The $tatus Faction has been doing work on the streets for years and constantly challenges themselves to do bigger and bigger things for Los Angeles. The latest is a big time solo show that opens on April 1st. We're also pleased to announced that T$F will be doing live art at the L.A. Taco Madness party next Tuesday...
What's the history of the $tatus Faction? We've been seeing you up for a long time, when did things really start getting serious in terms of doing shows, live events, etc?
Our history stems from well over 15 years of varied vandalism, but it was five years ago when we collectively created The $tatus Faction. The idea is an encompassing group of artists who tackle any medium, a jack of all trades. We wanted to blend the boundaries between street art, graffiti, fine art, live art, music, and multimedia. Nothing is off limits or out of the norm for our behavior. The $tatus Faction is just a reaction to our thoughts and premonition. It’s challenging to differentiate if we’re always being serious or we’re never being serious, that’s a large part of our charm.
What's your favorite taco(s)?
T$F will never have a unanimous decision on this, but some favorites include the tacos home grilled on the porch, using in a 15 dollar grill bought at Rite-Aid with the asada from the little market on Glendale and Allesandro. Other favorites are the gringo tacos from Malo in Silverlake, and the cameron hardshell tacos from the truck on Olympic Blvd, just east of Soto in Vernon.
You have a lot of different elements and members with their own signature style, how do you bring it all together?
We're always living on the edge of our material. The challenge hasn't been bringing our own diverse styles together, but rather bringing the public to recognize our art as one cohesive marque. We relish in our diversity, and aim to keep people guessing what T$F will do next. So much of our work looks different, the only rub is getting people to tie it all together under T$F's credit. Aesthetically our style is dirty and has a real grimy vibe, we create that soul by hand making almost everything we put out. Contextually our work is fairly offensive, we definitely walk along the division between art and straight vandalism. It's profane, playful, sarcastic, and always honest.
Tell us about the upcoming show and what it's all about?
Our new exhibit is titled "I'm with stUpid" and the opening reception is coinciding with April Fools' Day. We're focusing the theme all around humor and foolishness. Humor is such a large part of our identity and we've played into that strength for this show. We'll be exploring humor’s vast range from sarcasm, political, religious, blue, parody, practical jokes, wit, wisecracks, and even toilet humor. The work itself spans over several mediums including traditional paintings, stencil work, printmaking, sculpture, installations, and even a little digital artwork. We're really excited to just have fun, be silly, and get stupid. Life isn't always so serious! The show is being held at the newly remodeled Physical Goods Gallery, right in the heart of Hollywood's Cahuenga Corridor. Keep your eyes open for the upcoming flyers and teaser videos releasing here on LATaco.com!
Do you have a favorite part of LA?
Most of our time is split between Echo Park, Hollywood and Downtown L.A..
What keeps T$F motivated?
We are motivated by life in general and doing something with it. Whether it’s painting walls or riding a bad ass motorcycle down PCH, life is never boring.
Do you have a piece you've done for the streets that really stands out as a favorite?
One that comes to mind is when we incorporated a local homeless lady named Angie into our street art. Her shanty was surrounded by imagery of paparazzi taking her picture. We created a reversal of fortune meeting with the ignorance of some media outlets.
Stay up to date with the faction here: http://www.thestatusfaction.net/
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