Interview with The Love Whip

LOVE LIFE
New work by The Love Whip
On view @SHAG April 14 - June 17

What is you name?
The Love Whip

Where are you from? Where are you based now?
Originally from Rockland County, New York. Now living in Queens.

What is your medium?
Mixed; I incorporate hand cut wood, acrylic paint, spray paint, paint markers, at
times wheat pasted images and rope

How did you get started making art?
I have been making art for as long as I can remember. My dad had always encouraged me to explore the arts and nourished my ability to creatively connect with and express myself. I began focusing on erotic content in the spring of 2020 and shortly after began experimenting with wood and resin.

What inspires you/your art?
My current series was inspired by a need to reconnect with myself. During a time in which I felt sexually closed off, I turned to art to express these curiosities, desires, experiences, etc. My art became my sexual outlet. In time, I began to feel
more in sync with and proud of this part of me. The more connected I began to feel with myself and my sexuality, the more my art transformed with color and design. The two seem to constantly inspire and bounce off each other.

Tell us about your process.
There are many steps to this process, small and large. The first step is finding someone to paint and work with. I paint those who inspire me, those who I look at
in awe with their craft, their demeanor, their essence. At times, individuals will provide me with images, other times I will photograph them myself. Additionally, my later work exhibits pieces made using my own body as a reference, which has been a transformational process in itself. I then cut the wood into the shape of the subject in the image. After preparing the wood, I will paint the image or wheat paste a rendering of the image onto the wood. The next step would be
the 2-3 day resin process.

What role does art play in your life?
My art became an outlet for sexual expression and a tool for wellness. As I connect with my art, I connect with my sexuality. As I become more comfortable with my sexuality, my art transforms.

Tell us about the work in the show at SHAG.
The current exhibition at Shag “Love Life” features work from 2020 to 2023. There is a clear difference and transformation that can be witnessed in the timeline of these pieces. The earlier work is more representational and figurative. As time went on, I began to feel more comfortable with my eroticism, which
manifested in my art with vibrant colors, shapes, patterns, textures. My art became less representational and more abstract and personalized. Additionally, this exhibition is the first time I’ve debuted a piece featuring myself, which is also a testament of how far I’ve come in my ability to openly and proudly express my sexuality.

Who is your favorite artist and/or artwork?
Goodness that is hard to say! I am currently loving the work of Miss Meatface and Kat Savage.

Do you have a favorite piece of your own?
I would have to say “Lady in Red”. This is a lifesize all red wooden cut out of my best friend and muse, Rachael. It was the first of many within the series I created inspired by her.