As we have been doing with our Jux Saturday School series, for the next few weeks, the near global shutdown will have us focusing on a few different, more intimate things on the site. We will continue to highlight films, art interviews and documentaries here to help you pass the time, but we also want to get you inspired by going into the studios of some of our favorite artists. Often, an artist's practice is a solitary one, and we hope their creativity inspires in this time of uncertainty. Today, we visit Gosha Levochkin.
Russian born, and raised in the United States, Gosha Levochkin has enjoyed a wide range of influences that define him not only as a person, but also as a creative. The dramatic life trajectory that transported the immigrant kid from Moscow to Hollywood immediately schooled the young boy for social adaptation as an essential survival skill.
Leaving high school early, Levochkin became immersed in the local skate scene, and fortuitously, working at an art supply store as he began to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. The experience surrounded him with materials and techniques he was able to apply when eventually launching a career in the art-making world, beginning as an assistant in an artist's studio. Rich with life experiences, armed with expertise, and active in the local cultural scene, Levochkin worked successfully for several years, showing in Southern California before another big change, moving to NYC in 2015. While pursuing a prolific studio practice as a fine artist, he founded the Dirty Hands Workshop in the Lower East Side Manhattan, offering a kind of alternate art education unavailable in traditional school settings.
In his studio practice, Levochkin explores the idea of adaptation by creating surreal scenes populated by a recurring cast of characters. Stripped of cultural symbols or features, these universal subjects are constantly working themselves out of the proverbial "jam”, and as colorful, simple shapes, they attempt to tame, tackle and tease their environment in thought provoking and amusing encounters with nature. Influenced by the ligne claire style of drawing, his acrylic paintings translate the crisp visuals onto a traditional medium. His joy in selecting color and personal perspective enhance background and surfaces, as his recent pieces introduce even more gradients to further enrich his captivating images.
Gosha is looking forward to global currents settling down so he can embark on some upcoming presentations with Over The Influence, including a solo show at their Hong Kong location. —Sasha Bogojev
