It would be an overstatement to say that all visual culture stemming from mass media aesthetics can be traced back to a single person. But if there were such a person, it would be Wayne White. Consider how many animators, artists, and directors cite the sets and characters of Pee Wee's Playhouse or Shining Time Station with Ringo Starr as deep set inspirations for their careers. Everything from the earnest silliness of SpongeBob SquarePants to the stop animation of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the provocative animations of Adult Swim can trace thematic or stylistic similarities back to the artist's prolific output.
Through his Los Angeles success story, White has also spent time focusing on personal artistic pursuits, painting and making larger-than-life puppets inspired by his Southern upbringing. His latest solo exhibition at Hashimoto Contemporary, Jumping From Ice Floe to Ice Floe, spans White's creative output as he continues his renowned Word Painting series and expands into figurative paintings that document his time in the television industry.
Before his exhibition opened, White spoke with Virginia MOCA curator Heather Hakimzadeh-who also curated the exhibition at Hashimoto Contemporary-about being a superstar from the South, his long and varied career, and maintaining authenticity while trying to get paid.
Heather Hakimzadeh: Can you tell me a little about what this exhibition means to you and the imagery that it evokes? Wayne White: JFIFTIF is my description of surviving as an artist. I've used it since I left Tennessee 1981 when I moved to New York City. It's a movie in my head about the fast moving, dangerous world of NYC and LA. I've been in survival mode for a long time. It's also comical in its overly melodramatic narrative. How has that affected my art? I don't know. I have a long visual record of all the different jumps and decisions I've made. I'm usin
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