the artist in you - Lowbrow Literati
Transcription
the artist in you - Lowbrow Literati
THE ARTIST IN YOU What is your responsibility as a denizen of the art world? Do you belong here? Are you here to administer context or engage in aesthetic appreciation? THE ARTIST IN YOU From violent outbursts of reactionary vitriol to subtle existential revelations, THE ARTIST IN YOU presents a personal response to the complexities of involvement in the field of fine art. Tim Biskup Tim Biskup Baby Tattoo Books Jonathan Levine Gallery New York, New York May 17 - June 14, 2008 From violent outbursts of reactionary vitriol to subtle existential revelations, THE ARTIST IN YOU presents a personal response to the complexities of involvement in the field of fine art. THE ARTIST IN YOU What is your responsibility as a denizen of the art world? Do you belong here? Are you here to administer context or engage in aesthetic appreciation? THE ARTIST IN YOU Tim Biskup Tim Biskup Ether Destroyed Cel Vinyl Acrylic & Spray Paint on Steel, Foam & Plastic 60” x 60” x 60” 2 The Artist In You Introduction This project was intended as a personal reaction to and an analysis of separations within the fine art community. All systems fail, eventually. My failure is embedded with regret and success. Diamond studded coal spinning through space. Maybe it is time to approach the emperor rather than hurl stones at the gates. He's still a naked bastard, but I respect his wit and charm and power. Finding that we agree more than we disagree is a luminous and treacherous shock. What began as institutional critique has become a love letter. My heart laid bare. I am not at all comfortable with what I have written in this book. It is full of messy emotions, fragmented theories and angry proclamations. Writing about my experiences as an artist has been extremely difficult. Much of my frustration has come from what I perceived as resistance from an entrenched, elitist art world. My attempts to understand the complexities of the established art world have led, not to any all-encompassing truth, but to a series of paradoxical dead ends. I find that my preconceived ideas were at once generally accurate and way-off base. For every problem that I pointed out there seemed to be a solution that was already in place. It is my choice to see the problem or the solution. My focus changed from an analysis of a flawed system to a revelation about my own resistance, elitism and anger. 3 4 The Artist In You The writings that I am including here are, in many cases quite harsh and may prove to be very offensive to some readers. The vitriol can be directly literal and at other times quite sarcastic and even comical. It is not my intent that these passages be taken as conclusions or accounts of my true motivations, but rather as a venting of my preconceptions and raw emotional reactions. It is a view into my thought process with all of its scattered and surreal tissue left intact. My hope is that it will resonate with others and invite discourse on these issues. There is no end to this kind of discussion. Thank you for meeting me in the middle. "Maybe the art world is an art unto itself, perhaps the only one left... We are all artists on this account." - Sylvére Lotringer (from "The Piracy of Art", 2005) 5 The Artist In You v 1.0 by Tim Biskup “The Artist in You” All images © Tim Biskup All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Baby Tattoo Books, Los Angeles Babytattoo.com This edition limited to 1,000 copies. Manufactured in China www.timbiskup.com Baby Tattoo Books 8 The Artist In You What is art? I hate that question, but it seems like a good place to start. There is a school of thought that tells us that everything that is made with the intention of being art is art. I'm fine with that. You can call your amazing macaroni and cheese art if you want. I'm not going to argue with you. I am more interested in how this kind of discussion effects people. The reason that I hate that question is that it is a distraction from the simple joy of looking at and making art. It is the doorway into a paradoxical web of theories that create a fog of context that floats between art and audience. In many cases it lends the control of perception to those that seek to frame artwork in conceptual terms rather than let an artist's creation speak for itself. The question is at the root of the attempt to invalidate the "gut reaction" of the viewer to a work of art. I also love that question and for the very same reasons (speaking of paradox...). Discourse on the nature of art works like a Buddhist riddle designed to destroy reality, only artspeak and ornate critical theories destroy art with the paradoxes they create. The dismantling of reality leads to transcendence and enlightenment. The deconstruction of art as an object brings us freedom from context if we are willing to stay onboard for the duration of the ride. Perhaps art is dead. If so, the afterlife is heaven and hell and Louis Vuitton. I feel like a ghost passing through the walls and looking for a way out. This is where I find myself focusing my attention; Varied emotional responses to the complexity of involvement in the art world. It is seemingly possible for some to simply reject the debates and divisions in lieu of pure appreciation or creation of art. In other cases, the act of challenging perceptions, questioning theories and contemplating the boundaries of artistic expression seems to be satisfying in itself. It is my belief, though that in most of our minds there is a constant balancing act between appreciating pure aesthetic and reacting to context. That balance can add to the experience or it can be distracting. More and more, in my case, it is distracting. 9 10 The Artist In You At the root of this project is an attempt to engage the part of myself that has been thinking beyond color theories, composition, design, ETC. and create an exhibition that will put the conceptual side of my work forward in both concrete and abstract formats. Theoretical content has always been present in my work to varying degrees and at some point I hope to put together a written counterpart to each of my past exhibitions and projects to try to reveal the conceptual underpinnings that lay beneath the surface. The fact that I have never included written explanations of my work in the past is testament to my desire for my art to speak for itself. I have reached a point, though, where I feel a need to put my work in context. Looking back on a few projects in particular I see that an artist's statement would have added a great deal to the experience on my part and on that of the audience. It was clear when I decided to attempt this current exhibition that there would need to be written accompaniment. I wanted to come at the project from a completely different angle than what I am used to. I theorized and discussed the ideas with countless friends and acquaintances. I made lists of possible installations and concepts. I dedicated endless hours to reading about art history, theory and critique. In the past I have set upon the work for a show by shutting myself in my studio, sketching, painting and sculpting furiously for months while the concept developed out of the visual expressions. The title of any given show (i.e.: Alphabeast, The Push-Over, Vapor, The Phantom Thread...) was only a verbal point of departure, deliberately vague and provocative so there was flexibility in what could be included and connected. The title, "The Artist In You" is intentionally unpoetic and bland and therefore compels me to explain my intentions. It also, hopefully, will compel the audience to seek an explanation. Writing about art is a precarious undertaking. It has been done to death and with greater literary and scholarly prowess than I will ever muster. In order to overcome my trepidation I began to write in an abstract format that resembles poetry more than literal discourse. It allowed me to express what I was feeling without actually committing to a specific ideology. I had considered including only these ethereal and metaphorical writings in this book, but as my ideas became more concrete it seemed like a bit of a cop-out to leave them vague. 11 12 The Artist In You Accordingly, the text bounces around stylistically, mixing abstract and concrete thoughts that play off of the images to hopefully encapsulate the overall experience of this project. The thought had occurred to me to approach this exhibition from an entirely literary angle. To present an entire show of printed text would be compelling and provocative, but ultimately would avoid the kind of interplay between the two sides of my work that I am looking for. It was very difficult to imagine what sort of visual counterpart would coincide with what I was saying in words and, though they remain inherently disconnected from one another, I feel that I have stayed on course. Many of the ideas that I had for the visual content involved gimmicks and visual puns (ornate, hand painted "SOLD" signs that would replace red dots and be included with a purchase, for instance.) that, while I think they would have been effective, would have taken away from the more subtle points that I am trying to make. There are many hints to those points that remain, including the duality of the covers to this book. The dust jacket is deliberately plain and is intended to imply conceptual profundity by it's lack of visual distractions and sentiment, while the underlying hard cover is colorful and inviting. The idea is intended to suggest the interactions and divisions within my work and within the art world itself. We have options. I had feared the possibility that I would become so engrossed in theories that it would distract me from enjoying the simple act of painting, but the opposite has been the case. Studying, analyzing and venting these thoughts has led me to revel in the purity of making art as a meditative practice. It's as if I have purged the distraction of context by compartmentalizing it and giving it a place to thrive. Questions like "What is art?" no longer bring up anger. They have their place and it is a playground. The resulting visual art is some of the most personally satisfying and complex work that I have ever created. It is clear to me that by embracing my theoretical conflicts and using my reactions as motivation I have pushed myself forward on many different levels. 13 14 The Artist In You You Can Do It! I believe in you and the power of your creative expression. It is in you like gold in a mountain! It's easy. People will love you because you are such a loving person. You can relax because there is nothing more powerful than what you do. You are the best & we all know it. The artist in you is ready to come out! People love artists and they love to see into artist's lives. That means that you will have the envy of your friends and acquaintances. You can have no doubts. You can have your own life and it will lead you towards the things that you want. Nothing can stop you. You are a monster. You are full of power and hate. Your mind is devouring the planet and converting it into beauty. Don't be afraid. The answers are clear and controllable. Change the future to fit your desires. If you want love you will have it in the most pure and aggressive form. It will be in your artworks like fire. Your blood will flow with passion. The ringing in your ears is like the hot breath of a raging beast. Take it out on the ones that you love. Abuse your power. Conform to your environment while you manipulate the weak. Soon enough you will be in control. Release your worst feelings on the gallery walls. Get drunk. Test your wit against those that dominate and challenge you. You will beat them. Be sensitive to your inner child. Honor and respect your own weakness. Respect the illusions that you maintain. You have it all in you already. You only need to move forward into the future and use your claws to scratch the eyes out of your victims. Tear them down. Win at all cost. Follow your dreams! You can do it! "You Can Do It!" was a point of departure for this project. It set a tone with its sarcasm and duplicity that continues through much of the text. It exemplifies the feelings of confusion and frustration that I have felt when dealing with the business of art. It also brings up issues of how artists are perceived by society, the corrupting influences of fame, monetary success, freedom, Etc. and the difficulty of maintaining creative inspiration. It was written as part fictional rejection letter, part inspirational speech and sent to several of my artist friends without explanation. The response was almost always the same: "What is this? I love it.". They all understood what it was about. It represented the conflict that goes on in the mind of artists, especially with regards to the kind of contradictory and audacious suggestions that emanate from so many of those that dwell in the art world. At once supportive, encouraging, humiliating and devious, it sets the artist adrift in a sea of duplicitous opinion. It seems that we are very open to suggestions about the way we should think about our work and ourselves, but finding a balance between selling ourselves and selling-out can be very difficult. 15 16 The Artist In You Proposal My fountain will piss blood on the passers by. My painting will sock you in the jaw, pick your pocket, fuck your wife, inhale the world and burn the fields. I insist that this will come true. I intend to lie and cheat. Cavorting and brutal without boundaries. We are going to swing from the curtains, drink dry the wine and whiskey. When we are hung over and hungry we'll bang on the windows from both sides. In, out, high, low Just What You Needed Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 18” 17 18 The Artist In You Love Letter I think I am in love, but perhaps what I have now is a hard-on for drama, money and aesthetic pleasure. Educating myself into a new appreciation of my present muse means confronting the anger that I have about my relationship to that world. For so long I have seen it as a monolithic and opaque wall. I hear about the artistic privilege, outrageous prices, spectacular extravagances and deep appreciation from an audience that loves its babies as if they were carried in its own womb. My response reeks of the kind of jealousy that I felt in junior high school looking at the shiny lips of that cheerleader chewing on a fingernail while she connected her name carelessly and repeatedly to the last name of the fuckhead that called me fag in the locker room. I wanted her and I wanted him to see me get her. Those feelings of rejection, fear and anger are powerful because they are driven by obsession and base desires. Being a victim invites the most insideous strain of elitism. I can hate you and feel justified as long as I can convince myself that you hate me more or that you started it. As much as I try to intellectualize my feelings, I must face the fact that I am dealing with the same basic emotions that we all have. So, where do I go from there? The desire to destroy is easily defended and clearly culturally significant, especially in these post-punk years where every hateful swipe to the face of the opressor is co-opted and sold on the open market. Approaching an institutional system without a rock in my hand just feels wrong. If I stop complaining what will I say? Dearest, I am compelled to tell you all that I am feeling, but I fear that I will not be able to find the words. I waiver in your presence from the rush of vile nerves brushed against your cold skin. The apparition of tenderness tucked into my chest is silently piercing you. Faint tonal varieties pulse through your fabric and liquid fields. An opiate or pheromone graces me with charismatic power. We are inside. Flexible objects that intersect dragging particles into one another. Dismissed over an hour of dusted redemption. The sea parted. Burning arrows and sick pillows of white acid clobbering you and I together. We will never be the same. We will never get what we want, but we will be one. With love, Tim 19 20 21 "Art achieves a purpose which is not its own." - Benjamin Constant Doom Loop #6 Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 18” 22 The Artist In You Calculation We are charged with honors to carry out. It is not our place to question, but to perfect the conduit by which we translate. Painful changes in faith and complexity are thrown into and through without pause, reflection or explanation. Because it is accepted that the artist is an aggressive and romantic beast there is a wide berth given. What if it is not given? What if it is suggested that the artist in you has obligations? There is a simulation performed out of care and longing. It is broken apart and swallowed in pieces. When it is gone you should be full. What if you are not? What if you can't get it down? You are taking a break from what you love because you just can't get along. You will see it on the street and say an awkward "hello". I miss you dearly. You have been made redundant. This position has been filled. Professional care taken out of context and removed from the values of direct contact. Fade away and don't come back. 23 24 25 The Artist In You Evolution "Those who do not understand it or who have not realized that there is nothing to understand... really got it since their very bewilderment betrays an intuitive intelligence." - Jean Baudrillard (from The Conspiracy Of Art, 1996) I want my job back. You took apart the balance of the universe and built a model that provides solutions. You created your future and security on wire stretched through space. Representative of the new model. It is a symbol that burns context into the earth and stabs at the core of professionalism. 26 27 The Artist In You The Art of Destroying Art Art folded in upon itself through a constant process of examination, re-examination, re-contextualization and deconstruction. The discussion becomes irrelevant as does the art itself. After the destruction of the object, the invalidation of sentiment and the passing of art into a post conceptual anti-world what is there to argue about? It is hard to refute the death of art. I'm sad to see it go. I could claim that I believe that art will be re-born, but I am not up to the task of making that argument. If it comes back let me know. In the meantime, I will be in my studio making luxury items. "I am nothing and I can function" - Andy Warhol 28 The Artist In You History I can recall only what I have come to understand. Bury the hatchet under white pine. Eagles nest perched on the bow. Breaking sea and animal blood. Oak barrel filled and rotting with dirty nutrients. That past seeps into the present quietly. Harmony of color, space, triumph, delusion, calculation, dreams and long sick sketches sucked out at the worst possible time. Mosquito passing into me and I don't have space for it. Tiny bird-filled sky destroyed by controlling beasts and the simple loss of well known quantities. I could not make enough to keep the troops fed so they passed away. Scrambled words selling mystery to boiling vats of energy. The little truth that perishes under the microscope only to re-claim its goal and remind travelers of transportation and the brutality of wandering away from comfort. You are a part of the new position. After the crash and terror is a pale wet path that is featureless and simple. I try nothing and take nothing. Undergrown. Compound architecture revealing its construction. Find comfort in the discomfort of those around you. 29 30 The Artist In You Smash The State! Burn the flag. Tear apart all of the bullshit derisive strategies and systems. Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Kill the executives and administrators. There's a party going on. The destruction of invalid expressions frees us from toxic protocol. The Nirvana Paradigm "Smells Like Teen Spirit" invalidated theatrical pretense. To the "Woo, yeah, baby!" of popular music we replied, "Fuck You!". It was not necessarily directed anywhere in particular and there was rarely any hope, or even desire, that our screams would be heard by the general public. When it broke the code everything changed. The new art outsiders believe that technical ability and visual stimulation are the keys to good art. Conceptual content and art theory in general are unimportant and, to some, completely irrelevant. Art-speak equates with the manufactured emotions of the most benign pop-rock ballad. Lowbrow is punk rock. Raw, reckless and terrible. Immature and ugly brats thrashing three-chord noise that threatens to make sense. It is a powder keg and the fuse is lit. Sparks ignite the curtains and eyebrows are raised. Is that all there is? What happens at the end of the fuse? The form produces a mature variation that invalidates all insincere expression, genres crash and bleed to death on the way to the hospital. Established systems ingest, refine and validate the legitimate and the charlatans as equal products. 31 32 The Artist In You Sour Grapes For Rotting Vegetables Delusional elitism masquerading as a divinely inspired secret society leaps from the stage and falls past weak arms to bloody it's nose and flee to the bathroom for toilet paper. Bang or whimper? Look what happened to popular music after 1991. Business as usual, right? Time will tell. Fuck you art intelligencia. Weak fuckers. You can all get in circle and talk about how art is dead and in need of recontextualization, but it is your art that is dead. Your fake meaning and questions have spirale d into a post-art wasteland. Your need to control the situation and fear of risk and truth is what got you here. You must continue with your high art jack off if you want to maintain your relevance. It is only in the flimsy context that you and the other pathetic vampires have put forward as important that you retain a shred of meaning. Faced with time tested professional artistic ability and deep conscious personal truth you will wither and die. Put me in context and I will stomp your fucking head into pulp. Your greed has created a blood sucking, soul shattering beast that is growing full and sick and purple with the blood of the weak and brilliant. You can't be like us and you don't want to do what it takes to get to that point because you are so full of pain, evil, denial, mountains of bullshit, miles of rocky path and insurmountable passages. When the brave return they are battered and strong. If you control them, then who will doubt your power? 33 34 35 The Artist In You Crisis They may be strong, but your shame is stronger. Hear this: there is no elephant in the room. It is far worse. There is a crippled and shaking old theorist taking their last breath. We are coming. We are here. Art exists as an object! Painting has been re-discovered! New capitol arrives in train cars. Red flags pop from every orifice. Corruption spills over like a barrel of napalm. Run like hell. Bandits crash the gate and set up shop sifting through inventories and sorting without control. Broken hinges peel away like bullets and the split bodies of angels crash to the floor. Blood-splattered wide and far through the windows casting red upon the walls and surrounding every poisoned, sleeping moment. 36 The Artist In You "There is no way out for an art squeezed between administration and populism." - Stian Grøgaard from "The Faltering Business of Aesthetic Administration", 2007 At the heart of my questioning the state of the art establishment is that there seems to be a disconnect between what is deemed "important" by those that study art from a theoretical point of view and what is considered "good" by the general public. It would not be an issue if so much institutional control was not in the hands of intellectuals. It is my opinion that the rejection of "popularity" as a relevant factor in weighing the importance of an artist's work is due to discomfort with the release of control by the intellectual art community. There is, undeniably, much at stake. I am not suggesting that the pendulum should swing the other way entirely. I am interested in the possibility of what can be achieved if there were a loosening of aesthetic administration to make the talented outsiders feel welcome. 37 38 The Artist In You "The fact is that there is no way to avoid the (art) market: It absorbs subversion and packages dissent, selling us an image of ourselves as conscientious objectors even when we are deeply entrenched in its system" - Nancy Spector, from "The Color Of Money", Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Frieze Magazine Follow Me Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Canvas 78” x 78” Following pages Follow Me (Detail) 39 42 The Artist In You Buyer Beware Welcome dislocation and wealth into your life. Become an aware and brilliant mate. Come hither. Follow me. My wet past, full of fire and mistakes, invites you. Penetrate and I'll do the same to you. Revolve to the bottom where it began and rests, firmfooted. There is something wrong there that makes the whole construction stable. You have your best chance right now. Will you regret not buying this? Will you wake up to it every day? Smiling or swearing... it is yours. Why did you sit still when you should have acted? You piece of shit. You fucked us both! We could have ridden a wave of complexity, virtue, pride, skill and wit into an age of culturally enlightened glory, but you got cold feet. You fucking pussy. Take my hand right now and lets jump out the window. Fuck it. I'm serious. Why not? If you are not going to live your life the way that you really want to we may as well both be dead. 43 44 45 The Artist In You The Asylum Series In the midst of creating the darkest and most intense body of work in my career ("Vapor" from 2006 & "Ether" from 2007) I painted a peaceful, passive, secure and stationary woman with a teal coif embedded with flowers. It was a shock to everyone that saw it among my other paintings. The response was overwhelmingly positive. It was a resting place among confrontational images. It was, by definition, asylum. I knew that if I included it in one of these exhibitions it would pull the viewer out of the place where I wanted them to go. It invited the viewer in and let them relax. This presented me with a paradox. For the first time in my career I was placing conceptual content ahead of the aesthetic content. Is that a sign of maturing as an artist or is it a sign of corruption? The desire to ignore this painting was chilling. It felt like I was turning my back on the part of me that could enjoy making a pretty picture. At one point I considered literally hiding it by including it in a show, but draping it in black cloth, a reference to the long dead practice of morning a recently deceased artist by covering their work to remind the viewer of the loss. Asylum Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 36” 46 The Artist In You The process of recreating the image over and over allowed me to look at my reasons for painting. It was a way for me to analyze my sense of responsibility as an artist, both to myself and to the audience. Some of the variations are only slightly removed in concept from the original. They feel more like visual experiments than conceptual challenges. The final version of the painting (#6) was a dramatic departure. It boasts the words, "YOU COMPLETE ME." across the center of a flatly painted silhouette. It is as if the painting is begging to be made beautiful. It can also be taken as my message to the viewer that their participation in the process of my art is appreciated or as a command that the viewer participate in that process. It's ironic that, of the six paintings, the one that contains the highest level of intentional meaning feels, to me at least, cold and unappealing. Asylum #2 Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 36” 47 48 The Artist In You Asylum #3 Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 36” Asylum #4 Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 36” 49 50 The Artist In You Asylum #5 Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 36” Asylum #6 Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 36” 51 52 The Artist In You Alien Who the fuck are you and why are you trying to send me out for food. I revised the classic form and you were not a part of it. You are a lazy partition, an unavoidable consequence of material creation. Break out the bubbly and toast the frame that holds it all together. My guess is that you are shitting yourself trying to hold onto what you have based your life on. It is not that I want you to feel pain. It is that I want my job back. I am the harbor that holds out the sea. Crap freedom and intoxicating politics are kicked swiftly in the balls. bubbles of paste and stain. Wax, shape, oil and eyes mistaken for luxury are keeping the wolves in the woods and not at your door. Count your lucky stars, alien. You are not at home. Requirements Where are you going to put the windows? I need to see something that will inspire me. I want to be out there, but I can't be. I have to stay in here. There's been a major shift in the way that I think. I can't pass these paintings without taking them with me. I broke in and stole them off the wall. I hated what they were doing to me and my friends. They cheated. Please, don't walk away from me while I am talking. I need to hear what you are thinking about me. Can you avoid telling me anything that is fucking stupid, though? Take me with you. I'd rather be in your pocket and pissed off at the way you walk. Don't hesitate if you want to come through for me. I wish you were here and I could talk to you about what I am seeing. It is perfect and it resonates with discipline. Keep it in the front of your mind while I am walking around. 53 54 The Artist In You Remember what I said to you about what I am thinking. It will come in handy. You are employed by a missing sense of natural purity. Icons float above you to remind me. Take your torture and ambiguity. You came here to see what I can do and I like that about you. I like your glasses and the shirt that you are wearing. You seem to be evolving into quite a little wizard. When you are done reading this you should roll it up, set it on fire and run down the street screaming. In fact, memorize it and scream it out word-for-word. That will make my point very clearly. People would love that. Pick the part that does nothing for you because I want you to own it. I want you to control the situation. I want you to raise a stink and push back a million years. You hate what I did. It's an embarrassment. You could have done more with less energy. I can't stand the way that I feel about you. Doom Loop #4 Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 24” x 36” 55 56 The Artist In You Doom Loops Complain, contrast, debate, invent, reduce, calculate and feel the envy that will bury me. I am not careful or restrained. I am wicked for what I am doing, but mostly I feel foolish. I am unwanted, shy and rude. You complete me with recognition or abuse. I want something that will prove that I exist. A file full of a million wasted minutes streaking across the street and into a doorway. Micro-managed doom loops. A passive resistance to any kind of behavior correction. Modification of deliberate complexity establishes confusion based appreciation or true idealized nutritional wit. Fuck with it all the time. Play with it like it is a toy. Try it out on your friends. Prove to yourself that it can be meaningful and heartfelt even though it is a joke and a stupid game. It is serious when you remember that it is not. When I am working it is not working. Personal effect lost. Doom Loop Cel Vinyl Acrylic on Panel 78” x 78” 57 60 The Artist In You 61 62 63 The Artist In You My deepest thanks go out to all those that helped in the process of creating this book and exhibition. Notably; Kristen Schiele, who encouraged me to take on these subjects from the very beginning and provided the benefit of her insight and knowledge. Denise Gray, for her heartfelt and honest recommendations and suggestions. Bob Self, one of the most inspiring publishers I know. Jonathan Levine, for his enthusiasm and trust for so many years. Jamie O'Shea, because he pushed me in the right direction at the right time. Dr. Gary Felton, for his wisdom. Thanks to all of those that discussed these issues with me and, therefore contributed to the process: JJ Abrams Annie Adjchavanich Josh Agle Gary Baseman Glenn Barr Brian Bell Jud Bergeron Mary & Stephan Biskup Mike Biskup Stefan Henry-Biskup Andrew Brandou Baixo & Alice (Choque Cultural) David Choe Richard Coleman Paul Cruikshank Cheryl Dunn Chris Edmundson Natalia Fabia Amanda Fairey Shepard Fairey Korin Faught Dan Field Eric Foss Sam & Tury (Friends With You) Gary Garay Camille Rose Carcia Alex Gross Liz Hamilton Naomi Harris Jaime Hayon Seonna Hong James Jean Long Gone John Nathan Jurevicius KAWS Sean Kelly Simone Legno Nichole Lindsay Greg Long Jeff Mann James Marshall Carlo McCormick Tara McPherson Iñigo Martinez Moller Kathy Murphy Holly Myers Jolene Myers Jay Nailor Eric Nakamura Kyle Ng Martin Ontiveros Marion Peck David Peskovitz Chad Phillips Peter & Lars (Pictoplasma) Ragnar Darren Romanelli Rob Reger Mark Ryden Souther Salazar Todd Schorr Kathy Staico-Schorr Eric Schrody Billy Shire Alix Sloan John Solomon Joe Sorren Bwana Spoons Louisa St. Pierre Teddy Tennenbaum Miles Thompson Mark Todd Kirsten Ulve Esther Pearl Watson Eric White Jessica Whiteside Ashley Wood Bill Wray I'm sure I've forgotten someone. I'm sorry.