A Conversation with Michi

A conversation between Ming Donkey and Atlanta-artist Michi Meko at the opening of  Michi and Born’s show, Pure/Surrender, at Atlanta’s Beep Beep gallery. Earlier that night, July 10, Ming Donkey and his Left Field partners had their own opening a few blocks away at Young Blood Gallery.

[Ass First Into Dream by TindelMichi]

This conversation took place around midnight, so everyone was in that late-night state of zealousness triggered by fatigue or alcohol or both.  But I just happened to have my voice recorder handy, so with the permission of all involved, I turned it on. What follows provides insight into the passion and general supportive of Atlanta’s indie-art scene.

Michi, on an artist he met at Art Basel: The kid’s paintings are fucking hilarious, they’re just these candy corns, and they’re singing hip hop, to the hip, to the hop, and I’m just like, I gotta meet this kid…

Austin Healy [print artist and student at Creative Circus]: What’s his name?

Michi: Matthew Rodriguez, Mattie D. We hit it off, putting up stickers on scooters and shit, and I’m just a big fan of that kid. I’ve seen his work before, and it’s funny, you know? Candy corns? He’s just this wiry kid from Texas. He did something for the Deitch Gallery parade…

Keep reading at Juxtapoz.

Born and Michi at Beep-Beep Gallery

And my Atlanta saga continues…

(Born, “Be”)

After “It Came From Left Field” at Young Blood, I headed to Beep-Beep to catch the Michi and Born show, “Pure/Surrender.”  Both of these artists are considered Atlanta street-art royalty, although Michi Meko’s history lies in illustrative characters, while Born is a tried and true, old-skool graf writer, who has recently been in the news over a Beltline mural dispute. (FYI, Beltline is a park project involving former railway turf—Atlanta’s answer to Manhattan’s Highline.)

But the work at Beep-Beep is neither overtly illustrative nor graf-based, and any paint involved was (most likely) not spread by the hands of these artists. The entire show is a poetic configuration of found wood and metal scraps. Even so, their earlier influences are present,  and despite the seamless melding of their work, these artists are exploring different ideas.

(Born’s graf, pic from www.flickr.com/photos/brookenovak/sets/364618/ )