On Thursday March 3rd, SacSix returns to Sour Mouse for his solo show, ‘Enter the Void.’ The artist, whose work has been a continual conceptual evolution, from celebrity mash-up wheatpastes, to his Urban Zen Garden series, to now, his Void series, which repurposes negative space and street ads to create a new aesthetic vision.
SacSix, whose art moniker is derived from his initials and his favorite number, is a recognizable figure in the street art scene. As documented in UP Magazine Issue 3, SacSix earned his reputation through community involvement, often serving as a curator to group shows that aimed to help promote up-and-coming-artists as well as his prolific street work, from wheatpastes to tags to murals. While most will recognize SacSix for his colorful celebrity interpretations, ‘Enter the Void’ presents a whole new facet of the artist’s work.
Mr. Candid and I took a visit to SacSix’s studio in the Lower East side to discuss with the artist the meaning behind ‘Enter the Void’, working your way through a creative rut, his inspiration from legendary artist Robert Janz, and a recent fight with a box-cutter that hasn’t slowed him down.
The interview has been edited for concision and clarity.
T.K.: Could you tell me about where the concept for ‘Enter the Void’ came from?
SacSix: It started in November. I was in a bit of a creative slump. I hadn’t made art for 2 months or so. I have a hard time during the holidays, with travel and family. It’s hard to really focus. So, it was a tough time. I was stuck on thinking of new directions. After the 2 months, I was like I just have to do something. I have to go out in the street. Everything I do, I like to start with it in the street and then bring it back to the studio.
So, I said let me just go out into the street with some tape, a blade, and some spray cans. And the first spot I went to was the old Spiegel’s on First and Second, which was closed and completely covered with these advertising posters. That was the first spot that I hit. I had tape and was just taping off these hashmark lines on it. Just creating a graphic pattern to add something.
Working with these hashmarks, which were blocking the ad in a way. After the first one, I wrote void next to it, as you would a check, you know, saying this isn’t valid or this is no good here. That where the idea started and then I just continued going around and doing these graphic lines and essentially voiding out ads that were there.
T.K.: I know from other conversations we’ve had, you were often inspired by Robert Janz, whose work often highlighted ephemerality, based on his Buddhist teachings, and working with negative space. Do you feel your ‘Enter the Void’ series was influenced by Janz’ work?
SacSix: Janz was a big inspiration of mine, and I was thinking a lot about him when I was doing this Void stuff. Obviously, like that’s how he liked to play, was within ad posters. He had a big message behind his work. It was about consumerism and what standards of beauty are put in front of us, “bye, bye to buy, buy.” I was thinking about that, though I was trying to do it in my own unique way. Janz would do collage pieces, in which he would tear posters and reassemble them to create his faces.
Janz was a big inspiration of mine, and I was thinking a lot about him when I was doing this Void stuff.
I started by spray painting the Void character, as just black voids because I had the tape and the spray cans. But again, part of this whole 4-5 week thing was evolving the ideas and the concept. As soon as I started cutting it out, it was just so much better than using spray paint. So, I kept cutting ‘em out. It became more of a Void, where you’re creating an empty space. You’re cutting out of what’s there to make something new, and you’re using that empty space in a creative way.
Everything I do, I like to start with it in the street and then bring it back to the studio.
T.K.: To my eyes as a viewer, it also seems like an organic growth from your Urban Zen Garden series. Can you elaborate of the styles within the Void concept?
SacSix: When I first started, I was doing these graphic lines. It was about patterns and how they connected from one poster to another. I was using poppy neon colors and an artistic way of voiding the posters that were there. But as Janz had passed away right at that time and I was thinking about how he was doing more character-based stuff, so naturally I thought of this shadowy negative space character that would essentially void these ads. All the while, trying to do it in my own style and a way that was different than Janz, though he certainly influenced that character’s conception.
I don’t think I ever would have developed the idea of the Urbans Zen Garden without Janz. He was Buddhist in a way – he was just so present and into the idea of meditative art and the ephemeral, focusing on just doing it and walking away, not necessarily doing it for anyone but yourself. I don’t sign the Urban Zen Garden pieces. Janz never had signed his pieces. It’s more about the artwork, as opposed to the artist, or his goals, or what he’s trying to do. It’s more pure.
For me, this series was about me making art. And if you saw it, you saw it. If you didn’t, you didn’t. So, there’s a definite link between that ephemeral point of it and that’s what I love about this.
For me, this series was about me making art. And if you saw it, you saw it. If you didn’t, you didn’t. So, there’s a definite link between that ephemeral point of it and that’s what I love about this.
T.K.: As New Yorkers, particularly those within the street art realm, we’re both very aware of the omnipresence of ads in the public sphere. You yourself have a background in marketing. Can you discuss some of your thoughts on the relationship between art and ads?
SacSix: Absolutely. I wish that I had the strong message about consumerism by going after these ads. But at the end of the day, I’m selling art, and like everyone, I’m a consumer.
T.K.: I get you, you can’t be too zealous or it would almost be hypocritical.
SacSix: Right. But there has always been this long battle between commercial wheatpasters and street artists. It has nothing to do with advertising so much as it does about public space. Between them pasting over artist’s work specifically in Freeman’s alley, that goes back years. I mean 20 years they’ve been pasting over artwork at least.
But there has always been this long battle between commercial wheatpasters and street artists. It has nothing to do with advertising so much as it does about public space.
Everyone always hated when they did that and so you know, artist would go in on them. They’d scrape the ads off or artists will just go back over ‘em, but they kept going deeper, and deeper, and deeper into the alley. So, yeah, I’ve always supported artists in this battle. #ArtNotAds. Part of it is like listen, if these guys can get away with doing this essentially illegal act, then why can’t I? Why can’t I put my art on the wall?
T.K.: As I look around your studio, I see you’ve acquired a fair amount of material. What was it like to gather all the raw ingredients? Were you just like taking bundles of scrap back to the studio?
SacSix: I’ve been collecting ads for the last 4 weeks. Every single day and night I would go with a blade and bags. I got to learn where all the construction walls were. I know that on Spring and Thompson there’s a huge wall and Prince in Broadway. So, I had these different routes I’d take between my home and the studio. There are, essentially, 10 or 12 spots that I would go and collect ads. Sometimes I’d go with a hand truck if I knew there was a lot to carry. And other times, I would just grab a bagful right off my shoulder.
T.K.: Could you tell me a bit about your thumb injury, and how it’s impacted you? Obviously, as an artist, you work with your hands a lot. As someone who similarly suffered a debilitating injury [broken ankle] in the not-too-distant past, I know how frustrating it can be.
SacSix: I mean, yeah, it’s been frustrating. It’s my second losing fight with a box cutter. I was working on a piece once for Dirt Cobain, helping him out, and I sliced my thigh. That was about 3 years ago. So, it’s not my first incident with a box cutter. This time, I was cutting posters to make these sculptural pieces. And I had the insight to stop and get a glove, as if that would help. I sliced right over the top of it. And it went across the top of the knuckle, which is the part that pulls your thumb up.
I pretty much knew immediately that I cut the tendon. So, I wrapped it up, got a cab to Mount Sinai Hospital. I spent 6 hours in the ER on Saturday night. Basically, they said, “in 10 days, when you get your stitches out, we’ll determine through a hand specialist if you cut your tendon.” So, I found that out a couple days ago. I did cut my tendon. And they said, you know, “You have to get surgery.”
For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been in a splint. However, I can’t tell you how many hundreds of pounds of ads I’ve pulled off the street. So, it hasn’t really stopped me. Of course its frustrating. It was terrible timing. It’s made things difficult. Everything you do requires your thumb.
So, it’s been a challenge, but it’s not gonna stop me. I kept cranking. I had help from OuterSource. I hired him as an assistant for some things that I couldn’t do alone without the use of my thumb. I’m grateful he was open and willing to help me put this all together.
T.K.: For my final question, how has it been working with Sour Mouse, and what are your hopes for ‘Enter the Void’?
SacSix: I love Sour Mouse. I support anyone that supports the community. Since COVID, a lot of the restaurants and events-spaces that I used to curate at have closed. Benson’s, where I used to do the free bacon shows, is closed. 198 Allen closed. We lost a lot of these spaces where artists were curating shows. So, it’s been great that Sour Mouse stepped in and opened up their walls to the community. It’s a great space, there’s a good lounge area, plus pool tables, ping pong, beer pong.
What I love about the Void, is that over the course of working on it and working on it, you see the idea evolve. It gets better. Hopefully, if you’re conscious of it, you see that creative process happening and it’s amazing. I thought I was in the creative slump, but you know, they were concepts that I saw develop and that’s cool as a creative to see something growing better. I’m excited to share what I’ve been working on with the street art community and see what people think.
I love Sour Mouse. I support anyone that supports the community.
Enter the Void opens Thursday March 3rd at Sour Mouse and runs through April 6th, 2022.
