Justin is a fine artist who straddles the borders of New York and Italy. He analyzes culture, historical topics and a myriad of other relevant and intriguing issues through installation, performance, sculpture, video and sound. “His work explores the historic implications of triumph, victory and ascension by re-contextualizing references from Roman antiquity and mending these with aspects of African-American culture both past and present”.
What is a joyous moment that you’ve experienced recently?
Last month I realized a performance work in collaboration with my brother Jason Thompson, two Madrid based filmmakers Nicolas Combarro and Miguel Delgado, a Santander based choreographer Cristina Samaniego and an amazing group of musicians and dancers. The work was performed at the Fundacion Botin in Santander Spain and was one of those examples in my work and life where you see numerous years of work and planning boil down to 30 minutes of intensity. The spirit of collaboration and the generosity of all involved extended beyond my expectations and the organization of the event was seamless. There is a way in which broader collaborations push me in the intensity of a work and really direct me towards what I am interested in leaving behind me as an artist.
A second Moment within a couple weeks was a performance work done in Brooklyn NY at Momenta Art, Again in collaboration with Jason Thompson though this time also engaging my longtime collaborator Bradly Dever Treadaway, My sister Jennifer Thompson and a group of amazing and talented friends that have long been supportive of the work. The piece brought to fruition a dream project that has been in hibernation for numerous years and was designed for the public to engage in the same spirit and with the same intensity of the performers. The beautiful and most fulfilling thing was that I could step back and simply observe as a spectator and that, for me, giving up the reigns on expression is one of the most magical moments that I can share.
Why did you start making art?
Art was born within me and myself and many around me have nurtured it ever since. It is one of the outlets for me that allows everything that I love to come together and speak in the kind of terms that I have never been able to articulate in any other context. I think it is also born out of a desire to push others to find their own spaces for articulating complex beings through the melting of boundaries and the shedding of defaults.
Did you have to give anything up to pursue art?
No. I always say that I never quit anything….
Besides this, what is another hidden talent, passion, or hobby of yours?
Not so hidden, but I am a musician and have a blues trio called Blip Trio that allows a separate release of expression that has been with me throughout most of my life. Music for me is a way of forgetting very temporarily that you got other things to do while celebrating the spirit of so many past that have not yet been elevated to their proper places.
Are you close with your family?
Very close. I have a wife and two daughters that keep me grounded, focused and loved. What a blessing it is to share the world with them. My Parents and siblings are in constant dialogue with me and frequently the object of my choice of venues.
What is the most traumatic thing you’ve gone through?
Trauma is a bit of a collective experience in my mind meaning that previous experiences of trauma combine with those felt personally in a sort of solidarity to create a psychological space that can be paralyzing. I don’t like to think of any individual moment as representing this for me but instead look to ways of living with all of it in a healthy balance of learning and consistently growing towards maturity…perhaps even wisdom… if I’m lucky.
If you could tell everyone in the world something, what would it be?
Disrupt the default.
You can find more of Justin’s work and upcoming events at:
justinrandolphthompson.com
