Mike Shinoda will be opening his second solo exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum on August 29th, entitled "Glorious Excess (Dies)."  If the success of his first solo at that Museum is any indication we are all in for quite a treat.  Shinoda was gracious enough to take a few moments out of his busy schedule to talk about his upcoming show, his music career and the exciting things which lay ahead for this gifted artist.

 

MS: I had a great time putting the first show together.  I don't really have any regrets, I just try to work on the concepts and craft each time, to hopefully improve as an artist with each show.  This upcoming show is the culmination of a lot of work.

MS: I think we all have real-life identities and virtual versions of ourselves.  People act differently online, whether on a blog, in email, on Facebook or Twitter.  Online, people are more bold; sometimes more honest, sometimes more nasty.  In person, you have a human being's feelings to think about--online, it's somewhat removed.  People can easily create wholly separate identities for themselves online.  I think these things play into the art and methods I use; the interplay between tactile media and virtual media is an inseparable part of our lives.
In the context of this show, the real vs. digital aspect plays a slightly different role.  Tabloid culture is a viral gossip culture.  Images and stories get simplified, and the resolution of the images and ideas get compressed and condensed.  People are drawn in by the smallest, most explosive version of a story; then that version of the story gets copied and pasted, from email to email, blog to blog.  That's why I had to use a combination of hi-res and low-res imagery in the pieces; it just seemed to fit.  I felt it was a representation of a struggle to decipher between what was "real" and what was not.

 

  

MS: In my band, collaboration is a huge part of the process, whether writing a song or playing a show.  When it comes to painting, I like collaborating because it forces me outside my comfort zone.  The toughest collaborations--but ones with great results--were probably with Gary Baseman, Greg Simkins, and Dalek.  I did them all in the same month, and everyone's style was so different.  It's a lot of fun, though.  I think my next show is going to have a lot more collaborations...

MS: I would love to do a piece with Ron English.  He's awesome.

MS: People ask me if I have time to sleep.  I actually try to keep things balanced; when I'm at home, I try to see my family regularly and take weekends off.  I have a great team of people that I work with, who help to carry the load.  I just try to steer the ship in the right direction. MS: We just finished the book, and it looks incredible.  It's the first time I've been able to explain what Glorious Excess is really about.  There are so many complex, overlapping ideas and inspirations behind the show that every time I talk about it, I feel like I've left something out.  I think the book sums it up: it covers everything, from the first ideas that started Glorious Excess (Born), to the end of Glorious Excess (Dies).

MS: I just need to create stuff.  Maybe that's a bad thing, since I suppose all these ideas could end up in a landfill someday!  But hopefully, if I'm making good art and music, it will enhance people's lives.