As an artist that is constantly experimenting, Jonny Negron has developed a style known for its gritty representation of youth culture. Pulling from a multitude of collected references and archetypes, Negron has been able to create an hue saturated world, where anything is possible, and every move is intentional.

Where did your artistic journey start? You grew up in New York, right?
I was born in Puerto Rico, but I really grew up in Long Island, New York. I grew up in essentially suburbia. I think being close to New York, you have a window to every world. You have exposure to different people, and all kinds of culture. So, yeah, I think, by the time I was in my teens, I'd go to the city a lot.

What were the things you did when you went to New York?
Usually go to shows, maybe like a punk kind of show. Moshing and drinking beers and stuff with my friends. Cutting class.

Was music one of your first passions?
Not in practice, but I think I've always had close friends who were musicians or fans of music. There were some friends that I think were creative, but it was a rather small group. I think my earliest, my first strong friendships were people who were just inspired by art. I was always in school known as the kid who drew a lot.

Than was art your first touchpoint for creativity?
Yeah. I was fairly introverted too, and I was always drawing in class. I think I had a lot of, even in high school, tumultuous relationships with some of my art teachers. I think a lot of them always felt that I wasn't fulfilling my potential. From the time I was very young, people were always impressed by what I was doing. So, there were always voices that kind of pushed me forward. One of my last art shows, which I was really excited to work on, because the work was featuring artists who had, you might say, a Japanese influence or with a reference to Japanese pop culture in their work. I was excited to explore these themes in a piece I produced for a group show at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo in 2022. The exhibition featured works by artists influenced by Japanese pop aesthetics.

Though you connected with art, you didn’t immediately know it was a calling?
No, I think everyone has different life trajectories and passions, and when you're in school, you're forced to be there. So I think for so many people, once they actually have the option to be free, to a degree, then we let everything go, you know? I did however keep a love for comics. Anime and manga, of course. One of my last art shows, which I was really excited to work on, because the work was featuring artists who had, you might say, a Japanese influence or with a reference to Japanese pop culture in their work. I was excited to explore these themes in a piece I produced for a group show at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo in 2022. The exhibition featured works by artists influenced by Japanese pop aesthetics.

Now that you say this, I can definitely see underlying influences in comic and manga in your artwork. I’d say if I walked into a room full of art, I could find yours. It's very distinctly you.
Well, I was originally pursuing a career in graphic art, doing comics and illustration. As mentioned, it was my obsession as a youth. I would experiment and produce different kinds of works, and just see what the response was. So, I think, there are definitely different iterations of what I was doing, especially with comics. I'd make a lot of short comics and illustrations and utilise different social media platforms, like MySpace, and even DeviantArt.

MySpace, what a classic! [smiles]
Yeah, all those things that I think were trending at one point or another.

Oh yeah, for sure. Did you ever publish comic books?
Yeah, well I published some a while back, and I think that's sort of what introduced my work to a wider audience. I was just producing some comics independently, and then, I eventually worked with some publishers, like PictureBox. We only had the opportunity to work on one book together before they went out of business. I think it was almost within the same year that we published the book. So, that was really unfortunate because they were probably my favourite publisher for graphic work. They were one of the few publishers that I think were consciously bridging the gap between comics, which is usually seen as more of a niche culture, but they presented it more, like, this is art, this is sequential art. I think once they went out of business, my interests were already shifting and I think wanting to put more emphasis on the art itself, in the rendering of each image. I’d say that made me realise that the storytelling could be reduced to a singular image.

All your paintings certainly do have a very strong narrative.
Thanks! It is important that with the work that I've been producing, a lot of it, I think, kind of exists within a continuum. My themes varies from piece to piece of course, but over time there's a cue of ideas that's always growing and growing and growing. By the time you complete a piece, you have five ideas.

Is your process long and complex?
You mean the process, the conceptual process?

Yeah, exactly!
Oh yeah, there’s definitely stages. I mean, it definitely starts with an idea. Some of those ideas might ruminate for years. When a time comes where I think this idea is maybe right, and seems like I can execute this idea, I'll start. Like with The Japanese American Cultural Community Center piece I worked on. One particular figure I referenced for that piece, was from a particular Hentai. I didn't watch it, but I remember I would see the VHS case as a child. It was maybe one of the first images that I had ever seen like that, and I remember being maybe 10 or something, and just feeling really perplexed by that image. So, I always wanted to reference it, and finally this show felt the right to experiment with the idea.

Once you are in the flow, are you good at knowing when you are done?
Yeah, it’s usually when they knock on the door! [grins] The pieces can be worked on endlessly. I'm not extremely precious with it, and I think with my style, there's no right way to do it. I think it's always fun to allow room for change, for variation to happen with the final piece. It's almost impossible to transfer what you vision in your mind's eye, right?

I’d say impossible!
That's something that maybe that’s my big problem. I want it to be like this and sometimes it's maybe wildly different. But interesting results can come from that process.

Your art is quite intense with use of colour, I assume this is purposeful, but how important is colour to you?
Huge! I think a lot in terms of colour. I'll want an image that I think, what's the word I'm looking for, that I think represents that vibe.

I can see in your studio for instance, there is a lot of purple.

Oh yeah, there’s been a lot of purple recently, but I want to kind of gradually move away from, like phasing in and out of different colour schemes.

So the block choice of colours is very intentional to your current process?
Oh it's very intentional. Like when I use red, I see it as a colour that relates to passion. I think, red is a very intense colour. I think colour is a foundational kind of intention, and then, of course, the figuration and the various kind of references inform some of the poses even. There's often a classical kind of reference, or especially religious.

Your art are compilations of many different references?
Yeah, it's a hybrid of references. For me, I think a lot about the archetypes. I like mashing things together.

Do you ever use people in the real world as models?
There have been times where I have done some portraits in the past, and there are times where I'll reference a person I know, but as a model, it depends. Sometimes I'll see someone on the street and might just take a photo of them. Something about their outfit or their style that I want to connect with.

Does that happen often?
Yeah, I will capture someone wearing like an interesting pair of earrings or sunglasses, and I just love to add these more unique materials to my work.

Is there some sort of inspiration folder of all these I things you collect? I feel like your life is an overload on imagery!
I overload all the time!

How do you prioritise what you make, having so many references that inspire you?
Well, I think the decision just comes from the process, for instance I'll maybe make some notes that this concept is next. Over time, the organisation is crucial. So, I think I usually have a nice year laid out, where I'll decide this is a piece that I want to make. Depending on, you know, different shows may arise, I have like a theme, and then, that idea might get pulled into the mix. But with some more recent works that referenced the tarot quite a bit, that sort of came from, I think, wanting to maybe improvise a little bit. The process came from drawing the cards.

So you reference a card you randomly draw?
Yeah I do.

What makes the tarot so attractive to you as an influence?
Well, as a student of Symbology, that's just rich with information, and the more I learn, the more fascinating it becomes. Like for instance, I have here [pointing to one of his illustrations] a reference to the lovers. That's been a re-occurring theme.

Do you work beyond painting and illustration? I don’t think I have seen anything, but it may exist.
Oh yeah, I started working with video too, I did something in a solo show that I did at my gallery Chateau Shatto. The content and the overall theme was different. I always want to utilise different mediums. It's a different channel. That had a tarot reference as well. Eight of Cups. Another one was called Devil's Advocate, which is more related to the legal world. It's supposed to be someone at the witness stand. That came from an image in this Medieval hard book that I have, of a figure in a similar position, somewhat standing.

With the devil on the shoulder?
Yeah, with like this terrifying demon on the shoulder. And that was something that inspired me. I wanted to depict something like a devil, then I saw that. It will remind me of the idea, and I'll say to myself, "This is it!” I also love the dimensions of the people in Medieval times, the profile, how they painted people. It's like 2D, that painting perception at that point.

Is medieval your next big influence?
No.

No?
Nope. [laughs] It just changes all the time! I think, there might be elements or pieces that reference it again, and I do think the idea of seeing a whole series is interesting. Anything's possible.

Where’s your head at right now?
My head’s currently in the clouds. I just had an exhibition in Shanghai, at K11 Art Musea; the show’s title is Digitalis. These works were exhibited last year in Beijing at Dangxia Artspace. In addition to this, I just had another solo in June, at Galerie Crévecoeur in Paris. As this year winds down, I’m taking time to decompress and reflect on what’s next. It’s been a busy and, at times, bewildering year, but I’m proud of what I accomplished. I had solo exhibitions in Shanghai and Paris, and I recently exhibited at Art Basel Miami. I’m ready to take a much-needed break!

How do you choose the pieces and themes for each show?
There’s certainly an intention for each presentation. For many recent presentations, the choice of colours serve as a foundation for the themes examined with the works on view. For Digitalis the works are predominantly orange, purple, or an intermingling of the two. For the show in Paris, these works will feature works using the spectrum, or prismatic hues. I’ve been excited to essentially work with ‘all colour’ in this way, which is part of why I’ve been so attracted to sunrises and sunsets. There’s only a brief moment each day to view these phases in time, but it is always beautiful. The sunrise has been a strong influence recently.

With working on multiple shows, do you get anxious at all about things going right?
Most exhibitions are not without a foreseen obstacle or two. There’s a healthy amount of stress, but when channeled, it served as a motivational agent. There may be a bit of nervousness on the day of an opening- although it’s certainly not an aversion. I think it’s more of an excitement, the anticipation for all the bodies that will come to experience the work.

Is that how you also keep the excitement in creating?
The motivation is innate. The body is the instrument channeling inspiration which comes from an infinite source. I say this with humility; I simply want to serve as a channel for this inspiration, which comes from this finite body. I only hope to hone my intuition creatively.

Are you ever looking beyond painting?
I find that there is still so much to look forward to, both in terms of my creative practices and my personal experiences. The line is really blurred between the two, as my experiences usually tend to find their way into the work I make somehow. I love music, and to perform; it’s something I hope to explore more and to incorporate into my art practice. I’ve recently produced more video work. In terms of media, nothing is off the table. I don’t know what the future holds, but I hope it holds me.

Interview by Ilirjana Alushaj
Photography by Francesca Forquet
Jonny Negron wears own clothes