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Spraygraphic Interview with Rahul Alexander
By Spraygraphic | September 24, 2007
Spraygraphic Interview with Rahul Alexander
SG: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
RA: I was born in India, spent some time abroad, and eventually settled in the states. I like cats, politics, and shopping.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
RA: I live and work in Bushwick. I think it means “little town in the woods”. Bushwick is part of Brooklyn, New York.
SG: What mediums do you work with?
RA: Oil paints, Wax, Lithography and Paper for the most part.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work?
RA: I take photos, seek out old magazines, make patterns, sketch, and browse the internet for source material. I reduce these images and apply them onto paper using various lithography printmaking techniques. I begin to pour over wax and edit down the surface using oil paints. Narrative instances are intuitively added as the painting develops.
SG: How has your work changed for you since your painting Xtra?
RA: This piece was done when I first started working with wax, paper, and lithography inks. I’d say I was working a bit more with prints rather than with a brush. My recent work tends to be a bit more balanced. I use prints to build up material and place together little narrative structures by hand.
SG: What’s your Studio like?
RA: Wood floors, unremarkable molding, an nonfunctional fireplace, a couple of fans, three tables, old magazines, two light stands, and a push cart. I suppose it’s divided into three parts, printing, painting, and overscale. I tend to work on a few paintings at the same time so there’s always something that’s set up to be worked on.
SG: What are some of your inspirations influencing your work?
RA: Old magazines, New York City, myths, popular culture, strange vacations, and other artists like Ansel Kiefer, Jim Houser, Robert Rauchenberg, Donald Baechler, and Henry Darger to name a few.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
RA: A few galleries, more than a few “alternative” venues, Richmond, Boston, New York
SG: Where will it be seen next?
RA: I’m working on a number of new paintings and a few limited edition prints for a show at Ad-Hoc Art Gallery in Brooklyn. The show opens Friday September 21st and runs till October 1st.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
RA: I’m not sure I have one.
SG: What’s your favorite color?
RA: Maybe black.
SG: What book/magazines are you reading this week?
RA: When I’m not sorting though old copies of Life and American Girl I flip through copies of ID, giant robot, or the New Yorker to name a few.
SG: Ever do self portrait? Where is it now?
RA: Yes, in high school. I’m sure it’s gathering dust in an attic somewhere.
SG: So let’s end with your favorite place to hang. On a nice day it would have to be Central Park, right by Bethesda Fountain. At night I like the music at Moto or Kings County in Brooklyn, Heathers or the Boxcar Lounge in the Lower East Side.
Topics: Artist Interviews, New York Art Scene, Paintings |
