Close Your Eyes and Dive in
PEOPLE WHO MISPRONOUNCE HIS LAST NAME SAY
Mezzy, his father-in-law nicknamed him Ponyboy, and we call him Sweet Jimmy because he keeps everything fresh and light, never salty or bitter. I recently spent time with Brooklyn artist Jimmy Mezei as he installed a new two-story mural of gestural lines and wooden shapes inspired by nature’s lines, a metaphor for new opportunity, which also fits his growing foray into large-scale work. On breaks from this installation at Facebook, he was off to every local museum in San Francisco, studying up on the masters. After a treacherous day on a scissor lift, drilling art shapes into concrete, and somehow making these heavy planks look delicate on the wall, he sent me a very succinct message: “It’s mainly about process and how you can use it as a tool for discovery.” Ponyboy is on point, and he’s about to live larger than ever.
Kristin Farr: You seem very inspired by plants and nature.
Jimmy Mezei: I always come back to it in most of my work, and if I'm ever struggling with a project, spending time outside always helps. Lately, I've used studies of plants as either a contour line drawing, or as a papercut to be the foundation for some new work. The strength in the shapes and forms I keep finding in making these studies are certainly holding my interest for now.
You’re a designer, illustrator and sign painter, but the murals are something new, right? Which elements of your design background are useful with the big installations?
This story is from the August 2017, n199 edition of JUXTAPOZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2017, n199 edition of JUXTAPOZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
George Condo - The Artificial Realist
In the comfort of his bedroom, New Hampshire-born artist George Condo contemplated his place and personal perspective on art criticism and history.
Ever Velasquez – The Chingona of Chinatown
Today, Velasquez manages the gallery that’s become ground zero for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ exhibitions and artist representation in Los Angeles. We sat down for a punk rock lunch at Toi in West Hollywood and chatted about her strong influence in the Los Angeles art scene.
Mike Lee - The Privilege of Innocence
“Go west, young man!” An iconic phrase that drove America’s westward expansion—a call to citizens and immigrants alike, to embrace Manifest Destiny and seek new lands, prosperity, and freedom.
Art and Science in Bloom
Laguna College of Art + Design Teams with UCI School of Medicine
Women Dressing Women
The Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute celebrates women designers
Shepard Fairey - The Iconic Icon
As I enter Shepard Fairey’s Los Angeles studio on a sunny October afternoon, a considerably large painting of Andy Warhol sits on an easel, eyes focused and looming directly over the shoulder of Fairey as he adds watercolor touches to a series of works on paper.
April Bey - A Trip To Atlantica
Drawing from her own experiences in Bahamian and American cultures, April Bey’s work as both an artist and educator critically explores themes of race, identity, supremacy, and colonialism.
A Guide for Quitting Your Job and Crossing Europe
Copenhagen, Paris, and Sweet Sweet Sarajevo
Sarah Lee - At Moonlight
When was the last time you sat in stillness? Turned off your phone? Closed your eyes and allowed your brain to neutralize and excavate an instinct deep inside, opening the senses to risk and exposure? Likely not recently.
Lola Gil - Through Her Looking Glass
It's not surprising that a very young Lola Gil spent unhurried hours among her grandmother's collection of small, humble figures and objects.
