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ANDY GOLUB: YOUR BODY MY CANVAS

Andy Golub is an American artist who transforms objects with his art by changing the way they are perceived. Andy is a NewYork-based artist who produces work around the world. His art can be found on anything from canvases to murals, cars and very often on human form. People are not embarrassed to stand naked in front of the artist and be literally redesigned.

Human forms become canvases, integral parts of a wonderful puzzle.


We had the pleasure of getting to know Andy better and understand what lies behind his art.


American artist Andy Golub's artwork "rockland"
Rockland

My art is a genuine expression of how I feel at any given time. I guess it’s like dreaming, in that it’s the underlying feelings that I’m not consciously aware of at the time.

Hello Andy, tell us about yourself.


I’m just a typical person I guess. I’ve always been creative and expressive and I’ve always wanted to create art as long as I could remember.



How would you describe your art and what inspires you?


My art is a genuine expression of how I feel at any given time. I guess it’s like dreaming, in that it’s the underlying feelings that I’m not consciously aware of at the time. I often have a desire to create something new. Drawing is always right there because I can just grab a pen and paper. But often I want to paint or write poetry. I am inspired from within.



American artist Andy Golub working on a mural in Long Island
5 Pointz, Long Island City, NYC


American artist Andy Golub's artwork "michael"
Michael



How and when did you get introduced to the idea of body painting?


I started to experiment with painting many different objects. I painted tables, hats, rocks, cars and mannequins. So the next step was painting a live person.


I think artists have an important gift in that they can share from a place that others don’t even know exists.

Can you tell us what are the emotions you want to transmit?


I think there’s a hidden truth that lies underneath. It’s not political. It’s not about being

right or wrong, or good or bad. There’s a certain neutrality to it. Sort of like being a tree. There’s a strong sense of being that is more connected to our essence than of the world around us. I think artists have an important gift in that they can share from a place that others don’t even know exists. The problem is that people don’t really care. They are more convinced that basic material goods that provide status are more worthy. I think most artists know better and don’t really care about that stuff.






American artist Andy Golub's artwork "snake"
Snake

What message do you want to spread with your art?


On one hand I want to simply share who I am, to be true to whatever is inside me. On the other hand, I want to inspire others to believe in themselves and follow their dreams, whatever that may be.



What are the challenges that you had to overcome?


For a long time, people didn’t understand my work. I never changed my art to please people. I just worked through it, following my inspiration. Eventually I developed more skills and then people loved it.




American artist Andy Golub's body canvas artwork


It is quite refreshing to see that there are all kinds of human anatomy that you paint. How do you choose the models/people for your projects?