Dave Kinsey | Juxtapoz Magazine | Matthew Newton

It’s late afternoon on a Tuesday in November and Dave Kinsey is fast at work in the second-floor offices of his BLK/MRKT design studio in Los Angeles. He’s finalizing the layout for a catalogue documenting the work from his latest solo exhibition, “Sure, Why Not.” The exhibition, Kinsey’s first L.A. showing in several years, is still hanging downstairs in the BLK/MRKT gallery—a crisp and clean space with wood beam ceilings, poured-concrete floors, and an abundance of natural light. The closing reception will take place this coming Saturday. Though he’s under a tight deadline to get the catalogue to the printer, Kinsey’s not shaken. In fact, he’s quite at ease.

Tall and willowy, with bobbles of curly brown hair framing his thin face, Kinsey appears comfortable in his own skin. He and Jana DesForges—the gallery’s director and co-owner (and Kinsey’s longtime love interest)—exchange laughter as they work on the catalogue, seated at desks on opposing sides of the studio’s quiet front office.

Kinsey is no stranger to the art world. He’s been a staple in the L.A. scene for over a decade, but has also exhibited in galleries throughout the country and overseas. And while he is known best for his large-scale street installations, primarily his influential “Unlearn” campaign, Kinsey’s work has begun to change in recent years. He’s distanced himself from his street art, at least for the time being that is. And his gallery work has evolved too. Straying from his figurative, character-based approach, Kinsey’s latest collection of work is more abstract in nature. His signature character studies are still present, as are the social and political commentary in his pieces, but in a different way. As he puts it, “I’m trying to push the viewer into a more confrontational place.”

Matthew Newton: You moved here to Los Angeles over a decade ago, right? Can you tell me a little bit about what originally drew you here?

Dave Kinsey: Working in the skateboard industry pretty much took me out West in 1994. While I was finishing up my last semester of art school in Atlanta, I started freelancing for DC Shoes, Droors Clothing, and others doing logos, t-shirts graphics, whatever. Things went real smooth with DC from the start, so they flew me out for an interview and boom, I was in San Diego like a month later art directing their brands. I rode that wave for about a year, learned a lot, and shortly after that started BLK/MRKT in San Diego and moved it to LA in 2001.

So what made you decide to strike out on your own with BLK/MRKT?

I just felt I wasn't able to implement my ideas the way I truly wanted. It's pretty much the nature of working for someone else. To get shit done the way you want, you have to nurture your own vision. BLK/MRKT's been my baby since 1997.

Just to differentiate, for the folks who may not know, BLK/MRKT is really two halves of a whole: the visual design firm and the art gallery. Can you give a little insight into each business?

Well, let's see. BLK/MRKT design was founded in 1997, BMG in 2001. They occupy two different floors in our building in L.A., which helps to better define the spaces. The visual side of the company was created as a means of giving me some freedom in regard to working with clients and projects that best suited my personal taste. There was a certain void in the advertising world at that time and I felt BLK/MRKT could take it on, which we basically did—putting the art back in advertising and speaking to a demographic that wasn't being approached with any sense of reality. The gallery is its own entity. It really took off in 2003 when we moved into a larger building and concentrated on presenting the art and artists we liked and wanted to support in a professional way that introduced them to a wider and more varied audience. The design studio basically funded the first four years of doing the gallery, and now that the gallery is successful on its own, six years later, we find ourselves in the position of being able to take on only the design projects we want or have time to do. It's turned out to be a great duo business-wise for us, and also gives me the time I need to concentrate on the fine art side of my career and really spend the time I want and need painting. There are currently about 6 of us. Even though we are always crazy busy, everything seems to have a nice kinetic flow and we're all in tune with what needs to be accomplished.

Does the freedom of being your own boss outweigh any of the inherent frustrations of running a business?

Ha, not sure if one outweighs the other—being your own boss gives you (more) control of your destiny, but the bottom line is that it's a lot of hard work.

"Sure, Why Not," your first solo exhibition at BLK/MRKT in several years, closed this past November. What was the concept behind the show, and how did folks react to the work?

The concept behind the show was basically a commentary on America in its current state. Corrupt politics, war, global warming, and the downward spiral of consumerism due to overextending our "Western" way of life—you know, nothing to really worry about (laughs). The response to the work has been really positive, and for all that’s been invested time-and-energy-wise, that’s a good feeling.

Social and political commentary isn’t foreign territory to you. How would you say the messages in your work have evolved?

True, I've always been aware of social and political issues, even when I was younger. The depth of my visual message has evolved recently to include more abstract representation in addition to the more easily interpretable marks you may find in my paintings. 

How do you approach embedding social and political commentary in your work without coming off as preachy?

Well, I think that's a subjective thing, but regarding commentary in particular, I paint what I'm feeling or thinking about at the time—more often than not it's subconscious so I don't really take the time to think about how it will be perceived exactly. I want my work to be provocative, but I don't feel the need to hit people over the head with a message. I like the idea of giving someone something to discover and think about in the form of a stroke or an expression or a juxtaposition of elements.

While walking around the gallery downstairs, I noticed a lot of tiny red dots on the walls next to the paintings. What does that mean? I'm assuming it's a good sign.

Yes, it’s a very good sign. Red dots represent the uncontrollable impulse to have something original. [Author’s note: The show sold out]

Most of your work has been, and remains to be, character based. But in recent years it's strayed from its figurative roots to a more abstract style. Can you talk a little about this change?

With this new series of work, I’m exploring abstraction while retaining what people may recognize as my style. Lately, I’m really into experimenting with new ways of expressing my visual languages. I’m trying to push the viewer into a more confrontational place with my work and what’s revealed beyond the representational is up to the viewer. For me, it’s a more natural way of conveying messages within one piece.

Can you elaborate on your idea of pushing the viewer into a more confrontational place?

Basically, what's not seen is what's there to be discovered.

Your characters, with eyes devoid of pupils and often distant expressions, are prevalent in your street work. What ideas are you looking for these characters to convey to the public at large? And, as an aside, are you still actively installing street work, or have your priorities shifted?

Essentially I wish to convey a more challenging aspect to the figure. Eyes, to me, reveal too much emotion. It's something I’ve been doing for 15 years now, so it’s not really something I think about any more—it’s just become a very natural part of my style. As for doing street installations, my priorities now are more internal. We’ll see what the future holds in regard to all that. 

Was there any reason for halting your street work, besides a shift in focus?

I feel the kind of street installation I was doing in the past has become too common now—if I plan on doing street-based work in the future I want it to be super original.

Do you have any ideas, how you’d make it super original if you returned to it?

Yeah, I've got a ton of ideas. But if I told you I'd have to kill you. 

I can respect that. 

(Laughs)

Do you think street art, in general, has become too popular?

Yes and no. In real terms, street art has become a commodity used by marketing departments. Once advertising starts to co-op anything, its days are numbered. On the other hand, it's great to expose the public to art of any kind anytime in my opinion, and it's created a community of like-minded people locally and internationally, which is pretty cool when you think about it.

Installing pieces on the street, while most of the world is asleep, can yield unusual and sometimes dangerous encounters or experiences. Does any one memory like this stand out for you?

I've actually had pretty good luck. Although one time, in Paris in 2001, I was with Space Invader and we got nabbed by some undercover cops the night before my opening at Magda Danysz gallery. Those dudes over there ride like sardines in these tiny little cars dressed in Puma jump suits, which is hard to take seriously. But anyway, they ended up arresting us, then verbally harassing us for like eight hours. They ended up telling us that they were just bored that night and thought it would be good fun to harass us. They finally let us go without a fine or anything. It was actually a really funny experience. I couldn't understand anything they said. But Invader, with his animated personality, turned it into some sort of wild French comedy.

Was the verbal harassment intimidating, or did you realize fairly soon that these guys were harmless?

At first it was pretty intimidating, because [since they were speaking French] I had no idea what they were yelling at us. Invader didn't seem too alarmed though, so I just went with the flow.

So you're heading to Miami for Art Basel fairly soon. What are your plans while you're there? 

Yeah, in about an hour I’m on a red-eye. BLK/MRKT Gallery will be exhibiting in the Red Dot Fair this year—it should be a good time. We’re going to be showing a lot of great new work from our BMG artists: Parlá, Francis, Euclide, Stilkey, McLennan, and introducing some new artists as well. Personally, I love seeing so much art in one place—it's humbling to know there's so much creativity out there. I'll also be doing a lot of drinking.

So what else is on your agenda for the year ahead?

I'll be in the studio painting for the two solo exhibitions I have planned for 2008 at Lazarides in London and Alice Gallery in Belgium. Other than that, tending to the business and chilling out.