on paper.

LIAR: Your large-scale works are very powerful. How long does one painting take to complete?

SKS: The big paintings usually take a couple of months to complete. I’ve started working on a few at once now, so that I can always be working on something while a layer is drying on one or two of them. The works on paper are layered as well but I’m trying to have fewer layers with those.

LIAR: When do you know when to stop? Is it a “know it when you see it” type of situation?

SKS: Yes. It’s time to stop when nothing is stopping my eye as it travels around the canvas, I mean nothing that seems wrong or to not be working. Some paintings take a lot longer than others because of that.

LIAR: Your paintings are sometimes described as abstracts. Sometimes landscapes. Some of your work has the feeling of water. Some fire. Where does your imagery come from?

SKS: It’s my “inner landscape”. My current emotional state interpreted as a place. All the things I hear and see and feel, taken in and processed, and spat back out as this. The paintings are self-portraits in a way. But it’s important to me that they be more open than a straight portrait or a landscape painting. They are places that don’t make sense in terms of the reality we see around us, and because of that perhaps they leave more room to imagine and expand?

LIAR: There are also definite names for your paintings. They are strong, single words like “Harbinger”, “Progeny”, “Mutiny” etc. How do these names play a role with the artwork?

SKS: This may sound strange but the names are something I start to think about when the painting is almost finished. Like they are finally coming into their own at that point and have a presence that demands a certain name/title. I keep a list of potential titles that I jot down when I’m reading and I see a word that feels like it could be a painting. Then I find the right title from that list. Mostly, anyway. Sometimes none of the words on the list seem right and I have to look around for something that works better.

LIAR: I think all the names have added a real “third dimension” to the work. And they always seem to fit in really well! What is your studio workspace like?

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ISSUE 1 / PRINT EXCLUSIVE / INTERVIEW

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

INTERVIEW WITH FAWAD KHAN BY CHRISTINE BE

Fawad Khan is a calming presence in a city of chaos. There is a relaxing cadence to the tone of his voice, as if he were trying to hypnotize you—Or it could just be the drinks and the tacos. Either way, It’s working. You feel at ease and conversation comes forth naturally. 

In 2014, THE BROOKLYN BASED ARTIST HAS COMPLETED HIS THIRD NEW YORK SOLO SHOW WITH HIS MOST RECENT EXHIBIT, “EMPIRE OF PERSONAL MYTHS.” HIS SEVENTH SOLO OVERALL, THE WORK DISPLAYS AN OBSESSIVE LEVEL OF DETAIL WITH METICULOUS DRAWINGS OF THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF POMEGRANATES CREATING VISCERAL SHAPES AND ABSTRACTIONS WITH HIDDEN HIERARCHIES.

LIAR: Tell me about your background. Where are you originally from and where did you grow up?

Fawad Khan: I was born in 1978 in Tripoli, Libya to Pakistani parents...Well, actually my mother was born in post-partition Pakistan, my father was born in pre-partition India and migrated to Pakistan with his family as an adolescent. He and my mother wanted to raise their kids outside of the subcontinent, in terms of education and giving them a future—in 1973, they were ex-pats in Tripoli. My father was working there as part of the Pakistani Army Medical Corp. We lived in a farmhouse near a military base. Eventually in the late seventies, when Gaddafi came into power, we migrated—lived for a few years in Karachi, Pakistan and then eventually migrated to the States in 1986. I was raised here from then on. It was a pretty progressive upbringing, although, on the other hand—being raised in the western world by eastern methods had it’s fair share of dualities and contradictions too. Regardless, those younger years and the vivid memories of my folks bringing my big brother and I to the states—it’s very important to who I am today and why I choose to make art.

LIAR: As a person with an eastern upbringing, did you feel pressure to conform to stereotypical expectations in regards to your career?  

FK: I think I did, but I had a strong mentor/advisor in graduate school who soon made me see past it. As I initially began exhibiting in my early twenties in New York, making strong work became about making strong work...period. Though I had accepted that the idea of being of a particular diaspora will inherently always be there. I always wondered—if say a gallery visitor or a critic from the press saw my name or read my bio first—did that inform the work differently for them? Did it change an opinion of the art after they initially viewed it? Eventually, I put that notion to the side, and just made art as if I was making it for myself. A cathartic release, experimenting in different mediums on paper, canvas, in sculpture...even photos. The subject matter, conversations, themes in these works did in the end—through the creative process—become totally about the personal narrative. And the very notion I was avoiding to do in a cliché manner came out in a much more sincere way.

LIAR: Growing up, did you always have an interest in the arts? How and when did you become interested in the arts?

FK: I did. Drawing was and still is something I love dearly. Ever since I was very, very young, I had always maintained that habit and often found myself coming up with creative projects for myself. Sure I did all the other kid stuff, playing sports like my older brother, hanging out with the neighborhood friends, riding BMX bikes, collecting comic books, but in school and from my folks, there was always some encouragement to keep up with my ability to see, draw and create. Eventually it got to a point where I decided to concentrate on the art more seriously. Because let’s face it, like many other kids, I never thought I could make a life out of this—or anything creative rather. To me I figured, why not? I applied to art school for my BFA and got in on scholarship. Once I got there, I thought “Okay, why not move to New York and give graduate school a try?” I did, and then figured, “Okay, why not dive in and give the art world a shot?” It’s been a great ride and I’m very thankful that it’s been steady and fulfilling.

LIAR: I’ve known you for many years, first as a work colleague, then as a friend. You’ve always had a very calm and collected presence. Where does this come from? 

FK: Really? I’ve never thought of myself as calm or collected. I supposed I’m good at keeping the anxiety at bay. But all joking aside, you are right—as I’ve entered my thirties, I’ve been more at peace with myself. Realizing I should put all the negative thoughts aside or the worriments of when I don’t land a certain studio visit or a show, etc. Yet I just consider the facts at hand. One: I get to do what I love for a living. Two: Whatever is out of my control, I choose to not let get to me (this is a big one). Three: I still have a lot more I want to do and I am happy about that.

LIAR: Well, I mean you’re not a robot but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lose your cool!

FK: Yeah...some people have though and I can’t make apologies...there were moments in my late twenties where I was a bit out of control.

LIAR: Do you meditate?

FK: I do. I’ve recently been doing more of it and to be honest, taking it quite seriously. I feel it helps, as an artist, as a person, as a New Yorker. It feels a lot like a “re-set button” for me. I feel like I can keep this lifestyle going, and the goal of course is longevity—in adventures, in art, in health.

LIAR: I know, as a naturally anxious person I should take it up too. You explained meditation to me once with a drawing. It was of a bunch of lines.

FK: Ah yes, it was how a close friend once explained it to me a long time ago. I think I made a series of dashes—considering each dash a steady thought in your mind—and said, “Christine, the negative space between the dashes, concentrate on that emptiness and make that space larger so the dashes move apart—eventually disappear."

LIAR: Yes, that’s exactly it! It’s so challenging to quiet the mind isn’t it?

FK: It is, but that’s exactly why I make artwork. I almost always am in solitude when creating works, and for me it quiets the mind and in a way it is indeed meditative. The studio practice for me has always felt like that. The process in itself has this vibe and then the overall act or result rather is the catharsis—like a purge right?

LIAR: It certainly is. What is your studio workspace like? 

FK: It’s homey. That is to say, my art studio for the past few years has been in my home. I have a live/work loft. Half of the place, I keep as a comfortable flat, and the other half, the art studio. I keep this half very open, save for a computer desk, older or incomplete pieces scattered about the walls or stacked in the corners. There’s a time line on a large wall, twelve 8.5x11 sheets of paper (my yearly calendar); I check off each day and use this time line often. Five south-facing windows allow a great dose of sunlight in the morning hours as well as the late afternoon (the sun disappears for a few behind the Williamsburg Bridge, which is right outside my studio). I can set up two worktables on sawhorses if I want to work flat or I can hang up canvases and panels and paint standing up. I like this modular flexibility in my practice.

LIAR: What type of mediums do you work in?

FK: These days I don’t use any volatile chemicals. In the past I had to keep my studio separate because I worked in oils, shellac or even sculpted with metal. Nowadays: medium to large-scale gouache and ink drawings on paper. Acrylic on panels. Pen and ink on paper. That’s been the recent habit. A little collaging too, re-purposing some of my reference photography with drawing and painting.

LIAR: Do you keep a sketchbook?

FK: Yes!

LIAR: Have you found yourself going through your old sketchbooks and finding new inspirations?

FK: The most recent New York solo, in April 2014, began in the sketchbooks. Right now I have about 4 or 5 scattered about the studio floor. Some are full of figurative line drawings; others have notes and ideas for the next couple projects. A professor of mine used to say that to me when I was graduating. You see, I was one of the students who always kept sketchbooks and travel journals—often visual scrapbooks full of collected thoughts and musings and observations. He used to state, don’t throw this habit away—these books, these drawings—this is your artwork ten years from now. He was absolutely correct. I often dig through my books and re-discover themes and ideas that inspired imagery. Now, I can make that imagery, but with much more clarity and intelligence. I love this part of the creative process.

LIAR: In your earlier works, there is a lot of mechanical imagery where objects are being blown apart (or coming together depending on one’s perspective). Your current artworks focus more on imagery from nature. Did this feel like a transgression for you? 

FK: It’s just a slight departure, but all of it is me. The previous body of work was very socio-political in nature—mixed with my own notions of violence, war, and identity. It was art that was speaking to the public, not preachy, but it was obvious work and something I had to get out of me. These themes will continue to emerge in my artistic voice over and over. But for this last show, I wanted to break from that body of work and take on something really quite personal, based on personal myth—using symbology that dealt with me. You mentioned “nature”—I would say the overall body of work deals with a personalized science and psychology. The naturalistic elements like the pomegranate or the deer heads are actually symbolic archetypes amidst Rorschach tests and medical anatomical studies. The show to me was indicative of some of the work I was making prior to the car bomb paintings, which I felt I had to put a hold on. I am often making work in response to my world around me. When I was in a tense place amidst wartime and upheaval, I found myself creating those subversive exploding compositions. Nowadays I am at peace, meditating, a bit more relaxed and introspective, and thus, formed these new works. Who knows where the next series will take me.

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