“Nobody can be better at being you than you, so stop trying to be other people.” — Phobik
Phobik — the nameless artist based in Hollywood, California — is in the midst of creating a visceral, visual and often vicious entire universe through his artwork and imagination.
Through no formal training or schooling, Phobik has generated enough original creative brilliance to garner multiple high-level galleries to showcase his works as feature exhibits.
In August 2015, Phobik and longtime collaborator Ratchet Man collaborated for “A Place And Time For Everything”: a dual showcase exhibit at Stone Malone Gallery in Hollywood, California.
In October 2015, Phobik earned a solo exhibition at the Los Angeles, California-based The Gabba Gallery under the title “Figments and Particles”. The solo exhibit allowed Phobik to illuminate both his imagination and the mythology behind Phobik God — the iconic main character in the world created by Phobik himself.
In the process of establishing a comic book, action figures and animation centered around Phobik God and the characters in his world, Phobik has established himself as a pure and uncompromising artist with an entire realm of creativity awaiting his talents.
Taking a break from the nonstop work ethic required to maintain the lifestyle of an elite artist, Phobik took the time to speak about love, success, influences and his affinity for introspection and integrity.
PHOBIK GOD
- From Hollywood, California
SELECTED EXHIBITS
- A Place and Time for Everything (2015)
- Figments and Particles (2015)
ON PHOBIK GOD BEGINNINGS
He is a character becoming the first God in the comic book universe I am working on. I was always curious to know how most religious entities obtained their power — seems like most are all-knowing right off the bat, right?
Trying to become powerful for a woman he falls for. Love breaks his heart, curses him and leaves him for dead. He goes through countless adventures and journeys that make him the all-knowing Phobik God.
One of the reasons behind the quote “Be your own God”.
ON DEVELOPMENT OF STYLE
Self-taught artist. I grew up drawing cartoon characters; it wasn’t until high school that I started really creating my own characters, illustrating my friends and myself in these huge, brutal comic book fights.
Now I’m showing other sides of my artistic abilities.
I hope everyone is enjoying them. I don’t like to stick to one style in particular when it comes to art, but aerosol is by far my favorite medium to use.
ON FAVORITE PLACES TO CREATE
I like alleys, trash bins, beds, abandoned places people don’t care to see or go into. Behind shelves at still-existing libraries. Random products in a supermarket.
ON MEANINGS BEHIND TITLES
It’s always been fun to title every piece like a Quentin Tarantino film chapter. I’m just trying to tell a chapter to a story with an image, titled with a few words.
Many of them have back stories. Soundtracks to those moments in my life echo, so song titles help a lot.
ON “BE YOUR OWN GOD”
I don’t practice any religion neither do I worship any God. When I say or write down “Be your own God”, I mean: you are everything you need to go out and get it.
Do good. Believe in good. Be kind.
“Do good deeds.” Be the best; try to go beyond that in every way possible. Also accepting responsibility. A lot of people run from the idea that they fucked up.
“Be your own God” means you are it. Don’t blame anybody or think forgiveness lets everybody forget your fuck-ups.
ON POLICE
Fuck the Police. Fuck anybody that abuses their power and thinks they can be excluded from justice.
ON SMILE SOUTH CENTRAL
Smile South Central is ran by and curated by Adam Ayala, a.k.a. Che_2a on Instagram. He is a resident of South Central and has opened up a chapter of art in that community.
It started with him getting a couple of roll-downs at Pueblo Market on 48th and Western. After that, the kids and neighborhood businesses contributed and donated walls and funds for paint and the project grew to what it is now: showcasing local — as well as international — artists.
And it’s only getting started.
ON ART AS OUTLET FOR YOUTH
I think art motivates great ideas. It lets people expand their horizons.
Music, writing, engineering, painting, science — all of it is art. Kids need no limits when it comes to creativity.
They need thick skin to know that not all ideas are great, though.
ON COLLABORATION v. SOLO WORK
There are only a few people I can paint with. I think if it clicks and you have the idea, then let’s go.
If it takes longer than half an hour to come up with an idea, well… That’s gonna be your last collab :)
Solo: I’m in control. I don’t accommodate, I just GO.
ON “A PLACE AND TIME FOR EVERYTHING”
“A Place And Time for Everything” was a pop-up show to highlight my characters based on real people, such as Ratchet Man: a childhood friend whom I’ve drawn countless times before.
We started working on the show at the beginning of last year and highlighted key points that made us who we are.
Hollywood natives. RAW motherfuckers who live in the underbelly of Hollywood.
Ratchet Man is a villain in the Phobik God realm and the show was a collaborative preview to that chaos.
Pieces like “Locals Only” and “Warp Zone” showed the interactive explosion between characters and their abilities to go through dimensions and travel through space and time in an illustrative way.
“Rex Pack” and “From God to the Devil” were real-life inspirations brought on by pictures that Ratchet Man took — painted into a more still life, realism style.
ON “FIGMENTS AND PARTICLES”
“Figments and Particles” was a solo show. Inspired by contemporary art and classical painting style, I developed a whole new body of work. Going into a more sharper image and design aspect still mixed with a raw illustrative look, this show was more about an intimate relationship between a higher power and its conscience (Phobik God + Lady 3rd Eye).
The piece “I Got You Babe” is about that immediate reaction to sacrificing yourself for something you love in order to save it/them.
“Black Market Yellow Cake” is about the intense feeling of inevitable doom. You remember getting bad grades and expecting that ass whoopin’!
And of course, the show-titled piece “Figments and Particles”: you see the devil heads in the background, some dimensions, others thoughts and patterns.
And in the middle, you have “Lady Tentacle”: a sea creature driven to the brink of extinction by mermaids; rescued of course by L3E and Phobik God.
Both different chapters in the same universe brought together by Phobik God. Both first-of-a-kind shows for myself — telling a story slow and steady.
ON POP CULTURE INFLUENCES
Ninja Turtles and the X-Men animated series were the first times I saw a team take on “evil”. Raised as an only child, I always wanted brothers to be part of a team like that.
Weapons, action, adventure…
I’m a ‘90’s kid, so it’s no big surprise that I love The Simpsons.
I remember parents getting bent out of shape because they thought the witty banter was too explicit for kids. Ha! Look at the kids and shows nowadays.
Drawing in Simpsons fashion is fun; I can more or less Simpson-character anybody.
ON PHILOSOPHY INFLUENCES
Mythology was a favorite topic of mine. I put a little bit of me in each painting, I guess you can tell. I’m glad it’s been noticed.
I feel infinite when I dip into philosophy, religion and existence.
ON FULFILLING CAREER AS ARTIST
I’m exactly where I need to be. All I need is a stable financial future and that’s it.
But money has nothing to do with art.
I never thought about it as a dream — it was always a goal to be established as an artist. So… I think I did it, because I know I am an artist.
ON MESSAGES WITHIN PIECES
Be selfish with your art. It’s about expressing yourself, not selling images or trying to be better than everybody at something.
It’s not about approval from other people.
It’s not meant to make people like you. “Be your own God.” Nobody can be better at being you than you, so stop trying to be other people.
“Hard work is the reward!”
Ask for more work!
Don’t be lazy!
The world is never enough!
You want to make it big so you can do nothing the rest of your life?
ON INFLUENCES OUTSIDE ART
Women. Love and Hatred.
Drugs AND how they work.
Comic books, religious stories, mythology, South American history.
Quentin Tarantino films, Kung Fu Hustle, Wu-Tang.
West Coast hip-hop, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas.
Anything 420! ANYTHING 420.
Hollywood natives. FOOD. Black Sabbath. Led Zeppelin. Deftones.
ON PREFERRED MEDIUMS
Anything that can leak. Aerosol.
ON FUTURE PROJECTS
I’ve been working on my own comic and have indeed casted my own resin toys, but everything in it’s due time.
I’m in this for the long run, so I’m letting these characters and stories sink in slow. Working on a couple of things with different artist including an animated music video.
I’m doing all of this by myself — no previous school training acquired — so… It takes time.
ON LOVE
It’s the one thing that can make us and break us. It can confuse you, leave you, it can make you go insane and it can make everything make sense.
It sounds like quite a character, right? So I made Her one. Phobik God’s story moves forward because he falls in love and gets his world shattered.
The endless circle of the first love.
If I began to tell the story, I would end up writing the whole book right here though, haha.
ON “HARD WORK IS THE REWARD” MANTRA
The more work, the better.
Enjoying the work you do, even if it’s hard. The harder the better.
Things that are easy to get aren’t always worth it. So you should look for the hard levels in life, because at the end of the road you’ll be prouder of yourself when you conquer them.
It’s not to be used all the time — it’s more of an encouraging thing to repeat when the chips are down.
THANK YOU
Stone Malone and The Gabba Gallery for supporting and letting me do my thing. Everybody that follows the Phobik God movement. Thank YOU for the interest and attention to detail in my work.
Written By: Matteo Urella / March 2016
Photography:
