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Michael Alan is a staple iconic native New York City nonstop artist and activist who’s roots lie in the underground art, music, punk, 90’s clubs, and street culture of old NYC. He got his shine at a young age, with his work critically acclaimed, featured in countless solo, group, and museum shows, and worldwide collections. He is known for his signature line work, figurative abstract painting, and Living Installation performance which has made an impact on preserving old NYC culture. His work varies from drawing, painting, sculpture, print making, collage, mural, installation, music, and performance. Alan is extremely prolific, creating work around the clock all around the city. He has produced over seven thousand completed artworks in spite of enduring massive trauma to his physical body.
Tell me about your current mood and feelings? I’d rather reflect on the current mood of everyone. I ask everyone to dig deep into helping others and think realistically on strategy that can work for a long haul and ongoing then after because we always thinks what can we do now, but we also need to think how we can change for the future as a whole and individually.
Lets’ start at the beginning…how did you become an artist? Nature, mother earth, natural rhythms of growing up all around pens and paper. I just was my natural path from my earliest memories to now. It stems from that old school New York culture that I was surrounded by growing up here. My mom was a creative writer. I would go all over the city with her to meet with her friends while she worked on her poetry. Creating came naturally. My mom is the truest artist because she takes no credit for anything she writes. She has zero ego and lives to create happiness. She’s my best friend. I was born with this super person. People in every hood knew her. She was as cool as cool can be, and she still is.
You have an impressive list of commercial clients such as HBO, ABC, SVA and many celebrities, . Does your commercial work vary to the art style you’re known for? No, my commercial clients license work that I have already created, through my manager Greg. Sometimes I’ll create a commissioned work but it never strays from my style.
Tell me about the route to obtaining your first paid gig as an artist…I didn’t go on any route, I just always made work and by making work people wanted to buy it, so I sold my work. It was very natural and I never have attempted other ways as I find the “sales first” mindset to be the number one problem in art today.
How do you sustain being a full time artist in New York? I’m born and raised in New York City. I am always concentrating on making the best work I can, working around the clock. I’ve been doing this since the 90’s.
The Living Installation – tell me more? The Living Installation stemmed from different kinds of performance based things I’d create in the clubs I worked at, or in the streets of NYC. It had no name, was very laid back. Then in early 2000 came the Drawathon Theater marathon. People would come to draw what they saw for hours, as I turned human models into art. Then everyone started throwing drink and draws after this so the Living Installation emerged. The focus on viewers drawing was dropped, and it became purely art animated by humans. It is constantly evolving, ongoing project, the creation of human sculptures. It is process based, grassroots, DIY. It is more of an attitude than an event. We are all living installations.
You’ve always struck me as someone who’s very spiritual, do you feel this is true? I don’t know who are you, who are we, who I am. I don’t believe in one thing but I do believe in the power of doing. Art action. Dedication and knowledge, wisdom and trying all different things and reaching out to people in need. I find art can sometimes be the opposite of that in many aspects. It becomes a me me me me me me me me me world. I try my best with my outlook to combat that plastic fake egocentric generic scene. That scene is another part of the problem of all the other problems that are contributing to the bigger problem at hand. In the art world you have all these applications and who you know and did you attend that show. All of this is red tape. Its stuff in the way of feeling. Yes it’s nice to have art friends but it’s not nice when it becomes more about the person than the action. It becomes anti productive when the art image is countered with the artist. The image should speak for itself. Explanations are good by should not overpower the image. We live in a time when we all need an answer and now there are just no answers. We need to ask what can we do? Instead of what will I get?
You sadly lost your father last year. How has death and loss affected you, and your work? I have to take care of my mom and Jadda. Those are my primary goals. I don’t have any resource or benefactor and I don’t care. As far as inspiration, it’s time and what we do with our time. Everyone loses time. I lose time and I can’t afford to lose time. It’s about making the most of time.
Alan’s father is pictured centre
What advice can you share with others surrounding death and loss? Death and loss is natural for this odd existence. The loss is at an extreme high right now. It goes in waves and it makes life very bumpy. It makes people sad or angry, every emotion, makes people separate, brings people together. My best advice with death and loss is to go inward, check in, and maybe if you can realize that we all die and that you will die also, then there might be some comfort knowing that this human life isn’t forever. Each of us get our turn. Easier said than done. I lost my entire family except from my mom until now. Everyone. That might be the spiritual part you see in me.
You and Jadda Cat are a creative force. Talk to me about how you met, your love and working together… Fate. I saw her little eyeballs and her eyeballs saw mine and we made out then we made art so on and so forth. Repeat duplicate triplicate. Beep beep beep.
Michael Alan and his partner in love and life, Jada Cat. Photo courtesy of NICK R Martin
Tell me about your process…First and foremost, I hate the word “mine” or “I”. Needed to say that. Process gets tricky. People have rituals formats repetition. The work created from the soul varies minute to minute. In reality there are thousands and thousands of paintings, drawings, performances, and songs. It would be impossible to summarize the process but I can give a word. Intention.
You have a very distinct style. What I love about your work is every time you look at I piece, I see something new. The little figures you see when you gaze closely. How did you come to create this style? Thank you. Maybe it’s not me. Maybe everything is a gift and we need to open our minds and hearts and let go of human shit in order to see what we can pull from other states into this human reality.
How do you feel inspired? I am constantly inspired. I am not inspired by sadness or hate but there is a lot of that, so I dig deep. I think we are in for a very long long change of the human condition. This will challenge all of us. I hope we can grow and become more open.
You seem to draw in influences from popular culture. Does what’s happening socially and politically inspire you? Everything inspires me. I’m a political art activist. Whether that’s me in the street covered up in a cardboard robot suit commenting about cellphones, or painting my version of the Joker for humanity’s sake, I’m trying to get to people’s beings. Change history today. Real change begins in us the people. Down with the me me me me me up with we. Let go of hate. Make a stand or fall slowly.
What are your thoughts surrounding being ‘stuck’ and overcoming this? I guess you’re speaking about quarantine. It’s way deeper than quarantine. People are dying people are losing their family and their mind. It’s such sensitive subject. I’m just another statistic. Many many poor people are really at the brunt of it. Many workers are the people suffering and at risk. The elderly, the sick, the lost, the misinformed. I think it speaks about how we all treat each other. It’s horrific. It also gives us a chance to rally. I think each person will have to find a way to overcome. The government most likely won’t truly help you. Many are being left behind. You have to really think, prep, and stay as aware as you can. You need to have a good support team, and think way out the same old agenda. We’re gonna have to change history today, not tomorrow!
Talk to me about fear – what are you afraid of? Culture icons taking over the world, idiots in power, racism.
What’s been your greatest achievement, and define what achievement means to you? Being alive
What piece of work are you most proud of? The art of living.
The future – what do you see happening, for yourself and for the world? I can’t see the into the future, but if the overall theme of behavior doesn’t change, then the world as we know it will continue on this hard sad path. It is damn time for everyone to grow and band together, cut the greed and kill cool person vibes out….. that’s the core of this. We are all in this together. The cure is organizing, and seeing reality.
What do you want to be known for? NYC native born and bred soldier who fought for the common folk, who came from nothing and made a big bang in the art nonsense world.
Recommendations – Van Gogh’s Diaries. They are relevant to all of us, and also show you to not judge someone based on what a movie or follow told you. Listen for yourself. See no evil.
What six words which describe you…. Words are letters organized on paper.
