Joey Bates
Joey Bates was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He grew up in Seattle and is very much a city boy who can’t live far from bodies of water or wooded areas. He received his B.F.A. at Kendall College of Art and Design in painting in 2005. Post-college, he has found his home in paper sculpture. In 2018, a relationship brought him to Sweden, where he currently lives and works a few hours north of Gothenburg. His works can be found in private collections around the world, in a few galleries in North America, and in his studio. Bates plans to live out the rest of his days making art.
Artist Statement
Energy dispersal and change comprise the impetus for my recent work, capturing instances in which traditionally beautiful objects undergo a violent process of transformation. I contrast subjects that decay, such as flowers, mountains, fabric, and flesh, with moments of violent disruption and displacement. Explosions reveal built-up tension and disperse energy in a limited space of time. The resulting chaos depicted resembles our daily lives and external influences.
My primary medium is paper—a soft, pliable material I use precisely because it is fragile. Many of us tend to think of our communities, structures, and institutions as permanent, when they are often revealed to be as fragile and malleable as paper.
Through initial collages, the explosions often reference several volcanic eruptions and floral bouquets arranged to emphasize a chaotic environment. In this day and age, we are constantly bombarded by invasive external influences, which seem to be growing in number and frequency. I aim to create a moment of respite from that chaos while simultaneously depicting it.
What is your first memory creating?
As a child, drawing, painting, and sculpting were second nature and encouraged. I can’t remember a first “ah-ha” moment when it came to creating. What I recall about early making was how empowering it was to draw, to make something that had not existed before, and to share it with others. Honestly, getting attention for what I had made really sparked the desire to learn more about making. I wanted to be a cartoonist for a while, then an animator, then a puppeteer, and finally a comic book artist. Creating was about bringing things to life and connecting to others from the start.
What is your relationship to your medium? What draws you to it?
Paper is usually perceived as a base for artwork. It’s there to hold the ink, graphite, or paint. I really like taking the material that was originally conceived to carry information and making it the actual mode of communication. Paper is pliable, versatile, and easy to manipulate. After having worked with paper sculpture for over 16 years, I relish the act of cutting, especially large pieces. I love mark-making, but cutting paper even more. It’s hard to explain why it resonates with me. When I think of working with paper, I can envision an extreme close-up of the blade pushing the fibers apart while cutting. In that separation, there’s an element of destruction taking place in order to make something new.
What is the main thing you hope your audience takes away from your art?
There’s beauty in the breakdown. My explosion pieces in particular reflect a lot of pent-up emotion, but also dramatic change taking place. I think we often get caught up in patterns and day-to-day routines. There can be comfort in routine, but absolutely everything in one’s life can change in the blink of an eye. I’ve found that even in absolute heartbreak and grief, there are moments of pure beauty and hope.
Tell us about a challenge you overcame last year.
A lot of what I overcame last year was personal. Over the past year and a half or so, I’ve really worked on the internal dialogue and the narrative I’ve constructed about my art practice. Being a full-time freelance artist is unlike most jobs or career paths. For a very long time, I struggled with imposter syndrome, despite making strong work. Over the decades, I really saw failures as, well, failures, rather than learning opportunities or chances to address problems in different ways. I’m easier on myself these days and, in turn, a lot less judgmental about the world around me. I haven’t totally shaken self-doubt, but I’m able to recognize it as it presents itself, and I’m more capable of seeing it for what it is—a bit of fear and self-protection that doesn’t necessarily serve me in the long run.
What is your main goal or resolution this year in terms of your art practice?
Aside from continuing to experiment in the studio, I plan on changing my marketing and outreach strategies. I would like to make more one-on-one connections and step back from social media. With platforms like Instagram, it feels like the goalposts are constantly moving. After doing research and implementing a plan suggested by several social media experts this past year, I found the time/benefit ratio to be significantly lacking. I work with a few galleries but am mainly free-range. I hope to do more commission work and keep building this very small business of mine. Getting the work into the homes of those who connect with it is the main goal.
