VIP Preview Reception: October 3, 2019

INTERVIEW WITH PETER WAYNE LEWIS AND KATHRINE PAGE, GRETCHEN HUPFEL CURATOR OF CONTEMPORARY ART

KP: Your formative years were spent in Jamaica. What memories of that country are most pronounced for you?

PWL: THE JOYFULNESS OF THE PEOPLE, THE AMAZING LIGHT AND COLOR, THE FOLIAGE AND FOOD ALONG WITH THE RHYTHM OF THE SPIRIT THAT PERMEATES THOSE LANDS. IN THE 1950s WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, MENTO/SCA, JAZZ AND ROCK AND ROLL WAS BLASTED ON STREET RADIOS, WITH DANCE PARTIES. I REMEMBER HEARING LITTLE RICHARD, SEEING MOVIES AT THE THEATER WHERE MY MOTHER WORKED; ROGERS & HAMMERSTEIN SOUTH PACIFIC MOVIE IS STILL IN MY HEAD; I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS WORLD THAT I WAS SEEING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.

KP: You moved from Jamaica, to Panama, California, New Jersey, Boston, you live in Beijing and you have at least three studios. What is it like splitting your practice between multiple spaces?

PWL: THIS IS NO PROBLEM; ALL IMMIGRANTS ARE KEENLY AWARE OF MIGRATION AND BEING OUT OF BALANCE; THIS FUELS THE CREATIVE SPIRIT WHICH IS NOT EASILY EXPLAINED. THE MIDDLE PASSAGE AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN THE CARIBBEAN IS A DEFINING ISSUE FOR THE PRIMARY TRIBAL PEOPLE THERE THAT WERE BROUGHT AS SLAVES FROM GHANA, NIGERIA AND OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA. THE MIGRATION OF THE SPANISH, THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN JAMAICA WITH ITS HISTORY AS BEING ONE OF THE MOST WICKEDEST PLACES IN THE WORLD, DUE TO ITS USE AS A PIRATE HAVEN; HENRY MORGAN ETC. THIS HISTORICAL SITUATION STILL PERMEATES THE CULTURE OF JAMAICA THROUGH ISSUES OF SURVIVAL UNDER DRASTIC CIRCUMSTANCES.

KP: What impact has this had on the way you approach your work?

PWL: ONE’S EXPERIENCES OF THE WORLD ALWAYS INFLUENCES HOW ONE SEES IT AND NAVIGATES THROUGH ITS VARIOUS GUISES. I DO NOT DELIBERATELY TRY TO CREATE PAINTINGS THAT TELL THIS NARRATIVE; THE WORK IN AND OF ITSELF, DOES REPRESENT WHO AND WHAT I AM. THIS  CREATES A SENSE OF DESPERATION, EDGINESS, TEMPORAL ISSUES ABOUND WITH MY WHOLE BEING AWARE OF THE LIMITS OF WHAT CAN BE DONE.

KP: What is the ideal studio?

PWL: ANY PLACE WHERE ONE CAN WORK WITH BIG SPACE AND WALLS ALONG WITH A MINIMUM OF HUMAN COMFORTS.

KP: It’s universally known that the life of a painter means many hours alone in the painting process.

PWL: I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT TO BE A TRUISM, MANY DIFFERING MODES OF CREATION EXIST; PUBLIC PERFORMANCES SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME AND PICTURE MAKING. MY THOUGHT ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF PAINTINGS REVOLVES AROUND ITS PERFORMATIVE, RITUAL NATURE. PERSONALLY, I DO WORK PRIMARILY ALONE WITH MUSIC, WHICH I BELIEVE TO BE A LIVING ENTITY ALSO INVENTED BY HUMAN BEING TO MAINTAIN THEIR SANITY.

KP: Do you recommend global peregrination for all artists?

PWL: WE ARE ALL ON A JOURNEY OF LIFE AND WHETHER ITS AROUND THE BLOCK OR AROUND THE WORLD, THERE IS ALWAYS A RISK. THE HUMAN IMAGINATION IS FILLED WITH SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS NOT NECESSARILY ALWAYS MOVING ONES PHYSICAL BODIES, WHICH IMPACT US NONE-THE-LESS. ARTISTS HISTORICALLY SEEMS TO BE QUITE NOMADIC ALWAYS SEEKING OTHER LANDS FOR INSPIRATION.

KP: Talk about how it relates to String Theory?

PWL: STRING THEORY IS A JOURNEY OF THE HUMAN IMAGINATION CREATING A METAPHOR FOR WHAT LIFE IS AND HOW IT WAS CREATED. BUT, IT IS IN FACT A FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO TRY TO EXPLAIN THE MAJESTY OF CREATION OF THIS COSMIC WORLD. I JUST READ THAT VOYAGER 2 HAS JUST REACHED INTERSTELLAR SPACE AFTER TRAVELING 47 YEARS  AND NOW BILLIONS OF MILES FROM EARTH. 

KP: This series was produced wholly in China. How does living in China inform your work?

PWL: ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE AFFECTED BY WHERE THEY LOCATE THEIR BODIES; THE THINGS THAT WE EAT, THE PEOPLE THAT WE MEET, THE EXPERIENCES UNIMAGINED. I AM INVOLVED IN CULTURAL PRODUCTION FROM MY PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW NO DOUBT, BUT MY TIMES IN BEIJING IS JUST A BACKDROP FOR MY AESTHETIC EXPLORATIONS. I AM NOT SEEKING DIRECT INFLUENCES OF AN ASIAN POINT OF VIEW; BUT RATHER INSTILLING MY SENSIBILITIES THROUGH OUT MY INTERACTIONS WITH DIFFERING COMMUNITIES THAT I ENCOUNTER IN A HUMBLE WAY. ITS MY MODUS OPERANDI WHICH I HAVE FOLLOWED THROUGH DIFFERENT ARTISTIC EXPERIENCES IN, GERMANY, ITALY, FRANCE, AFRICA, THE CARIBBEAN ETC. WHEN I DID A RESIDENCY IN ESCHLKAM, GERMANY I WAS ASKED A SIMILAR QUESTION AND BASICALLY THESE SORT OF EXPERIENCES MANIFESTS ITSELF AS TIME GOES BY. IN A FUNNY WAY, THE BLUE THAT IS GENERALLY USED ON WALLS FOR MY EXHIBITIONS PERHAPS EXTENDS FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN BAVARIA, GERMANY AND THEIR FLAG.

KP: Does the meaning of your art change when it’s shown in a different culture?

PWL: THE MEANINGS DO NOT CHANGE FOR ME, BUT THE AUDIENCE RESPONSE IS ALWAYS COLORED BY THEIR CULTURAL EXPERIENCES AND VISION WHICH IS USED TO MEDIATE THE WORLD OF APPEARANCES.

KP: Are there political or spiritual underpinnings?

PWL: ALL ART IS POLITICAL IN ITS NATURE BUT NOT NECESSARILY IN AN INSTRUMENTAL WAY; SAY WORKING AS AN ORGAN OF A STATE FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES. WITH REGARD TO SPIRITUAL UNDERPINNINGS; SPIRITUALITY CONNOTES A COVENANT WITH HIGHER FORCES THAT FALL OUTSIDE OF NORMAL HUMAN VISION AND EXPERIENCES; I DO BELIEVE THAT ARTISTS ARE TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING GREATER THAN THEMSELVES SO PERHAPS THAT’S A QUEST FOR THE SPIRITUAL.

KP: Many of your artistic antecedents’ work is fundamentally rooted in music to visualize what music does sonically. I think of artists like Stuart Davis, Paul Klee, and Kandinsky who once said --”art should foster an overwhelming, multi-sensory experience in the viewer.” Is there a relationship between color and music or symbolism that could be readily apparent to the audience?

PWL: IN A CURSORY FASHION YES. THE LITERATURE OF A PAINTING CAN DELIBERATELY TRY AND EQUATE COLOR TO SOUND BUT IN REALITY THEY ARE SEPARATE BODILY EXPERIENCES. WE HEAR SOUND THROUGH OUR EARS AS WELL AS OUR ENTIRE BODIES INCLUDING OUR SKIN THAT WRAPS OUR ORGANS.

WITH REGARD TO THE AUDIENCE; I AM NOT AN ILLUSTRATOR PROFESSING A SINGULAR WAY TO ASSIGN MEANING THROUGH WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY AN OCULAR EXPERIENCE.

KP: In his, “For the Love of Music,” John Mauceri writes, “Music is [always] there.. it waits for you. You can come to it any point in your life….[it’s] always illuminating who you are..It has an unpredictable way of entering your brain.” What draws you to jazz?

PWL: I AGREE WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT AND HOW MUSIC AFFECTS US. JAZZ -- AMERICAS CLASSICAL MUSIC -- WAS INTRODUCED TO ME BY MY FATHER HERMAN B LEWIS A CLASSICALLY TRAINED PIANIST WHO GRADUATED FROM THE CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC IN PANAMA. 

KP: When did it enter your brain, and how has it illuminated who you are?

PWL: MUSIC IS ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS THE GODS GAVE US. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUND IS THE RHYTHM OF THE COSMOS AND MOVEMENT OF THE HEAVENS.

KP: Talk about the dynamics of space in this gallery.

PWL: THE SPACE IN THE GALLERY AFFECTS OUR EXPERIENCES HENCE MY REQUEST TO PAINT A WALL BLUE; IT ACTIVATES THE SPACE AND SETS A MOOD. THE SINGULARITY OF A PAINTING IS ONLY A PART OF THE EXPERIENCE, IT IS A WHOLE-BODY EXPERIENCE WHEN ONE IS CONFRONTED BY ANOTHER HUMAN BEINGS CREATIVE PROCESS. PAINTINGS ARE EVIDENCE OF A THOUGHT PROCESS MANIFESTING ITS FORM PICTORIALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY. 

KP: What excites you?

PWL: LIFE EXCITES ME.

KP: What do you hope the relationship will be between the artwork and the viewer?

PWL: HOPEFULLY AFFECTING THE SPECTATOR IN SOME SORT OF A FASHION; BUT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT A SPECTATOR CAN DEVOTE REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE. RAPHAEL PAINTING AT THE KUNST HISTORIA MUSEUM IN VIENNA; MADONNA IN THE MEADOW 1506 STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS AND I SPEND THE AFTERNOON CONTEMPLATING THIS WORK FOR MANY HOURS. IM SURE THE SECURITY GUARDS THOUGHT I WAS TRYING TO STEAL THE PAINTING BECAUSE I STAYED IN THE ROOM SO LONG!  LOL.

KP: Comment on the grid of 15. How does the grid accentuate the individual vs. the whole?

PWL: THE GRID IS A PRIMARY STRUCTURE THAT TRIES TO CREATE ORDER IN ONES LIFE , COMMUNITY, CULTURE , CIVILIZATIONS. MY USE OF THE GRID IS NOT ABOUT THE BAUHAUS BUT RATHER IN REFERENCE TO THE FORM APPEARING IN ANCIENT CAVE DWELLINGS AROUND THE WORLD. IT INDICATES CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH OUT DELIBERATE MEANS OF SOMETHING THAT IS NOT NATURALLY OCCURRING IN NATURE; PERHAPS A BIT ARROGANT TRYING TO REORDER NATURE WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE.

KP: Talk about the scale of your paintings. How does scale affect the viewers’ experience?

PWL: THE SCALE IS ABOUT DWARFING THE VIEWER BY COMPRESSING THE SPACE WHERE ONE HAS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH TO SEE THE WHOLE; A BIT LIKE BREATHING. MARK ROTHKO USED A SIMILAR STRATEGY BUT DELIBERATELY WANTED THE VIEWER TO BE ABOUT 16 INCHES FROM THE PAINTING WHERE ONES PERIPHERAL VISON IS LOST AND PHYSICAL BALANCE IS LOST; THAT WAS HIS IDEA.

KP: How does it impact the mobility of the work?

PWL: MY JOB IS TO MAKE THE WORK AND IT’S THE GALLERY OR MUSEUM DUTY TO DEAL WITH THE LOGISTICS. I’M JUST MAKING THE THINGS HOWEVER WORKING IN CHINA WAS DELIBERATELY DUE TO WANTING TO SCALE UP AND IT WAS COST EFFECTIVE TO DO THAT.

KP: Do you think your paintings exist outside the confines of the canvas? Is there a meta-visualization? Are your works intended as places of contemplation? Is there room in the 21st century for contemplation? What emotions drive the composition?

PWL: THE ANSWER IS YES TO ALL THE QUESTIONS. EMOTIONS DRIVE THE MAKING OF ART. IT EXTENDS FROM THE PERSON NATURALLY. A NON-SENTIENT MACHINE DEVOID OF SPIRIT AND BEING THUS FAR CAN CREATE PICTURE BUT ART COMES FROM THE DEEPEST RECESSES OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS.

KP: What are some ways you introduce the idea of abstraction and improvisation to the students still in the nacency of discovering their vision?

PWL: ALL PICTORIAL  IMAGES CREATED BY MAN/WOMAN  ARE AN ABSTRACTION OF LIFE WHICH IS THE ONLY REAL THING THAT WE KNOW. DESCARTES: “I THINK THEREFORE I AM” AS A METAPHOR.

KP: How has technology impacted your curriculum, especially in relation to teaching painting? 

PWL: TECHNOLOGY IS THE SINGLE FORCE THAT HAS ALWAYS PROPELLED THE ARTS FORWARD FOR GOOD OR BAD. PAINTING IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS INVENTED BY OUR EARLY ANCESTORS TO ASSIGN MEANING TO WHAT WE WERE SEEING AND EXPERIENCING, IT MADE US MORE  CONSCIOUS IN OUR JOURNEY OF BECOMING A HUMAN BEING. CRITICALLY ITS MAIN FUNCTION WAS TO KEEP THE HUMAN SPECIES FROM GOING EXTINCT.

PETER WAYNE LEWIS © 11/17/2019