LAist talks 'All the Kicks'

After spending months on the road playing music for Lady Gaga's little monsters, musician and artist Cole Whittle finds himself in Los Angeles feeling inspired to create an installation to express his ideas of artistic anarchy. Curated by Lenora Claire his new show opening at Pop tArt gallery tonight entitled All the Kicks. The exhibit, that will be on view next to Austin Young's Your Face Here, features multi-media work by Whittle. After he opens this aggressive new show (look for many images of him giving the finger), Whittle heads out on tour playing bass for Semi Precious Weapons on the Lady Gaga tour. While he was readying pieces for the Pop tArt show, LAist learned about about how Whittle approaches creating visual art, the forces that drive his rebellious choices, and how he gets his kicks.

LAist: When did you start making art?

Colw Whittle: In an attic somewhere, there lies a loose leaf mountain of my inability to focus in school and my supreme ability to draw barf and dogs pictures since kindergarten.

Do you still have any of the things you made when you were a kid?

When I was ten I made a sculpture of my ideal spaceship cockpit out of lumber and ten carpenter pencils. that gem followed me all the way to Brooklyn.

What will you be showing at Pop tART?

My show All the Kicks will be the disastrous result of putting my imagination in a small room in Koreatown. I made fashion, ink, print, poems, music, and sculptures. hopefully it will be radically vague as to what is which.

How did you find out about Pop tART and what has it been like to work with the curator Lenora Claire?
Lenora and I met when my band was being photographed by Austin Young. Knowing her has changed my life. Lenora is a walking universe all her own..., which is what I wish to be.

What inspires the imagery you create?

Trash. Rural versus urban. I hate symmetry. If I could kick it in the neck, I would. I love people who project bright light. If I can kiss them on the neck, I do.

What kinds of feelings are you aiming to evoke from the people who see your show?

My only hope is that a few people will say, ”this is cool”.

You always wear elaborately detailed clothing. How much of your wardrobe do you create yourself?

When I look down, I have to see attitude, ideas, and creativity or I feel worthless. Everything I wear is something that existed until I turned it into something that shouldn't exist.

Next you head out on tour with Lady Gaga with your band Semi Precious Weapons. How does the music you play influence your artwork?
All the adventure, energy, victory, and failure involved in playing music all over the planet helps my art.

What have you learned from playing with Lady Gaga?

Watching Gaga work day and night on her world has taught me to be less of a lazy punk and become whatever I want.

After the tour what's next?

After the tour I want to do another gallery show and continue to have all the kicks.