It wouldn’t be wholly incorrect to deem him an arbiter of commercially viable urban cool. But despite his insistence that he “paints to feel good” (“does this look good today?” he might say each day upon waking up), there’s a little more going on beneath the surface when it comes to LA artist Gregory Siff.
In league with acknowledged influence Jean Michel Basquiat, Siff’s trademark “storyboards” are almost always an outpouring of spontaneous fragments, associated thoughts, and a consideration of the establishment that’s perhaps a little less dark in the penumbra of his sunny disposition. Indeed, they’re a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants celebration of the present that articulates the concepts he so breathlessly attempts to put into words: smashed clocks tarnished with cigarettes, which is another way of saying “the time that we have and what we use for it,” moments, experiences, the goal of life, time, memory — does it really exist? — “the trophies that they say you should earn, and the trophies that you really treasure.”
Obtuse as some of this may be, Siff’s aesthetic has certainly registered in a big way: On top of being featured at Art Basel, he recently painted a mural for a charity art auction by Christie’s and The Art of Elysium. His hand-painted Vans hi-tops were on display at The Whitney, and he’s now got a side-gig as an Art Ambassador for the sneaker company, which entails inspiring kids across the country to be creative. You can also spot traces of his influence at The Standard Hotel, Tumblr, Sega, Red Bull, Hasbro and Warner Brothers Records.
Between answering questions for Alt Citizen and prepping for various shows (including an installation replete with “a few surprises” at The Clinton Hotel in Miami Beach for Art Basel 2013), Siff’s a busy guy, but I suspect that’s a good thing in his world. So it goes in the making of a feel-good revolution.
Siff’s contribution at the ACE Museum for Art of Elysium.
Not to be lame for starting with a comparison, but one of the first impressions I had when looking at your work was “Basquiat.” And then I saw a little doodad wearing a crown in the first painting on your site. Actually, wait, there’s a lot of crowns – and scratchy writing. Is that an intentional nod to Jean Michel?
Fully. When I went to NYU, my liberal arts professor put Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Whitney Catalog on the required list. When I saw his paintings for the first time in a book, they struck me, but it wasn’t until I went to the Brooklyn Museum with my father in 2005 and stood in front of the large pieces that I felt something so powerful about painting. There is a real fire and life in the work. I do not put crowns in all of my work. I built some crowns for my show at Gallery Brown in 2012 and draw a crown on some of my characters as an homage to the artist. His struggle and life story is amazing. I wish he was alive today. His work is so relevant in today’s times. In fact, he was ahead of his time. Thanks for recognizing that.
What got you going with the character boards, for lack of a better term?
They are basically poems and stories without words. Each face and object is a memory or a person or something that records life that day on the canvas. I really like the iconography. They started out with words underneath them, and moved on to just the symbols. It’s like sheet music, and the paintings are the songs.
A lot of your paintings have this distinct trace of “American flag” in terms of color, composition and various stars and stripes elements. It almost seems like you’ve taken the liberty to vandalize that symbolism a little. Am I really off with that one?
I did a series of works over the summer where the American Flag was my muse. I put into the stars all the little things that make up being an American or what is to be American, whether it was a soldier, a dollar sign, Mickey Mouse, or a Native American Indian. I wanted the story of what I felt to be told in the abstract energy of the flag. Only one [painting in] the series is painted exactly like the flag. The rest are studies of what it could look like in the future after time has taken to it.
Another thing that’s sort of interesting to me is that your work directly addresses the establishment, corporatism, etc. But you’ve also been commissioned a lot by big corporate names. What’s your position on that?
There are many collaborations that are offered to artists, and my job is to look at the ones that can change the world, meaning charitable causes, and ones that aesthetically work together to make a dope piece. The sneakers I painted for Vans were a great collab, because naturally, my NY x LA canvases translated well to their hi-top, and the sneakers traveled the U.S. and were displayed in schools along with some other great artists (Mister Cartoon, John Baldessari, MAR, Louis XXX) to keep art programs in our schools. I was chosen to be a brand ambassador for Vans Custom Culture, and the Vans I painted were on view at The Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC. Custom Culture is a national high school shoe customization contest where schools from all over the United States compete for a chance to win money for their art programs. I also worked with Helmut Lang and painted 21 tee shirts that all sold out to help Project Angel Food, which brings meals to those affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer and other diseases. One hundred percent of the proceeds went to the charity.
Primary colors: discuss.
I really like primary colors because you can go anywhere from there. They feel good to look at. They remind me of being a kid in kindergarten and also have a beautiful way about them. I wrote a film about what it is like to submit to a creative life and commit to being an artist. It’s called Paint, and it has a lot of stories in it from artists like Vincent van Gogh and myself. The colors will be explained more when you see it on-screen.
Is that a bandit mask you’re wearing?
In my profile shot? No, it’s paint. Photographer Robin Black of Beauty is Boring painted my face and shot the Polaroid Big Shot of me. We call it ART-MAN! Haha! Check her work. She is a true artist.
You’re a self-described “feel-good artist” – no wonder you made the move from New York to LA!
Yes. LA is a pleasurable town. The sun is bright, some of the people are dark, but for the most part there is a lot of LOVE in LA. NY is my heart though.
Gregory Siff
Instagram
Facebook
Tumblr
Twitter
Interview by Steph Koyfman. Follow her on Twitter at @stephkoyfman.
