Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
my name is michael c thorpe, i was born on november 16 1993 on the east coast of the USA. 1st part of my experience on earth was dedicated to athletic endeavors and common adolescence nonsense. 2nd part of it is ongoing. currently dreaming about how to live as close to a human as possible within a capitalistic society. which has me arguing for a view of the self and of identity that is opposite of the personal brand: an unstable, shape shifting thing determined by interactions with other beings and different kinds of places.
Are there any influences that are core to your work?
I would say the core influences to my work are beer, something else press, Philip T. Annand, Lou Jones, Martin Kippenberger, Lorraine O’Grady, the surrealists, Rahseed Wallace, Pope L., my mother Susan Richards, water, my loving wife Cecilia Gehred, savage detectives by roberto bolano, david hammons, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, dieter roth, NTS radio, Les Blank films, golf, sunlight, lee lozano, my cat, the internet (not the band), Legos, anyone under the age of 5 and over the age of 75
Is there a moment you look back on as being formative to your identity as an artist?
back in the wild west days of high school, i took advantage of this opportunity to forgo all your classes the second half of my senior year to focus on one project. nine weeks or six weeks or however long it was allowed me to have a small sense of freedom. i believe you had to report to one class, the hey hows it going class, a week. other than that you can do as you please. shit if you wanted to sit on the beach all day and work on your tan you could. the only thing was at the end of the year you had 2 present something, pass or fail. this made me realize there was alternative ways of existing in society. before then i just played ball and went to school to make sure i could play ball. looking back on this time it was eerily parallel to being an artist because no one is holding your hand and you have 2 figure out how to spend your days and what you want to do… and present.
Describe your current workspace.
my current work space is like an old dirty casino in atlantic city. no windows. no clocks. only fluorescent lights, hopes and dreams.
Do you have any rituals when you arrive there?
other than masterbation, nothing comes 2 mind
Has your background as an athlete influenced or inspired your art practice in any way?
absolutely. it has taught me to focus on whatever im doing and take it seriously. in every respect trying to be an athlete is something that has all the trappings of not working out. you may not be the fastest, strongest, most talented, shit the coach just might not like you. however you still train, practice to get better just because of this fantasy of playing in the big game. making the game winning play. its a very goal oriented occupation but the benefits of that is the absurd dedication you put towards it. now in art you do the same thing in terms of focus and dedication HOWEVER the best part is you decide the goal ! now you are the boss of the outcome and that makes it light years more enjoyable because youre in control.
You’ve worked extensively with quilting. What was your introduction to the medium? As a popular craft in various communities throughout history, how does it feel to be the next in line to work with this medium?
quilts have surrounded me my entire life without me even realizing. my mother has created this world of crafts her entire life and bless me with warm and beautiful quilts for all my years. its so funny to reflect back on never really being curious about what my mom was doing while i was younger. now my mother is a walking google search anything craft related. truthfully i dont think about the linage of quilting pass my mother. often times i honestly forget they are quilts because i treat them as my paint brush and paint. maybe one day people will put me next in line for the medium but in the meantime i am just gonna keep creating silly stuff.
Your sculptures often incorporate found objects. When you’re sourcing material for your work, is there anything in particular that you’re searching for? At what point does the material start informing the composition?
im always looking for things, ideas, stuff, objects, nicknacks to incorporate into my art. i source stuff from wherever i encounter them. my way of working is always trying to tap into my stream of consciousness and dont overthink. (great example is this interview). big flow state guy over here. whenever something attracts me i just grab it and hold onto it until it makes sense to use. its an ever flowing exchange of inspiration. the material is kinda always in charge when it comes to the sculptures. sometimes it is perfect as it is and other times it wants a buddy to hang out with. i realized some time ago that i treat sculptures similar to quilts, putting things together until it makes something else.
Where do you draw inspiration for your work?
if you look around today, everything is getting homogenized. everyone has an apple product, amazon, instagram, facebook. we are constantly consolidating our options. you can see that in art as well. that totally freaked me out feeling that i had to consolidate my interests. i am on an active crusade to expand my understanding of the world through exploring different styles and bodies of work. i always envied artists where they were hard to describe exactly what they did.
What is one of the bigger challenges you and/or other artists are struggling with these days and how do you see it developing?
the flattening of what it means to be an artist. i feel like now you have to have an online presence, you have to go to school, do a residency, have a recognizable style, blah blah blah or people in the art world wont take you seriously. well that is one art world. in reality there are many many art worlds. i hope people challenge it by walking their own paths. no matter what, being an artist is the tough road and even if you play the game perfectly it can still be rugged. be true to yourself. stay curious. and i think that will fulfill you. that got a little too preachy but fuck it.
Are there any areas that you’re interested in taking your art practice further?
nothing is off limits.
How does your creative community now compare to your creative community when you were younger?
when i was younger all the athletes wanted to be artists ( they just didnt know it ) now all the artists want to be athletes ( and they arent very good at sports )
What is something you want to see more of in your world or in your community?
money
What do you collect?
match boxes, rocks, hair, bottles of beer, toys, ideas, wood, instruments, fabric, memories, clothing ( need to stop that ), books, photographs, sentences, drawings, magazines, scraps, souls, stuffed animals hats
Do you have a dream project?
the next one
Interview conducted by Luca Lotruglio.