1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece? Was it part of a recent theme, series or show that you had?
Meggs: This piece was the hero image for my ‘Rise & Fall’ solo show almost exactly a year ago with Stolenspace Gallery in London. The show followed my 5-week residency and solo show with Inner State Gallery/1xRun in Detroit and expanded on my perpetual fascination with dualism, urban decay, and finding beauty in tragedy. ‘Rise & Fall’ toys with current fractures in the social fabric of urban society, such as imploding over-indulgence, fallen idols, and the detriments of pop culture.
1xRUN: What materials were used to create this piece with?
Meggs: Acrylic and aerosol on canvas.
1xRun: When was this piece created?
Meggs: I did this back in January 2015 over the course of about 10 days.
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about how the idea and execution came about?
Meggs: This piece is an evolution of my ‘Spoiled Rotten’ series that I created in Detroit, which lead to my largest mural to date. The mural, titled ‘Rise Up,’ honors the city’s struggle, the revival of social pillars such as community, and the idea that destruction and decay breed new beginnings.
1xRun: What do you feel is unique about this piece?
Meggs: The combination of elements and the message behind the piece – I felt it was a milestone piece to end one year and begin another. I also created a mural of this piece in Shoreditch, London.
1xRun: Describe this piece in one gut reaction word.
Meggs: Explosive.
1xRun: As we start a new year, tell us a bit about some of your favorite moments from 2015.
Meggs: Visiting London for my ‘Rise Up’ solo show with Stolenspace Gallery; Traveling to Cozumel, Mexico to paint a Sea Wall with PangeaSeed; Spending a month in the Bay Area to paint two murals; Pow! Wow! SXSW in Austin, TX; My three-wall ‘Not the Enemy’ installation for the Long Beach Museum of Art’s Vitality & Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape Exhibition; My artist collaboration with Sector 9 Skateboards; My ‘Paving Paradise’ mini solo show with Beyond Eden at the LA Municipal Art Gallery; and finishing the year off by painting a mural and spending two months with my kittenface/better half (Miya) in her hometown of Hilo, Hawaii.
1xRun: What are your plans for 2016? Any big shows or events coming up that you’d like to share?
Meggs: I’ll be traveling back home to Melbourne for some work and then to New Zealand for PangeaSeed’s Sea Walls, with a few other mural plans on the horizon in California, Hawaii and beyond. The biggest thing I am looking forward to is making the long-anticipated move to Detroit sometime mid year and reinventing the House of Meggs. On this note, Miya and I also have some exciting plans in the works for our community-based creative pet project, Temple Children. Can’t wait… stay tuned!
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Meggs: Website – Instagram @houseofmeggs – Twitter @houseofmeggs
-1xRUN