Interview with Bruce Asbestos by Aaron Juneau in Art Review

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"Through his shrewd use of social media, personal re-hashing of global pop culture and use of new digital technologies, he has established an unmistakable visual identity and unique brand (complete with logos) to almost become a ‘living artwork’.

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His artworks have included his own TV channel, catwalk fashion shows with bespoke collections both real and virtual, paintings of pop and cultural icons, a giant inflatable newt’s eye and, most recently, purchasable online artworks in the form of spinning orb ‘digital assets’ or NFTs."

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'I’ve been thinking about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. I love how the whole thing that people go and see is the art itself. It’s not like the Olympics or other big events where art is attached as a secondary thing, and deemed useful to have around.It’s the thing people want to see: big sculptural floating cartoon characters – almost like a carnival for sculptural objects.

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We find these things mesmerising; these inhaling, exhaling monsters, floating through the sky. It connects us to a pre-scientific history where most of the mechanics of life, death and the cosmos are pure

mystery. It revives those feelings of uncertainty and wonder – a kind of PVC Yeti, UFO, Bigfoot or Loch Ness Monster.

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It allows us to escape our technical understanding of almost everything on earth. We might understand how a balloon rises, but a huge object floating on air is counter-intuitive. We cannot believe our eyes!' - Bruce

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Details of the aquisition of Bruce Asbestos' S/S 2020 Digital Catwalk

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"Over the past year, the Government Art Collection has collaborated with contemporary art networks to collect new works by 45 visual artists from across the UK, celebrating and supporting the diversity of creativity across the Union."

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"‘I’M ACTUALLY HOPING TO BE A MODERN-DAY HOKUSAI’." - Bruce

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"These artworks host complex themes of personal, cultural identity, fantasy and our collective relationship with commerce. Particularly, the work looks to make a sense of the idea of national and regional identity, given we are increasingly exposed to a shared global pop culture. The work prompts audiences to reflect on their own cultural experience."

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Asbestos also wanted a very British symbol of hope: “The work references the ‘Eye of Newt’, an ingredient used by the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, I was thinking of a symbol that was quintessentially British and perhaps wondering whether artists are a sort of cultural witch, who might be able to produce alternative ideas for our post-covid problems, this watching-eye artwork is our first ingredient.”

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Click here to read the full article.

Asbestos also wanted a very British symbol of hope: “The work references the ‘Eye of Newt’, an ingredient used by the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, I was thinking of a symbol that was quintessentially British and perhaps wondering whether artists are a sort of cultural witch, who might be able to produce alternative ideas for our post-covid problems, this watching-eye artwork is our first ingredient.” - 'Carnival to Catwalk' by Benjamin Wild

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"Asbestos released 1,000 video pieces on YouTube at once yesterday--a deluge of idiosyncratic clips...maybe Asbestos is playing the role of spectator and is waiting to see what the Internet will make of the extreme quantity of work."

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"I think I prefer systems that don’t already have an artiness subscribed to them, I prefer Youtube to Vimeo...I think it is more attractive to undermine an intended function, there is a little bit of a thrill you can get by seeing these things as a challenge. How can I make this interesting?" - Quote from Bruce in an interview for We-Are-Low-Profile

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