There were many moments like this, but the most pivotal moment was when I dropped out of art school. I was a painting major but after starting to make videos with my friend Dave Stewart, I decided to drop out and teach myself how to write, direct, edit, and more. Making sketch comedy, graffiti, skate, and music videos led me to animation, which helped further define my art style. That led me to co-create a couple Adult Swim shows, which led to my involvement with Liquid Death.
Articles
SUCKYBAT.
My message and style is I don’t give a f*ck. I’m just here to paint this bat and piss people off.
Are you with us yet? Los Angeles is Cyberpunk 2025: Fire & ICE, Prison-Slave Labor Heroes, The Olympics & Technology
The root of the LA Fires is, ironically, in its prohibition.
Eleazar.
I moved by myself exclusively for many years. I didn’t want to collab with anyone, I wanted to do it all on my own. That’s a young artist’s game, I feel. When you first get into your art more seriously, you think you’re gonna show everybody – there’s never been a producer, rapper, whatever, that can do it like me.
The deeper you get in the game, you start realizing, damn, a lot of my heroes had teams low-key. Even though on the outside, it looks like one guy. But nobody does anything by themselves – everybody has someone that put them up in their first gallery, gave them their 1st break, gave them their first shot at something greater.
Undertones with Suitcase Joe.
Initially I set out to document Skid Row historically, better than anyone else has. I wanted to thoroughly capture the neighborhood. What I didn’t know would happen, was that I’d fall in love with the people and the place and that it would change my perspective on life all the way around.
POR VIDA CAFÉ.
I hope that we can still be part of this community moving forward, but the future is untold. We don’t know what’s gonna happen when the owner of this building wants to build 4 stories high and put a retail spot under here, probably double or triple our rent. We have a lot to display, but we also have to walk very cordially over the next few years. I predict a big shift coming up. It’s a hard conversation, but I think it’s a conversation that needs to be had now.
FRKO.
Sometimes institutions don’t want my edgy/challenging art. Some of these places want to control what black art is. They only want to show what is comfortable for them.
PHOTOJOURNAL: GUEZ X DEAD RELATIVES. “PLAYA MODE” 11/1/24
When it comes to curating shows, the one thing I try to keep in mind is showcasing a glimpse of my world/reality. Including people is a huge aspect to my life, because our community is what shapes this culture. -GUEZ.
SERGIO “SURGE” HERNANDEZ. POP’S TATTOOS. EAST SAN DIEGO.
There’s an anonymous quality about graffiti. Nowadays, everything is documented – something interests you, you want your friends to know, so you post about it. I’m not against people posting more or less; I like social media. I think it brings more people together. But there’s still a level of mystery as to who some of these people are, and I think that’s really special for the time we’re living in.
MACUAHUITL PRESS.
Between all these artists who carry Indigeneity in their blood or consciousness, there’s a strong sense of identity & passion in reclamation. All of us are working to embrace, repair, and nurture our roots.
Working with bands and collaboration in general has been integral to my journey. So many of us on this path come from different cultures; I’ve learned a lot about pre-Columbian languages & customs from all over the Americas. All of these connections arose through this circle of creativity, from following our passions, in a kind of new-wave oral tradition.