Q&A: Preston Douglas Boyer

You were the curator for the recent art exhibition California Love, on view at Wienholt Projects between May 17-30. How did you go about selecting the artists for that exhibition?
All of the artists are LA based and I wanted to highlight some of my favorite rising artists. Some of the artists hadn’t shown very much and some are very established. Some young, some old, and I love the mix. Really at the end of the day I love showing work that I personally want to own, my friends, and meeting new amazing artists while putting on a show. A number of the works I had never even seen in person, I just had that intuition that they’ll be even better experienced IRL, and that has been the case!

When you think of California, what does it represent to you?
Manifest destiny. The wild west. Expansion. The land of infinite possibility.

In what ways has California shaped your personal journey?
Texas raised me, New York turned me into the artist I am today, and I am enjoying the fruits of those labors and experiences in LA. This place really is like Houston (where I’m from) and New York in many ways, with it’s own unique tinge. I am in a stage of blossoming here in California, and stepping into my full potential as an artist in scope and scale.

The exhibition aims to provide a platform for artists whose work might not have received widespread recognition yet. What sparked your passion for creating opportunities for emerging and underrepresented artists in today's art world?
I felt unheard and unseen for many years, as I’m sure many young artists do, and I see curating shows as an act of service to artists who may not have had a platform yet. And good things always come when we are of service to others!

Curating exhibitions isn't new to you. How does this experience contribute to your growth as a curator?
I’m really proud of this show and so grateful for Aubrie and Savannah of Wienholt Projects and all of the amazing artists in this exhibition. It’s really been such a joy putting this show together. I learn so much about myself as an artist through curating exhibitions with other talented artists. The thing I’m realizing now with this show is that the fun is really in the process of it all. We work so hard to put all the art on the walls and have it all come together, but like the saying your presence is the present, I’ve really tried to be mindful of that here recently with this show. Easier said than done!

Your work is known for exploring the relationship between the physical and the spiritual. How do you transform spiritual ideas into visual art?
Well I have many mediums, or tools, of expressing emotions, ideas, or concepts into physical objects. Painting, fashion, music, performance, etc. At the end of the day I believe we are spiritual beings having a human experience, so all art is inherently that of a spiritual, or energetic, nature. Therefore, any art is spiritual in nature.

Do you perceive a notable spiritual influence in today's art scene?
Not really. I have spiritual experiences with art sometimes, and that’s what I am always looking for. That’s lately been my understanding of the goal of beauty- to transmute the feeling, or experience, of God through physical objects (then again, physical manifestations of divine energy) - but no I feel like the art world tends to dance around the subject. And that’s okay, I understand why.

Can you explain the dynamic relationship between painting, fashion, and performance within your artistic practice?
Each medium influences the other. Performance really is the ultimate version of my practice in many ways because it encapsulates each medium into an experience. But sometimes a painting can be more effective at translating that world into something more subjective of an experience, which I love as well. The paintings influence the garments I create, which are influenced by what is happening in the performance, and it becomes a feedback loop of sorts. 

Using fabric as both canvas and paint and even exposing the frames of paintings more often than not, what do you think the role of a painting is in today’s culture?
In the age of image oversaturation a painting must be more than a picture. I look for artworks, paintings in particular, that transcend their rectilinear or representational boundaries. I want paintings that make me feel something. Really, I want to experience paintings that translate and transmute some semblance of Spirit incarnate. I see and hear God through other people, and I also look for that  essence through art. A tall order for an artist, but I hope that my work does that in some capacity for the viewer, however they may perceive it in their own way.

Have you considered the direction in which you'd like your artistic practice to develop over the years?
Yes, on a physical level, I have grand visions of a large studio compound with fabricators and assistants helping me produce bronzes and large bodies of intricately detailed paintings (all of which I keep in a note tab for future painting series, of which I have so many planned). I see the practice continuing to move towards larger performances in beautiful spaces. I’m currently working on assembling a choir for this next performance, and hopefully future ones. I get deeply ingrained in a music project for a performance, then a painting series, then a fashion project, etc, but I let my intuition and heart guide me in the next right direction. As an aside, I see myself being the creative director of a large fashion company some day and incorporating these elements of my practice into a larger context. I am so happy with where my practice is at, it’s just a matter of refining through each project or show and then allowing the right people, places, and things to come into my life to help it grow to the next level!