OLIVER HIBERT
If you were to fill an exclamation point with florescent gun powder, then proceed to light the fuse with the cherry of a joint, you might graze the surface of the brilliance that is Oliver Hibert. We had the privilege of catching up with the artist behind our most prolific collaboration, and got to peek into his mind. It was blinding. Check it out below!
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GP: How many lava lamps do you own? be honest.
OH: As of right now I currently have 10 lava lamps. I can never resist bringing one home from a thrift store.
GP: Your work seems to all exist in one magic/trippy universe. Is this a place you’ve been to? Or one of your own creation?
OH: I think every artist has a part of themselves that reside in their own universe that they have created. Maybe it’s ourselves channeling ourselves from another dimension or realm. Or maybe it’s just that we create a space that becomes real once we actually physically create it within this realm. Who knows.
GP: I feel like many of your paintings are themed around birth and death (or at least vaginas and skulls). Do you feel like you’re telling a continuous story with this recurring symbolism, or is each painting a stand-alone? Are we meant to glean a narrative or moreso abstract feeling?
OH: well I think there is a narrative to be told in general with my work yet I also feel they have their own stories standing alone as well. I, as a human, fear things like death but appreciate and celebrate things like life and living. Life is a dance and balance between these two things. My art is as well. A journey from life to inevitable death, and a dance with all things beautiful and grotesque on the way and in between. Now, I don’t want to tell anyone how to feel when they see my art though, I don’t like art that does that. I only hope people find what my work means to them, I’ve given some clues of things and ideas to ponder, but what to think and how to navigate and interpret is up to the viewer. I encourage that.
GP: What took you to Scottsdale? Do you actually have 1000 peacocks? What are each of their names?
OH: I was born in Seattle but my parents moved to Arizona where I was really young. I kind of just stayed here since then… Not really because I love it here but maybe this is still a good place for me to be for now. I will journey away at some point in the future for sure though. And yes my 1,000 peacocks… well… it’s a secret… there is a hidden key within a hidden map and if you find it you will know all the answers. One clue is, under the top and over the bottom.
GP: What’s your favorite color? also your second favorite color?
