My name is Maxime Manga. In this life I am a designer born and raised in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

1 - When did you begin your artistic journey?

I started my adventure in the artistic world four years ago now. Time flies by at an incredible speed I find I haven't even seen them go by

2 - What do you feel is the most misunderstood aspect of your work?

AAAHHH! excellent question I don't know who made them but this one is excellent! Thanks for that. Okay so, the most misunderstood aspect of my work is I would say the one that plays with emotions or at least, my representation of my emotions in each of my creations and I confess to you that sometimes it's weeks later and with hindsight that I realize and I say to myself internally "AHHH there it is, this is the way I felt". You have to see my creations as frozen representations of my emotions I think. Sort of emotional archives.

3 - What do you see as the next step in your evolution as an artist? The next step?

I think the next step will be to create things that are a bit more real. Digital is great because you have almost no physical constraints, so I'm quite tempted.

4 - How important is it to you that your art is understood and appreciated 100 years from now rather than the present? In 100 years!?

I must admit that the time window is quite large hahaha. I would love my creations to last in time, a bit like the Mona Lisa, it would be magical but it's not something I can control. I would almost say that it doesn't matter at all how people will see my work in 100 years or even if they will see my work, what matters to me and this might sound a bit cliché but I firmly believe it is to do what you love and do it now. Projecting yourself is good but the future by nature is unpredictable, all we have is this infinite second.

5 - What artist living or dead are you most inspired by?

There was a time when I would have said Basquiat but now I absorb everything I'm like a mini black hole. I can combine the ultra warm colours of Joseph William Turner with the coldness of Nicole Rafiki, listen to Kanye at the same time and stick it all to you like Deborah Roberts.

6 - What creative advice would you give yourself 10 years ago?

The advice I would give myself with epic music in the background, the wind blowing a bit with a tight camera shot otherwise it's not funny LOL is "Trust your intuition" and I think my younger self would say something like "Yes I know don't worry" hahaha.

7 - How have you seen your own style evolve?

It's funny because I was talking about it on the phone recently with my mum but it's a bit like when you're a kid and you imagine what you're going to be like in 10, 15 years. You don't see yourself growing up and what you become is not exactly (to the point) what you thought you would become but looking back you realise that you have grown up a lot and you are excited to see who you will become in the next few years. As time goes on I see my style evolving and I like it.

8 - Can you please tell us more about your inspiration of the All is Love piece? the question is, what does this work inspire in you?

Go ahead and look at the image, take two or three minutes and there you go.

Where are you from: Utah

Where are you now: Utah

Creative media: Graphic design, film, photography

NINE QUESTIONS 

What was the inspiration behind Lonely Ghost?

BC: Creating a brand that brings people together to inspire them to connect, experience life to the fullest, and to grow as individuals.

Do you think creativity is innate or learned?

BC: Innate.

What are some of the jobs you had before your career took off?

BC: Window washing company, lawn mowing business, Journeys Shoes

How have you seen your own style evolve?

BC: Not sure if it's evolved but I definitely care more about comfort than how it looks.

How did this collaboration with UN/DN LAQR come to be?

BC: One of our main goals as a company in our 3rd year of business this year was to focus in on genuine and fun collaborations. As we were in ideation meetings about who could potentially be a cool partnership opportunity, MGK's new nail polish brand UN/DN LAQR came up, and we instantly knew it was a match made in heaven. Once we got on a call with UN/DN's team, it solidified our early intuition. We love everything they stand for, plus it's always nice to collaborate with great energy.

Where did the set names and polish names come from, and what do they mean to you?

BC: Our ideation around this collab was all about auras and energy. We named our set of 3 the "Aura Cleanse" and our set of 6 "528Hz." 528Hz is a frequency that is known to activate imagination and intuition. It also helps to assist us in living from our higher mind and less from the ego. It's also known as the "Miracle Tone" which helps heal your body and mind on a cellular level.

Do the colors mean anything to you?

BC: We solely picked them based off what the Lonely team is currently into. We're feeling bright and vibrant going into the summer months, and so the colors mimic our internal state

How do you want people to feel when they wear UN/DN LAQR x Lonely Ghost nail polish?

BC: We want people to feel confident and creative. But what we would really love is for people to experience connection and create conversation or a new friend.

Shop the UN/DN LAQR x Lonely Ghost Collection >>

 

Where are you from: 

East LA

Where are you now: Riverside

Creative medium: OOF

IG: @deladeso

Portrait photo credit: Kevin Chan
 

NINE QUESTIONS 

What are some of the jobs you had before your career took off?

RV: After high school I jumped into a temp agency that provided a lot of warehouse work. FedEx, Toys R Us and others, random warehouses usually always in the shipping department. I would load trucks for 8-12 hours a day and come home grime out stuff when I got home.

What job would you have if you weren’t an artist?

RV:  II would honestly probably still be loading up those trucks if my wife and frenzzz didn’t motivate me to go to school for something.

How have you seen your style evolve?

RV: I see you go back and forth! Like when you create a style you can decide when to go super grimey or divine grimey. I can go back to 2012 grime or 2016 grime. Idk I can never really tell if I get better or worse, I don’t waste too much time thinking. I just create it and go.

What artist living or dead are you most inspired by?

RV: I like the OGs like Warhol and Baquiat… John Baldessari, Chuck Close, Pablo Ferro, Drew Struzan, Wayne White, Mister Rogers etc etc & IRL Anta 52, ROES, NAOREV, XTOFUX, GORK, ABARS, AIRVOID, DAMMIT JANET… pretty much the whole BLOODYGUMS COLLECTIVE.

How do you want people to remember your work?

RV: The Foo Who OOF’D Duh World…

What inspired you about these colors?

RV: It reminded me of primary school! Back to the basics and stuff. It’s like our creative entrance into colors. The colors were magically already the colors I have been creating with at the moment.

What is Grime Art?

RV: Grime Art Or DIGITAL DEATH AND GRIME is something that I created for fun outta boredom. I did end up going to a vocational college to get my AA in visual communication. I was very bad at following instructions and tutorials so I would just grime up photos during breaks and classes. I started picking out random pop images to re-grime. These were the tumblr times! I started to post all of them and was becoming aware of the hashtags so instead of flooding #art and worrying about being discovered I created #digitaldeathandgrime to start cataloging the grime. It was just the way I would express what I was seeing, liked or disliked without saying it. It’s has always been up to the viewer.

Shop the Primary Kit >>

Where are you from: 

Aukland, New Zealand 

Where are you now: New Zealand 

Creative medium: Artist 

IG: @jackcarden_art

NINE QUESTIONS 

Do you think there is a tendency to take art too literally?

JC:  For sure. Art is a brilliant tool to convey pressing and important issues - but sometimes art can also be fun. Just fun. Nothing more. An escape from the   mundane, the bitterness of reality, a breath of air. Doesn’t need to be analysed and broken down as tho it is incredibly deep…

How important is it to you that your art is understood and appreciated 100 years from now rather than the present?

JC:  I would love for my art to be appreciated 100 years from now - who wouldn’t? But personally, it is more fulfilling to see the way it is understood and appreciated now - in the present. Because… well… I’ll probs be dead in 100 years innit, so what’s really the point? Doesn’t make much of a difference to me. Fuck it, the day I die feel free to burn all my art.

What creative advice would you give yourself 10 years ago?

JC: 10 years ago, my art was very similar to what it is now - dark and fucked up. I loved drawing. I drew all the time. I was real creative, but after a while I began to think that if I couldn’t do picture perfect hyper realism, then I would never be “good” at art.  If I could go back and tell myself that that didn’t matter, to focus on the creative and emotional side of my art, then I would be sitting here today with hundreds of more artworks under my belt.

What do you feel is the most misunderstood aspect of your work?

People often say “wow this kid is so pretentious and his art is shit” … others kindly defend me - but what these lovely people don’t seem to realise is yes, I am pretentious - I’m a fucking artist. “Pretentious” and “artist” are practically synonymous. If you’re an artist and you aren’t being grandiloquent, then you are doing something wrong. And If you’re not using words from thesaurus.com like “grandiloquent”, then you’re not being pretentious enough. Nothing in my work isn’t deliberate, including any element of pretentiousness.  that’s what’s beautiful about it.

What job would you have if you weren’t an artist?

JC: I originally I wanted to go into Astro Physics. But due to a time tabling issue, I ended up having to take art instead of chemistry in Year 12. That and I realised that I was shit at maths… if it wasn’t for that stroke of luck which propelled me into the art world, I’d probably be miscalculating trajectories and causing satellite crashes right now. 

Do you ever see yourself releasing a completely written work of art like poetry or essays?

JC: I’m so dyslexic that I think if I ever did release an entirely written work, I wouldn’t be able to read it myself. At least in my art I can get away with it not making sense. But, yes jokes aside, I do love writing and poetry and think it’s very plausible that would one day release entirely written works. The power of words is parallel to the power of imagery - its combining the two that excites me most.

Do you believe art requires a due date?

JC: I think an artist should push them self to make as much work as they can. The more work one produces, the better their art becomes. The more time they spend making new art, the better they refine their craft. I don’t think that art “requires” a due date, but I’ve never been one for obsessing over one work for too long.

FIVE QUESTIONS

What are some of the jobs you had before your career took off?

BB: I've been in the nail space for 10 years now, but prior to nails I wanted to work on Harley Davidsons. The school I wanted to go to for bikes was really far so I instead went to cosmetology school (random I know). I didn't love doing hair or makeup, but I really liked doing nails. I first started doing nails at high-end salons in LA. Then I consulted with brands on product development, brand education, content creation, and digital marketing.

Do you think creativity is innate or learned? 

BB: Creativity is both innate and learned. While you can be innately creative, you have to constantly nourish it by constantly learning. Study art, architecture, fashion, music, history--anything that gives you new points of references and inspirations. You never know what can push your creativity. Sometimes it's a painting that sparks new nail designs, while other times it's a cool jacket that inspires me to put spikes on nails.

Who would you most like to sit next to on a 10 hour flight and why?

BB: The first person that comes to mind is Snoop Dogg. I think he's really chill and funny, and it'll be just calming to sit next to him for 10 hours on a flight. If there was turbulence and everyone was freaking out, he'd likely say something to make everyone laugh to take their mind off of the turbulence.

What should they teach in school, but don’t?

BB: In school they never really teach kids to explore careers beyond being a doctor, accountant, lawyer, engineer, or anything in that "professional" setting. Like if a kid was good at art or music, they weren't encouraged to pursue it as anything more than a hobby. Kids really aren't exposed to the fact that their creativity along with hard work can help them find really cool careers that align with their innate talents. 

Creator free form - share anything:

BB: Always pay it forward. I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today without people mentoring me. In return, I pay it forward by helping new nail techs who really want to learn and have a similar work ethic by either troubleshooting technical questions or bringing them on set as assistants. It's a small community where we can all help each other.