A Conversation with Adam Elliott and Philip Kim

Wild Goose Creative’s #wildartcolumbus is a month long initiative harnessing the power of social media to showcase the work of Central Ohio artists. Each day, it turns its focus on a new artist or team of artists, sharing their works on Facebook and Instagram and offers followers the opportunity to pick their favorite, which will be auctioned at a gallery reception on September 30. The Wex is proud to support this initiative and two participating artists who have both performed in our Next@Wex series: Adam Elliott (of Times New Viking and Connections) and Philip Kim (of Connections). While Adam and Phil are best known for their recordings—released by esteemed indie labels such as Siltbreeze, Matador, Merge, and Anyway Records—many people in Columbus also became familiar with the two through their active engagement in the art and literature scenes. Given that their assigned day to be the featured artists just so happened to coincide with the first Next@Wex performance of the fall, and given that the artists have deep ties with the center and the community, we thought it would be appropriate to take a pause, and ask them to reflect on their experiences with the Wex, and about their new collaboration for #wildartcolumbus.

Wex Outreach and Marketing Manager Kellie Morgan speaks with Philip and Adam below.

Philip Kim, left, and Adam Elliott
Image courtesy of the artists

 

What precipitated your collaboration for #wildartcolumbus?
PK: I was asked by Heather Lynn Kyle to participate in Wild Art. I mostly do live performance and write, so I was unsure if I could have anything to show visually or physically. I was encouraged by Heather, and after I thought about it for a minute, Adam—and his work incorporating text and mixed media in his fliers and artistic work—came to mind. We have worked together in a different artistic context, playing music, and I thought that it would be an interesting and productive challenge to work together in a different capacity.
AE: Since graduating from the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD), I've mostly used my visual art in the context of music, either through flyers or album art. Recently I've had the urge to just create more painterly and fine-tuned works, omitting band names and door prices but leaving the negative space where I normally place the text. Philip's musings are perfect to replace this space. I think of him like a Richard Brautigan, one line can mean so many different things to so many different people.
 

Can you speak a bit about your history with the Wex?
PK: I have a loving relationship to the Wex as it has consistently brought amazing and insightful work that I otherwise might never have experienced. As a student, the Wex offered a great addition to a lot of the things I was learning as an English/Comparative Studies major. To this day, I continue to love the shows, art, and events. I find myself there often.
AE: Though I went to CCAD it was the Wexner Center that first acknowledged my former band Times New Viking locally. When we were doing a photo shoot inside Mershon Auditorium for our release show, I truly gasped the idea of an institution as accomplished as the Wex recognizing our band as art. We are so lucky to have a place that holds all the mediums and vehicles of creating to such a high standard, yet simultaneously making it accessible to all.
 

What are some of your favorite programs you’ve experienced over the years at the Wex?
PK: Some of my favorite bands that have played recently: The Mountain Goats and Stephin Merritt. I was fortunate enough to see the Andy Warhol exhibition when it was here. And I've seen countless great films at the Wex Drive-In, a favorite event of mine.
AE: My absolute favorite show at the Wex was at the Belmont Building, called Work Ethic. I worked the desk at that time and sat for hours in that show. Vito Acconci! That show’s theme is congruent with the collaboration between Phil and I. Do my visuals empower his words or vice-versa? Also, of recent memory, the original Winsor McCay illustrations of Little Nemo at the Daniel Clowes retrospective were mind-blowing.
 

What inspired the work for the #wildartcolumbus project? Is there a thematic connection between this series and anything else you are working on?
PK: I always think in short sentences and thoughts, and typically post them on my blog or other various social networks. I like to think about moments and all the multiple ways one can feel and interpret that moment, and how those feelings and ideas can change over time. I think Adam's work invokes the idea of being lost in a collage of images—of moments interacting with each part of the art—and it seemed to be a natural fit to incorporate my writing into his art.
AE: Collaboration is how both Phil and I work best. Have you ever heard a drum track on its own? I always thought of Phil as a poet, which to me means much more than just writing poems. His moments and thoughts are captured here as photographs, their meaning blends in with the scenery. It’s random and limitless.
 

You've played music together in Connections; in what ways has the process of working together as a visual artist/writer been similar or dissimilar?
PK: Being part of the rhythm section of a band requires a lot of collaboration. A lot of bouncing ideas off of each other at a fast pace. In this context, we were able to collaborate at a slower pace, which was a different, but still meaningful, experience.
AE: When playing in Connections with Phil I simply watched his foot. We knew where to add more and when to take away keeping time. Drunken metronomes. It’s impossible to explain what happens when playing music, but it is magical.
 

Are there any projects that either of you have on the horizon that you are excited about?
AE: New music with a band called LONG ODDS-, fliers for hire.
PK: Organizing more readings and writing. New Connections LP coming soon.
 

What are you looking forward to most this fall at the Wex?
AE+PK: The Decline of Western Civilization screenings and the David Rothenberg artist talk.

 

The Work:
Mixed media featuring photocopies, white-out, tape, found magazines, found color, and Kinko’s, among others.
Utilizing text and texture, these collages layer language on top of language. Icons and symbols blend together; at the same time, they rip apart. Meanings are ripe, and multiple. Connections are inevitable. Exposed through these layers is the political: the clashing of multiple interpretations generated through the juxtaposition of images, words, thoughts and feelings. Developed at the kitchen table, over a glass of whiskey, these pieces represent the complicated beauty of being human, of the magic within the conversation between two subjective beings.—Phil


Philip Kim and Adam Elliott, At The Tracks, 2015
11x14 in.
Photocopy on archival paper

 

 

At The Tracks, detail 1

 

 

 

 

At The Tracks, detail 2

 

 

 

 

At The Tracks, detail 3

 

 

 

 

Philip Kim and Adam Elliott, Street Speech, 2015
11x14 in.
Photocopy on archival paper

 

 

 

 

Street Speech, detail 1

 

 

 

 

Street Speech, detail 2

 

 

 

 

Street Speech, detail 3

 

 

 

 

Philip Kim and Adam Elliott, The Daily Grind, 2015
11x14 in.
Photocopy on archival paper

 

 

 

 

The Daily Grind, detail

 

 

 

 

Philip Kim and Adam Elliott, The Recent Past, 2015
11x14 in.
Photocopy on archival paper

 

 

 

 

Philip Kim and Adam Elliott, Towards The End, 2015
11x14 in.
Photocopy on archival paper

 

 

 

 

Towards The End, detail

 

 

Philip Kim is a writer, marketer, and musician. His art encompasses live performance and written and spoken word. He also organizes creative projects and events around Columbus, OH.
Find Philip Kim on tumblr and Instagram

Adam Elliott is a songwriter, drummer, and artist. His works utilize found art, photocopies, and textures to create visually engaging collages. His art can be found around kitchen tables and in drinking establishments.
Find Adam Elliott on Instagram

Wild Goose Creative is a nonprofit community arts organization that provides space, education and resources to any artist in central Ohio. Find Wild Goose and #wildartcolumbus here on Instagram.

Check out a slideshow of selections from Philip and Adam’s #wildartcolumbus posts here on the @wexarts Instagram account.