Bret Slater is taking the world in a whirlwind of international art shows with Otis Jones. Conquering Dallas, New York and then Zurich, OTIS JONES + BRET SLATER invited the viewer to see the transcendent soul in each piece. I was fortunate to catch up with him in Dallas about his world exhibitions, his work, and his future endeavors.
“Like us, each painting grows into its individuality. They exist in the world as inanimate beings with living souls.”
– Bret Slater
Q: What are your current inspirations?
A: The things that inspired me to become a painter are still the most inspirational things to me.
Q: Is there significance to the colours in your work? If so, what is it?
A: Yes, it’s a lot about the things that inspire me. Things like action figures, comic books, and cartoons. It’s not anything specific that I’m looking at currently, but more conjuring warm memories from my youth.
Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you do now?
A: Probably not having a very good time.
Q: What are your future projects?
A: A lot of group shows. A few on the west coast, San Francisco + LA, and one museum show in Germany; Weiß – Aspekte einer Farbe in Moderne und Gegenwart, at Museum im Kulturspeicher in Würzburg. Also a solo show in New York on the Lower East Side at Louis B. James, spring of 2015.
Q: How were your national and international exhibitions, and do you have any cities in mind you would like to show in, in the future?
A: Europeans are vastly more interested and understanding. New York is pretentious beyond anyone’s wildest imagination these days but its grittiness and filth persist. being born and raised in the Bronx and Westchester, I take a lot of pride in New York’s intrinsic realness and beauty. There are countless great artists in NY, and studio visit exchanges as well as some openings, and genuine communion in general is always the most rewarding part of living and showing there. however, I certainly hope for all of the bullshit and pretension to eventually clog the lungs and stomachs of the very bullshitters who’ve spewed this poison garbage out of their mouths, finally suffocating them. You fucking people make me sick with your name-games, fame-games, and auctions.
Chicago and Dallas have been kind. I am super excited to finally show in LA, in a group show at Mihai Nicodim early 2015. Lately people in LA have been showing interest in my work, and I’m very glad. I have been dying to show there, let alone visit, for quite some time. I look forward to that and hope I can continue to show in LA afterwards. I am also incredibly interested to show in London, Paris, and Tokyo. I have no idea if any of these places would be possible for me to show, but I would love this tremendously.
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