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| Art, Beats & Lyrics in St. Louis in 2014 |
Jack Honey Art, Beats & Lyrics, the traveling art tour has perfected the combination of art and hip-hop, has attracted and engaged generations of music lovers who are often ignored in the traditional art world. The traveling art exhibition launched in 2004 in Atlanta, and has since grown into a national attraction popping up in cultural hubs all over the US. Dwayne "Dubelyoo" Wright - one half of the AB+L team - has been busy creating his own installation for the show. The interactive piece includes an original IBF championship belt (A big deal for anyone who is a fan of boxing). It’s taken him nine months to complete the painting and build the walls that will be traveling with ABL. Dubelyoo is living his dream-creating art on his own terms and providing others with a platform to do the same.
Somewhere in a warehouse in Downtown Atlanta, Dubelyoo is hosting more than 15 artists as they come to finish their pieces for AB+L. The show which focuses on low brow art, a type of street art including murals and pop culture, has included performances by the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Pastor Troy, Scarface, Bun B, DJ Quick and Master P. According to Dubelyoo, AB+L’s star power is a result of offering creative types an experience that takes art to another level.
PW: So the question being whispered among gallery owners and art professionals is are artists really making money when they participate in shows like AB+L?
DW: Well we are different because we actually commission our artists. Most galleries just allow you to show the work and that’s it. We actually commission the artists to do the walls. Even if they need help with framing or something we say hey we’ll work with you. People actually sell art and merchandise at our shows. Look, people want to say merchandising is wrong, but when I go to an art museum there is an entire merchandising shop. They have Andy Warhol stuffed dolls, but if he was alive that would say it’s depreciating the work.
PW: Are artists selling a lot at shows like AB+L?
DW: It depends on what you’re selling and the price point. It’s like another item sold anywhere in the world. No one is going to come and buy $100,000 merchandise or art out the gate That’s why merchandising is good for artists. You can sell a $15,000 painting one time or a $40 print all the time. People love t-shirts and people will buy a t-shirt over a print. More eyes equals more people buying your merchandise.
PW: What do you appreciate most about AB+L?
DW: The best thing is getting to watch artist work. You learn a lot from watching other artists do their thing. You also learn what you are not. I couldn’t go out and tag at night. That is not me. I couldn’t be ducking and running from the police just to tag a building or do a mural.
PW: All the artists are so different. Does that ever create sensory overload?
DW: That’s why we don’t have a themed show. Do you know how boring it would be to have all these artists focusing on one thing? We take these artists and tell them to just show out. The installations themselves are works of art. At a normal show they would just hang work up on a wall - no. We take it one step further. We get all these talented artists and tell them to come and do their own things and it makes for a great show.
PW: What do you feel is being left out of the conversation about art?
DW: It is unfortunate that there is not more writing on the technical side of art. There is always a review or someone writing about how great the artist is, but there is no talk about what the artists did to become that great. When artists get together they talk about how they created a certain effect in their work or why they did it. We talk about how the artists created the work as opposed to using it as cultural commentary that sometimes isn’t even there. I mean it's okay for artists to comment on social issues, but sometimes that’s not even what it’s about and people tend to put words in their mouths.
PW: Tell me about your piece and how you're pulling it off?
DW: The installation is focusing on boxing. To pull of the vision I have a 3ft x 8x ft X 8ft panel in a U shape. I am painting a portrait of Don King to go in the middle with other portraits of unnamed boxers with change purses beside him. It’s triptych, which is three paintings in a row, and it’s usually done with religious pieces. I’m adding subtle texture to the installation with tape and paint. Everything associated with boxing is going to be a part of my piece. I have the punching bag, rules of the gym, a towel, and I was sent the championship belt by the IBF it was made by Sartonk. These are the same people who made the belt Mike Tyson wore. I am painting it and hanging it on the installation. Underneath the portrait of Don King there is going to be a duffle bag and stacks of money. I researched Rick Ross and rappers holding bundles of cash in Saran Wrap; money has become its own celebrity. People would rather take pictures with stacks of fake money than with art. I want people taking pictures in front of my installation and smiling in front of the money. You know what traditional artist didn’t have…. Instagram.
*This article was written in 2014. Art, Beats, & Lyrics to RSVP for upcoming shows go to artbeatsandlyrics.com.