An interview with Esao Andrews

The new series of paintings comprising “Nowhere” continue Esao’s haunted and lonely landscapes, portraits and scenes that merge surrealism with real world emotion along with inanimate objects and anthropomorphized animals that constitute their own sense of will and purpose. Many of these paintings are meant to stand alone, but they all suggest a changing of seasons and the anticipation of new beginnings. “Nowhere” refers to a desolate place that stands as a seemingly bleak starting point where time has been passing by unnoticed. These images show signs of hope; that fleeting moment where the subjects have resolved their wait and emerge for their first steps towards a new life. A silent film also plays showcasing time-lapsed details of the work being created and strengthens how they relate to one another.

An interview with Esao Andrews

Can you share a lil’ bit about your new body of work for ‘Nowhere”?
In the past when I’ve built a body of work for a show, I’ve always treated each piece like its own contained story. Kinda like a song from an album, where a few songs may have a reprise, but each song in general stands alone. There are several that are in their own and some a continuation of anthropomorphizing inanimate objects, but most of the paintings in this show touch on fragile moments between lost hope and starting a new life.

What fuels you to keep creating?
I’m not sure. Everyone needs to be challenged in some form as a way to feel purpose and grow. Creating art is just a form of challenging yourself and as everyone you’ve admired gets older and better and new inspirations emerge, the personal challenge gets renewed. Like anybody, I feel satisfaction to successfully interest someone with an image, to get a message across. Creating more work is an attempt to keep their audience. I’ll create art in my sketchbook that I spend a lot of time on but necessarily don’t want people to see, so the reason I do it is not as clear. Maybe all of it is just practicing.

Please describe your dream project if time and money were not issues.
As long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to make a giant hedge or walled labyrinth park and would like to make giant stone fountains hidden throughout.

Favorite item in your studio?
Definitely it’s this dog named Soybean.

Is there anyone in particular, artist or otherwise, that you’d like to give a shout out to here?
As part of my New Years Resolution, I’m going to personally contact everyone I’ve been neglecting to give a shout out to.

Any shows or special projects coming up after your exhibit with us here at Thinkspace you would like to mention?
Aside from participating in a few group shows the next coming months I have some big thaumatrope like paintings on the drawing board. I really want to do more drawing, some screen printed pieces are in the works too.

Esao Andrews ’Nowhere’

Reception with the artist:
Sat, Jan. 7th 5-8PM

Check out the works in ‘Nowhere‘ here:
www.thinkspacegallery.com/2012/01/works-NoWh.php

Thinkspace / 6009 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA / www.thinkspacegallery.com