Unparalleled Artist
All images courtesy of Joe Sangre
JOE - LONDON - JULY 2020
Give us a little bit of background, where do you live, what's your profession, why did you choose it, and how long have you been in it?
My name is Joe Sangre, I live in West London. I'm an artist and a filmmaker. I've been doing it for about 17 years but with side jobs and wee hustles along the way. But I’ve been a full-time artist for about 5 years now since my first show.
Where were you and what were your first thoughts as the pandemic began to take hold and eventually disrupt life as we know it?
When the pandemic really started to take hold, I was in West London where I live. My thoughts would flip-flop between concern from the immediate situation of a viral outbreak and suspicion towards an insidious global conspiracy. This can ONLY result in a mandatory probing for all citizens. Well certainly a general distrust towards the situation anyway, but at the same time, people I know have died from the virus.
I remember the first thing I said jokingly was 'What the Hell are they building out there? While we're in here too sick to care' (in a growly voice as it was intended as a subversion of a Tom Waits spoken-word piece 'What's he building in there'). There are so many thoughts and feelings flying about. That's why when approaching this article, (which is the only piece I've done in regards to it al)l, I wanted to capture that ambiguity. It's certainly not a protest piece or even satire towards the lockdown.
“And if we all become motorcycle road cannibals with mohawks, you wanna make damn sure you got a few quid in the bank for gas.”
Savage Badlands
How has the virus affected you and your industry in general?
I certainly don't want to whine about my work situation as others have it worse in many ways, but just to document how it's affected my field: The virus has affected me and my industry by way of making almost non-operational from a sales point. There are points in which you can produce work, sure, which is great to have that time to dedicate to that. Still, galleries and events are closed, which are obviously a significant part of both direct and indirect sales via exposure. Of course, there are online sales, but people also need to watch the old pennies as the future is so uncertain. And if we all become motorcycle road cannibals with mohawks, you wanna make damn sure you’ve got a few quid in the bank for gas. A gibbering Tory on the TV talking purely in convoluted bullshit, bringing less clarity each week, doesn't dampen people's concerns either.
What have been the most difficult challenges for your business / your working life, and how did you approach them?
The challenges of not having a commercial space to sell in is the main issue, but churning out more work and put special edition one-offs online here and there has been a good way to keep business going, but more importantly, stay motivated and productive. It's easy to fall into an all-out reclusive state at this time.
Have you adopted different working practices that have changed your perspective on how things can be achieved, has technology played a part in this, how?
The new working practices for me have really just been more online promotions.
A brief promo for Joe Sangre's 2017/18 'ALL COMING DOWN' Exhibition
What are your top 3 tips or suggestions for your fellow professionals when it comes to maintaining motivation?
Don't fall into the trap of overindulgence in comforts. Have a healthy balance of films, music art which are comforts perhaps, but don't just become a pac man potato of bad food and shit TV. By all means, don't overindulge in the intensity of the situation either. And stay healthy, positive and productive.
Look for new ways to be productive and keep things shuffling along.
Don't beat yourself up if you're doing none of the above. Fuck it, we're in a global pandemic gaddamit go watch Mandalorian! ... again!.
Merry Go Bye Bye - by Joe Sangre
‘The merry go round sat like a circular pageant of shackled slaves, abducted and sold into a life of perpetual rotating ‘merriment’.
Once great stallions, mighty and proud. Now reduced to Flamboyant, lacquered, prostitute nags. They bobbed up and down on this small miserable axis, as they were forced to 'enjoy' the same damn melody over and over again.
A smile was carved onto each of their faces to disguise the futile dreams of emancipation.
One day, one glorious day the cogs will rust, the bolts will snap and this whole dizzying nightmare will come grinding to an ultimate groaning halt.
One Glorious day!’
How has your perspective changed on life since the pandemic began?
My perspective has changed in that it feels the wheel has stopped spinning so fast. I have an older art piece titled 'Merry Go Bye Bye' which depicts a carousel bobbing up and down in a repetitive motion. I painted the words 'as the globe rotates the solar system I'm throwing up from motion sickness' around the piece. This was taken from an old hip hop tune I made with Kashmere the Iguana man, way back in the day. The line is really just about society and culture moving so fast, as we're all burning the candle in an attempt to keep up with consumerism, work, trends etc., that it's nauseating after a while. The throwing up part represents the rejection of the material, Perhaps to indulge more in nature, spiritualism or more abstract ideas. Since the lockdown, it feels like the breaks have been hit. And the merry go round has come grinding to a halt. It's a nice feeling that everyone is kind of in the same place in terms of the rat race. The weather has been decent, so everyone is spending more time in green areas and less time in shopping centres.
What have you missed during the lockdown and what's the one thing you can't live without?
The thing I've missed most is the cinema and galleries. I really hope these places (especially the smaller independents) survive in the long run.
What are your hopes for the future professionally and personally?
My hope for the future is that people realise how much they don't need to buy into the melee of consumer culture for a quick dopamine hit. Stop to observe the gaddamn beauty of it all!
Check out more of Joe’s artwork here.
