QA_jd talks

	JUAN DOE TALKS... but will he ever stop Q&A (August 2004) New York artist Juan Doe still a mystery Interview by Lynn del Sol
EXHIBITION PROGRAM ARTIST WAREHOUSE ART SPEAK MEDIA ROOM ABOUT CONTACT SUBMISSIONS LINKS HOME CTS (917)826.5550 mailing address 635 Humboldt Street #3L Brooklyn NY 11222 info@creativethriftshop.com		scientifically-tested superhuman painter/ordained minister has, as he puts it, "taken out" over 3,000 "whack artists" and counting, drank all the Krizzy, all the Brown, didn't recycle, and managed to win "Dance Fever" four times. Before his assassination, Gandhi foretold the coming of Juan Doe by declaring, "They will ignore Juan Doe, then they will laugh at Juan Doe, then they will fight Juan Doe, and then Juan Doe will win." With his first publication since his autobiography, "I Paint, So Therefore You're Not," Juan Doe intends to re-educate the hardcore and the gentle, the addicts and the naïve, the sinners and the saints, the blessed and the unfortunate, the beautiful and the grotesque, and especially ya moms. Holla. -Toostie Cornrolls		CTS: WHAT WAS THE BEST SHOW YOU'VE DONE AND WHY? I'd say the "Back the Invasion" show in the lower east side, in early 2001. There was about 400 ugly people, 2 floors of backwash walls with the original paintings wondering where the hell we had all come from. I felt mad love and energy that day. CTS: WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO RETIRE, DO YOU BELIEVE ARTIST EVER RETIRE? I'd like to retire from popular culture and continue to make art, till the day you pry my paintbrush from my cold, dead hands.	CTS: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBNE YOUR STUDIO ATMOSHPERE? When I had a studio, before the flood that erased a decade of work, it was like walking into a sanctuary of freedom and practicality. Where people were people and not forsaken androids with fascists smiles. CTS: WHAT WAS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WERE EVER GIVEN AND BY WHOM? A rabbi once told me, you can make potatoes out of dirt but you can't calculate the randomness of the weather. I never forgot that.	CTS: WHO DO YOU MAKE ART FOR? For me, who else. "Every successful creative person creates with an audience of one in mind. That's the secret to artistic unity. Anybody can achieve it, if he or she will make something with only one person in mind."-Kurt Vonnegut CTS: WHO IS A CONTEMPORARY ARTIST YOU FOLLOW? I'd have to say that I am my biggest fan. So other than my brethren there isn't anyone that interests me. If I run across something or someone that is interesting then I'll respond accordingly. But in the end does the Cheetah follow
When asked to describe his style of art, the brilliantly simplistic 30-year-old Juan Doe more often then not will brandish a box-cutter, threaten to slash the asker's soul, then proceed to perform a backflip landing in a perfect split, telepathically screaming, "That's my style!" At age three, Juan Doe held his first showing at the Rizzoli Gallery, a series titled "Who are You to Accuse Me?" which consisted of brutally beaten and dismembered Sesame Street characters done on discarded high school diplomas using his own drool, burnt dollar bills, and black crayons. Keith Haring interpreted the prodigy's work as, "That feeling you get when you're sucker-punched then French-kissed by your great grandfather." Since then, the	CTS: WHEN DID YOU BEGIN YOUR CAREER IN THE ARTS Well, I'd have to say it started the day I tried to draw my way out of severe corporal punishment at the hands of my Moms. I had called my Mother a beyotch cuz' she didn't let me go out and play. I ran away from her and knew the fury was coming. To get myself out of it I drew a picture of myself crying and portrayed my parents as alien masochists punishing a little angel of a boy. My mom saw the drawing and began to weep. As I went to console her she grabbed my 3yr old fro' and yanked till my follicles commited suicide. She played me psychology. I figured that was the day my art career started, battling critics right off the bat.	CTS: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBNE YOUR STYLE I can't. My art is a self-evolving lexicon of meaningless enlightenment. Style has no application to the way the work comes out. Descriptions just dilute the visual impact of the pieces. How do you describe the syle of epiphanies? CTS: WHAT DO YOU WANT THE AUDIENCE TO LEAVE WITH AFTER SEEING YOUR WORK I really don't want anyone to feel anything imparticular. I just enjoy seeing the variety of interpretations that people seem to make of my work. In	many instances they see shit that I don't. Therefore evolving the meaning a little more. The best I can hope for is that people laugh a little more when they see my work. I'm a professional clown at heart. CTS: WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL JOB? OR PROFESSIONAL GOALS? There is no ideal job, just the ideal profession. Goals fluctuate depending on circumstances, in the end as a professional artist if that's what gets you tippy, I thrust upon myself the goals of humanity. To be a better person, to have good posture, to love my leaders, and to continue to keep my paint hand strong, these are things that I desire. Art is my muse-um.		the Lion to see how it hunts? I think like any other species in the Animal Kingdom I worry about myselfish. CTS: WHAT'S IN YOUR HEADPHONES? A caucophony of harmonious madness. Music from all centuries and cultures, even polka and Yodling. CTS: WHOE'S YOUR DREAM COLLECTOR? No lie, I'd say my dream client would be the man upstairs. It's been awhile since he commissioned a piece. Maybe me and him can talk about updating the sisteen chapel, I know Mikey did a great job and all but where I come from that's called graffiti and graf like any other artform can be buffed. But it's all good, I'd actually like to talk shop with the big man.	CTS: WHAT ARE U WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? Right now I'm working on my next three series of masterful bombs for the masses. The Politiks of Portraiture, Republikan Enemies#1 and Homeland Insecurities. Very top secret stuff. Classified even to me. CTS: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB OUT OF SCHOOL? I was actually sentenced to 11yrs in a maximum security corporation. It hasn't been easy since my release.

JUAN DOE TALKS... but will he ever stop
Q&A (August 2004) New York artist Juan Doe still a mystery
Interview by Lynn del Sol

EXHIBITION PROGRAM

ARTIST WAREHOUSE

ART SPEAK

MEDIA ROOM

ABOUT

CONTACT

SUBMISSIONS

LINKS

HOME

CTS
(917)826.5550

mailing address
635 Humboldt Street #3L
Brooklyn NY 11222
info@creativethriftshop.com

scientifically-tested superhuman painter/ordained minister has, as he puts it, "taken out" over 3,000 "whack artists" and counting, drank all the Krizzy, all the Brown, didn't recycle, and managed to win "Dance Fever" four times. Before his assassination, Gandhi foretold the coming of Juan Doe by declaring, "They will ignore Juan Doe, then they will laugh at Juan Doe, then they will fight Juan Doe, and then Juan Doe will win." With his first publication since his autobiography, "I Paint, So Therefore You're Not," Juan Doe intends to re-educate the hardcore and the gentle, the addicts and the naïve, the sinners and the saints, the blessed and the unfortunate, the beautiful and the grotesque, and especially ya moms. Holla. -Toostie Cornrolls

CTS: WHAT WAS THE BEST SHOW YOU'VE DONE AND WHY?

I'd say the "Back the Invasion" show in the lower east side, in early 2001. There was about 400 ugly people, 2 floors of backwash walls with the original paintings wondering where the hell we had all come from. I felt mad love and energy that day.

CTS: WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO RETIRE, DO YOU BELIEVE ARTIST EVER RETIRE?

I'd like to retire from popular culture and continue to make art, till the day you pry my paintbrush from my cold, dead hands.

CTS: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBNE YOUR STUDIO ATMOSHPERE?

When I had a studio, before the flood that erased a decade of work, it was like walking into a sanctuary of freedom and practicality. Where people were people and not forsaken androids with fascists smiles.

CTS: WHAT WAS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WERE EVER GIVEN AND BY WHOM?

A rabbi once told me, you can make potatoes out of dirt but you can't calculate the randomness of the weather. I never forgot that.

CTS: WHO DO YOU MAKE ART FOR?

For me, who else. "Every successful creative person creates with an audience of one in mind. That's the secret to artistic unity. Anybody can achieve it, if he or she will make something with only one person in mind."-Kurt Vonnegut

CTS: WHO IS A CONTEMPORARY ARTIST YOU FOLLOW?

I'd have to say that I am my biggest fan. So other than my brethren there isn't anyone that interests me. If I run across something or someone that is interesting then I'll respond accordingly.
But in the end does the Cheetah follow

When asked to describe his style of art, the brilliantly simplistic 30-year-old Juan Doe more often then not will brandish a box-cutter, threaten to slash the asker's soul, then proceed to perform a backflip landing in a perfect split, telepathically screaming, "That's my style!" At age three, Juan Doe held his first showing at the Rizzoli Gallery, a series titled "Who are You to Accuse Me?" which consisted of brutally beaten and dismembered Sesame Street characters done on discarded high school diplomas using his own drool, burnt dollar bills, and black crayons. Keith Haring interpreted the prodigy's work as, "That feeling you get when you're sucker-punched then French-kissed by your great grandfather." Since then, the

CTS: WHEN DID YOU BEGIN YOUR CAREER IN THE ARTS

Well, I'd have to say it started the day I tried to draw my way out of severe corporal punishment at the hands of my Moms. I had called my Mother a beyotch cuz' she didn't let me go out and play. I ran away from her and knew the fury was coming. To get myself out of it I drew a picture of myself crying and portrayed my parents as alien masochists punishing a little angel of a boy. My mom saw the drawing and began to weep. As I went to console her she grabbed my 3yr old fro' and yanked till my follicles commited suicide. She played me psychology. I figured that was the day my art career started, battling critics right off the bat.

CTS: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBNE YOUR STYLE

I can't. My art is a self-evolving lexicon of meaningless enlightenment. Style has no application to the way the work comes out. Descriptions just dilute the visual impact of the pieces. How do you describe the syle of epiphanies?

CTS: WHAT DO YOU WANT THE AUDIENCE TO LEAVE WITH AFTER SEEING YOUR WORK

I really don't want anyone to feel anything imparticular. I just enjoy seeing the variety of interpretations that people seem to make of my work. In

many instances they see shit that I don't. Therefore evolving the meaning a little more. The best I can hope for is that people laugh a little more when they see my work. I'm a professional clown at heart.

CTS: WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL JOB? OR PROFESSIONAL GOALS?

There is no ideal job, just the ideal profession. Goals fluctuate depending on circumstances, in the end as a professional artist if that's what gets you tippy, I thrust upon myself the goals of humanity. To be a better person, to have good posture, to love my leaders, and to continue to keep my paint hand strong, these are things that I desire. Art is my muse-um.

the Lion to see how it hunts? I think like any other species in the Animal Kingdom I worry about myselfish.

CTS: WHAT'S IN YOUR HEADPHONES?

A caucophony of harmonious madness. Music from all centuries and cultures, even polka and Yodling.

CTS: WHOE'S YOUR DREAM COLLECTOR?

No lie, I'd say my dream client would be the man upstairs. It's been awhile since he commissioned a piece. Maybe me and him can talk about updating the sisteen chapel, I know Mikey did a great job and all but where I come from that's called graffiti and graf like any other artform can be buffed. But it's all good, I'd actually like to talk shop with the big man.

CTS: WHAT ARE U WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?

Right now I'm working on my next three series of masterful bombs for the masses. The Politiks of Portraiture, Republikan Enemies#1 and Homeland Insecurities. Very top secret stuff. Classified even to me.

CTS: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB OUT OF SCHOOL?

I was actually sentenced to 11yrs in a maximum security corporation. It hasn't been easy since my release.