Kymm Swank: Was There Any Reason That You Could Not Have Accepted Full-Time Work Each Workday?
LA-based abstract artist Kymm Swank has been using her time in self-quarantine to produce a new series of work and has an entire solo show, which opened at ShockBoxx Gallery last week, to show for it. Her show Was There Any Reason That You Could Not Have Accepted Full-Time Work Each Workday? showcases a departure from her previous style to study texture + explore the juxtaposition of structure + chaos. We chatted with Kymm all about the show, her process + the making of the largest piece she’s ever done (226x58 inches!!!). View the full show online on Artsy or message ShockBoxx or Kymm Swank on Instagram to see the show in-person at the gallery.
Asymmetric Magazine: Congrats on your solo show at ShockBoxx! Can you tell us all about the show?
Kymm Swank: I had been thinking about what I wanted to do for a solo show for awhile. I work in the film industry, as well, and I was working on a TV show, so I wasn’t able to get in the studio much. This solo show was originally planned for May, and back in January, I thought there was no way I would be able to have a full body of work by May, so we pushed it to July. The TV show I was on got shut down in March due to coronavirus, so I was able to get to work on my art. When I got in the studio, I knew what I wanted to explore based on a previous body of work I’d done. I’ve never had time to solely focus on my artwork before, so I wanted to take advantage of the quarantine. To be able to have that time without work distractions or social disruptions was amazing. I didn’t get to explore quite as much as I would like, because of course, you explore and explore and the deadline approaches, but it was such a great experience. I’m going to quarantine myself anytime I have a show from now on.
AM: What are the themes you explored in this new series?
KS: A lot of my work deals with the tension between structure and chaos. For the past five years, I’ve departed from the style I had been working in pretty solidly for about a decade. I used to work in oil and do geometric abstractions—all dealing with the same theme of chaos within structure—of highly structured formats paired with free energy. The progression of my work has been inspired by textures I find in the urban environment, which is the metaphor for the underlying themes I pursue. It’s slowly being refined, so this show is the next iteration of that. I really tried to set boundaries for myself and concretely choose elements I wanted to work with, which were elements that come from graffiti. I love graffiti, tagging and writing, and I try to incorporate it stylistically into my work and the textures I like to explore. I had a previous series where I took images of graffiti and worked them into abstract work as a response to gentrification. This new work is influenced by that but refines it even further in an elemental way by looking at the texture of the spray paint itself. I also wanted to limit my colors and simplify this series to just the study of texture.
Gallery view of Robert Johnson's 7th String
AM: You have a massive piece in the show—can you speak to that?
KS: I knew I wanted to attempt to do a huge piece—the largest singular piece I’ve ever done. It’s so fun to paint large! I did a study for it first and had a couple of ideas of what I wanted to do, but I had no idea how it would turn out. I created it towards the end of the few months I had of focusing on art, so it was kind of a culmination of all the work I had done up to that point.
AM: What was the process of creating a piece that large?
KS: So, I ordered an 18-foot roll of canvas to paint on, which was supposed to be 18 feet by 53 inches. I assumed that’s what it was, but there was almost two feet extra. I laughed because how often do you get extra? It ended up being 226 by 58 inches after it was stretched. I used a lot of water in this series and in this piece in particular. I’ve been trying to work in an uncontrolled controlled manner, meaning I’m trying to let accidents happen without controlling it too much. It’s been an experimental process, because I’m a very obsessive, controlling, nit-picky person when it comes to my art. I can tweak a piece to death, so I’ve been wanting to step back a little bit. With this piece, I started with a layer of spray paint, and then I coated the canvas with water. I crumbled the canvas, and let it dry overnight. Once it’s dry, I can see the texture that the water left and the residue of the paint. I put it on the wall and added to the texture it created. And of course, this one took up all my wall space.
I’ve been trying to work in an uncontrolled controlled manner, meaning I’m trying to let accidents happen without controlling it too much.
AM: How long were you working on that piece?
KS: I did it in stages over a few weeks. I was painting on it literally until the day I had to roll it up and transport it to ShockBoxx where we stretched it.
AM: Speaking of that and tweaking pieces, when do you know a piece is finished for you?
KS: That’s such a hard question. I know a piece is done when I start making it worse. There are some pieces that I can look at and just know they are done. Since I constantly like to pick at my pieces, there comes a point for some pieces where I start adding things that make them look worse. I will literally hide the canvas from myself in another part of the studio and face it away from me, so I can’t see it. When I do that, I know it’s done. It’s like throwing the last little bit of cake away so it’s not taunting you in your fridge at 2:00am.
AM: Is there a piece in the show you’d say you resonate with more than others?
KS: Definitely the massive piece and the whole process of creating something that large. It’s called Robert Johnson's 7th String, and it’s about the mythology around the blues musician Robert Johnson who I listen to a lot.
AM: What other music are you listening to right now?
KS: I’ve been listening to a lot of music I listened to when i was in high school, especially while painting this series. So, a lot of Sting, The Police, Crowded House. Some others are Channel Tres and Yola, who does a cover of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and I listened to that on repeat while I was working. My neighbors probably hate that song now. I normally listen to a lot of blues and jazz both in and out of the studio. It allows me to go to a really relaxed place.
Kymm Swank with Study for Robert Johnson's 7th String
AM: What else has been keeping you grounded during all the uncertainty of the current climate?
KS: I don’t want to minimize anything going on in the world right now, because the cost is definitely not worth it. On the positive side, focusing on my art during this time was the most grounding thing for me. Having a goal of a solo show and something positive to focus my energy on was really helpful in staying away from feelings of depression and isolation. I was really lucky to have that.
AM: What can we expect to see from you after this show?
KS: There are a few pieces in this series that I didn’t finish for the show, so I’m excited to get back in the studio and work on those.
Was There Any Reason That You Could Not Have Accepted Full-Time Work Each Workday? is on View at ShockBoxx + online on Artsy. Message ShockBoxx or Kymm Swank on Instagram for in-person gallery hours.
// all photos courtesy of Kymm Swank
