all rise.
patrick church now loves us all.
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If the hand of the artist extends out at you, toward your eyes, past your shoulder, behind your head, across your body, embracing you for what amounts to an exhilarating dose of attention
from someone you admire, it brings the art you've just seen to life like a puppet whose strings are tugged at from above
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or below. an angel. or demon.
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and if that artist uses his other hand to snap a selfie with you,
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well, that's clout, baby.
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The fabric @patrickchurchny is weaving on his own neon-versace loom isn't even his own SS2020, it's prêt-à-porter. Each lycra bike short set or granny nighty a tight thread count of gay people.
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at the opening event in early September, he used his 10-foot-long arms to wiggle like a jello jesus through adoring mass of qweirdos looking for ...
the real-life love taps they feel (albeit also in very physical ways) through their phone. And Church knew that and delivered something beyond the desired.
more healing, rather.
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What amounts to not-much-more than a wedding photo booth was set up in a back room of an area of downtown NYC near wall street
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Near the water. an area covered in fresh cobblestones, made to look like the old port areas of the city that fishermen and others would have probably spent time in, based on the "historic messaging" of the new additions. the South Street Seaport.
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An odd setting if you know how Brooklyn-focused the young qweirdo fashionista instagram types hang out in
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but that didn't stop the line from growing out the door of the SS2020CHURCH exhibition, down the outdoor smoking bench-type area and into the cobblestone street on night no. 1
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perraneu: do you consider the way you mingled at your opening, and again the second day, part of your art?
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church:
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p: the dripping paint, the wide-eyed and wide-mouthed faces, the neon yellow, baby pink, blood red and death black color scheme
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along with the words you've chosen to paint over these images
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evoke a tortured love in your paintings, which also appear on your clothing
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but your actual art practice appears to have dramatically shifted this season to focus on healing.
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can you speak to this change and your overall vision for your future trajectory as an artist?
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c:
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p: what about production, how do you even begin to work with producers in a world where every stitch is a question of
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how was this made, how was the worker paid
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what industry decisions have you prioritized?
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are there any that you wish you could tackle but it's just too hard - can you explain to people why there's such challenges?
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c:
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p: on the authentic-to-ironic spectrum, where do you see your use of religious iconography?
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the halo, the doves, the roses, the clouds, the angel/devil imagery.
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We obviously saw this trope's smash-hit moment at the 2017 met gala with "celestial bodies"
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but this isn't at all the same message. can you explain the moment you believe "our lady of guadalupe"/prayer candle imagery is having in our society and how you're tapping into that in your own way?
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c:
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p: ok, last question.
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what about the double-edged sword of instagram.
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c:
NEW EPISODE
PODCAST EXTRA WITH HARRY LOPEZ
