A couple of weeks ago, we posted a feature on the prolific sculptor, Kris Kuksi. Today we are proud to present an interview we did with Kuksi that explores what we imagine is just a tiny corner of his brain. His work speaks of intricacy and delicacy, but at the same time has a heavy darkness to it. After the jump, read our interview with one of the most interesting and prolific artists we have come across this century…

Hi Kris, how are you feeling today?

Oh well, rather quite good thank you.

So you grew up in the open, rural spaces of Kansas, but your art has more of a claustrophobic feel to it that speaks of cities like New York or Tokyo. Is your sculpture a reflection of a crowded imagination or a reaction to your secluded upbringing?

For me my upbringing had nothing really to do with what I ended up having as far as interests. I think had I grown up in New York or Tokyo I would still be making the same sort of art.

What kind of “macabre” or “grotesque” things appealed to you as a child?

I was a bit of a nature lover and the designs and symmetry found in nature were just what I was tuned into. Dead animals really caught my fancy and I would even mimic the Egyptians by building shrines for them with bricks from an old barn near my grandmothers house. You could say that is where my macabre and grotesque interests came from.

Is there any music that inspired you as a teenager that still inspires you today?

Well 80′s metal was always a good time in my self-reflection and overall withdrawal from certain norms in society. But classical music bore the best of my adoration as I felt it was very in tune with nature and the symmetry and perfection in design. But electronic music gives me the feeling to push forward to new ideas and produce ‘modern’ works of art.

Give us an idea of how a Kris Kuksi piece starts. Do you find one object that inspires you, or do you envision the piece as a whole before beginning?

There is not real formula, it just happens. Whether it is from a sketch that is derived directly by the ideas brought down to me from the ultra-world or rather from the objects I have laying about in the studio.

Your work has a decaying quality to it that really appeals to us. Can you explain how death or decay plays a part in what you create?

Decay is a constant. It is a part of life, and it is natural. I do think that making art that shows the evidence of decay captures the interest of the viewer because it ultimately has to do with the removing psychological layers, change, mental re-birth, etc. We are born to die – as the old saying goes that there certainly is beauty in accepting our fate.

Your site mentions an interest in God/Goddess imagery, which is really apparent in your work on Pneumatic with your use of God or Goddess figures and cherubs. What does this focus on the iconography of belief mean in your work?

Well, vaguely I suppose it just has to do with the fact humans have to have some sort of godly reference with the means to solidify purpose and meaning. Humans are rather fragile and frightened when it comes to the emphasis in the question of what is the meaning of life. Well, perhaps there is no meaning to life and we just have to come up with some ways of defining what life should be and God certainly can provide it. Too bad we humans have to argue about all the different Gods or destroy each other because of those particular meanings. Gods and Goddesses are the reflection of what we would truly desire to be, pure, powerful and all-knowing. Too bad we are just human in end.

Your site also mentions that the greed of civilization plays a part in your inspiration, and to me your pieces bring to mind a beautiful version of the modern-day hoarding, albeit maintaining the creepiness of it. How do you feel that over-consumption is reflected in your sculpture?

As you can see in my work, there are masses of ‘stuff’ everywhere. We are a material collection and production society. The total amount of material goods we collect and what we consume in our lifetime (provided one lives in a progress civilization) is so much; it makes one wonder if it has more to do with the psychological desire to be fulfilled or happy. But product marketing certainly has trained us to believe that what we buy can provide happiness and purpose.

Do you feel that growing up in the United States, in a culture of Wal-Marts and Targets, has dictated the view of mankind portrayed by your art, or do you think it has a more global vision?

Wal-Mart is an empire in some regards. Perhaps the times of kings and kingdoms were replaced with democracy and nation unions, but in the most current of times I’ll venture to say the almighty corporations of consumerism have every bit to do with the governing of people. After all, many of our politicians are supported or even used as spokesmen for large corporations. And as we have seen in recent elections, money can buy a political seat. Yet, corporations can help to improve our lives and bring us things we need rather quickly. I would claim to strike out in the neutral gray zone between either supporting corporations or rebelling against them. Same goes for anything mankind does, there is a bit of goodness and virtue, and there is a lot of evil and demoralization happening. It’s all about balance. Let’s just try to make our journey the best it can be.

Thanks so much to Kris for the interview!

Arik Roper is an awesome human on all levels, plus one of my favorite artists. His work is magical, & at first glance draws you into his cosmic universe. Arik has drawn for some of my favorite bands & then some. I feel pretty lucky to count him as a friend & a peer. It’s our honor at CVLT Nation to have chance to bring you a very special interview with him. So after the jump take a journey into Arik Roper’s mind’s eye…

What uppers Arik…how are you chilling?

Very good, the weather is getting nice and I’m hanging out with my new daughter. Things are good.

At what age did realize you had a passion for art? Did your artwork have a dark vibe even as a child?

I started drawing as early as I can remember. My parents were both artists, and my mother was an illustrator, so I learned a lot from her. When I was 3 we moved to Alaska for a while, where I spent most of my time drawing when it was too cold or dark to do anything outside. It’s always been a natural thing for me, as if that’s what I was made to do.

I don’t think there was any specific dark vibe to my art as a child; I always liked monsters, dinosaurs and weird creatures and all that. I always preferred the fantastic instead of the mundane things. I guess you could say I was drawing from my imagination more than from “real life”.



Did your parents nurture your artistic side?

Yeah, I was encouraged by my parents. They turned me on to a lot of art as I was growing up. My mother taught me some skills and I got to make use of her arsenal of drawing tools and markers. My dad was into underground comics, sci fi, movies, etc. so I got started on that angle at an early age through him. I think they would have been disappointed if I’d turned out to be a lawyer or doctor, or something other than an artist.

What artist inspired you most when you were younger?

I’ve gotten a lot of influences from all areas of art. Different ones from different stages. It’s hard to name just one, but If I had to choose one who really spoke to me I guess it would be Vaughn Bode. I discovered him when I was about 13-14, and was immediately attracted to his style, partly because it reminded me of my own style at the time. I spent many years admiring his linework, color and writing; he was one of those cartoonists who could write quality, thought-provoking content. I was fortunate to become friends with his son Mark, who let me in behind the scenes and showed me some of his father’s private work and told me some stories, so I feel extremely lucky to have that connection to one of my heroes. I don’t think my work today is as obviously influenced by Bode as it was in the 90s, but he was a foundational inspiration to me. In the past years, I’ve been more inspired by classical painting and illustration, and of course graphic design and illustration from the 1960s to early 1980s.



Does the inhaling of THC have an effect on the way you create?

Yes, for me it’s a tool. It serves a very useful purpose when related to creating my art. It gives me two important things: Patience and Perspective. Patience is useful because sometimes when Im working I tend to move quickly to reach a finished state faster, but the THC brings me back to a meditative pace where I can enjoy the more repetitive detail work of a piece of art. As soon as it affects me, I have the patience to slow down and spend more time on something – this could also be called “focus” I guess. In the same way it gives me the other attribute of Perspective – it allows me to see the work from new points of view. This is really useful if I’ve been staring at some piece of work for too long. I can see it with a new mindset thanks to the plant. Definitely a useful tool for my process.

How did you become the one of the go-to artists in doom metal world?

I don’t know if I’d agree I’m the “go-to artist”, I think there are some other dudes who personify doom more than I do, but whatever notoriety I have in that field of heavy music is probably from doing some work for classic bands like Sleep and some other seminal metal bands. I like doing that stuff, but I wouldn’t want to be labeled as only that. I’m into different things, a wide range of styles and subjects. I’m not what I’d call a “dark” person. I like to keep the balance of dark and light in my work, but I’m also an optimistic person.



Can you describe your personal & artistic relationship with bands like High on Fire and Buzzov-en?

Buzzov-en was the first band I really hooked up with in terms of doing consistent art. I met them in 1992 or so. I was into that style of sludge metal, so after a show one night I started to talking to Kirk, and we got along well. I told him I could do a flyer or something for the band. They liked the flyer and from there I started doing shirt designs and later album covers for them. I also met Sleep through them. Fast forward several years to when Tee Pee put out High on Fire’s The Art of Self Defense on vinyl, I did some art for it and Matt Pike and I got back in touch. Since then we just kept working together. He or Des usually calls when they need some new art. I honestly like their music a lot too, so that helps.

How does the fantasy world impact your artwork?

Let me start by saying that I’ve always been interested in consciousness, and what makes up what we call “reality”. I’ve done a lot of thinking and reading about it, and come up with some ideas on the subject. I think the “fantasy” world, or I’ll call it the “imagination”, is something that a person can choose to turn into a reality. It may be a personal reality at first, but if you depict it with art, music or whatever, you can let others in on it, and it starts to become a reality even if it’s a mental reality only. There are many realities, we create them all the time, but the artist has an opportunity to show it to others. So in that way, I think of a lot of my art as existing in a world or universe that a person visits when they view it. Hopefully it will take them there and give them a glimpse of that world. I’m an unapologetic fantasy artist, and an escapist artist. I try to help people escape from the normal, shared world that we all call “reality”. I take them for an imaginary ride.

You live in a city that has almost no natural surroundings, but your artwork has an aspect of nature to it. Does escaping to nature play a part in how you create, or do you imagine it from the city?

The natural world is very inspirational to me. I live in a mostly concrete city, but I always come up with this overgrown natural world for my art. I guess that unbounded natural imagery represents some kind of ideal to me, like nature triumphing over the man-made world. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in the woods, but until I moved to New York I lived in some pretty remote wooded areas growing up. I wonder if my art would change if I lived in the wilderness now. I don’t think that would would lessen my affinity for nature, it would probably only cause me to draw more types of trees and roots and animals since I’d be seeing it all the time. Nature is ultimate teacher. You can learn the way life works from observing the natural rhythms of the world, the way water flows, the way ice crystals grow, the way animals behave, natural cycles of the seasons- that’s the Tao, and it’s all there for us to observe. It’s where we come from and it’s where we return.

What inspired you to create your book Mushroom Magick?

Mushroom Magick was an idea that I and an editor at Abrams books came up with. She wanted to propose a book on hallucinogenic mushrooms to Abrams, and she was pretty sure she could convince them to publish it. She approached me with the idea and of course I was into it. I’d been wanting to do a book like that for years but I didn’t expect a major publisher to go for it. I came up with the basic concept and material and how it would be presented then we went through with the process and it became a reality. It’s a showcase of mushrooms, an homage to them. They’re powerful and mystifying things, and I wanted to convey some of that without making the book too far out; well actually, Abrams didn’t want it to be too far out – I did! But I like the way it turned out as an accessible art book that almost looks likes a children’s book, which is cool because everybody should know that there are mushrooms out there in the world that have this powerful chemical interaction with the mind.



What are three of your favorite heavy records & why?

Tough question. Just to keep it simple, I’ll narrow this down to modern (meaning last 20 years) of heavy music. There are too many old bands that I’d list as my all-time favorites, but for the modern era I can list 3 that have been outstanding favorites of mine. These are off the top of my head, I’d probably list others if I thought about it longer.

Sleep – Dopesmoker: I think this album is one of the most original pieces of music ever recorded. Its’ vision and vibe are truly epic. It tops the genre of the slow and heavy post-Sabbath sound. Nothing has surpassed it.

Melvins – Ozma: I could choose other Melvins albums just as easily as this one, but this was my first I think. The Melvins constructed the ultimate modern heavy sound, and remained outside of any stereotypical image.

Darkthrone – Total Death: I like Darkthrone’s attitude of DIY, back-to-basics rawness, and their commanding vibe comes through strong in their work. Total Death has that Celtic Frost thrash feel, I like that. They do a great job of creating an atmosphere – when you hear them, you know you’re in their world.



Super Rad Human Arik Roper.

Any last words?

Peace, Life and Progress!


CVLT Nation would like to thank Arik Roper for his epic interview & his support!

Angela Boatwright is one of sickest photographers to come out of New York City. She is also a heavy metal maniac, & on a good day she gets to combine both of her passions: metal & photography. One thing that makes her photos special is that she breathes her culture into her photos. I feel pretty lucky to say this, but I have known her going on 10 years & she is true inspiration to me on many levels. So after the jump take a trip into Angela’s world, where headbangers rule.

When was the first time you wanted to pick up a camera?

My best friend Meagan, her sister Amy and I were going to see this glam band called Vain – this was in 1990. It was the guitar player’s birthday and we had baked him a cake in the shape of a snake. I wanted a camera to document all this, as it was a HUGE deal for us (we were 15 years old). I bought a cheapy point and shoot, one roll of film and asked the girl selling t-shirts at the show how to load it. I still have the photos by the way. I’ll email you one!

When you started shooting pictures in Ohio, who were your first subjects?

My friends, bands (I went to see a lot of shows even as a teenager) – pretty much the same kind of stuff I shoot now.

When did you become a part of the heavy metal music scene?

I have literally been obsessed with heavy metal for as long as I can remember. I have some very clear memories of seeing Kiss on TV when I was little – and Ozzy actually. I remember my dad seeing Ozzy and saying something like, “that’s not real music,” but I was totally mind-blown. Ozzy’s ‘Shot in the Dark’ video changed me forever (seriously). Gives me shivers just thinking about it.

I have no idea if I’m even part of the metal scene nowadays. I have a ton of other interests outside of metal and am always complaining about unnecessary scene elitism. Although, as my good friend Jake pointed out the other day, I apparently have a lot of strong opinions about it (glam metal ballads in this case) for someone so against elitism…haha.








Are there any bands that you have photographed that you never envisioned yourself shooting?

I got to photograph the Black Crowes recently which was pretty awesome. When I found out I was gonna work with them, 15-year-old me pretty much shit her (my?) pants. I have no idea how to phrase that, hopefully it makes sense. But yeah, pretty much a teenage dream come true. Sounds dumb as hell but there you go. Oh, and Depeche Mode!

What was the most intense metal show you have ever shot & why? What were you feeling while it was happening?

I got hit by a car in 1997 and was out cold for 11 hours. I had a minor concussion, and a week after the accident found myself at an S.O.D. show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken (super small, claustrophobic-if-you-have-a-head-injury venue). I was really out of my mind and kept worrying that my head was gonna get cracked. The photos came out pretty awesome. I can think of a few more shows that were similar…I love that feeling though. Being kinda scared, shit’s all dark and intense. Fog machine. Love it.

When you are shooting someone from the skate, metal or punk community, do you feel you can get something out of them that other photographers couldn’t because they might not connect to them the way you do?

I’m not sure, I hope so! I’m naturally attracted to fuck-everything type of people and I love rule breakers of all types. I really believe in the people I photograph. It’s not some bullshit thing, if I’ve ever photographed you I probably think you’re awesome as shit.

You shoot a wide variety of musical artists, not just those in the metal community. When you do a metal shoot, is there something special you try to convey about that community?

Not sure… I try and bring out people’s real personalities as much as I can with whatever time is allotted. I like satanic dark stuff, but sometimes with metal bands it’s too gimmicky. I have a harder time photographing people I know really well, too. Sometimes that’s a factor with metal bands, even if I don’t know them personally I tend to know a lot about their history etc.

What drew you to New York City in the early 90′s? Was youth culture different then, & if so why?

I had been to New York once before I moved here permanently. At the time, I really just wanted to get out of Ohio and start my own life. In hindsight I have no idea why I chose NYC. A lot of my friends had come here for hardcore shows etc. It just seemed like the place to be. I fell in love with it right away.

Youth culture was totally different then – there was no Internet and of course the city wasn’t nearly as safe although it was much safer in the early 90s than previous decades (see ‘Captured’). But still…I do miss anonymity: the idea of leaving your house and not being able to be reached until you get home. I also liked that people and kids specifically had to earn the things they loved. It wasn’t just about liking something on Facebook, you had to do your research, make an effort and prove yourself! It’s so easy for companies and private interests to collect information on us these days via technology. It’s starting to feel like we’re all just statistics. I really believe if something’s worth loving, it’s worth working hard for.

Could you explain how New York City has shaped your creations?

Hmm, that’s tricky because as of this coming July I’ll have lived here half my life. I’m not sure I can answer that objectively!

For me, when I lived in the lower east side of New York, there was an invisible kinetic creative that felt like it was happening around me all the time. Do you ever feel this? How does that energy effect you?

I used to feel this a lot stronger than I do now, however after some thought yes, for sure that energy still exists. NYC keeps you on your toes, it’s really hard to be complacent here with everything going on. Everyone here has 40 things they do and people treat each other like family. We look out for each other. We keep our eyes and ears peeled for homies in regards to jobs, apartments etc. I have a lot of great experiences with this and have so many people to thank. Haha, this is making me wanna go to Max Fish and hug everyone, sheesh!

You told me you are working on a book about all of your metal pictures, can explain whats going on with that and what motivated you to start that project?

I’ve been wanting to put out a book for a while, but always felt the time wasn’t quite right. I’ve just begun gathering together some of my images and laying them out in new ways to see what I have. About a year ago, I started filming a documentary on metal bands that tour heavily and am hoping that if all goes well a book will come out along with the film. These are big dreams, so wish me luck!!!

Super WOW! CVLT Nation wants to say, nice one Angela on an epic awesome interview!!

There was only ever a very fine line between goth and d-beat, you know besides the whole politics. Visually these kids look more like GBH than Bauhaus. As Post-Punk moved into Positive-Punk the style and aesthetic moved from cold, simple sterility to a reflection of alienation in a generation of gap-year glory boys and girls. These kids are the epitome of independent fashion. After the jump witness the children of the shadows.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the raddest things about being a punk kid in the 80′s was the fanzine culture. D.I.Y was not a word for us but an lifestyle. Out of this culture grew the cottage industry of fanzines & from this, the independent publishing houses that produced them. Back then these fanzines were our internet – they actually connected the East Coast punks to the West Coast punks. My first love was my local, Flipside, & my second favorite was NoCal’s Maximum Rock & Roll (they brought the global perspective to fanzines with their global scene reports). Today, CVLT Nation is featuring two epic zines from the 80′s: the punk zine Urban Decay & the metal zine Brain Damage. Both of these have some awesome interviews from bands of the day, plus some killer art. Get your fanzine download on after the jump!

URBAN DECAY

Read the rest of this entry »