This week we sit down with the artist Chambliss Giobbi! Chambliss Giobbi utilizes the nature of time and simultaneity as a central theme in his fractured, stop-frame collaged images as well as his mutated sculptural Mobius Strips that perpetually return to their origin. Since 2019, he has been engaged in a long-term project of recreating iconic paintings from the 16th century to contemporary. These paintings are in extreme miniature and are painted with melted Crayola crayons.Cham’s project, Arcadia, was presented in three rooms at the Spring Break Art Show in 2018. His solo project curated by Danielle Sweet, A Room With A View, was presented at the Spring Break Art Show in 2020. Chambliss lives and works in New York City. Please enjoy this Frank Talk below!
What was your first job in the Arts?
I was a welder, fabricating a lot of public sculpture for RM Fisher, Dan Graham & Richard Artschwager among others.
What was the most useful or important thing you learned at that job?
Three-dimensional thinking.
Tell us a little more about yourself. When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in this industry?
I was a composer of classical music. I had always been going to museums and galleries regularly, and enjoyed that world much more than the music world, but never thought I could be a visual artist. Over the years, I realized that the problem with music composition was that I wasn’t composing music, I was writing directions on how to play music. Always one step away. Art-making was becoming a stealth mission for me, and I gave in.
What do you do now?
I work in my studio and supplement my income doing voiceovers for television/radio.
Where are you from?
Mount Kisco, NY.
What is the arts community like there?
Katonah Art Museum is good, so is Caramoor Music Festival. Lots of senior artists I think. My father is one.
Has where you come from shaped what you do in the arts today?
Sort of- my father is an artist, but we’re in very different orbits.
What is the best piece of advice you can give about working in the art world?
Be a very good artist, and also be very good at something else for income.
What is one of your greatest accomplishments in your career so far?
Allowing myself to tackle projects that I have no idea how to do and that I shouldn’t be doing. Always being doubtful, but with the confidence to know I’ll resolve the problem.
What has been a challenge for you?
Having that gnawing feeling that I need to be a good boy and make sure my work develops in a very linear way- the way a curator or art writer would want to see it. Although I work for a long time on projects, the ideas for them come quickly, not predictably step-by-step.
What is something you do every day at the office (or your current home office)?
Throw out things.
What is one of the weirdest things you have had to do on the job in your career?
A voice for a NYC cop doing standup in a video game.
What defines a good employee? What defines a good boss?
Good employees speak up, good bosses listen.
What do you think makes a person hirable?
Clarity, Honesty.
What is your advice to making yourself stand out in your workplace? Any good tips for a giving a great interview?
Clarity, Honesty!
Is there any advice you would like to give people entering the art world?
Never give up.
What is the best exhibition you have seen in the last year?
Vic Muniz, SURFACES.
If you could own a work by 5 different artists, who would be in your collection?
Bellmer
Eggleston
Celmins
Auerbach
Soutine
Have you seen any virtual exhibitions recently that you would like to comment on?
Shelter-In-Place on IG is great. A miniature perfectly recreated gallery space that artists submit miniature work to for miniature shows.
What artwork is in your home office?
A Pascin print from 1910, David Kramer drawing.
What is your go to snack in quarantine? And your go to soundtrack?
Wagner’s Ring.
Since we are all at home and exploring more galleries and museums online, perhaps some for the first time, when the quarantine is lifted, what is your first art filled destination?
The Met.
It can be argued that the art world is finally forced to adopt and adapt technologies that have long been a part of other industries. Agree or Disagree?
Agree.
And finally, do you think the art world should be more transparent?
Agree most of the time.
