CoolCool initially began as an excuse to show my work and have a party. However, through constant introspection and personal growth, it developed into an initiative to build something bigger than myself. In 2015, after making a couple series of painting, I decided that I wanted to share with others what I had been working on. So I rented a pop-up space for a single night, invited all my friend and put on my first solo art show in New York City.
I entitled the show Cool Cool because it was simply a collection of pieces that illustrated the things that I like: portraits of people I was inspired by, typography of youthful sentiments, and watercolors of fashion and plants. As a single word, ‘cool’ sometimes is associated with this idea of trying too hard to “be cool.” However, as two words being said, it has a more agreeable and understanding tone - such as “Oh ya. Cool cool. I get it.” [nods head] And at the core, I think this is the ethos of what I do. It’s what I call a ‘casual optimism.’ I want people to be inspired but not feel intimidated. In that first show, there were nascent signs of visual development, however it lacked depth and a connection to anything outside of myself.
For the following show called CoolCool NYC, I wanted to connect with others by presenting work inspired by the experiences of living in the city. For example with dating, He Was Nice plays with this idea that you can say the same phrase different ways and they can mean two different meanings: one as a complement and another as a polite yet indecisive rejection. It’s a turn of phrase. Drinks & Jokes and I Was Here.You Were There. engage the viewer with self-awareness as if the painting was talking directly to you. It’s also a nod to how New Yorkers drink a lot together and are very aware of their personal space. This was also when I began to paint abstract art with my Curvilinear series which use only curved lines to shape the compositions. It was at this show that I discovered a playfulness that helped me start to think more conceptually about creating art.
The subsequent year, I continued to painting using flat geometric shapes - influenced by artists I’ve looked up to like Geoff McFetridge, Jonas Wood and Ellsworth Kelly. However, everything I made felt a bit meaningless. It was when a friend commissioned me to make a typographic painting that I came up with the idea to combine the words with the shapes. Originally, I decided to paint the phrase in a geometric typeface and have shapes reflect the action, but I decided it might be nice to illustrate the action as well so I painted a pair of pieces. I had been reading about phenomenology and how other typographic works from other artists engage the viewer. I came up with this concept about mimicking and how this pair of pieces would make the viewer self-aware of what their bodies were doing while looking of the art - whether consciously or subconsciously. This started the Art of Experience series that illustrated the ways in which we approach and acknowledge art. This would be the first time in which I would incorporate stronger concepts into my art practice.
Alongside this development, I also began to experiment with other minimal approaches to my geometric paintings. With the Single Gestures series, I placed upon myself the restriction of using only a limited number of single strokes to make a visual impression. The process presented to me the idea that gestures are not only large wide strokes but also a dot is a single gesture. Through this exercise, I understood that the making process can be part of the concept.
In 2017, I combined the two series and entitled my third CoolCool show called Studies. It looked at how we engage with art and how I approach my own art. I curated the show in which the two series were on facing walls. The motion of the Single Gestures pieces were to reflect the relative actions happening directly across in the Art of Experience pieces. At the opening, I had a discussion with someone and he mentioned how my work can be described as “graphic minimalism.” He showed me how my work has a cleanliness but plays with visual weight and texture. This was a great takeaway for me from this show, because it gave me some insight into the logos of my work and how I rationalize my visual and conceptual decisions.
At this point in my artistic practice, I had shown development in the areas of tone and technique, however it still lacked emotional value, a pathos. It was an introspective question I had to ask myself which was “What am I passionate about?” I narrowed it down to two areas: consumption of information and sustainability. In thinking about relevant current issues, I thought about how much of the communication, meant to help climate change, is being presented in an aggressive and overwhelming manner - often leading to people feeling incapable of making lasting change or not knowing where to begin. This led to my fourth art and design show called CoolCool Planet where I presented work that encouraged people to approach climate change in a positive and proactive way.
And so, that is the state of where CoolCool is at. It has evolved from the inside out. I started from the things I liked and continually thought about ideas outside of myself. I’ve found my three artistic proofs: Casual Optimism, Graphic Minimalism, Approachable Sustainability. Eventually, I would like to bring others into this sphere to start CoolCool Studio. However, before that can I happen, I want continue to develop new ideas in order to find a stronger identity with cultural relevance.
Paper is a casual discourse series meant to document my thought process and track the development of the CoolCool creative practice. I want to share my ideas and welcome your thoughts as well. Let’s discuss!