I am the Sexy Artist 2004

Curator: David Michael Hinnebusch's "I am the Sexy Artist" from 2004 is a mixed-media piece brimming with vibrant colors and a raw, almost frantic energy. What's your immediate impression? Editor: It feels like stepping into a rock concert viewed through a kaleidoscope, slightly dangerous and intensely alive. So many layers of figures, symbols, graffiti...it's almost overwhelming. Curator: The artist employs acrylic paint to create a portrait infused with elements of graffiti art and pop art. We see layering, text scrawls, and figures competing for our attention, embodying the clash between high art and popular culture. The assertion "I AM THE SEXY ARTIST" is strategically emblazoned on the canvas. Editor: Yes, the blatant self-proclamation certainly adds a layer of irony. I mean, it screams confidence but also…insecurity? Or perhaps just playful defiance of the established art world. The rawness suggests it's about process and the act of creation. It is interesting how the means of production is visible, creating the art. Curator: Precisely. Consider the title itself. It is a self-declaration challenging artistic conventions by unabashedly embracing subjectivity, but it also draws attention to labor—whose "sexiness" gets consumed and on what terms. This raises questions about art-making as a performative act. Editor: I keep coming back to that frenetic energy. The mixed media and layering of forms suggests something almost performative, as though it were capturing the dynamic of creating something fresh. What’s this raw expressiveness trying to tell us about what making something original looks like? Curator: Perhaps the artwork explores the intersection of the artist's identity, commodification of art, and consumption patterns—but ultimately the success lies in Hinnebusch's manipulation of the painting itself and also, obviously, of their own personal brand. Editor: True. What stays with me is that raw immediacy, the boldness to claim artistic territory. It reminds me art shouldn't be overly precious, or else we risk it losing something elemental. Curator: I agree; the boldness creates tension that reveals a social commentary as much as personal assertion, something quite compelling.