EMPTY POOLS
Meet the LA creator breaching all conventions with his art.
Meet the LA creator breaching all conventions with his art.
Boasting over 100,000 followers on Instagram, and having a jewellery and clothing line which has had the likes of Lady Gaga and Halsey as clients, things are certainly going well for the artist known as Empty Pools. The artist thrills in creating pieces that cause discomfort, with recent posts on his profile showing his body covered in temporary tattoos and one showing glass appearing to be embedded in his face. He tells us he relates to wanting to create this level of discomfort due to his inability to feel comfortable in himself when he was younger.
“Creativity has always been a sort of escape for me, putting the work directly on my body and sharing it really makes me feel as though I’m exposing a part of myself to the public,” he explains.
Although his art goes past the norm, the general reaction to his work is positive. “I feel very lucky to be able to express myself creatively and have so many people react positively to what I do, especially when it’s something that’s so unconventional,” he tells us. However, when there is negativity, he says this is from people who don’t “understand, or consider what I do as art.”
We spoke to the LA-based artist about his work, his dream collaborations and how people generally react to his creations that breach all conventions.
How have fashion and makeup helped define you in your queer identities?
The inspiration for the shoot was to do something wacky in public that was contradictory to itself. The photographer and I found the idea to style a look that was more on the dark and goth side on a beautiful summer day at the beach to be a fun concept to work with. I find myself a very serious person when it comes to being creative, but I do like to involve elements of humour and campiness in what I do.
Can you talk to us about the artwork on your body?
I began doing looks on myself for nightlife events I was hosting in the city, after photographing them I realised that it could become an art in itself. I never have liked just to do one single thing. This type of work really resonates with me because of all the different aspects that go into it. I build the face pieces, come up with the concepts, shoot them, edit the photos; I’m utilising all my different skill sets in creating a piece. Comparatively, an art practice such as painting only involves that single process. I’ve also enjoyed actually being part of my work through portraiture, I feel like I’m expressing a raw part of myself through imagery that I get to share with people.
What do you aim to do with your art?
I really enjoy where I am right now creatively, I have my own jewellery line and just released clothing as well, and it’s nice that I can focus on that for my business side of things. My fine art side of things with portraiture has always been hard to define where exactly it fits into things, I don’t consider myself a makeup artist, nor do I consider myself a costume designer, and I’ve actually enjoyed being in that grey area. Having my other business gives me the freedom to keep experimenting with my facial work without it needed to be so defined. I would like to continue to make compelling work from a raw part of myself and sharing that with people. I’ve always considered this work to be fine art and breaking more into that world here in NYC I do have an interest in being more a part of, as well as continue to be an example for people that fine art doesn’t have to be painting, drawing or sculpture.
How much time goes into each of your pieces?
This depends greatly per piece that I create. A lot of the time goes into the planning of it, usually sourcing the materials that I want to use for an image, and also figuring out if my idea is even possible to execute. Every time I have an idea I’m usually working with some kind of material or item that I’ve never used before, so I have to test and see if my idea is even possible. I really enjoy using different types of materials in everything I do, it keeps the whole process challenging and fresh. This is why I consider myself a creative jack of all trades, because one day I may be figuring out how to use plaster, the next day I’m back to working with metal. The most constant material I probably use is the temporary tattoos. Once I have everything I need though, the process happens within one day. I have to get in the full look and shoot it, which means it really all has to get done at once, because I can’t pause