A Stirring Conversation with Guy Stanley Philoche
courtesy of the artist
Guy Stanley Philoche is a Haitian-born modern artist. His work has been shown both in group exhibits and solo exhibits in galleries such as Cavalier Gallery, DTR Modern Gallery, Chase Edwards Gallery, and elsewhere. For a decade-plus, Philoche’s art has been heavily noted within the art scene and been collected by various collectors nationally and internationally. Guy’s art is held in numerous corporate collections including Google and Merrill Lynch. I got the pleasure of talking to Guy about his love of cartoons, his inspiration for helping out emerging artists, and how he sees how the art world is changing.
UZOMAH UGWU: What was your inspiration for buying another artist's work?
GUY STANLEY PHILOCHE: My motivation was simple, as it is something that I’ve been doing from the first time I sold my first painting. When I sell a painting, I buy artwork from other artists. The pandemic was different; I’d just come off a sold-out show at my gallery, Cavalier Gallery, though initially I was poised to purchase a Rolex watch, I was talking to friends early in the pandemic and they were genuinely nervous, I could hear the desperation in their voices. My reaction was to try and help, I put out a call to purchase artwork from as many artists as I possibly could. Initially, I had a budget in mind and with the help of my amazing collectors I was able to go beyond that and 10 months later I am still collecting. These are trying times for everyone, the health care and frontline workers were being bailed out, rightfully so and I wanted to help “my” community, the art community.
U: Your art is very transformative. How do you achieve that quality?
G: There are certain aspects of my work that could be considered transformative, my EVOL revolution series started as The Remembrance Series and evolved as aspects of the world were forever changing. Taking the whimsical characters and sharing the revolution of love changed their original format to my vision.
courtesy of the artist
U: How do you suggest a young artist approach major art scenes like New York and LA once we turn the corner of this pandemic?
G: To push the boundaries, think outside the norm, no longer at this point are we able to go out and network or go to galleries and talk to people; it is important to fine-tune your social media. Social media is the new business card. Reach out to those old contacts, keep your emails brief but effective. Use social media as your talking points, update it constantly until things return back to normal.
U: What is one piece of professional advice you wish someone told you before getting into the art scene?
G: I wish someone would have told me to be ready to sacrifice everything.
courtesy of the artist
U: How do you see your work making an impact and change the dynamics and current structure of the art scene?
G: I am not sure about how it will make an impact; I just hope with each piece I make now and ever that each piece touches the collector in some way, that it reaches that part of the soul that ignites a smile or a deeper understanding of art.
U: What is something that has changed for the better and something that has changed for the worst for emerging artists?
G: Emerging Artists have got to take their careers into their own hands and establish themselves as best they can through social media, garner a following, push the boundaries, create what they love and not what is popular to sell work. It has to speak to them. If it doesn’t, no one else will believe it.
courtesy of the artist
U: You use many popular characters like Snoopy and Garfield in your art. Where did these references come from?
G: The characters are an homage to my childhood, it was how I learned how to speak English when coming to America as a child, the Saturday morning cartoons. During the pandemic instead of focusing on the struggles, I wanted people to be happy, my objective was to make people smile. The Remembering Your Innocence Series paintings were painted on Masonite board because the canvas was not available since the art stores were shut down. I reverted back to my childhood memories of happier times and painted the characters that made me smile.
U: What makes art something you have to be a part of, something you have to create?
G: Art saved my life; it is my life. If I don’t make art, I don’t breathe. Live by the brush, die by the brush is tatted on my ribs. Since I was able to hold a pencil, I started doodling, sketching, and drawing before I was able to spell Philoche. I have always loved and appreciated art. Art speaks to me in a way words do not. I can stare at a painting for hours, and then as if eureka I finally see what I want to change or add to it to make it just right.
U: What artist that is living stands out to you that has most influenced your art, and why?
G: None.
U: Have you been able to create art during this pandemic and if so, what has been your inspiration?
G: The Remembering Your Innocence Series paintings were painted on Masonite board because the canvas was not available since the art stores were closed. The cartoon characters were of happier times, the cartoons were an escape from all the disturbing deadly numbers on the news. The direction of my paintings during the pandemic evolved and focused on EVOL. My hope is for a revolution that leads to love and peace.
U: How do you see the art world changing?
G: The art world is changing because the world has changed, I see collectors buying differently and artists reaching collectors thru social media and galleries. Galleries will be more essential and even more selective about the artist that they showcase. Until art openings can get back to normal galleries will hold the cards as it is the only place to go and see art at this time.
courtesy of the artist
U: With your “No Comment Series,” one of the key issues was to address human rights such as for women without a voice. What can the art world do to better feature female artists and the human rights theme? Do you feel women are underappreciated in the art world?
G: Make room for more art critics that are women and have major art institutions feature more women in the collections. It would be a significant step forward to have an increased number of prominent and distinguished women dealers. Human rights themes cannot be forced, the work must come from the depths of the artist. Women in every industry are underrepresented the art world is no different, maybe further behind, 2020 though horrific in many ways, brought about a lot of first for women, the first woman GM in MLB history, the first elected woman to the Vice Presidency happened, first woman official in the NFL, the art industry has a long way to go in recognizing more women, equality cannot just be a word that people in boardrooms throw around to say there was a discussion.
U: In your most recent series “Come Fly with Me,” your use of money has an artistic flair that brings new meaning to how currency is used. What perspective were you coming from in how you used the material? What is the undertone that you wanted to come out with the careful layers of certain materials as the backdrop?
G: Artistic in that it symbolizes the flight of currency from one hand/institution to another, numbers flying on paper to its next fleeting destination. The $2 bill symbolizes for me an homage to my dad for good luck and good fortune as it is a rare bill he gave me when I was 13.
I like taking the eye on a journey in colors, layers, textures, and perceived movement. The library of colors serves as a buffet for the optics, my raison d’etre is to make art that inspires and evokes emotion. The copious layers articulate profuse textures on the medium to which the viewer will perceive individual responses each time.
U: How does art give you the opportunity to say visually what you cannot say with words?
G: Verbal communications of expression are conveyed in various methods; my way is to paint what I feel, what I sense in the world, what moves me on a particular day. I’m super fortunate I am able to meaningfully demonstrate oceans of colors, images, orbits of light, movement thru strokes of a brush using copious techniques of layering on varied mediums. My work intermittently complex and times unembellished affords me the opportunity to express without the tangible and is left to the interpretation of the beholder. It is for the beholder to visually transcribe the symmetry, composition, textures, and colors of the artwork.
For more of Guy’s work and updates on future shows please go here.
