Zes Detroit Beautification Screen Prints

1xRUN Thru Interview
Epitaph by Zes

1xRUN:  Can you give us some insight on Epitaph and your other recent painting, how do you make them, how long does it take and what are you conveying with your work?
Zes: Epitaph was concerned with rebirth. The scripts I designed represented words inscribed on a tombstone. It was a meditation on what one wants to be remembered by and what your final words would be.

Epitaph by Zes

I usually build my own canvasses. I start by layering the black gesso on the canvass and work up from there. I mainly work with acrylics, but I incorporate other mediums like spray paint and inks, but I recently did a piece in oil paint. I like to use brushes and rollers.

Each piece is unique and takes anywhere from a day to a week depending on the materials and my own inspiration.

1xRUN: How does your abstract street work come across in your paintings?
Zes: They are integral to one another. One naturally flows from the other. I try to translate my work directly across surfaces and contexts.

1xRUN: This print is part of the Detroit Beautification Project from this past summer, how was your trip and what are your thoughts on Detroit?
Zes: I have been to Detroit before and admire the city. I mean you can see the legacy of industrialization in the architecture and scale of the city, but it’s also heartbreaking to realize that much of that legacy has been forgotten. Still, it is a perfect place for artists. The affordable spaces, the surfaces and textures, and the local culture and scenes are all attractive and inspiring.

1xRUN: With a strong group of internationally recognized artists, what was your takeaway from the project and it’s impact on Detroit?
Zes: I was really moved by the warm and positive reception our work and presence received. You could see it on the people’s faces that passed by. They would stop and look up and smile and keep moving. Even the chief from the local fire department and a representative from the mayor’s office came by to offer their appreciation.

1xRUN: Your work is starting to make some noise in the art world, what do you have on your schedule for 2013?
Zes: I’m looking forward to a very productive year. I have a number of shows coming up in a few different cities across the US. I’m also in talks right now to begin working with group of artist on a art and design campaign leading up to Art Basel 2013 in Miami.

-1xRUN