LL: Tell us where you’re currently based and where your studio is located. 

IJ: Peace. I'm currently located in Lexington, KY and my studio is based in my apartment. 

LL: How has your studio and practice evolved in recent years?

IJ: I've usually had an open concept studio in either my living room or a dining room converted into a studio space because I lived in a one room apartment for the majority of my twenties. This is the first time I've been able to have a select room to have my work, materials and meditation space all in one room.

LL: In your most recent show, A Beautiful Cry, you showed 25 new digital collage pieces. This show is filled with emotion and personal connection to your life. Can you speak about the central themes expressed in these new works as well as the title of the show?

IJ: I've had a few close deaths happen in the process of creating this show so I was basically allowing this process to be my healing and also my escape at the same time. In our society it's frowned upon for a man to cry because we are held up to such a high standard for being strong and protective. These standards tend to not acknowledge the fact that men are human and emotions need to be felt, explored, and released to help the process of healing. Crying is such a necessary thing and doesn’t get enough credit for “ washing away” the pain that lingers within someone due to certain situations, traumas, and experiences.

LL: How do your ancestors and your family influence your work?

IJ: I create this is flow I call intuitive fluidity where I basically let my spirit guides and instinct guide me to create each piece. 

LL: When creating, what’s it like to receive messages or feel the presence of your ancestors or their spirits?

IJ: I definitely feel the love of my ancestors as I create. A lot of times I look back at the pieces I create and think, “Where did this come from?” and then I remember I have a lot of angels and energies around me helping. We speak an evolved encrypted language that is about seeing truths rather than just making something aesthetic. 

LL: Tell us more about the geometric patterns in your works.

JC: I've had some very heavy experiences where geometry and numbers became a very prominent part of my existence and creating process. I was definitely tapped in on a different level of existence but I learned so much about the DNA ( from my perspective) about the human existence, how we’re all connected in some form or fashion and we resonate on a higher frequency of love and alignment that is sometimes overshadowed by things like greed, capitalism, peer pressure, and judgment.

LL: Being an artist that is deeply influenced by music, can you name some musicians who’ve inspired you while you’ve been creating this new body of work?

JC: I tap into all types of music when I create from ambient and soul to blues and psych rock. Since the majority of the works were based on African ideologies, American African History , Collective Consciousness, and Sacred Geometry I was diving into music like : Griselda, Madlib, Devin Morris, Bari, Sun Ra, World Music, Soulection, Pink Sifu, Iman Omari, and Jah Freedom to name a few.

LL: You recently attended the Celebration of Legends Gala in Nashville at the National Museum of African American Music and were commissioned to design a component of their programming. Tell us more about this project.

JC: S/o to the incredible artist Eric Roberson for connecting me with this project. This was a celebration of Black music and its history honoring some legends including Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, and Smokey Robinson. I was asked to translate my images into what a few Lionel Richie's songs would like in visual form. These visuals were displayed as the backdrop behind the stage when his songs were played during the event. It was a beautiful challenge but something I am blessed to say flowed easily into its process for me once I was given the songs to dive into and create from. It was like creating a large style album cover (which is one of my passions: album cover creations).

LL: You're currently working towards an Art Therapy degree in order to help others find healing and support for mental health through creative process. Why is mental health important to you and how is it connected to your personal creativity? 

IJ: I've been through a lot in my 37 years of life and creating has been my life line and therapy in many ways to me. It's only right that I extend my hand to those people that are fearful or hesitant towards traditional psychotherapy to try an alternative method of healing the mind, body, and soul. There’s so much we can learn from our own creations and we can explore everything from the subconscious and embedded patterns, to being present and being aware, to your emotions and not being prisoners to them.

LL: When do you feel most inspired? 

IJ: I feel the most inspired through a few things :

1. Convos on the human existence

2. The human experience

3. Music

4. People Watching

5. Unlearning

6. Nature 

7. S/o to my muses

Interview by Katie Pilgrim, images courtesy of the artist.

To learn more about Infamous JeanClaude, visit his website:

https://infamousjeanclaude.com/

Read more about his latest show, Self Preservation: A Beautiful Cry through Lexington Art League:

http://www.lexingtonartleague.org/infamous-jeanclaude.html