 We interview up this Fecal favorite as she prepares for a group show with Kyle Ranson, Chris Duncan, and others that she curated in Brussels @Alice Gallery.
Maya in her studio |
There are artists whom we've loved for so long and yet aren't really up on the site that much. For some reason Maya is one of those artists... It's with great joy that we bring this NYC based artist to the Fecal. She's recently wrapped up a solo show at Fifty24SF here in San Francisco to coincide with a book she just released through Upper Playground and is preparing a show with Chris Duncan and Kyle Ranson that's opening up in Brussels in March... Maya does walls, canvas, and video. Her work's been featured in vodka commericals for Absolute and adjoined computer laptops for Sony. She travels the world showing her colorful works on walls and canvases when she's not laying low in NYC. Below is just a small sample of the talent Maya holds and what she's creating today.
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Age? Location? Artistic education?
38. Colonial Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The most important part of my education hasn't come
from school - the travels I did with my parents
(geography and psychology professors), who took their
students to Europe, Africa and the Soviet Union,
growing up in Baltimore, living in Richmond, Boston
and Toronto, then San Francisco for 10 years, being in
and out of love. When I was in college I tried to get
my hands into everything I could (performance, sound
sculpture, film, ceramics, religion, theory), but
never really studied painting or photography formally,
because I was already painting and making photos.
How long have you lived where you live and what
brought you there?
I've been here for 6 years almost. Six Years. holy
shit. I had no plans of moving here, because I was so
happy in San Francisco with an amazing boyfriend and
family, cheap as hell rent and no job except for art
making projects. I was offered a job in NY, which I
planned to take temporarily (and I did), but have been
here since. I subsidized my art initially with
bartending and scenic painting on music videos, and
now have had a full-time painting and photo studio
practice for a few years, which kind of blows my mind.
What do love most about living in NYC?
When I'm here, I rarely leave my very cozy house and
the studio. I like the feeling of family with my
friends and community at large. I'm also a big fan of
the seasons and the cycles they create for you. like,
I'm working on smaller drawings and video/ music
projects more in the winter and painting huge murals
in the summer.
Describe your process of creating a new piece.
When I start a wall, I look at everything around it
first. What else is visible in the space and what are
the different vantage point like? How does the light
change? How high up can I get and where will my
painting end? In other words, how can I make the piece
part of the wall rather than something stuck on the
wall. Then I take into consideration how much time
there is to finish and what kind of supplies I have.
If the ladder's shoddy, I'm not going to try and do
something that's got a lot of detail on top. I decide
the color scheme based on how much paint there is and
I organize what brushes go with what. It's a lot of
dictation by the elements at large. Let's see...and
then I just jump. I'll start with a large, loose basic
shape and go from there, which acts as a kind of
sketch. I stand back and wait for the wall to tell me
what to do and then do it. I go thru mental
convulsions, totally free falling and not having a
clue what I'm doing at all, but just sort of trusting
the whole process as if I'm collaborating with
something outside of myself. It's only in the last few
hours of work that I feel confident and bliss out, and
then it's over.
If you had to explain your work to a stranger, how would you do it?
I'd probably use the
words "bright", "massive", "intricate" and "joyful"
and describe music it's related to/ parallels to.
If I came out for a visit what would we do/ where
would you take me?
Dude, I'm the lame host who wouldn't want to leave the
house because it's winter, so I'd want to cook
something really wholesome and watch movies or record
something sweet with my boyfriend on his 4- track or
make a music video. You wouldn't know you were in NYC -
you'd be in Lake Sleepytown. If it was summer, though,
we'd be outdoors the whole time and there would be BBQ
involved and late night bike rides to a party or to
see a band.
What are you really excited about right now?
So much. I'm going to Brussels in March with Chris Duncan and Kyle Ranson
to do a show, and while we're there seeing the old
masters (which are a huge influence on his art) and
hopefully seeing some bands, too. I can't wait to see
Bush de-throned and I'm excited for this circus they
call the "democratic process". I'm stoked on a lot of
the art and music being made these days. I'm excited
to feel excited, because there have totally been times
when I've felt pretty dour and jaded, too.
When are you the most productive?
At the 11th hour, late at night.
Favorite place traveled?
My head.
Music?
I have this unquenchable thirst for music, which is
total nourishment to me. I'm extremely obsessive and
will listen to one song or one record or mix tape over
and over until I have to force myself to put it down.
One thing I've been really stoked on is this Brazilian
bootie bass from pirated mixes, which I know is
totally sexist and violent, but I can't tell what they
are yelling and I love the beats. It kind of reminds
me of late 80's DC go-go music and bad electro.
Otherwise, lots of sad music, classic rock, easy
listening jams, light FM, cheesy pop, prog and psych,
you name it.
collaboration with David Ellis and Nunca (San
Paolo) inside an abbey in Auberieve, France.
Have you ever played in a band? Play an instrument or
anything?
Totally, but nothing super serious. My boyfriend and I
have a thing called Open Arms and we make these little
retarded music videos. I've been getting really into
cutting and pasting in garage band, like mashing up
"we are the world" with "feed the world" (it's almost
creepy how well it works). But yeah, if I was in a
band, we'd be totally the softest, lightest, gayest,
adult contemporary smooth jams and it would be called
something like "I Love You".
What were you like in high school?
I was into everything and wanted to try everything. I
was totally into school and super involved. My high
school yearbook write-up is this scroll of every extra
curricular activity from varsity badminton captain to
music theatre. Because I wasn't getting into trouble
at school, I was able to get away with a lot on my own
time. My friends and I would drive to DC, Philly or
NYC to see bands and make it home in time for my job
at the record store in the mall. I was a fucking
dweeb.
What do you have coming down the line in terms of shows?
- BREVITY'S RAINBOW, tiny art show up at Cinders
Gallery in Brooklyn, now.
- PRINTED MATTER 3 at Giant Robot SF, February 16,
2008-March 12, 2008
- OFF REGISTER (Experimental Print Show), AV-Aerie,
2000 west fulton st. Chicago, IL. Feb 29-March 15.
foundation-gallery.org
- FECAL FACE GALLERY SHOW, Feb 23rd
- THIS IS THE FUTURE BEFORE IT HAPPENED, curated by
Julie Deamer, Queens Nails Annex, SF, March something
2008
- DRAW, Stolen Space, London, UK, opens March
7th, 2008
- APOCABLISS, curated by maya hayuk, Alice Gallery,
Brussels, Belgium, opens march 20th
- THIS IS BLISS, Maya Hayuk + Kyle Ranson paint a
massive space in Barcelona, Opens April 2, 2008.
- POINTS OF INTEREST, curated by Swoon, Braddock, PA.
public art project April 13, 2008
Collaboration with Flo, Cody
Hudson and Chris Uphues. This is Monster Island, the
building that Maya's studio is in.
Back of Monster Island
where Mollusk Surf shop is. Mural work by Maya Hayuk,
Kyle Ranson, Oliver Halsman Rosenberg, and Momo.
For more on Maya, check:
mayahayuk.com
http://chiefmag.com/issues/9/profiles/Maya-Hayuk/
XLR8R TV
CURRENT TV
And be sure to check out her show in Brussels @Alice if over in that part of the world.
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