Interview

Noah Simblist in conversation with Jeff Williams, Kysa Johnson, Cruz Ortiz, Ry Rocklen, Giovanni Valderas, Anoka Faruqee, Angela Dufresne, Lauren Cross, and Keliy Anderson-Staley.

"I think deep down, I understood that this subject deserved a big shift from me."

"The challenge and content that is built into an alternative space allows my work to respond and accentuate nuances of a history."

"When talking about the hero’s journey, someone might think in epic proportions, but the truth is we have seen things in everyday life that are hidden from our consciousness that are heroic."

"There is not one singular narrative for any place or 'community' — each person carries a perspective that can be honored if met with humility."

“I became this artist who fell in love with being patient, taking little steps — little steps — towards the big goal at the end.” 

"You often show up to hang an art work on a blank wall, only to find a defibrillator or fire extinguisher has been installed there."

"By creating work about being a father, I think I’ve only given myself more confidence as a parent."

“All roads lead to Houston! All roads lead to Houston in Black art.”

"These pieces have choices to them. Once they’re out of my control, they fall into the control of the viewer. They have a life beyond me."

“I don’t know if it’s some kind of weird time warp or something, but I feel like I run into different versions of myself at different stages.” 

"This idea of self-sabotage, lust, and immortality are running themes in my work, and I always have those three shadows behind me in the studio, so that’s probably where I’m headed."

"The objects have also become significant as symbols for #BLM. It’s interesting how both sides appropriate the objects for their own use."

"I’m not interested in a straightforward depiction, or a direct transfer from my brain onto a surface. I distrust the image and I distrust myself." 

“I moved to Seattle! And the thing about Seattle is that it is the emerald city, in an evergreen state. And so you can't be there and not focus on plant life.”

"I’m out here making really brave art, taking risks. It’d be nice if I had a little help locally."

“We see this monolithic idea of what the world thinks is Blackness, but we know that the Black experience is whatever the Black person has. That’s the Black experience. And that’s the individual experience.”

"I was more interested in the high drama of the opera, combined with the irrationality of Dada’s legacy in response to the savagery in the world."

“There can’t be that divide, because ultimately I’m going to be the one getting the scrutiny; I’m going to be the one that has to answer for [the art], so my life has to reflect that, you know — walking it like you talk it.”

"I heard someone actually scream out [during a performance] 'When is she going to do a magic act?' I was trying not crack up and I thought: this is just perfect.”