It’s fitting that the only way to get to artist Raúl De Nieves’ studio is through a door of stuffed animals. Push past the door in the back of Secret Project Robot’s exhibition space in Bushwick, and you’re greeted by the smell of hot glue and, if you’re lucky, ABBA playing on De Nieves’ laptop.
The artist, who dabbles in painting, sculpture, and, of course, performance (as seen in his most recent performance of The Fool), is known for his intricate bead-encrusted sculptures, costumes, and shows. His studio space reflects just that: You’ll find a Legally Blonde 2 DVD alongside jars and jars of beads, a cupboard full of his old shoes to bedazzle, and some 10 vinyl copies of Voulez-Vous. “Well, I think if someone asked me what I thought of myself, I’d say I am a storyteller, and I am inspired by stories,” De Nieves says. Fitting, since many of his painted works reference the classic story of St. George slaying the dragon.
Before the close of De Nieves' De Feet N Joy, a pop-up "shoe store" currently on view at Issue Project Room, we dropped by the artist's studio to chat about ABBA, beadwork, and how exactly classic pumps transform into coral reef-like beaded works of art.
JESSICA CHOU: Let’s talk about this collection of Voulez-Vous vinyl records you have going on here.
RAÚL DE NIEVES: This is Voulez-Vous by ABBA, and it’s 42 minutes and 42 seconds long. I’m working on an experience for ISSUE, and I’m going to have 20 records playing at the same time. There will be a clock with the timing, and I will create cues for the DJs to follow, but very loose cues. So you’re going to hear the record play for the entire length, but you’re also going to experience 20 records playing at the same time. It’s going to be insane.
Why Voulez-Vous in particular?
I’ve been on such an ABBA k-hole. All their albums are so joyful to me, and how their melodies work really do something to myself. I chose Voulez-Vous because it’s their first disco album, and I love the cover myself. Like what is he holding, a light saber?
Your current show, De Feet N Joy, is a shoe store exhibit featuring all your encrusted shoes. How did this all start?
Well, shoes are like a trademark of yourself. So like my shoes would break, and instead of throwing them away or trying to fix it, I try to make a relic of it. And it’s such an easy vehicle to experiment with the idea of sculpture because it allows you to work with a pair. You have to make both of them, and they never look the same. It takes a machine to make something look exactly like the other, and I’m working with my hands.
Can you talk about the process? How do you start on a pair?
I might think, "Oh I want it to have rings—how do I make that?" Or, "I want it to be wavy." But I do think of it as an organic process. They’re like flowers. They just grow and you watch them grow. Each individual bead is important to its growth, and the more I work on it, the more it allows it to grow. It’s like a strange magical way of bending time, because I just circle th
The artist, who dabbles in painting, sculpture, and, of course, performance (as seen in his most recent performance of The Fool), is known for his intricate bead-encrusted sculptures, costumes, and shows. His studio space reflects just that: You’ll find a Legally Blonde 2 DVD alongside jars and jars of beads, a cupboard full of his old shoes to bedazzle, and some 10 vinyl copies of Voulez-Vous. “Well, I think if someone asked me what I thought of myself, I’d say I am a storyteller, and I am inspired by stories,” De Nieves says. Fitting, since many of his painted works reference the classic story of St. George slaying the dragon.
Before the close of De Nieves' De Feet N Joy, a pop-up "shoe store" currently on view at Issue Project Room, we dropped by the artist's studio to chat about ABBA, beadwork, and how exactly classic pumps transform into coral reef-like beaded works of art.
JESSICA CHOU: Let’s talk about this collection of Voulez-Vous vinyl records you have going on here.
RAÚL DE NIEVES: This is Voulez-Vous by ABBA, and it’s 42 minutes and 42 seconds long. I’m working on an experience for ISSUE, and I’m going to have 20 records playing at the same time. There will be a clock with the timing, and I will create cues for the DJs to follow, but very loose cues. So you’re going to hear the record play for the entire length, but you’re also going to experience 20 records playing at the same time. It’s going to be insane.
Why Voulez-Vous in particular?
I’ve been on such an ABBA k-hole. All their albums are so joyful to me, and how their melodies work really do something to myself. I chose Voulez-Vous because it’s their first disco album, and I love the cover myself. Like what is he holding, a light saber?
Your current show, De Feet N Joy, is a shoe store exhibit featuring all your encrusted shoes. How did this all start?
Well, shoes are like a trademark of yourself. So like my shoes would break, and instead of throwing them away or trying to fix it, I try to make a relic of it. And it’s such an easy vehicle to experiment with the idea of sculpture because it allows you to work with a pair. You have to make both of them, and they never look the same. It takes a machine to make something look exactly like the other, and I’m working with my hands.
Can you talk about the process? How do you start on a pair?
I might think, "Oh I want it to have rings—how do I make that?" Or, "I want it to be wavy." But I do think of it as an organic process. They’re like flowers. They just grow and you watch them grow. Each individual bead is important to its growth, and the more I work on it, the more it allows it to grow. It’s like a strange magical way of bending time, because I just circle th