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Spraygraphic Interview with Artist Alex Clausen
By Spraygraphic | April 27, 2009
Desire to Fly from Alex Clausen & Susan O’Malley on Vimeo.
Spraygraphic Interview with Alex Clausen
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
AC: I was born in Martinez, California, a small town in the San Francisco bay area. My mom was a teacher and my dad was (still is) a private investigator. Both their takes on life
have really shaped how I see things.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
AC: Work and live in San Francisco, CA
SG: What mediums do you work with?
AC: Ideally I try work with what’s already there, whether it’s objects or people. A lot of my time is spend exploring people’s homes and making work from their possessions. The result is usually temporary sculptures or photographs. More recently, I’m using audio/video to work with people directly instead of through their objects.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
AC: I’m sure this is true of a lot of folk s, but making work usually begins with following a curiosity. Usually it’s things related to my everyday life, whether it’s from the office I work in or something from a social situation. I tend to think a lot about how people interact and connect – though the work seems to talk about it in an indirect way. Indirectness accounts for a lot of confusion and frustration in life, but can result in really beautiful and funny things.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
AC: I walk away and do something else. If it’s an idea worth making work about, I’ll come back to it. When I get mired in deep with an idea, sometimes the best thing is a little distance and perspective. A lot of times I just end up cleaning.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
AC: Lately it’s been drag queens. The really good ones have an incredible knack for transformation. They’re able to take on one of culture’s most entrenched divisions: woman and man. Using transformation and confusion are crucial to the work that I do, so I find the sincerity of their craft incredibly interesting.
SG: Can you please tell us a little about, Territories at Invisible Venue.
AC: Territories was an installation at Invisible Venue, an art space housed at an apartment in west Oakland. My interest was the things exerting pressure on that small space, such as: economic, social, and environmental forces. Working with one of the most basic forces (that is also recordable) I decided to track direct sunlight coming in the room for a period of time. I then constructed a solid between the window, floor and wall based on the recorded path. The structure dominated the space, making it difficult to navigate the room and see the entire piece.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
AC: My work has been shown at Rena Bransten gallery, along with other San Francisco bay area venues, such as the Kala Art Institute, the San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art and the Spare Room Project. Most recently, I was part of a group show in Dallas, Texas at the and/or gallery.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
AC: Houston, Texas @ Skydive in a show called Sisyphus Office, a show about the tragedy, humor and beauty of office life. It’s being put together by the super smart and talented Jonn Hershend.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
AC: I’ve always thought about making artwork as a vehicle to try things and go places I haven’t before. I think that working and seeing behind the scenes at San Francisco’s Academy of Sciences would be pretty amazing. Although I still love working in people’s homes and hope to continue doing that.
SG: What is your favorite color?
AC: Right now: the color of oiled redwood.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
AC: I’ve been looking a lot at the work of Gordon Matta-Clark. His work, most specifically Splitting, the cut building piece and the series of Odd Lot works, take transformation to an impressive level. He keeps me hopeful that individuals can affect their spaces even on grand scales. The longer I live in an urban environment, the more that seems to be important to me. In line with that, I also have a love affair with Felix Gonzales-Torres’ work. His work affects me much like Matta-Clark’s work, but using objects and ideas on a much closer personal scale.
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
AC: I just started reading The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil. He’s asserting that there will come a point soon when humans will transcend their biology through the exponential rise of technology. I’ve just started reading so I can’t tell you if I’m convinced or not — I’ll keep you posted on whether humans will ever live forever….
SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
AC: Where I’m sitting right now: the window in my apartment facing Ocean Beach in San Francisco. I never get tired of looking at the ocean, especially when big storms come in. I can also look down at the intersection below at what’s going on. That’s just me being nosy.
SG: Any final words of advice?
AC: Stay busy.
Topics: Artist Interviews |
