Paul Kindersley, probably the most beautiful artist in the world.
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Today, Simon Oldfield opens Screw Your Courage to the Sticking Place, a series of art exhibitions, film screenings and storytelling events spread across his Mayfair townhouse, at 6 Carlos Space. Alongside solo presentations by Simon Foxall, Matthew La Croix and Mark Davey, he’s co-curated a group exhibition with i-D’s very own royal crumpet Princess Julia – showcasing London creatives such as Judy Blame, Matthew Stone and Paul Kindersley. We caught up with one of our favourites, Paul, to ask about his sexy drawings, heart-warming YouTube make-up tutorials, and romantic poetry.
Last time I saw you, you were playing some sort of vegetable goblin in Spartacus Chetwynd’s weekly performances in the Turner Prize exhibition… Yes, and I learned a lot about how to treat an audience, which gave me the confidence to put things out there in my own work. I also discovered my ideal day job, I wish being a minstrel was still a viable option these days.
Tell us about the drawings you’re showing at Simon Oldfield? They’re all about colour, shape and sexuality… eyes, lips and tits. Actors exchanging glances, a dysfunctional family of sexualised misfits. I have a huge databases of screen-grabbed ‘looks’, sideways glances and nipple flashes from, mainly, sex and horror films. Anything that goes to an extreme to titillate. I love actresses that rely on the sexual energy of facial expression rather than actual acting ability, like Edwige Fenech – who features in a whole series on display – or Brooke Shields or Denise Richards. I jot down words, phrases and sayings, and they come together when mixed with my own experience to make these bright pop garish drawings. Using marker pens allows strong and instant graphic lines, like my YouTube videos, there’s little possibility for editing and the image becomes an honest, instant response to a world of constructed glamour that is so full of fakery.
Tell us about your make-up tutorials on YouTube? I’m obsessed with people’s portrayal of themselves on the internet, and YouTube allows this incredible space where every niche is catered for and explored. I’ve experimented with adult baby fetishes, dances, fake documentaries, music covers, OOTDs [Outfits of the Day] but find make-up tutorials to be the ultimate 21st century self-expression. Everyone wants to be something or someone. I’m not mocking them at all, and can only do tutorials that come from sincerity. They have a life of their own, they’ve enabled me to explore painting and drawing in a 3D way that I never expected, and I’ve also become part of a world that I was only observing. I’m now sent free make-up by fans and companies, as well as drawings and even knitted underwear. YouTube allows for interaction on a bizarre scale, that you can never second-guess.
How did you first meet Princess Julia? Probably at the George and Dragon! It’s always fun when Julia is around – one of my fondest memories was in Berlin, lying on the floor, wriggling to the Pet Shop Boys with a smoke machine going bonkers.
I’ve just been watching your Gangster Foreplay Poem on YouTube… can you write us a short poem please?
Red, yellow, aqua blue -
Me, monkey, you and all the
Sexy people too
(That’s supposed to be a haiku. I’m doing some Japanese flower arranging at the mo…)
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Text: Dean Kissick
Videos: Paul Kindersley
