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Spraygraphic Interview with David Casimir
By Spraygraphic | November 23, 2007
Spraygraphic Interview with David Casimir
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
DC: Man… that’s one hell of a lead-off question. I’m 35 but perpetually sophomoric. Have a horrible diet but due to good genetics remain lean and fit. Been accused of having an addictive personality but only by people who can’t handle their meds or coke habits. Love dogs. Love to shoot pool. Grew-up north of Pittsburgh, PA. I Am an Atheist. Once broke into Salvador Dali’s house in Cadaques, Spain, I didn’t steal anything, but should have. Spent time in the New York County jail for pro-evolution anti-Bush tags. Am 4 months from acquiring a Ph.D. in molecular genetics. I am the only New Yorker without an iPod. I am the only New Yorker who gets annoyed by religious freaks preaching the gospel on the L train – probably cause I don’t have an iPod. I like red wine, dark beer, and single malt scotch. Paris is amazing, Rome is better than Paris, London better than Rome, New York tops them all. I love the French cause they’re always pissed-off. I’m big on architecture and interior design but live in an eyesore.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
DC: Brooklyn (Williamsburg/Greenpoint), NY
SG: What mediums do you work with?
DC: Oil on canvas/linen
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
DC: It’s rather organic – cliché, I know. Simply, I begin with a loose concept (eg censorship, religion, etc)… next I select a image of a nude which represents the loose concept (the image is either one that I’ve shot myself or pulled from Google images) … I then build around the image with what I feel works best – conceptually, aesthetically, and compositionally. Sometimes the end product is a disaster.. I finish maybe only 1 in 4 paintings. While this may be a very inefficient process it keeps me from being too anal or contrived. The key to successful art, I believe, is to have the lines far enough apart so people have an opportunity to read between them (as ‘art is in the eye (or mind) of the beholder’) but not so far as to lose the point.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
DC: I take a walk. New York is an amazing place.
SG: Why do you choose to have most of your subjects in your paintings topless?
DC: Why do most people choose subjects with clothes? The Discovery channel had a show on the ‘stud life’ of retired Kentucky Derby winners (the horses, not the jockeys). One particular shot had the reporter/host wrapping up a segment with a horse which had recently been manually masturbated in the background. The horse’s penis had been mosaic-ed/blurred out. What in the hell were the censors worried about?! So, I started painting nudes. America is way too wound-up. From there the nude, for me, became a general symbol of censorship/suppression.
SG: Your work satires a lot of different subjects? Is there one issue you really want people to think about and get behind?
DC: Not a specific topic in particular. Though generally, I would like be people to get behind artists that truly represent our culture – rather than artists that represent what big corporations want to install in their entry levels or investment bankers want to hang in their foyers. In 1000 years archeologists will look back on the ruins of our time (2000-2010+) and conclude that we were nothing but a bunch of content conservative ‘yes’ people with no ideas, woes or concerns.
SG: Would you consider your work political? Why or why not?
DC: Some of my work, certainly. ‘Great American Titty-Fuck No.2’ is political. A Titty-fuck looks great but isn’t mutually beneficial. Kinda like going into Iraq. Seemed to be the right thing to do for everyone (both American and Iraqi civilians) but so far the only ones to really prosper and profit are the American corporations intimately tied to Bush and the war machine. So, the title alone hints at the notion that America is fucking you over. I suppose I could’ve named the painting/series “That’s not RAIN, it’s PISS!”.. but I would prefer to paint tits to dicks.
SG: What’s your studio like?
DC: Small (80 sq feet). Poor lighting. Stacks of paintings – both complete and incomplete. Wine bottles like cordwood. Ashtray like Vesuvius.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
DC: Only in New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn). No big one man gallery shows yet. Most of my audience comes from small gallery shows in Chelsea, lounges, etc. Things are slowly looking up.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
DC: Galapagos Art Space – Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Will be exhibiting 4 new paintings. I’m pretty excited. I’ve always wanted to exhibit at Galapagos.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
DC: Mary Boone or Jeffrey Deitch fronting me $70k and giving me a year to fill their walls for my first solo show.
SG: What is your favorite color?
DC: I’ve been using a lot of black these days.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
DC: Right now.. I’d have to say Banksy. Art should be rebellious and smart. There’s no time for the refrigerator art.
SG: What book/magazine are reading this week?
DC: This week’s Economist. Between the day job, painting, and girlfriend I have so little time to populate my mind with deep literature. If it weren’t for long subway commutes, I would probably read even less.
SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?
DC: I have… quite a few. Mom has one. The others are with me. I don’t consider my face to be a worthy topic for public consumption… not yet at least. Maybe when I’m famous and want young horny art school groupies to recognize me.
SG: So let’s end with your favorite place to hang out?
DC: When by myself – Central Park. When with Friends - Whiskey Ward (Lower East Side) or 33 Crosby Street (Soho).
Art: 1) Great American Titty-Fuck No. 2, 2) Venus of Van Nuys, 3) Candy, 4) The Special Ingredient.
Topics: Artist Interviews, New York Art Scene, Paintings |
November 24th, 2007 at 2:34 am
I’ve seen a couple of Casimir’s paintings. They’re HUGE. The little images on your screen can’t possibly do them justice.
November 24th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
i couldn’t agree with you more…
January 15th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Like many artists before him, Casimir is fantastically misunderstood. His work is brilliant and he has more fans than he knows… Love you Casimir
March 27th, 2008 at 5:01 am
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