Artist Decoded By Yoshino

Skygolpe interviewed by Jesse Draxler The essential figures that emerge from Skygolpe’s research have an openly disruptive immediacy and impact. His work represents the artist’s tension towards the definition of a clear idea and a path outlined towards direct introspection. Skygolpe explores the NFT medium in a unique and original way. His single digital editions are sought after by major collectors and demonstrate how works created with a strong meaning and a defined concept can have a lasting place in the new world of digital collecting. Show Notes: Skygolpe’s intro into art Art contradicting itself Catastrophe, existentialism, and nihilism The denial of the divinity Objective truth Skygolpe’s distinct aesthetic The power of conceptual art Inspiration Memories, traumatic experiences, and their overflow into Jesse’s artwork  “Destroying the Belief” Skygolope’s NFT work The history of digital art / Web 3.0 www.artistdecoded.com www.superrare.com/skygolpe www.instagram.com/skygolpe www.twitter.com/skygolpe

After a high profile career designing, drawing and painting images for movie poster art in Hollywood — Return of the Jedi, Labyrinth, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — Chris now feels driven to produce works which celebrate compelling stories of American perseverance — the Tuskegee Airmen, First Nations peoples of America’s Pacific Northwest, and the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during WWII. It’s been an unusual career path, to say the least. Chris was a star on the Southern Oregon College wrestling team when he dropped out in 1974 rather than bow to the inevitable pressure to become a high school wrestling coach. He loaded up his ’68 sky blue Camaro and hit the road, picking up jobs from southern California to Montana and living out of his car. After he ran out of gas in Boise, Idaho, he settled there for a year and a half and worked as a bouncer at the Bronco Hut (the college bar where he met his wife), a lift operator at a ski resort, and as an utterly unqualified counselor at a home shel

Colborn Bell is currently the co-founder and curator of the Museum of Crypto Art (M○C△), an immersive digital art center in virtual reality. Unconstrained by the limitations of physical reality, the aim of this project is to create bridges to Metaverse spaces and usher in a creative renaissance that empowers digital artists and reawakens the imaginations of its participants. He is a long-time blockchain and venture investor. Guest Interviewer: Jesse Draxler Show Notes:  00:15:00 - Colborn’s background 00:20:54 - The Museum of Crypto Art 00:22:57 - What Colborn specifically looks for in NFT Artwork 00:25:10 - The gift of an existential crisis 00:31:25 - The ecological effects of crypto currency 00:40:40 - Crypto art breaking down traditional barriers  00:44:27 - Preserving the pure nature of art / societal shifts 00:52:15 - What a good day looks like for Jesse and Colborn 00:55:17 - The future of NFT’s  00:58:57 - M.O.C.A’s Artist Residency & M.O.C.A’s Genesis Collection 1:04:15 - Advice to artists 1:08:

Hayden Silas Anhedönia, a Florida native better known as Southern Gothic musician, Ethel Cain, creates her art with the same simple intention behind a Sunday morning sermon; to not only be heard, but also felt. Combining her Southern Baptist upbringing with her love of folk, country, and rock music, as well as all things horror and drama, she aims to create nothing other than a visceral experience that lingers long after consumption. Show Notes: The meaning of her tattoos Religion / Hayden’s problems and fascination with Christianity and cults Her childhood experiences Social order, classism, eastern and western cultures Identity Cancel culture, honesty, and speaking freely The beginnings of “Ethel Cain” Mental health and dismantling the narrative Wrap Up www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/mothercain www.daughtersofcain.com

After studying filmmaking with Leslie Thornton at Brown University, and French New Wave director Eric Rohmer at The University of Paris-Michelet, Sam Levy began his professional career as an apprentice to cinematographer Harris Savides. Sam first gained recognition as a cinematographer in his own right when he photographed Wendy and Lucy for director Kelly Reichardt - voted one of the “Best 25 Films of the 21st Century” by The New York Times. Sam went on to shoot three films for director Noah Baumbach: Frances Ha, Mistress America, and While We’re Young. Sam’s recent films include Lady Bird - nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture - as well as two projects for director Spike Jonze: Changers and Untitled Frank Ocean Project. Sam has photographed commercials and music videos for such directors as Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, Fredrik Bond, Stacy Wall, Randy Krallman, Lisa Rubisch, and Brigitte Lacombe among others. Show Notes: New experiences while shooting “Mayday” Sam’s experience being a pr

John Wentz is a contemporary painter born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books. After years of copying comics panel by panel, he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator, and freelance illustrator. After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue fine art and work in oils. Since then, he has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards. Show Notes: Cultural nuances John’s shift towards digital artwork Imposter syndrome The effects of COVID on people’s consciousness NFT’s The background to John’s latest gallery show, “Liminal Spaces” at Stolen Space Gallery in London The Liminal Space Grieving The concept of “ritual” How painting has changed for John over the years The idea of self-expression Voice and style Intentionally

Books Referenced In This Yoshinocast Episode: "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel "Atomic Habits" by James Clear "The Miracle of a Definite Chief Aim" by Mitch Horowitz Link To Yoshino's Strava Profile: www.strava.com/athletes/63049717 Other Links: www.artistdecoded.com www.yoshinostudios.com www.nohwave.co

Joe Sill is a filmmaker and founder of world-building lab Impossible Objects. Joe likes to think big. He forged his path as a live-action feature and commercials director, often using visual effects to bring new worlds and ideas to life. His love for telling grand visual stories has led him to work with top brands such as Apple, NASA, Nike, and Tesla, as well as his first foray into feature filmmaking with "Stray”. Recently, Joe decided to double down in the landscape of animation and virtual production, energized by the constant innovation and ability for artists like himself to imagine and create without limitation. Joe is currently developing an original television series with writer Matisse Tolin based on their short film, “Autonomous”, with Jon Berg and Greg Silverman of Stampede Ventures producing. Show Notes: Joseph Campbell on giving meaning to life Honestly expressing oneself Being journey focused vs. being results focused Turning interests into a career The role of the director on set The poten

Liana Finck, New Yorker Cartoonist, who has been deemed by ELLE, "Instagram's favorite cartoonist," and has been featured on Adult Swim and HBO's Very Semi-Serious, as well as authored multiple graphic novels and a cartoon book (and a forthcoming novel as well), and has drawn the cover for a Justin Bieber + Ariana Grande single. Show Notes: 00:03:34 - Artistry and childhood 00:05:26 - Different modes of creating art 00:10:45 - Finding one’s voice as an artist 00:12:54 - Liana’s artistic evolution 00:15:11 - Naive art and perfectionism 00:18:12 - Finding one’s rhythm 00:20:55 - Cities being a hub for a variety of people and perspectives 00:26:45 - What we say vs. what we mean 00:31:02 - Personality tests 00:34:20 - The anxiety of being around people 00:40:58 - Life changes 00:47:55 - Wrap up www.artistdecoded.com www.lianafinck.com www.instagram.com/lianafinck  

Ayoto Ataraxia 鄭博榕; pingyin: Zheng Borong; born 23 August 1985) is an artist, director, writer, performing artist, producer, poet, and musician. He graduated from Istituto Europeo di Design with cum laude in 2009, and from the School of Visual Arts with honors in New York City, 2013. His works have been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and are part of the Beyond Fashion exhibition of the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography. He is currently hosting Asian Provocation, exploring queer Asian diasporic identities through conversations and stories Show Notes: 00:04:55 - Ayoto’s reflections time in New York 00:09:06 - The dangers of romanticizing working artists 00:12:18 - Artistic expression 00:16:42 - Modern American culture / getting lost in the American dream 00:19:52 - Considering what we truly value in life 00:22:14 - Observing people in different dimensions 00:27:24 - The illusion of control 00:29:08 - Identity 00:35:37 - The background to Ayoto’s original name/freedom fr

NYC-based Iranian songwriter, producer, and vocalist Kris Esfandiari, also known as King Woman, is set to release a striking full-length album, Celestial Blues, on July 30, 2021, via Relapse Records. Kris Esfandiari (NGHTCRWLR, Dalmatian, Miserable, Sugar High, i8i) founded King Woman in 2009 — a solo project which later gained the talents of guitarist Peter Arensdorf and drummer Joseph Raygoza. Now wiser and holding less animosity than King Woman’s previous sentiments on 2014 EP Doubt and the highly-esteemed 2017 full length Created in The Image of Suffering, the fantasy world that once plagued Kris' psyche is dancing in a new light on Celestial Blues. Feeling compelled to reshape the biblical archetypes that once bound her, Esfandiari has created a theatrical tale of rebellion, tragedy, and triumph — a metaphor for her own personal experiences over the years — Celestial Blues was born. Show Notes: 00:05:17 - Monotheism/experiences with Christianity 00:17:16 - The fluidity of expressing emotions through

Poet, artist, and Daughters vocalist Alexis Marshall has announced his solo debut LP HOUSE OF LULL. HOUSE OF WHEN for July 23rd via Sargent House and along with it the first song and video for “Hounds In The Abyss”. Directed by Jeremy W., Marshall notes of the video’s concept “The long stare into the room of self—the universe’s middle distance—the many hidden doors we locate, the many rooms we find. Populated not only by whom else we are, but by places, we have been. The places we are. We don’t always pull away from the hot stove.”’ Produced by Seth Manchester the album is crafted around moments of spontaneity and sonic detritus. For the album, Marshall brought together an impressive group of collaborators to execute his vision, a vision that for the first time was under his full creative direction. Jon Syverson (Daughters), Kristin Hayter (Lingua Ignota), Evan Patterson (Jaye Jayle, Young Widows) joined Marshall in Pawtucket, Rhode Island at Machines with Magnets studio with no material. The strategy was t

Emilio Villalba is a Mexican-American painter living in San Francisco. Born in Chula Vista and raised in Southern California, he grew up interested in drawing and art. He created a career in Los Angeles as a visual effects artist where he animated television commercials and films. After 2 years in the industry, he left for San Francisco to study fine art. He’s now focused on exploring painting figuratively, pulling inspiration from both old masters and contemporary artists—from Velázquez to Alice Neel and Basquiat.  Emilio’s latest exhibition, “People and Things” will be on view at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York from Saturday, July 17th to Saturday, August 7th, 2021. Show Notes: 00:03:12 - Emilio’s latest body of work 00:06:50 - Exploring new visual avenues 00:13:33 - Self-awareness of one’s work 00:20:30 - Saying vs. doing 00:32:42 - The psychology of reward systems 00:36:03 - Identity / fitting in 00:42:40 - The conceptual basis of Emilio’s newest body of work 00:53:37 - Owning who you are 01:03:33 -

Stuart Biddlecombe is a director of photography for The Handmaid’s Tale. Biddlecombe graduated from the National Film and Television School in 2003. He has also worked on Doctor Who, Call To Midwife, and Cold Feet. Show Notes: 00:02:53 - Adapting to an environment on set 00:07:26 - Stuart’s creative process 00:12:28 - Collaboration within the filming process 00:17:06 - The continuity of filming television shows 00:19:24 - Artistry vs. Craftsmanship 00:21:22 - Inspiration through different types of art 00:23:47 - Observing the world through the lens of cinematography 00:25:23 - How he sees his role as a DP 00:28:18 - Spontaneity while filming 00:33:40 - Stuart’s journey as a cinematographer 00:50:00 - Stuart’s best piece of work / working in TV 01:02:51 - Wrap up www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/stuartdop www.stuartbiddlecombe.co.uk

For the first episode of AD’s Movie Club, Justin will be discussing Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2008 Film Tokyo Sonata with three of his close friends. First, we are joined by photographer and podcast host, Yoshino. Yoshino uses his photography to draw out deep lingering emotions while seeking to unveil a psychological truth embedded within all of us. He attempts to create a dichotomy and a confluence between his observations, molding them together between varying ideas and disparate elements. With these images, he invites the viewer to enter his world and to give space for the contemplation of their own personal framework and reality. Yoshino is also the host of the Artist Decoded podcast. Amirtha Kidambi is a composer, performer, and professor currently living in New York City. Kidambi earned an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Columbia University, an M.M. in Voice and Musicology at CUNY Brooklyn College, and a B.A. in Voice from Loyola Marymount University. She currently serves on the faculty for the New School, t

Jan Hopkins is a master at creating sculptural vessels and figurative sculptures from unusual natural materials such as citrus, melon and pomegranate peels, lotus pods, fish skin, leaves, and seed pods. Each piece is a marriage of deep sensitivity and reverence to materials with a heavy emphasis on concept and innovation. Jan studied basketry with indigenous and contemporary artists, learning the art of meticulous construction, the basics of how to gather and prepare materials, and understanding new concepts in design beyond traditional construction. In the early 90s, challenged with the depletion and unavailability of many of the natural basketry materials, she began experimenting and innovating new ways of processing organic materials that she successfully uses in her work today. Her initial aspiration was to preserve the beauty of the materials she began to by constructing vessel forms. Jan’s work evolved to more figurative work with narratives sewn into each intricately designed piece. Jan and her husba

Mitch Horowitz is a historian of alternative spirituality and one of today’s most literate voices of esoterica, mysticism, and the occult. He is among the few occult writers whose work touches the bases of academic scholarship, national journalism, and subculture cred. Mitch is a writer-in-residence at the New York Public Library, lecturer-in-residence at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, and a PEN Award-winning historian whose books include Occult America; One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life; and The Miracle Club. The Washington Post says Mitch “treats esoteric ideas and movements with an even-handed intellectual studiousness that is too often lost in today’s raised-voice discussions.” He has discussed alternative spirituality across the national media and is collaborating with Emmy-nominated director Ronni Thomas on a feature documentary about the occult classic The Kybalion, shot on location in Egypt. Mitch received the Walden Award for Interfaith/Intercultural U

Damon Davis is a post-disciplinary artist based in St. Louis, Missouri. His work spans across a spectrum of creative mediums to tell stories exploring how identity is informed by power and mythology. He is well known for his body of work, Darker Gods, which explores Afro-surrealist manifestations of Black culture. Davis is a Firelight Media, Sundance Labs, TED, and Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow. He is the founder and creative director of St. Louis-based music label/ artist collective FarFetched and his work is featured in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Show Notes: 00:03:18 - Reflections on George Floyd and 2020 00:09:55 - Power dynamics in American society 00:14:35 - The soulful impact of art 00:17:40 - America’s amnesia & the complexities of blackness 00:20:49 - Value systems 00:29:56 - Damon’s intention with the mythology he created for “Darker Gods” 00:33:39 - Power, wisdom, and empathy 00:39:15 -The desensitization and fe

Born in Beijing and raised in Singapore, Jingna Zhang is a fashion and fine art photographer and director based in New York City and Seattle. Imbued with love for the Pre-Raphaelites and Japanese anime, Jingna’s work interweaves Asian aesthetics with western art styles, bringing unique visions of painterly and fantastical images to fashion and fine art photography. Before photography, Jingna was a world-class air rifle shooter representing Singapore at the Commonwealth Games and World Cup. She was the only female founder of a North American esports team in StarCraft 2; and was once a concept artist and illustrator’s agent, with clients including LucasArts, Amazon Publishing, and Sony Online Entertainment. Jingna majored in fashion design before dropping out of school to pursue photography. She is an alumna of Stanford’s innovation and entrepreneurship program Ignite and a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 listmaker. Jingna’s works have appeared on multiple editions of Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her clients in

Graham grew up in Ojai, a small ranching town in Southern California with pink sunsets dipping below the mountains.  He spent his childhood exploring Europe and the Southwestern United States with his travel writer father and family. His upbringing informs his photography, which is largely based in simplicity, nostalgia, nature, and the truth of a moment. Graham lives in Los Angeles with his wife, a kindergarten teacher, and his son, an extremely inventive whippersnapper. Show Notes: 00:00:00 - Introduction  00:04:55 - Teaching all aspects of history  00:08:53 - Homogenization of culture  00:12:22 - The importance of community  00:15:56 - The confluence of non-sequiturs  00:18:36 - The shifting landscape of commercial photography 00:25:00 - Human psychology within photography  00:33:16 - Graham’s projects during covid  00:42:45 - Having a “jack of all trades” approach  00:48:15 - Personal values influencing the way you approach your career  00:54:54 - Having a balanced life  00:56:51 - Learning and adapti