Tony Camaro is one of those young LA artists that brings some of the fun back to pop-inspired art. A relentless optimist, you'll see below that he is passionate about not only his own craft but also seeing other young artists do the same. Between painting, fashion, and design, he imbues each of his projects with a bit of his positivity and outlook. He brings his influences to the forefront and adds his flair, ultimately creating a miniature mood board that anyone can be a part of. In anticipation of his new solo show Uh Oh at New Image Art Gallery, our friend and contributor Rachel Davis sat down with him and met some of his excitability with her own. Check it out.
Rachel Davis: Can you talk a little bit about your background and how you got into art?
Tony Camaro: I’m a 23-year-old Los Angeles-based artist working in Fine Art, Fashion, Design and Creative Direction. I began making art at SFAI, that's where I really started to fall in love with art history and contemporary art (painting, sculpture, installation etc.) Being in San Francisco I was hugely influenced by the Mission School from the 1990s / early 2000’s, so all I wanted to do was get my art out into the streets. I thought it was so cool to share my work with complete strangers and place my art out in the real world, it made me feel like my art could be larger than life. Later on, I got accepted into this art residency in Dumbo, Brooklyn, and that's where things really started to click. I began taking painting and fashion more seriously and decided to put my art in the streets of New York. I was constantly being inspired by New York's youth culture, skate scene, and DIY galleries. That's where I got my inspiration from and realized that this is what I needed to be doing.
You work in a lot of different mediums, all of which seem to inform and add to one another. What is your process of fluidly working in such different capacities?
I’d like to think that there is a certain rawness to the work I create. Each is a mode of expression for me. I think of each medium differently, but they all have a very street mentality. The work is meant to be DIY, like using found pallets for canvases, and repurposed clothing for fashion collections, so everything I do is an unintentional ode to the streets that I was surrounded by. I'm definitely someone who works within their means, since I grew up with very little money and had a real need to find tools on the streets to create art, all of my work carries a similar punk, street attitude.
I follow your mood board @m0na.l1sa on Instagram, which is super rad. Can you explain what you draw inspiration from and how it influences your practice?
I’m so glad you asked about the moodboards, I love making those so much. I don't know how long I’ve been doing it, but every day I wake up and search for 5 photos that inspire me and post them to that Instagram and my Tumblr. I think mood boards are really helpful for me while I think through an idea. They help me visualize everything. The mood board is the origin of my process when creating clothing, designs or videography. It helps me and everyone I’m working with to get an idea of my vision and how we can execute each project. I draw inspiration from fashion editorials, music, furniture, architecture, paintings, and its really anywhere. I find it kind of interesting how an initial mood board can lead to a final product.
Your color palette and cultural homages are poignant and dead-on, I often find myself uttering "YES...YES..YES" as I look through your repertoire of work. Between the lines of drawing, lines of clothing, lines of photography, what is an overarching cohesive theme that you always try to exude and convey with your work?
I think all of my work is just an ode to youth culture. I reference a lot of iconic imagery so people can see themselves in the work. I think something most people have in common is that we all know the same cartoon characters. I like to reference things like that so that everybody can be involved in my art. I stay very true to the craft and my beliefs with each project, and my only hope is that it shows when I present each.
You've created four fashion collections. How did that evolve to what became your last collection: In Order to Bloom?
The fashion collections are kind of a trip to me because I don’t really know where they came from. I remember feeling amazing after actually completing my first collection, Visions, and after that, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to create these new worlds for myself. Each collection (Visions, Allergy, /ˈprīmər/ and In Order To Bloom,) tells a story and has a “vibe” of its own, and I think that's my goal. I want to create a new world and push my own personal envelope. I hope to be a creative director for a fashion house someday, and each of these projects has helped me navigate that skillset. I've learned how to design, how to define a vision I have for a video or photo look book, how to direct the team and models, and each collection helps me find myself and gain experience towards that goal.
Also, my next collection Volume + - is comin' soon! !
What parts of fashion cultivate a dialogue with your other work?
The two things I try to always remember are progression and art history. I try to pay homage to the past of any subject because it's important and valuable. I want the dialogue to be between the project and the viewer, and I want people to know that they can do it too. With all of my work, it's more than just “look what I just made," I want it to inspire the youth to show them their true potential. I think the beauty of fashion is that breaking the rules can lead to something beautiful. Doing something wrong, or looking at it from a different angle, could be the best decision. I keep that in mind when creating so I don't limit myself by what I see on the internet or what is “trending.” It’s more about my own personal process and expression from hand to clothing.
I love how you incorporated poetry in your last collection, namely Rupi Kaur, what kind of duality do words and garments play for you?
In Order To Bloom was one of my favorite things to work on this far. I am so proud of that project I got it tatted on my stomach. Words are so beautiful the power of language is insane. I was at a point of growth and change and the phrase In Order To Bloom stuck out because of the steps that I was taking in my own life to better myself. With this collection, specifically the words on the clothing was another mode of expression; words like Send Flowers, Thinking Space, Heart and Soul, Mona Lisa, they all mean something to me and to showcase them that way is a perfect example of how I was feeling at that point in time.
There is an earnest rawness to a lot of your work and I am curious to hear how you approach the making process?
I’ll spend hours online looking at different cartoon stills. Cartoons are very good at nailing how I feel sometimes. I use the stills not necessarily to reference the cartoon itself but more to express how I was feeling in that moment. I think my favorite part of the process is going out to find the “canvas” to work on. I paint a lot of work on found wood or pallets. There is an energy to paintings on found wood, they're imperfect and the final outcome of seeing the painting on an old beat up pallet gives them character.
What has been your biggest growth experience as an artist and as an individual?
I am constantly trying to grow into the best person that I can be. That mentality of trying to be positive and working towards a goal has helped me a lot. It’s a really strange and beautiful feeling to know that people like my work. Nothing makes me happier knowing that my art made someone’s day or helped inspire someone. I just want everyone to be their best self and be unafraid to work towards their own goals. I think I’ve realized that there is no limit to growth and no reason to hold back from anything. I’m not afraid of judgment nor do I care about peoples' opinion of me. Relieving myself of those fears has allowed me to create the most real, genuine art that I can because I'm not afraid to show myself to the world.
What has been the most exciting/rewarding project or collaboration to work on?
I’ve had a lot of really insane opportunities but this one will go down in the books as one of the coolest moments in my life - so, I work in a creative group called 2K with 4 of my best friends. 2K is a creative team started by me (creative director), my friend Ricki (manager), Cam (A&R) and Ellis. Ellis is an amazing musician who goes by the name Diveliner. We’ve been working day and night for years to get his music career off the ground and recently we all got flown out of NY to get him signed to a major label. That whole experience and journey, four young friends making their dreams come true, has been beautiful and surreal. Nothing is better than being able to work with the people you love on stuff you genuinely like doing. That has probably been the best collaborative experience so far.
You shot an editorial for the Nike x Kendrick Lamar Cortez.' First and foremost, congrats! It is such a rad spread that has a dynamic interplay between genre and identity. What was the inspiration, and how did you land this opportunity?
Thanks! The Cortez shoot is a crazy story too. I was actually really sick with the flu when we shot that. Everyone called that my "Jordan game," like Michael Jordan's 1997 flu game. The whole time everyone was yelling “Flu Game Tony!” I was able to get the gig in the first place because I’ve been doing some editorial work for my job at Bodega, and I expressed that I’ve wanted to work creatively for a brand so they gave me and some colleagues the opportunity to create the spread. Nike reached out and wanted something inspired by the streets of LA with a lazy-Sunday-vibe, and we thought that what we created was a perfect representation of the old school spirit of a lazy Sunday; kicking it at the crib, washing the car, hanging out on the front steps. Chilling. They ended up loving the content and I think it’s because of what I mentioned earlier; I like to take every aspect of my life into the work I create. I needed that LA vibe to be a feeling for that spread, the local everyday lifestyle of kids like us out in LA.
What are you working on now?
At the moment I am working on my next collection of clothing titled Volume + -, which will come out late December. I’m always working on paintings and I'm about to open a show titled Uh-Oh at New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles. More shows to come! I’m working on a couple editorials and photo projects, a mural, and I'm working towards getting a more creative position within a clothing brand (if anyone knows of anything hit ya boy up.) Very excited to share all of these up and coming projects with the world. Definitely more gallery shows, more clothing, more murals, more illustrations, I want to do it all!
Where can people view your work?
My Website, my Instagram, and my Tumblr.
What is your dream project?
I want to go above and beyond this, but ever since I was a kid there’s been this Gucci billboard near Sunset and Crescent Heights that I promised myself I would get my art on. I need to do something with Gucci whether it's creative directing an editorial spread, helping on a collection, or conceptualizing a runway show. They're definitely a brand I could see myself working with.
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
Flying really fast
Who are some of your favorite artists?
John Baldessari, Barry McGee, Madsaki, Katsu, Todd James, Basquiat, Katherine Bernhardt, Sterling Ruby, Joe Bradley, Tyrone Lebon, Nick Kight, Charles and Ray Eames, and many, many more
What are your hobbies?
I like to paint, skateboard, bike (fixie), cook, go on adventures, play guitar, go on nighttime drives, write, and take naps.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Blood Orange, Stereolab, Bad Brains, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Young Nudy, Ariel Pink, Toro y Moi, N.E.R.D, Cornelius, Mobb Deep, and a little of everything
Do you have a motto that you live by?
NEVER FOLD !!!
Any last remarks?
Thank you so much for this opportunity. I really appreciate it.
Honestly, just be you. You can make your dreams come true. Don’t listen to negativity. Focus on yourself and the people you love around you. Work hard, go outside, fall in love, get out of your comfort zone - life is funny.
