Interview with Johnnie JungleGuts

q)Introduce yourself, name,age, location.

a)I'm Johnnie JungleGuts, I'm 24 years old, and I live in Highland

Park, Los Angeles.

q) Can you describe your path to being an artist? When did you really

get into it?

a) I first started taking art classes in high school because I wanted to

be a comic book writer. Then during my senior year of high school I

did a volunteer project with Dolphins in the Bahamas. The dolphins

were really queer and it was really inspirational for me. They seemed

so free, and I didn't feel so alone as a gay human learning that there

were many other queer animals. I felt like I owed the animals

something for these revelations and my artistic focus shifted to being

about animal welfare and wildlife conservation.

q) Describe your ideals and how they manifest in your work.

a) I'm a proud queer and I'm a conservationist, with my focus being

wildlife. I also know that even if someone doesn't look like you or

talk like you they could still be feeling and thinking the same sort

of things that you're feeling, even when we're talking about other

species. Most of my work features animals in some way but I try to

take this subject matter a step further and make people consider and

appreciate other kinds of living in new ways. Steve Irwin said that

people want to save the things that they love and I make my work under

that creedo. If I can help people love nature they're going to be more

likely to make choices that support our threatened ecosystems. If I

can get people to understand big gay me then they might understand the

gays a little better.

q) Is music a part of your studio time? What do you listen to?

a)My favorite thing to listen to while I work is slowed and throwed

versions of R+B and Diva House tracks.  My favorite song is a chopped

and screwed version of Show Me Love by Robin S. My favorite band is My

Bloody Valentine. My favorite solo artist is Dolly Parton.

q) How would you describe your work to someone?

a)I usually tell people that I make drawings of animals and videos with

animals and I have a radio show where I interview people about

conservation issues. When they ask me what kind of animals I work with

I'll tell them a few and go from there. I mostly like to let the work

speak for itself and I try not to brag too much about petting wolves.

q) Influences?

a)I hate to admit it because I don't like everything she does but I

think that M.I.A. was a huge influence on me because I was obsessed

with her in high school. We're both  multimedia artists who try to be

political and cool at the same time- it's a risky business but I

suppose it's a good model if you want to gain influence for a cause.

AA Bronson is an artist whose influenced me a lot. He's an artist and

a healer and it's often hard to tell when the art begins and the

healing ends. I'd like to simultaneously be an artist and healer as

well, and I see my painting and performance work as part of the same

practice that includes the hands on conservation and care taking work

I've done with animals.

q) Describe your process for creating new work.

a)My painting process sort of revolves around me trying to paint

something, making little mistakes, and then leaving them in because it

actually makes the paintings weirder in these subtle ways. In my video

and performance work I usually try to take something that I'm already

doing in my life and make it weirder. I already sing in the bath tub

but why don't I do it in front of an audience? I'm already in South

America getting groomed by monkeys but what if I was singing while

they were doing it?

q) What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)To get out there in the art world you have to get out there in the art

world. Go to as many art events as possible. But don't forget to

actually make work.

q) What are you really excited about right now?

a)I always look forward to my radio show on Kchung Radio that happens

every Wednesday, at 8:30 pst. You can listen to it online at

kchungradio.org or if you're in Chinatown Los Angeles you can listen

in at 1630 AM.

q) What do you love most about where you live?

a)Being an environmentalist I often feel like some sick secret part of

me wants the human race to fail, and for that reason I have a fetish

for apocalyptic wastelands. Los Angeles is an apocalyptic wasteland.

So I love it!

q) Best way to spend a day off?

a) Hiking or camping though I rarely get the chance to do either.

q) Upcoming shows/ projects?

a) I run a drawing club called  and we're having a show in mid June at

the Concord Gallery in Cypress Park. My band, American Grizzly, is

going to start recording very soon for our first record.

q) Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)Johnniejungleguts.com is the best place to look at my  work. Also,

JohnnieJungleGuts is my video channel on YouTube.