November 1, 2016 | Alfonso Gonzalez-Francois

PASTELS AND A PAINTBRUSH: INTRO TO ANTZINYOPANTS

" What do I do? Where do I start? The simplest way to put it, I create. I create all things that blossom. No, I’m not a florist, but my art interprets that and all forms of things that grow, weather it’s a penis with an erection or banana peels. Funny short story with how that plays out… yes, I like bananas but that’s not where it stems from. Growing up, my family would jokingly say I look like a little monkey or Curious George, and that’s sorta how the bananas in my art comes into effect. I just basically took a joke and made art out of it – but the message has gotten deeper than that with age and growth, that’s where the flowers come from. Flowers represent beauty and growth, the bananas came from a form of beauty and I just tried to interpret that all into one…. It represents acceptance, being able to accept your inner and outer beauty for what it is, flaws and all. That’s also where the nudity and sexual content roots from within some of my pieces. I could go on and on how the message behind my art all makes up a family tree and how it all ties into something within life’s beauty." – Antwaun Wright

I’ve known Antwaun since MySpace was poppin’ and we’ve been cool ever since. I took interest in his art quickly. I don’t remember what the first piece was that I ever saw, but I remember being blown away. Looking at how dedicated he is now, and how much more creative he’s become, from easels to custom clothing, it’s great to see someone black and queer (and PROUD) extending himself beyond what society could box him into. I wanted to highlight that because it’s inspiring. His images are striking, provocative, and all around beautiful.

I’m always intrigued by art that’s unapologetic and unconventional. I love art that dares to show the beauty in what some wouldn’t consider looking at once. Antwaun’s paintings encourage me to create spaces for myself and people like me where we typically are not invited; to strike conversations about topics that others deliberately choose to be silent about.

You can see all of Antwaun’s dope ass artwork by following @ANTZINYOPANTS.

Original Blog Post Here